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Able Greenspan's Bookshelf
Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal
Mohammed El-Kurd
Haymarket Books
www.haymarketbooks.org
9798888903179, $45.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Victims-Politics-Mohammed-El-Kurd/dp/B0DP63R1KZ
Synopsis: Palestine is a microcosm of the world: on fire, stubborn, fragmented, dignified. While a settler colonial state continues to inflict devastating violence, fundamental truths are deliberately obscured -- the perpetrators are coddled while the victims are blamed and placed on trial.
Why must Palestinians prove their humanity? And what are the implications of such an infuriatingly impossible task? With fearless prose and lyrical precision, Mohammed El-Kurd refuses a life spent in cross-examination. Rather than asking the oppressed to perform a perfect victimhood, El-Kurd asks friends and foes alike to look Palestinians in the eye, forgoing both deference and condemnation.
How we see Palestine reveals how we see each other; how we see everything else. Masterfully combining candid testimony, history, and reportage, "Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal" presents a powerfully simple demand: dignity for the Palestinian.
Critique: One aptly descriptive word for Palestine today is TRAGEDY. And the tragedy that is Palestine seems only to worsen as the decades go by. A parallel is Germany in the 1930s & 40s. What the Nazis did against their neighboring countries was to end in utter devastation for the German people whose lives and country were laid in ruins at the conclusion of World War II. Now under the leadership of Hamas and their murderous October 7 attack on Israeli civilians (including very young children) has triggered a near genocidal response against the Palestinian citizenry that still continues today against a population already burdened with decades of war, hardship, and hate/desperation driven Palestinian militants. "Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal" is timely, informative, thought-provoking, iconoclastic -- and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Human Rights & Israeli/Palestinian History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Mohammed El-Kurd is a writer, poet, journalist, and organizer from Jerusalem, occupied Palestine. He is the Nation's first-ever Palestine Correspondent and editor-at-large at Mondoweiss, the recipient of numerous honors and awards, and the author of the highly-acclaimed poetry collection Rifqa, which has been translated into several languages. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_el-Kurd)
Able Greenspan
Reviewer
Diane Donovan's Bookshelf
The Color of Dreams
Michael Zajaczkowski
https://michaelzbooks.com
Starlite Books
https://michaelzbooks.com
9798991769112, $28.95 Hardcover, $15.95 Paperback, $17.95 Audiobook
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Dreams-Michael-Zajaczkowski/dp/B0F1Z6TVXF
The Color of Dreams is the magical story of a little angel who arrives just in time to help a man on the verge of losing his family and everything he loves. It takes the form of a journal which the angel has requested he create to document their relationship and its impact on his life.
From its opening lines, The Color of Dreams is presented in atmospheric, poetic descriptions that are highly evocative:
I'll always remember the shining angel, the promise of her lessons, the colors in my garden, and the light that burns inside of me. I'll remember each and every failure, all the chances I had to turn things around, and all the times I chased after the wrong things. And after all the chasing, I'll remember most what I ended up finding: something I'd always had, but that I overlooked, just as you may be overlooking it right now. My dad always said, "You don't know what you got until you lose it." That was certainly true for me.
The narrator is a dreamer with no head for business, making many of his efforts problematic as he sinks into a "money hole" that seems to hold no clear solution. Luckily he has his angel to advise him, and she creates an alternative path of healing to help him:
"Are you in faith or fear right now, Ben?"
I was instantly ashamed, but I couldn't control my disappointment. "It's all over."
"What's over?" she asked with a steady gaze, her wings opening and closing hypnotically.
I plopped down on the couch and let out a deep sigh. "All of it. Mitch won't loan me the money. He thinks it's a bad idea and won't work, so now it's over. It's just all over."
The angel zoomed into my consciousness, raised her little hands, and scattered the choking darkness. Murky colors retreated to the edges of the bubble that now surrounded us, and the angel's glow warmed it to a sapphire blue. She sat beside me, and I calmed, basking in the blue and watching the dark disappointment retreat above us.
As Ben becomes involved in a new development community and begins to open himself up to new possibilities with the angel's assistance, a variety of characters enter his life to interact with him on different levels.
Michael Zajaczkowski's story embraces magical realism, faith, hope, and psychological growth. It's a gently inspirational tale that will attract a wide range of readers - especially those interested in miracles, revised options, and the power of fear and faith.
Libraries that choose The Color of Dreams for its lovely descriptions, logical and compelling accounts of growth, and uplifting sense of hope will find it easy to recommend to readers looking for inspirational tales of transformation that emerge from following one's dream.
All That Shimmers
Kady Ambrose
Anqa Press
https://anqa.co.uk
9781966089001, $16.95 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Shimmers-Kady-Ambrose/dp/1966089007
Historical romance and fantasy readers seeking a multifaceted read set against the backdrop of World War I (which is also being pummeled by the Spanish Flu pandemic) will relish the interwoven history, love, and magic that give All That Shimmers an unusual ability to attract disparate audiences.
What begins as nanny Vanessa Perkins's pursuit of romance with two very different men turns into a foray into magic and mystical influences. She encounters a fairy, confronts disparities between her dream of a warm, welcoming home versus the reality of marrying into a privileged world, and finds that the consequences of her actions hold a potentially devastating impact on the world and those she loves.
Kady Ambrose creates a sense of magic from the start as Ezra revisits the nymphs he'd encountered in the past and pays the price for fulfilling his deepest desires. Fast forward fifty years later to 1918, where Vanessa's runaway imagination gives her grief while opening the door to new opportunities.
Her meeting with Avery Nolan, who rescues her from an impending emotional meltdown, seems to portend new connections, but Avery proves surprisingly reluctant to pursue her. Turns out that this is because he feels his future is unclear despite his parents' mandate for him to attend medical school.
The job he is offered is quite different, creating both angst in his family and the notion that the Enchanted Wood nymphs will, at least, appreciate this change of plans.
Ambrose draws together a satisfying blend of magic, social change, and psychological insight. The depth of Vanessa's perceptions, as well as the culture which swirls around her, bring the early 1900s to life so vividly that even history-reluctant readers will readily be immersed in its milieu.
Vanessa's discovery of what makes for a "fine and decent person" contributes an underlying sense of growth to the story. This will draw readers into its extra touches of unexpected developments and psychological magic.
Libraries seeking stories with strong female protagonists, realistic settings, and an unusual blend of magic, mayhem, and discovery will welcome All That Shimmers into their collections. It's an exceptionally poignant examination of one twenty-something woman's shifting options for the rest of her life against an equally challenging social and political atmosphere which attacks her beliefs and life trajectory.
Immersive and thought-provoking, All That Shimmers is highly recommended.
The Vatican Deal
Michael Balter
https://mbalter.com
Mission Point Press
https://www.missionpointpress.com
9781965278444, $17.99 (softcover) $29.99 (hardcover) $9.99 (ebook)
https://www.amazon.com/Vatican-Deal-Thriller-Schott-Bishop-ebook/dp/B0DWXY7W2N
The Vatican Deal, a sequel to Michael Balter's Chasing Money, is highly recommended for fans of the original. Steeped in Marty and Bo's ongoing confrontations and discoveries, this gripping follow-up proves just as riveting as the initial account of their startup investment operation.
The first-person insight opens with a bang that newcomers will find thought-provoking, humorous, and intriguing, all in one:
Bo loves to talk about money. How to make it, how to lose it, and most importantly, how to spend it.
Marty and Bo are in Europe to buy an Italian foundry - but that's not all they're investing in. Trouble emerges early in the story as they confront the reality that their interests lie in the crossfire of a dangerous battle between the Vatican and the Mafia.
Natalya has been kidnapped and presumably is being tortured, the two face mob threats themselves, and the plot moves quickly between past and present experience, immersing readers in Italian culture and conflicts.
Michael Balter's ability to seamlessly carry readers into a milieu that fills in the blanks of background while presenting a fast-paced series of unexpected encounters translates to a rich, thoroughly engrossing thriller.
Readers who require their action cemented by personal observation and who appreciate wry humor that peppers adventure will especially relish The Vatican Deal's foray into political and religious special interests as Bo and Marty face major challenges to their investigative prowess and business acuity.
From associations with cardinals who appreciate art to truths that even close associates hide from one another, the story is rich in detail and often whimsical in its revelations of the truth:
"Really, Natalya! We were scheduled to meet Bertolini and Caloia yesterday, and you couldn't bring yourself to say, 'Oh - we once shared a lobster in Paris, along with a few other billionaires. We chewed the fat and had a lovely time.'"
"We didn't have lobster. We had Kobe beef. I didn't chew the fat - I don't like it, so I cut it to the side. Some people had fish. I remember Cardinal Bertolini had sea bass."
"Fuck me!" I exhaled in exasperation.
"I cannot do that right now. You will have to wait."
Libraries that have seen popularity with the prior Chasing Money will want to add The Vatican Deal to their collections, but those without such prior familiarity will still find the latest book to be a thoroughly compelling standalone read.
Packed with cat-and-mouse games that reveal more than one level of truth and discovery, The Vatican Deal is everything readers could want in a thriller: emotionally compelling, astute in its logic, and delightfully unexpected in its business and investigative connections... as well as hard to predict or put down.
Switched at Death
Valerie Taylor
https://valerietaylorauthor.com
Aspetuck Publishing
9798986599540, $17.95
https://www.amazon.com/Switched-Death-Venus-Bixby-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DYVVGFL7
Switched at Death is the second Venus Bixby mystery following her first appearance in the vivid A Whale of a Murder, and will appeal to both newcomers to and prior fans of Venus.
The story opens in 2010 as the small town of Chatham Crossing receives the shocking news of their beloved mayor's death in a fire. The stage that was initially set for the town's annual tree-lighting ceremony has now become a scene of loss... but Venus doesn't think it was an accident. Her nose for trouble leads her to uncover the real cause of Simon Duffy's demise, which is anything but unintentional.
This deduction is despite the fact that Venus isn't a P.I. or professional detective, but the small town's shop owner of Oldies and Goodies. As her long-time business partner is the deceased's wife, Venus holds a very personal stake in better understanding the big loss.
Valerie Taylor crafts a vivid story that fills in any blanks of prior character-building and small town events for new readers - yet does so in a manner that will engage prior fans without burdening them with a recap of already-familiar setting and characters.
This weaving of past and present creates an alluring mystery for all readers, setting the stage for a murder probe that immersed in small-town atmosphere. The descriptions of this milieu are vivid embraces of the town's seasonal allure:
Travel logs and blogs always described Chatham Crossing as a delightful historic whaling village with unique shopping, lobster rolls to die for, and a must-visit whaling museum. If you're traveling to Cape Cod this summer, a stop in charming Chatham Crossing is well worth the side trip.
What the writers failed to recognize, or mention, was that the winter holiday season was just as delightful, if not more so than summer, when the heat and humidity combined with the tourist crowds made the unique shopping, lobster rolls, and museum often exhausting and challenging for some. Needless to say, I'd never criticize their praise of Chatham Crossing. After all, the most unique shopping experience in town was Oldies & Goodies, my retro music store and cookie bakery...
The fact that Venus is a serial entrepreneur with out-of-the-box ideas (such as a kitty daycare and adoption service) lends further depth and interest to her alter ego as an investigator. Events lead the mayor's wife into uncharted political waters and Venus into unbelievable circumstances she never saw coming, supporting Venus's ultimate convictions that something is awry:
"But my intuition is screaming that something wretched happened Saturday night. In my heart and my brain," I touched my temple, "I believe Simon Duffy did not die of a natural everyday heart attack."
But are they valid?
Libraries seeking cozy mysteries that capture small-town charm, explore engrossing dilemmas, and weave in the politics and personalities of a host of characters will find Switched at Death thoroughly immersive.
Packed with twists and turns and seasoned with first-person revelations that bring readers into Venus's thought processes, analytical prowess, and values, Switched at Death is the very definition of a page-turner.
It excels in not just investigative development, but in creating a mystery designed to bring readers into the world of Chatham Crossing, there to enjoy the evolution of winter and wonder that's steeped in holiday tradition and new beginnings.
Hoplite Ridge
Sean Patrick Sayers
Book Baby Publishers
www.bookbaby.com
9798350986471, $24.99 Paperback/$3.99eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Hoplite-Ridge-Sean-Patrick-Sayers/dp/B0DVFW3T6S
Science fiction enthusiasts who look for post-apocalyptic books that mix mythology with survivalist efforts and empire-building efforts will welcome Hoplite Ridge's ability to weave seemingly disparate elements into an exciting quest for not just survival, but control, meaning, and power.
These elements forge new territory as the story considers the special challenges presented to brothers Mars and Ares Augustus. They're sibling warriors whose alliances, choices, and confrontations change both their relationship and their vision of creating a new world.
Sean Patrick Sayers produces a fast-paced novel that takes the time to explore diffuse situations that embrace cutting-edge technology and mythological figures in surprisingly novel situations.
Of special note is how observers as well as participants in humanity's crisis contribute reflections, objectives, and influences that are unusual in apocalyptic sci-fi depictions:
In its existence, the Vulture had come to understand the choices men make in the face of death. More often than not, they surrender to the forces that inflict pain and harm, accepting it as fate and attributing their destruction to the will of the Gods. A sense of helplessness and indignation lingers, as if some universal law should have prevented their demise. The Vulture no longer needed to wait. The messenger comprehended the significance of this moment, and the faint curiosity that lingered transformed into a resolute certainty that the next age of man would commence with Mars. With a noisy squawk, the Vulture leaped from the branch, soaring into the distance.
Titus, Neptune, and a host of other figures add to the relentless struggles the siblings experience as the world shifts around them, challenging their ideals of what is to come and their roles in making things happen.
From the joys of hope to the crushing sense of defeat that can emerge on the cusp of seeming success, Sayers tailors his story to readers who appreciate its crisp characterization, intersections of purpose and perspective, and empire-building challenges. These themes come as much from the heart as from political events and confrontations.
All these elements contribute to a riveting story that may shift on mercurial foundations, but proves very satisfying in its foray into the unexpected.
Libraries and sci-fi readers seeking something different from the usual survivalist approach of apocalyptic sci-fi will find Hoplite Ridge a thought-provoking alternative to predictable characters and scenarios. It injects many levels of action and surprise into its saga of political and military unrest, transformative influences, and how lasting legacies are built and documented.
The story of Hoplite Ridge thus becomes, for future generations, a vivid account of "...the foundations of our myths, religion, and culture." It will delight sci-fi book club discussion groups, offering much food for thought as those who survive disaster move forward into growth.
Escape
Joe Canzano
Happy Joe Control
https://bookscouter.com/publisher/happy-joe-control
9798985913231, $3.99 ebook, $9.99 paperback
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQJVSLHH
Escape is the second book in Joe Canzano's Rune and Flash series, crafting a vivid dystopian sci-fi saga that builds on events in the first book, Inside the Prison Dream. The story starts where Dream Prison ended, making it especially recommended for prior fans, who will find the continuation a smooth venture into new experiences and opportunities for Rune and Markla, who are still on the run.
While a bigger cause embraces them, Rune and Markla's companionship adds an extra dimension of strength to their efforts, drawing readers into scenarios that test both their resolve and their connections to one another.
Joe Canzano forges a series of action-packed adventures that reviews serious choices, new opportunities, and situations that test Markla's resolve to keep Rune alive at all costs. Neither wants to hurt anybody - but their special mandates may make it necessary to do so. Rescue attempts, mandates to stay strong and defy powerful forces against all odds, and unexpected encounters lead each character to step up to make extraordinary and often uncomfortable choices.
The thread of humor that runs through the plot is both unexpected and delightful in its subtle forms of comic relief:
Having a sense of humor was not a prerequisite for being a goon.
From nightmare scripts for "dreambanks" to possible romance under adverse conditions that evolves in unexpected ways, Canzano keeps the characters realistic, their dilemmas surprising, and their actions believable.
The juxtaposition between brilliant plans and dilemmas that involve literally sleeping with the enemy makes for a fine contrast in purpose and plot. This injects expanded moral and ethical concerns into a fast-paced story of confrontation and evolution.
From powerful bonds tested by extraordinary events to those charged with guiding dreams in novel ways, Escape represents a study in contrasts. Its examples and employing power in responsible ways in different kinds of battles while facing threats "worse than death" gives sci-fi readers a real treat.
Prior fans of Rune and Flash will want to consider Escape a "must have" for its ability to build upon and continue a particularly vivid series of clashes, realizations, and discoveries.
The Real Fake Book
David Keay
BookBaby
www.bookbaby.com
9798350987461, $20.00 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-real-fake-book
It's important to realize, first off, that The Real Fake Book is a work of satirical reflection that captures irony at its best. Readers who embark on David Keay's journey with any degree of serious inclination will want to reconsider their anticipation, because comedy comes to life in form of characters whose names and personalities are anything but staid.
These personalities bring biting wit to modernist perspectives on culture and life, beginning with their personas - struggling writers Stosh Haddock and Hospice Power, wrestler Hercules Berserk, ventriloquist George Davis, G.O.A.T cult leader Snod Syriack, talk show host Morty London, outer space visitors Virginia Regent and Demon Boy, and many more.
Each character introduces zany, wry observations and a tongue-in-cheek sense of alienation to the story. This example illustrates that verbosity (albeit not unwelcome, here) is one feature of Keay's wide-ranging road trip through literary and social observations:
"...the work is now disguised, Sire, as a so-called novel, tentatively untitled Fake Book, author as yet identified, found on premises, buried under a bib, concealed within trick-bottomed drawer of antique crib, hidden behind Early Bird Ticket Booth by excavation crew, as evidenced in documentation of proposed park's progress prior to demolition, confiscated and located by Barker and Mastiff, returned, just in time, to me in my offices, entered in the Book of Chaotic Cases, explored, ignored, and brought forth presently. I am sure it is an almost unbelievably unpublished masterwork of untrained imaginings, Sire! So post-moderate of mode as to appear nearly more than merely more than modern!"
Literary readers familiar with the nuances and subtlety of satire will appreciate this mirroring of fake books with real life and the questionable evolution of both as various characters dip into the murky waters of discovery and critical acclaim.
Humor evolves on many levels as uncommon, thought-provoking situations evolve:
Sister Karloff is summoned to podium to read the Preamble:
"G.O.A.T. is self-defeating and not afflicted, allied or relied upon by any other sectarian group or denomination. And is not to be confused with The White Knights of Satin, The Silk Linen of Satan, The Secret Swords of Silverdome, The Pontiac League of Mighty Lions, The Brotherhood of Make-Believe or The Masonic Super-Sonnets... It is our purpose as members of the Guild Order of Associated Templates to emulate our ancestors in reaping the resources of this time honoured tool. To take its example in re-structuring our lives and our society... And in the pursuit of happiness, i.e. a successful recovery of enterprise, the foundations of a worldly weal be accrued in disproportionate rates for an exaggerated balance in our favour."
"Sank you, Sister Karloff. I now call on Bruzzer Flook McFeely, vott come all zah vay from Grand Master Scanlon's Seosophy Chapter in Blaunox, verever zatt is, vere he vork in disguise for zah Community Civic and Diocese Foundation. Vottever ziss is."
"I first started drinking when I was about..."
"Vott you sink ziss is? Ziss zah meeting of zah G.O.A.T.s, you dummy!"
These examples illustrate dialogues, encounters, and characters which may prove intellectually challenging to readers seeking a simpler representation of wit. But they will absolutely delight literary students of satirical fiction and dialogue, who will relish David Keay's blend of convoluted observation and hard-hitting analysis.
For these reasons, The Real Fake Book is especially highly recommended to students of satirical literature, who will learn much about the formation of and insights possible in an uncommon approach to satirical form as they digest a rollicking ride that is like none other.
Libraries that chose The Real Fake Book for their literature collections are in for a treat: its unique countenance will challenge, appeal, and ultimately educate far beyond a leisure-reading audience alone.
A Walk Among Heroes
Gary B. Zelinski
Blue Hexagon Publishing
http://www.bluehexagonpublishing.com
9781963954104, $19.95 Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Among-Heroes-Searching-Americas/dp/1963954106
A Walk Among Heroes: Searching for America's Better Angels is a military history of the people and patriots who came to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. It explores the contributions, lives, and achievements of some of the nation's most diverse (and too often unsung) heroes, from military leaders to NASA crewmembers.
Each of these profiles features a revised examination of heroic action and countenance that encourages readers to think beyond individual action to the events that forced them to make lasting marks on their worlds.
Photographer Gary B. Zelinski considers his initial perception of Arlington's history in light of his own participation in the military. He'd initially planned a picture book of gravesite images, but as his work unfolded, he embraced the bigger picture of these lives and how they came to rest at Arlington.
His book embraces this history with chapters and photographs powered by the many memorials and gravesites scattered over the cemetery's 639 acres. It must have been a real challenge to synthesize and condense the best into this volume, but Zelinski's hard-hitting document preserves facts and ultimately thanks each and every hero for their service.
A Walk Among Heroes will reach a wide audience, from those interested in photographic history pursuits to readers of military history, cemetery history, and heroic actions that changed the past and influenced the future.
Libraries seeking a visual and written slice of life about Arlington's many heroes will relish these lively insights into struggles, battles, and ultimate meaning that make Arlington of continuing relevance and importance today.
Compelling life stories and visual emphasis weave perfectly into a hard-hitting memoir that fills in many gaps about the nature, purposes, and actions of heroes in American society and history.
A Walk Among Heroes concludes with an invitation for future generations to consider Arlington a resting place of not dead, but living history:
If you live near our nation's capital or plan to visit, I encourage you to tour Arlington National Cemetery. Spend some time walking to distant gravesites and get to know the heroes buried there. Learn their life stories by traveling to their hometowns. Learn how they lived and whom they loved. Find your own better America. If you do, you will see the very best of our nation, where every stone tells a story.
There Will Be Change
Aubrey Feldon
Independently Published
therewillbechange.com
ISBN: TBA, Price: TBA
Publishing Release Date: TBA
There Will Be Change is a reflection on climate change and the end of what is... but, unlike typical stories of looming post-apocalyptic change, Aubrey Feldon adds a more ethereal, philosophical tone to his observations. He follows how seemingly random events coalesce into world-changing inevitabilities as humanity rises, falls, and someday leaves for the stars.
It's hard to neatly peg the audience for There Will Be Change. Those who seek sci-fi dystopian stories would be fairly far off the mark because the writing is as much about the passage of time and the impact of choice as it is about the near certainty of a future world without humans.
The author himself bills it a 'novel,' but at only 500 or so words, it doesn't feature the development and complexity associated with book-length productions. It's the lyrical, literary associations which provide the more complex association with a longer work while maintaining the succinct air of a work for modern times, where every word counts.
Perhaps it is an essay - but, if so, it's one that holds the uncommon ability to synthesize the extent of life on earth into five succinct pages of outcomes, inevitability, and nature.
Suffice it to say that the very short 'flash fiction' that is There Will Be Change will be highly appreciated as a starting point for discussion and reflection in literary circles and among readers who look for big ideas packaged and delivered in small parcels where every word must reflect an expanded world.
One example of such literary roots and function lies in the descriptor line "...strides to eternity and stretches into a distant past."
Aubrey Feldon notes that, "'Strides to' a distant past implies there is an actual, finite location, while 'stretches into' a distant past implies no fixed location and evokes a sense of the infinite and unknowable.
Yes, There Will Be Change features a world with an end. But within its seeming diminutive survey of a brief period in time, it's also a world in which rebirth simmers under the finality of death.
Classrooms, literary groups, and readers interested in a brief history of life on earth, whether natural or human-focused, will find that Aubrey Feldon writes with a strong hand and a big heart:
Earth is blind to the birth and death of life, and its cycles start and end by returning to their beginnings. Ice turns to steam; then steam turns to ice.
Immortality Bytes
Daniel Lawrence Abrams
Solstice Publishing
https://solsticeempire.com/default.aspx
9798327070943, $22.00 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/IMMORTALITY-BYTES-Daniel-Lawrence-Abrams/dp/B0DBQNX75L
Immortality Bytes: Digital Minds Don't Get Hungry is sci-fi cyberpunk on quantum overdrive. It exposes the life of AI programmer and social media influencer Stu Reigns in a futuristic world where fame, money, sexuality, and digital worlds intersect in unique ways.
Startling visions of this vastly revised future give readers much food for thought from the story's opening lines:
In the years soon known as 20NF, businesses encroached on the sky. Delivery drone traffic was so frequent that, at a distance, they looked like bafflingly efficient murmurations of starlings. Product-transportation robots trudged out of "Pie in the Sky" Italian restaurants and loaded mega stacks of 20 pizzas into FDDs ("Food Delivery Drones") the size of refrigerators.
The satirical, wry consideration of "improvements" that have transformed humanity itself don't stop with technological transportation, but probe the mindsets of humans who, surprisingly, are still manipulated by oligarchs, motivated by money and fraudsters to make choices that ultimately stab them in the back.
Colorful explorations of philosophical, social, political, and psychological reflection pepper the story, accenting its surprises and twists with ideas that will weave nicely into book club discussions, such as this warden's warning:
There was a bright line between citizen and criminal, but he knew how simple it is to trip into trouble. He had seen too many "normal" people convicted for a mistake (e.g., DWI Manslaughter, possession pre-NF drug crime amnesty, good old-fashioned bar fights, and the like) and become vicious, sadistic animals inside. He couldn't believe anyone could stay good for long. The most corrupt are the most cynical.
Sci-fi fans of techno-thrillers that combine edgy observations with situations that illustrate the all-too-human conundrums will find Immortality Bytes wonderfully cutting, satirical, and surprising.
Between AI threats (but not in the way you'd expect) and corporate interests, the story embraces many futuristic scenarios that somehow manage to reflect the trends and nuances of modern social and technological development.
The dialogues that emerge between these myriad interests and their objectives are well-done, engrossing, and excitingly unpredictable. A key antagonist notes:
"With the UBI-Compromise, everyone's getting a free ride with no responsibility, no purpose. They're just gonna wander around getting fat and high and adding nothing to the country. You can tell me property crime and robbery keep dropping, and I question those numbers. But even if they're right, human beings gotta do something productive. What happens if they want to revolt? Tons of bitter moochers get greedy and want more from us producers. What are you gonna do then? Let yourself be a victim? No. I don't think we're gonna allow that, are we? Nope."
Libraries will find Immortality Bytes both highly recommendable and on par with some of William Gibson's best work, while sci-fi readers seeking a special flavor of cyberpunk that works best with an interest in action-packed social confrontations will welcome Immortality Bytes's unique vision.
Readers who enjoy thought-provoking evolutionary trends that challenge characters just trying to make a living or get rich will welcome Daniel Lawrence Abrams's vivid saga of discovery, transformation, and the fruits of genetic engineering's promises and perils.
Immortality Bytes's multifaceted journey makes for a rollicking ride through AI, chaos, and humanity's ongoing search for perfection that is highly recommended.
The Author's AI Toolkit
Hank Quense
https://hankquense.com
Strange Worlds Publishing
9798989116355, $24.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Authors-AI-Toolkit-Concept-Publication-ebook/dp/B0DV4M13BH
The Author's AI Toolkit from Concept to Publication brings modern writers into the 21st century with a basic how-to guide on employing AI to improve writing. Even the subject is bound to attract critical attention, given the discussions over AI's pros and cons, especially as applied to human creative efforts.
From his book's opening lines, Hank Quense addresses the value in viewing AI as not a takeover prospect, but yet another tool in an author's toolkit of creative support systems.
This approach allows readers to reconsider their attitudes and perceptions of AI, encouraging understanding without the 'technospeak' that too often muddies the waters of AI's usage.
Examples of AI applications pair AI query methods with program responses to give writers a sense of what they can expect from an AI partnership in the way of better writing results. In fact, Quense's latest book is powered by his usage of Perplexity.AI as he documents the question-and-response dialogues and results writers can expect to see from their own efforts.
Yes, it's a learning curve for writers unused to modifying language to ask the kinds of questions that generate the most satisfying improvements and responses. Akin to the interview process, the difference lies in how and what questions an author creates to make the most of an AI session.
Chapters outline the development and possibilities of this special language and relationship, giving writers a better sense of exactly what is possible (and what is not) if they include AI in their efforts.
Keyword queries reinforce results via examples throughout the book, so there's no need to address a writer's fear that they won't be technologically advanced enough to use or consider AI.
Another plus is that Quense addresses many possible concerns, from safety and copyright to privacy and how AI's 'informal' discussion setting can actually provoke lively discourses rather than staid artificial responses.
From issues of ethical transparency to employing AI to generate ideas and restructure a book idea, chapters cover all kinds of ways in which AI technology can work with an author to produce a superior result. From initial writing (which is up to the author) to rewriting, plot development, outlining a book's structure, or fine-tuning its characters and concept, AI can be a winning partner. Its results are, here, reinforced by real-world examples.
No writer's library should be without this book. Quite simply, it's surprisingly accessible, unexpectedly lively, and packed with detail any author in any genre can readily apply to their own creative efforts:
Query: How can a writer utilize AI to support their writing projects? Use an informal writing style.
Response: Let's talk about something that might just blow your creative socks off: using AI to supercharge your writing. Now, before you roll your eyes and think, "Great, robots are coming for my job," hear me out. AI isn't here to replace your brilliant brain - it's here to be your sidekick, like Robin to your Batman or coffee to your late-night writing sessions.
Sunday People
Jo Ann Kiser
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891325777, $14.99 paperback, $7.99 e-book, $23.99 hardcover
https://www.amazon.com/Sunday-People-Jo-Ann-Kiser/dp/B0DY31F44B
Sunday People is a novel about living and dying. It opens from the first-person viewpoint of Orson Caskill, store owner, philosopher, and family patriarch, whose memories and intentions drives a story of family choices and consequences.
From its opening lines, Sunday People embraces a special form of reflective reasoning, allowing its readers to enter Orson's life to understand his intentions in reviewing it for future generations:
I am dying. I look at my family, as I'm doing right now in church, and I want them to know the truth about me, whatever that means. So here in church, where I've had no intention of listening to the preachers whoop and holler, I think I'll work at thinking how I'll tell my son who I am. And after I tell Jeff, then I'll tell Sarah Beth that I've told him so she'll know my first thought is for the family that we made together, the most important part of the truth.
As family ties and experiences are explored, Jo Ann Kiser melds the progression of faith, church, and family through generations as different perspectives and lives deliver their own impactful one-two punches of realization and choice.
Thus, Sunday People becomes more than just one patriarch's reflections of the end of life, but blossoms into a captivating series of images, lives, and generations that each embrace their roots while moving into disparate futures.
One special note is how each of these characters differently reviews the physical atmosphere of their origins and experiences. Consider Orson's wife Sara Beth's reflection:
How many Sundays have I gone up this road? When I
began, it was a dirt road and I was a baby in my mother's arms beside Daddy, who held the reins as our two plow horses pulled the unpainted wagon. When Orson and I were courting, they laid gravel on the road, and he came by for me in that old beat-up Model T. When Charlene was ten, they blacktopped the road and I sat beside Orson in our old blue DeSoto.
Then contrast this with husband Orson's reflections about his early ties to land and community:
...it was a rough life. Pappy made a little money cutting timber - lord, how I hate it now, those big old trees are gone, gone - but mostly we lived on what we raised and what we found in the woods. At Christmastime we usually had a little sugar in the house for baking, and some of the time we had flour for biscuits, but mostly we ate cornbread from corn we took to our cousin who ran the mill over on Ransome Creek. It was a big old thing, and us boys would swim in the mill pond. I went over that way last year. Part of it's still standing, but its pond is low and full of scum.
These and other evocative passages build a sense of not just characters, but the times and challenges they navigated. Readers will appreciate the thoroughly compelling "you are here" focus that brings to life the events shaking Osier County, Kentucky as well as the family's legacy.
Readers interested in the experience of Kentucky's coal-mining towns and heritage will especially appreciate how Kiser builds her story around history as well as disparate personalities. She juxtaposes the experiences of seven characters who each add depth and resounding attraction to the novel.
Libraries seeking stories rooted in family, a sense of place, Kentucky heritage, and shifting realities as the decades evolve will find Sunday People a compelling, attractive read. It can be highly recommended to patrons who like interconnected tales of reunions, revelations, and how connections and a sense of belonging are honed.
Sunday People's passages about Kentucky's evolving culture create a hard-hitting, reflective work that should not be missed.
Eyes of Iris
Joshua A.H. Harris
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891325852, $16.99 pb, $9.99 e-book, $25.99 hc
https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Iris-Joshua-H-Harris/dp/B0F1J12YHD
When twenty-year-old Iris participates in an Ayahuasca ceremony, the last thing she expected was a time-travel journey to the future; much less the doubt and challenges of returning to present time vastly changed.
In Eyes of Iris, this change proves a pivot point in her life in which subsequent visits with psychiatrist Dr. Kairos document an extraordinary series of encounters whose detailed descriptions defy the usual diagnosis of delusion.
Can someone travel to 2300, observe that time's vast changes, and return home unchanged, themselves? Apparently not, because Iris's visions provoke a journey that tests not only ideas about the future, but how present-day actions could alter it.
Joshua A.H. Harris's attention to exquisite psychological, social, and constructive plot details defies the usual time-travel tale in which a desire to return home permeates the traveler's experience. Here, the traveler is home... albeit not in the way that was imagined.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed... but what if such knowledge implies or demands new choices that will twist the nature of destiny itself?
As Iris recounts her extraordinary experiences to her psychiatrist, both are changed by events that range from violent gaming choices to revised choices, allowing the characters' worlds to blossom in unexpected ways:
I was trying not to get too pissed off - it was just a game after all - but then I remembered what I'd learned from Martha Stewart in the Grand Corridor: I had to engage fully with the fiction, let it take me over, become my reality. So instead of stifling my anger, I let it blossom.
Fans of time-travel literature well know the usually-predictable ways in which an encounter with the future plays out. Not here. Harris casts characters, decisions, and outcomes based on this future knowledge in a different light that combines reflective moments with interactive action that keeps readers on their toes.
As past and future coalesce in the exhausted mind of Dr. Ernest Kairos, reality itself dissolves into a series of options that not only introduce new possibilities, but convince him that time travel may not be limited to singular experience, but can be embraced by anyone. Even him.
The plot, which comes to rest on his own cause-and-effect by listening to Iris in the first place, comes to life with many possibilities readers won't see coming:
The story would be told, transcribed, read and reread, translated, animated, dramatized; its influence would grow, slowly at first, but eventually it would catch flame and spread like wildfire. Her story would change the -
Libraries will find Eyes of Iris especially notable for its reflective journey. It can be highly recommended to book club reading groups interested in debates about past and present life intersections, and how knowledge of the future could transform the present.
Packed with the unexpected, Eyes of Iris is as thought-provoking as it is engagingly fresh.
Sydney, Bean and the Missing Gloves
Janice E. Collins
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891325081, $22.99 hardcover
https://www.amazon.com/Sydney-Missing-Gloves-Janice-Collins/dp/B0DLLR5HZD
Sydney, Bean and the Missing Gloves provides picture book readers with the story of Labrador Retriever Sydney, who is loyal and friendly, but feels she may not be living up to her breed's reputation of bravery... especially when she becomes afraid upon being left at home alone.
Sydney's attempts to confront her fear land her in trouble as she and her friends try to solve a missing gloves dilemma, only to find themselves in danger.
A tiny squirrel, a baby red bird, and a cat enter the bigger picture of not just mystery, but interactive encounters. Junkyard forays, entrapment, and other adventures provide well-detailed action and moments of psychological revelation that read-aloud parents will find more detailed than most stories, yet perfect for exciting adventure reading and deeper-level discussions.
It comes with an intriguing message... don't listen to the cat:
"Oh, that Sydney, what a kidder. I come from an exquisite lineage of orange striped cats, known for our cunning and cleverness. Now, if I was like my cousin, the black cat, I can see you being concerned about crossing my path, but you should have no worries about me," purrs the cat.
Artsouki's colorful, large-size illustrations provide attraction to a story in which bravery become only part of a welcoming bigger picture that kids and read-aloud adults will thoroughly enjoy.
Elementary-level libraries will want to choose Sydney, Bean and the Missing Gloves for its thought-provoking allure as friendships evolve and new possibilities emerge from shared interests and experiences.
You Go, Girl!
Elaine Insinnia
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891325920, $13.99 pb, $3.99 e-book, $25.99 hc
https://www.amazon.com/You-Go-Girl-Elaine-Insinnia/dp/B0DWTYW7ML
You Go, Girl! Game On for a Grandmother and Her Granddaughter is a fictional story of 1950s life that is based on real experiences. Perhaps this is why the novel comes to life so vividly in its opening pages, as a grandmother wonders how she can foster a closer relationship with her granddaughter:
Seven whole days together.
I peek into the guest bedroom where my twelve-year-old granddaughter is busy on her phone, her thumbs flying over her cell phone keyboard. She stops typing, tosses her phone aside, lies back on the bed, sighs. Bored already. A young girl's worst nightmare, stuck at her grandmother's for a week. How to compete with a cell phone?
When twelve-year-old Suzie agrees to read her grandmother's diary about life long ago, the effort prompts shared dialogue between them about events of the past, the culture of modern times, and how connections or alienation can stem from different approaches to and ideals of family and relationship-building.
Elaine Insinnia both incorporates and rests her story on the growth of women, in particular, over the years. She contrasts female choices, experiences, and perspectives in a manner that embeds the story with uplifting life and plenty of reflective moments.
Of special note is how the grandmother and granddaughter's shifting perspectives entwine as past events are reviewed through the prism of modern times:
I run out, hop on my bike. Even Dion can't stop me from feeling crummy. I keep thinking of Isabella who's all alone in a place for bad girls. Talk about lonely teenagers. No way can I go home now....
Suzie finds Dion singing "Lonely Teenager" on her phone. "I can't believe the bad stuff about Isabella that the guardian told your dad. I want to smack that guardian right in the face." Suzie crosses her arms hard. "I know she took the records without permission, but . . ."
"To be truthful, I had a hard time typing up this part... So. This next part? Basically, my adult interpretation of the events."
Suzie shakes her head.
"And I can't say I don't agree with you about smacking that guardian. So, your prediction. Do you think I saved Isabella?"
I bet my allowance that you at least try to save her. Am I right?"
I nod.
"But I'm making another bet, and I'm not saying this to be mean. That you never saw her again. Am I right?"
I shrug. "Gram! C'mon!" "Maybe."
By employing dialogues and connections between past and present events and personalities, Insinnia crafts an experience that encourages individuals from different generations to better understand the past that has influenced their lives.
Libraries seeking a story that will appeal to all ages, rooted in a sense of place and adventure that embraces the concerns of two very different females who share not just family heritage, but concerns over their place in life, will find You Go, Girl! a powerful novel of awakening, enlightenment, and understanding.
With its satisfying, clear juxtaposition of past and present-day concerns, You Go, Girl! represents a winning contrast in human nature and women's strengths that can readily serve as a compelling attraction for all kinds of readers, from readers of women's issues to those interested in haunting stories of intergenerational engagement and better understanding.
From Ash and Darkness
J. L. Sullivan
http://www.jlsullivan.net
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
https://wildrosepress.com
9781509260454, $20.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Ash-Darkness-J-L-Sullivan/dp/1509260455
From Ash and Darkness is a young adult fantasy that takes place after Bax banishes the evil djinn from the world and his life. However, his work is not yet done. Djinn Ifrit returns to present him with new dilemmas and challenges, forcing Bax away from a quiet life and, once again, into a realm of clashing interests where he and his friends are forced to confront evil.
J. L. Sullivan's story probes the ultimate responsibility faced by those who would monkey with magic. It opens with a bang that includes a wry sense of humor for maximum impact:
I hated that dank, musty cellar, but if I wanted the nightmares to stop and finally lay Ifrit to rest, we had to return one last time. The fact we were about to break into a forgotten basement to bury an ancient djinn on Halloween night was just super awesome timing.
Young adults will especially appreciate the contemporary lingo and peer interactions which Bax and his friends employ as they enter into a revised mission fraught with new dangers:
"You're stalling." Ashley nudged me with the back of her hand.
"Well, it wasn't a party last time we were there. You know, being trapped in a djinn vortex and all."
Aunt Jo, powerful friend Ashley ("...without her help, I'd have been the first sophomore to singlehandedly destroy the earth with ancient djinn magic"), the entry of Parker Lewis from Reed Investments (who harbors his own agenda), and a host of other characters introduce their own special interests and strengths, expanding Bax's abilities and either complimenting or confounding him in unexpected ways.
J.L. Sullivan shapes the forces buffeting these lives in different ways. Bax may assume center stage as the main character, but doesn't completely dominate the story as disparate characters interact, grow, and reveal new truths that change their perspectives and life courses.
Another plus is that the psychological dynamics between the major players aren't always either smooth or in sync:
"It's obvious Jason and Ashley aren't crazy about me, and I get it." She spoke to her off-white coffee cup. "I've barely uttered a sentence to them in the past year and a half of high school. Now I'm barging into your djinn fighter club."
Stop saying djinn fighter.
Libraries seeking vivid YA dark fantasy standouts that will appeal to both prior fans of From Brick and Darkness and newcomers will find From Ash and Darkness a powerful read. As Bax grows from a character who initially looked for something exciting to happen in his life to find himself in trouble over his head, confronting manipulating, murdering djinn involvements, readers of all ages will eagerly follow his foray into self-realization and bigger-picture thinking.
Replete with struggles, realizations, and growth, From Ash and Darkness's vivid story of magic and mayhem neatly concludes another adventure while leaving the door more than ajar for more.
Eucatastrophe
Josh Bottomly
Telos Books
9798304166126, $20.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Eucatastrophe-Josh-Bottomly/dp/B0DR5XJLZK
Eucatastrophe blends a memoir with a self-help guide that injects philosophical reflection into its bigger-picture thinking. The subject becomes not just one of personal catastrophe, but the undercurrents of paradoxes, heroism, adversity, and recovery that buffet Josh Bottomly and reflect his penchant for storytelling and performance.
On the face of it, Eucatastrophe is a trauma story of middle-age which reveals the experience of mental illness struggles on many different levels. Underlying this thread of self-inspection and discovery is the power of confessional works that are raw, revealing rips off the scab of life.
While these writings represent Bottomly's personal perspective and truths, they also create the an origin story that embraces the most basic life-or-death considerations:
All I wanted to do was join Robert Frost in the dark snow-covered woods of oblivion. But I couldn't. I had many miles yet to go. I had loved ones who depended on me. Deathsleep was not an option. So I opened my eyes and tried to form words. They didn't come at first, but then something in the subterranean depths roiled through the dark dirt soils and geysered up out of me: "I just don't know what to do!" Next thing I know, I sounded like a wounded, dying wolf.
As Bottomly's story emerges from the depths of despair and the uncertainties of building enough "social capital" to survive, readers will appreciate its contrasts between the author's family, experiences, and outsider involvement.
Different scenarios emerge which build robust, thought-provoking reflections that capture fantasy, vulnerability, and how accumulated trauma bursts forth into life at unexpected moments:
For years, the trauma had accumulated inside my body like arsenic. Even though I pretended the trauma wasn't there, my body didn't give a flying fuck what I believed or pretended not to believe.
At this point, it's important to mention that readers unaccustomed to raw reading, or who struggle with their own mental health issues, may find Bottomly's work not just enlightening, but triggering.
This is no easy journey. There are no passages that offer a smooth salve of ease without accompanying ones that probe and reveal the sources and impact of "trauma demons."
These facets make Eucatastrophe both fascinating and fearfully powerful... and highly recommended for readers seeking the gritty post-survival reflections of one who has entered the gauntlet of life experience and self-destruction and emerged on the other side not unscathed, but newly wise.
Libraries seeking a memoir that embraces the extent of self-image analysis in the course of a mental health journey will find Eucatastrophe a lesson in perspective. It deserves recommendation to not just book clubs, but mental health reading groups and patrons interested in memoirs that take the extra step into self- and philosophical reflection.
Gritty, determined, and hard-hitting, Eucatastrophe is both hard to put down and determinedly pointed in its life journey.
Beneath the Shadow of Time
Vera Bell
https://www.verabellauthor.com
Timebound Publishing
9798989612468, $4.99
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DFRRVYGT
Beneath the Shadow of Time, the third book in the 'Always and Forever' romantic time-travel series, brings prior fans more fire and history, laced with romance and suspense, as medieval and modern Ireland and modern-day Miami come to life.
Siena and Ryan return in a conclusion to the trilogy that reinforces Ryan's destiny and the likelihood that the couple will be forced apart by predestined roles and tragic past life events.
The vivid opening of this saga, in 1566 Ireland, draws from the start:
Ten thousand pounds of gold for my beloved's head - a spec in all of Ireland's soil. Ten thousand pounds of gold for my children's father - a drop in the Irish Sea. Ten thousand pounds of gold - a fortune most men would never see in all their miserable lives.
Treachery, destiny, and fantasy emerge from chapters that juxtapose life in these times with modern-day Miami, Florida, where Ryan faces new challenges to building his life with Siena. These stem from new and old forces as he becomes a hostage to his ambitions and the echoes of a distant past. Siena discovers the past isn't buried, and its dangers are far from over.
What do Ryan and Siena's lives have to do with that of Neave and Aedan, whose Irish roots and struggles portend connections that may have to dig into modern times to come full-circle? Plenty. The plot unfolds against the backdrop of very different times, but brings together lives merged by chance, destiny, and conjoined struggles.
While destiny impacts their choices and struggles, historical precedent connects the dots between romance, fate, and purpose in a novel way. This challenges readers to persevere as the tale unwinds complex new pathways, ideas, and discoveries.
The reward for staying the course is more than apparent in twists and turns that juxtapose past and present events in unexpected ways. This will delight those who thought they knew where the story was heading, from the previous books, only to discover that, in fact, Ryan and Siena's future is just beginning.
Vera Bell laces together past and present events, but also attends to exploring both Ryan and Siena's individual journeys as events challenge them both. The attention to psychological reflection, hopes, ideals, and realities rewards readers with far more depth than they might anticipate from the usual historical romantic suspense story:
Montana shimmered at the edge of Ryan's consciousness, green and beautiful in the summer, like the faraway place in the distant past. How right she'd been. He should have listened. He gave a bitter scoff - one way or another, this was his last case. Why was he even involved in it? What for? They should have stayed. He should have joined Dad at the ranch. It would have made the old man happy. Or opened a CrossFit gym in the nearby town. Or both. So much space to live, breathe, and have as many kids as they wanted. Three or four. He always wanted a big family of his own. Boys and girls who'd look like him and her, with whom he'd spend all his free time. Instead of sitting in this dump, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Waiting to die.
Chapter headings clearly delineate the shifting sands of time so that no reader is confused about the intersection of past and present-day events or place. The story sizzles with atmospheric and psychological depth that immerses readers in issues of honor and loss from Ulster, Ireland to Florida's treacherous shores:
I turned to face the killers surrounding me. They were large, battle-hardened Scots, but I didn't fear them. I feared nothing now and never would again.
Fear and courage stopped.
Vice and virtue stopped.
Want and fortune stopped.
Everything but me stopped. For my terrible lot was to live while he had perished.
The emptiness inside me flooded with every shadow that ever was. The shadows merged, then exploded into a thick, hideous gloom.
The result is a powerful saga that represents both unexpected twists and logical conclusions to the trilogy as a whole.
Libraries seeing popularity with the other books in the series will want to add Beneath the Shadow of Time to their acquisition list for its many surprises and thoroughly compelling conclusion.
Readers who love time travel mysteries steeped in senses of place, purpose, destiny, and romance will relish the entire series - but especially the unexpected conclusion to Ryan and Siena's lives together in Beneath the Shadow of Time.
The Tempests of Time
Lloyd Jeffries
https://lloydjeffries.com
Buckminster Publishing
9798990620919, $20.99 Hardcover/$13.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZ15ZL91
If you dare this twisted path, a word of advice: Venture at your own risk. The chasms are deep. The waters, foul and endless. The abyss, too cosmic.
The Tempests of Time is Book IV in the 'Ages of Malice' series, continuing the story of a vivid time-ripping experience which returns Rhyme Carter, Emery Merrick, and other characters into another (literal) confrontation with Hell.
Emery Merrick's reflective words open the story with a warning about the future, drawing in readers with a dark portent of challenge and discovery. He cautions that scorching truths about the nature of God, Heaven, and Hell are about to be loosed from new fires of realization and confrontation. His warning sets the stage for another vivid creation that both explains past events (from Embers of Shadow) and expands their impact and legacy to unexpected new heights.
Rhyme continues to fight for her life as Emery faces ongoing challenges to his soul. These place him in the impossible position of staying true to his love by sacrificing it, or attempting to build a whole new paradigm of life, death, and life meaning.
Lloyd Jeffries employs a stark, vivid, contemplative series of atmospheric descriptions to create such memorable scenarios that readers will find the book nearly impossible to put down as it traverses the very pits of Hell:
I stand, puzzled, fully immune to the energy that fills them. Is it rage? Hatred? Misery? Some uncompleted task? Perhaps some task performed in life has placed them here where the walls bleed and the ground burns? Whatever it is, these billions, caught in human form, barefooted, on tipped toes, speared by endless need, cursed with rage. Their mouths stretch wide as spit throws mucous webs behind varied gaping guises. Injustice. The word seizes and I know it's truth. These have been harmed. These have been corrupted.
As horrible visions of truth buffet Emery's world and perceptions, he comes to realize just how impossible it will be to keep to the fine line that separates love from its ultimate impact on a broader moral, ethical, and spiritual level.
Jeffries creates another story that is on fire. As it considers expectations, free will, good intentions gone awry, and the value of personal salvation over bigger-picture thinking, The Tempests of Time proves even more confounding, brilliant, and astounding (if this were possible) than its predecessors in the series.
This is why The Tempests of Time is a top pick for libraries interested in the cream of the crop of Christian sci-fi and religious fantasy. The story's ability to spark all manner of group discussions about belief, impact, choices, and beacons of hope makes for an astonishingly vibrant read that is hard to put down and easy to talk about.
Children of Solitude
Michael G. Williams
https://www.michaelgwilliamsbooks.com
Gold Dust Publishing
https://www.golddustpublishing.com
9798992974829, $34.95 HC, $24.95 PB, 376pp
https://www.amazon.com/Children-Solitude-Michael-G-Williams/dp/B0F4Q2MFD9
What can a son do when his mother dies and his return to the family home reveals that it is haunted? Children of Solitude follows the horror and dilemma faced by Reginald Voth when dead mother Dorothea returns to haunt him as much in death as her demands did when she was alive. And that's only the start of his woes.
Her death comes as no surprise. Reginald has been visited by her in an unwelcome event, during which:
Reginald felt the certainty of Dorothea's death from deep within, like a thing he'd already known and forgotten.
This is not a surprise, either, as Reginald's family is filled with stories of such returns. What is a shock, however, are events which ensue to tap the Voth family legend in new, challenging ways that impact his life.
Michael G. Williams's ghost story is not your typical haunted house account. He drapes his ghost in the trappings of contemporary horror that emerges from the start as Reginald shares his bed with a man he may not even seriously like and contemplates the impact of family legacy and drama on his lifestyle.
Maybe Reginald's usual boundaries could be stretched.
More than sexual or relationship innuendo is posed, here, as Reginald finds his limits tested, his family ties questioned, and considers his choices for entering into dark new realms of realization about death, his mother's life, and a farewell which may not be so final after all. Reginald is forced, by these events, to embrace new realizations about his family and connections:
What had been in Reginald's heart was a lot more complex, a lot longer: No thanks, preacher, my life is more than a waiting room outside the court where Heaven and Hell collide.
These, in turn, create a series of encounters during which he joins a host of other investigators to discover exactly what is happening in his mother's house and how he's a part of it. Emotional explorations keep the revelations vivid, personal, and transformative:
Whatever was happening in his mother's house, to his mother's house, it terrified him and enticed him in equal measure.
The horror that emerges from trees, lights, and childhood memories presents readers with many surprising twists and outcomes that will delight those anticipating the traditional paths a ghost story usually takes. There's something different in the atmosphere here, and it emerges from characters who move through the house in unexpected ways:
Reginald tried to sound casual, like finding his mother's preacher silently studying a portrait of himself in childhood in his mother's haunted house was the most normal possible thing.
These surprises are why Children of Solitude will simply delight ghost story and horror readers seeking something different. Its atmospheric power, psychological challenges, and game-changing twists create stories of unexpected connection and revelation that add reflections on life's meaning into the horror mix.
Evocative, compelling, and as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, Children of Solitude is highly recommended for libraries, reading groups, and anyone fascinated by horror, ghosts, and issues of home and safety.
Missing!
Roberta Samuels
https://www.robertasamuels.com
Red Penguin Books
https://redpenguinbooks.com
9781637776292, $12.99 paperback/$19.99 hardcover
https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Roberta-Samuels/dp/1637776292?_encoding=UTF8&sr
Missing! A Modern Art Masterpiece in a French Medieval Village will delight fiction readers interested in French art, mysteries surrounding missing masterpieces, and historical works that embrace the world of postwar France's artists and collectors.
The last thing new French homeowners, American couple Barbara and Sam, expected from their move to a small village was to become involved in a missing church artwork.
The story opens in 1944, where artist Sonia Delaunay faces a Nazi shakedown at a bar where her Jewish identity could lead to her arrest. Barely escaping them, Sonia runs into her ex-husband, learns of a commune where some of her friends have gained refuge from the Nazis, and is encouraged to join them in a safe place which is an exception to most of what life has become under Nazi rule.
Fast forward to the future, where Barbara Waldheim identifies with artist Sonia, even though their circumstances are different and separated by place and time. As Barbara explains to her readers in an introduction:
At the present time in 2014, I was dealing with the consequences of a hasty decision to buy an old house in a small French medieval village. Little did I suspect that Sonia Delaunay, an artist I admired, would have a close connection with my little town. Nor that I, one small action leading to another, would get involved in a Sonia Delaunay mystery story.
This sets the stage for a thoroughly engrossing immersion into French history, art, and intrigue which embraces Barbara and her readers in an enlightening journey.
Roberta Samuels is especially adept at injecting French language and culture into dialogues that emerge from Barbara's encounters:
"Merci pour l'invitation. May I bring Sam? He's my copain," I said, using the French word used to describe my boyfriend, partner, lover, significant other, all in one.
"Certainement. Come over to chez maman, right next door." Laure pointed out the house. "That's where we're living for now until this one is habitable."
"D'accord. What time?"
"Eh bien, around six thirty," Laure specified with a Gallic shrug, as if it went without saying.
"Impeccable, See you this evening, then. We'll bring a bottle of rose."
The relationships, politics, and intersection of cultural and artistic explorations that emerge from these situations are thoroughly embedded in French affairs, yet require no prior familiarity with France in order to prove accessible and gripping.
The mystery moves through different levels of intrigue, revelation, and discovery, contrasting sizzling moments of understanding with thought-provoking reflections of the difficulty involved in probing personalities and purposes of the past.
Samuels takes the time to cement these connections with insights that create a sense of wonder about France's unique cultural and artistic backdrop:
Melanie loved Montpezat. Sam and I had worried the little laid-back town would be too slow for her, but she fit right in, enjoying the cafe and bistros, our mini tours to local vineyards, old chateaus, nearby towns, and of course, St Martin's and the tapestries. She adored the medieval canons' houses behind the church that holidaymakers had turned into charming second homes. She speculated like me that the obvious place for a Delaunay window would have to be where the former stained glass had been replaced by the grisaille treatment.
The result is more than an art mystery or an exploration of French living, but a blend of history, intrigue, and discovery that reaches out to immerse readers in past and present-day French wonders.
Libraries seeking an art world mystery firmly rooted in European culture and revelations will welcome Missing! A Modern Art Masterpiece in a French Medieval Village's deep, well-developed sense of place, time, and connection.
With its psychological attractions well attuned to France's culture, Missing! A Modern Art Masterpiece in a French Medieval Village will delight any Francophile or art and history lover, no matter where in the world they may reside.
French Lessons
Roberta Samuels
www.robertasamuels.com
Red Penguin Books
https://redpenguinbooks.com
9781637775561, $19.99 Hardcover/$12.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/French-Lessons-Roberta-Samuels/dp/1637775563
French Lessons: One Woman's Tale of Sex, Wine, and House Renovation in la Belle France is a novel exploring love and transformation. American divorcee Barbara moves to France, purchases a dilapidated old house, and sets out on a personal and physical journey to rebuild her life and environment.
Barbara's story unfolds in the style of a first-person memoir. She explains her rationale for moving to France and starting anew, but underlying her overt motivations for changing her world are psychological influences that come to light as the story unfolds.
Roberta Samuels mixes these lessons into a sense of adventure, whether the discoveries are psychological or the result of illicit explorations. Powered by the narrator's astute self-analysis and innovations, the French lessons become vignettes of growth examples that pepper action with intriguing conclusions:
I felt guilty at my misbehavior and exultant at the same time. I had allowed myself this illicit adventure and emerged unscathed with only a bit of injured vanity.
Also notable are the cultural, linguistic, and social observations Barbara makes as she contrasts French and American worlds. This inserts insights that operate on varying levels of understanding, introducing new concepts to American audiences:
I loved how the French sprinkled big words like derisoire into their conversation with ease. 'Derisory', for example. Impeccable was a typical way to say 'good,' to show approval of a plan, for example. My French cleaning lady talked in four syllable words which had long fallen into disuse for most Americans. Take the word desuetude. It means 'out of use.' The same word is out of usage in the U.S., but common coinage in French people's vocabulary except 'desuetude' has an accent in French. Otherwise, it is exactly the same.
These educational flavors meld well with the emotional components that unfurl as Barbara makes new friends, comes to understand France's citizens and how expats and foreigners view the nation differently, and grows in many unexpected directions.
Charming pen and ink illustrations by the author enhance the story and bring it to life, while contrasts of French food, perceptions, and life are nicely inserted into the overall sense of adventure and discovery that permeate this novel, giving it a special atmosphere of attraction via unexpected contrasts:
French law stated that "Foie gras belonged to the protected cultural and gastronomic heritage of France." Foie gras production had become controversial in some places, like California, due to concerns that force feeding violated animal rights.
Libraries that choose French Lessons with women's groups and audiences in mind will find all kinds of readers attracted to it, from Francophiles to those seeking a warm beach read. It percolates flavors of culinary, psychological, and social discovery into its tale of a woman whose French sojourn grows into a love story that evolves on many (unexpectedly deeper) levels.
French Lessons is a tribute to a nation as much as the enchanting story of a woman whose walk out of her world brings her into a new life replete with unexpected friendships, confrontations, and meaning. Its uplifting story of change is a breath of fresh air for readers attracted to stories of enchantment, reinvention, and growth.
Misery Plaza
J.J. Alo
SNE Horror LLC
https://hauntedhappeningsmarketplace.com/places/sne-horror-llc
9798992352306, $19.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Misery-Plaza-J-Alo/dp/B0DX6NG54W
Misery Plaza is the second book in the New England Southern Horror Anthology Series. It follows the flight of murderer Joseph Griffin (nee William Potter) into a new life in the small village of Missouri Plaza, home to many others who have something to hide.
Turns out Missouri Plaza is no refuge, but holds secrets of its own - which are literally buried in Potter's backyard. His ability to fall into trouble wherever he goes reaches new heights here, where he confronts a special form of horror out west that challenges even his own ability to run on the dark side of the law and morality.
From the start, J.J. Alo creates a riveting story, opening with a small plane's crash where a struggle for cockpit control concludes in disaster. The prologue sets the stage with intrigue and contrasts sharply and intriguingly with the first-person narration of Chapter 1, in which the speaker informs readers:
My father was a good man. A decent man, despite what you may have heard about him through folklore or read about him in your history books... I'm certainly not going to stand here and begin to justify any of the things he did or those I happened to be privy to. Some of which stay with me to this very day. Things I couldn't explain at that time. Things beyond what you good folk would rightfully call rational comprehension. Now, I truly don't mean to harp on such things, but I would be completely remiss not to mention the impression he left on my brother and me. Especially me.
Between these two events lies a delightful synthesis of intrigue and horror which emerges in different ways to affect the progression and outcome of a smoldering story which grows its horror.
The family's flight to Missouri Plaza and the events which unfold from there come from different perspectives that reveal impacts, surprises, and revelations in novel manners. Readers absorb the flowing, shifting events from these perspectives, relishing how each piece of the puzzle dovetails to create a new compelling perception.
A wide cast of characters emerges from these encounters, with Alo taking the time and care to cement each character into their world with realistic, atmospheric intrigue. This builds a gripping tale in which social, political, and psychological threads of individual purpose contribute to the evolution of the unexpected.
Libraries seeking stories firmly rooted in thoroughly engrossing characters, special interests, and dangerous decisions and encounters will find Misery Plaza easy to recommend to horror readers who like their choices firmly rooted in a sense of place and purpose.
Those who come to appreciate its notes of Western environment, menace that stems from men and monsters alike, and its ability to weave a complex yarn will delight in Misery Plaza's unique story of treasure, adversity, bounty hunters, cowards and criminals.
Packed with twists and historical references readers won't see coming, its sharp contrasts between place and people creates a page-turner of horror and revelation that is impossible to predict and easy to love.
The Folklorist
Eileen O'Finlan
https://www.eileenofinlan.com
BWL Publishing Inc.
https://bwlpublishing.ca
9780228627951, $18.99 paperback; $4.99 Kindle
https://books2read.com/The-Folklorist
The Folklorist juxtaposes the worlds of two very different folklorists in Vermont. One lives in 1830s Birch Falls and devises a terrible cure for the consumption that has claimed all of Jerusha Kendall's siblings. The other resides in 1973 Middlebury, Vermont. Here, modern folklorist Charlotte Lajoie has just accepted the role of museum director, only to find the job fraught with surprising tensions and challenges.
Charlotte's unexpected gift from her grandmother, a diary written by her ancestor Jerusha Kendall, reveals a terrible secret. Events stemming from her discovery challenge both her professional and personal morals and values as the truth about the wellsprings of New England's historic Vampire Panic impacts modern times.
Eileen O'Finlan's connections between and contrasts of two very different folklorists creates a powerful thriller steeped in a sense of New England's vampires, ghosts, and historic discoveries.
O'Finlan's ability to bring past and present to life through vivid fictional characters created against the real historic backdrop of the New England Vampire Panic brings each setting to life. This invites readers to learn about these times via two very different perspectives.
The story opens with a vivid experience of modern-day professional challenge:
"Guess how he greeted me. 'How's our little folklorist this morning?'" Charlotte jammed her key into the lock of her apartment door.
Heidi followed her into the apartment. "What did you say?"
"I said, 'Good morning.' What else could I say? He had the president of the museum with him."
Chapters that move between characters and times are clearly labeled to make transitions smooth and easy, while the drama and concerns of each of these folklorist women, who inherit traditions and assumptions that test their lives, is exceptionally involving.
Charlotte's research on the Kendall family reveals far more than she expected, growing impacts and realizations that reach from past to present to affect not just her perception of the town's history, but folklorists as a whole.
Charlotte's ongoing and evolving struggles with President Shepard, Brad, and her role in the museum pits creative force against political decorum as she tries to maintain authority and control over her job to reinforce the idea that her contributions are recognizable and valuable, despite the misogynistic attitudes that denigrate her efforts:
"I'm sure Charlotte won't mind putting in some extra hours, if need be," said President Shepherd giving Charlotte a pointed look.
"Of course, I won't mind," she said.
"As long as it doesn't interfere with her love life," said Brad with a little laugh. Charlotte felt her cheeks burn.
Women will especially appreciate the threads of historical precedent and attitudes that trickle from past to present, further impacting the characters as they each work, from different eras, against surprisingly similar repressive forces. The story's powerful ties between past and present women's struggles will provoke many an avid book club discussion.
Libraries seeking a historical novel replete with supernatural and social force will welcome The Folklorist into their collections. Its special contrasts between two strong women who deal with sabotage in different ways creates a thoroughly compelling story enriched by the possibility of vampires who suck the life from individuals and communities in more ways than one.
Vivid, thought-provoking, and peppered with delightfully unexpected moments of revelation and growth, The Folklorist is a story that lingers in the mind long after the last circumstance in which Charlotte is forced to realize that the repression she faced has ultimately made her stronger.
Women need to hear this message... and what better way to do so than through a captivating journey.
Widows Among Us
Karen S. Justice, MBA,
Karen R. Smith-Racicot, CLC,
Rebecca LaChance, PhD,
Three Widows, LLC
www.threewidows.com
9798991347808, $24.99 PB, $9.99 Kindle, $26.49 Large Print
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Among-Us-Stories-Insights/dp/B0DS6JP4DH
During one of our conversations, Rebecca declared, "I think we need to tell women, 'Mamas, teach your daughters to be widows!'" She was right. Women should spend time soon after marriage preparing for the unpalatable concept of being alone and widowed.
Widows Among Us: Stories and Insights was created for widows and those who would support them, gathering insights about many special circumstances and challenges of widowhood that have not been profiled in these ways before.
One example is a thought-provoking section that admonishes women that "every wife should be prepared to be a widow." This translates to legal savvy and preparation, creating medical and financial directives, considering in advance how finances will change after widowhood, and gathering passwords and financial info to ease any financial or business concerns upon a partner's death.
From caretaking and healthcare dilemmas to handling anticipatory grief and, finally, being alone, all kinds of financial and personal challenges intrinsic to widowhood are reviewed. This encourages readers to be forewarned and forearmed with the knowledge they need to prepare for and survive a new status of widowhood.
Practical details on adaptation and transition are cemented by the experiences of widows which are peppered throughout to reinforce practical advice with personal experience.
Of special note is the observation of why this book is as essential to a marriage as wedding planning:
While preparing this book, we spoke to dozens of other widows to collect their advice, insights, and what they wished they had known. Many of them shared that their own mothers had been widows for twenty-five to forty years but had never spoken about their experience. We discovered that a lot of these women were unprepared for the crisis that hits when you lose a spouse. Even those who had thought they had planned well were surprised by some of the challenges they encountered.
Lest widows wish they'd had this book earlier in their married lives, Widows Among Us is highly recommended for anyone contemplating marriage. It raises questions and provides answers that couples need to know in order to anticipate the unthinkable with important knowledge at their fingertips.
Libraries will find Widows Among Us a top reference, women's groups and married couples' circles will want to both read and discuss it, and individuals who choose this book will reflect on powerful insights which provides the knowledge needed to be prepared for loss in a very different way than most widow's books.
Simply outstanding!
Violet is Blue
Anne Shaw Heinrich
https://www.anneshawheinrich
Speaking Volumes
https://speakingvolumes.us
9798890223159, $17.95
https://www.amazon.com/Violet-Blue-Women-Paradise-County/dp/B0F566B3XT
Violet is Blue adds to the 'Women of Paradise County' series with a continuation of themes that involves some of the characters from the prior God Bless the Child. It returns the focus to the small Midwest town of Poulson, where contrasts between different socioeconomic layers are stark and revealing.
The characters in this story are trying to make sense of their milieu, ambitions, and growth processes. The topic of how Violet becomes blue intersects with a broad spectrum of characters, each living their lives in predictable yet sometimes surprising ways.
Anne Shaw Heinrich juxtaposes their different mindsets and perceptions using clearly labeled chapter headings. These help readers understand and clarify the shifting perspectives about living in Poulson.
The story opens with the observation of Poulson native Margaret Burns, who reflects on the town's potential:
If you are a stranger and you're lucky, this town will chew you up and spit you out. If you aren't lucky, you'll get stuck in its teeth or swallowed whole.
As the saga moves through disparate lives and circumstances in which some fit in and others stand out, readers are treated to an evolutionary growth process. "Bad girl" Violet Sellers, sporting a controversial tattoo called "Mr. Bones," moves from childhood to adult ambitions harboring intentions that go awry, cultivating approaches to life that ultimately prove challenging.
The vividness of these first-person descriptions marks a story that builds exciting characters from the start:
My parents were processing uncomfortable thoughts about their girl. I had the power to annoy them. My newfound ability to confound them was difficult to leave in a box. I lifted its lid again and again, often taking it for joy rides that left me breathless and scared but feeling satisfied and powerful.
Their resigned sighs and the way they hissed back and forth at each other after I'd lock them out of my room confirmed that I held in my hands a new set of moves that baffled them in ways they never imagined. I smuggled this rude awakening right into the privacy of my room with its pink walls so I could hatch a plan to make them perk up and take notice.
Larry Downs and his sister Clarice, Violet's less-than-acceptable (to her family) friend Jules Marks, and others explore romance, connection, rebellion, and issues of privilege and poverty. Readers are injected into the relationships and sentiments of a small town that harbors "sweet secrets and great big questions."
The scope of these lives as they unfold, connect, and clash creates a moving plot filled with diverse characters, each seeking to make a place in and impact their worlds.
Under Heinrich's hand, the town's undercurrents and contrasts immerse readers in a rich, heartening story of healing that unfolds in novel ways, big and small.
Libraries interested in fiction centered around Midwestern lives and culture will welcome Violet's journey and those of her peers as she navigates new territory.
Readers attracted to small-town tales of adolescence, coming of age, and contrasts between various approaches to life will find Violet is Blue compelling. It's a vision of what it takes to grow, recover from trauma, and move into relationships that initially seem to be worlds apart, but are actually powerfully connected.
The exquisite dance between situations of power and empowerment, privilege and need, and secrets that change everything creates a compelling tale that both expands the first book while standing nicely on its own.
Readers, whether newcomers to Anne Shaw Heinrich or prior fans, are in for a small-town treat.
The Light of Wounds
Diane Hatz
https://dianehatz.com
Whole Healthy Group LLC
9798986282398, $14.99 paperback/$3.99 ebook
9798990849815, $21.97 Hardcover, only available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Light-Wounds-Mind-Monsters/dp/B0DZHR4S9J
The Light of Wounds, Volume 3 of The Mind Monsters Series, returns Alex to prior fans and new readers with another life-and-death struggle. It features the signature mix of science fiction satire and struggle that marked her previous adventures.
The story opens with what seems like a death sentence - Alex is drowning in the Sedona River, filled with the drug-and-booze mix created by her boss and her own alcoholic inclinations. She has only moments to decide: should she live, or should she finally give up and die?
In her forties, Alex is sick of repeating the patterns of abuse, personal negligence, and loneliness that have marked her repetitive failures throughout her life. On the plus side, she'd finally end these struggles by choosing death. On the negative... she'd be dead before she's even fully lived, her failures having overcome her search for meaning.
Of course, Alex decides to live... otherwise, The Light of Wounds would stop before it gets going. The surprise lies in that, by making this choice, Alex is propelled into another adventure of spirit, destiny, choice, and struggle that brings readers further into the conflicted world she navigates.
From her new encounters with Sharlene, head of the Spiritual Enterprise Network (a group that works to send disconnected spirit guides back to their dimension and stop JT Wilson from bringing them to Earth) to former secret military operative Hank, who once risked his life to save her (and apparently has done so again), prior readers of Alex's adventures will enjoy many satisfying moments. Alex again faces invisible monsters who present her with heady responsibilities and new missions:
"You must find your path and walk it alone. You must face yourself and decide which way to go." Raphael's hollow eyes bore into Alex. "Remember, there are those who do not want you to succeed. They want your life force for themselves. Destruction and evil come in many forms, and the fate of the world is in your hands."
Alex continues to evolve as she and her companions face new and old conflicts that force Alex to acknowledge:
...once again that her biggest battle was with herself.
Alex is not alone, though. Hank moves away from his charge of blowing things up to make sure she and her spirit friends, who infiltrate dangerous quarters, receive his support and expertise.
Wry humor permeates this scenario and influences her choices, introducing delightful moments of comic observation to the action and confrontation. These stem from many dilemmas that come from saving people and confronting JT's special form of evil:
"Crystal keeps finding more spirits and sending them our way," the security head muttered. "At the rate she's going, every employee here will be from another dimension."
Libraries seeing popularity with Alex's previous 'Mind Monsters' adventures will find this addition as nicely laced with tension and excitement as her prior encounters.
Readers attracted to stories about characters that make difficult choices and journey into uncharted territory (which includes facing global kingpins, monsters, and spiritual forces that test the protagonist's power and resolve) will relish the combination of fast-paced action and character depth in The Light of Wounds.
Filled with thought-provoking insights about heroism, choice, spiritual direction, and revelations about underlying psychological motivations and assumptions, The Light of Wounds incorporates a force every bit as compelling as in Alex's previous encounters:
She realized on some level she did still want him to hurt her. She wanted to be punished. That's your abuse talking, not you, Alex reminded herself. You are a warrior.
Pearly Gates
Bonnie Solomon
bonniesolomon.com
Bonsol Press
9798992613315, Paperback: $17.99/Hardcover: $26.99/E-book: $3.99
https://www.amazon.com/Pearly-Gates-Queer-Cozy-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B0DZ4HRH4G
To bling or not to bling? Normally, it wouldn't be a question. Pearly Gates likes to shine. But tonight isn't about Pearly. She's not the one who's been awarded Employee of the Year. It's Thunder's moment, and he should get the spotlight - even if he's not the spotlight-seeking type. That's always been Pearly's thing, long before her last life as a drag queen. But she wants to look good for him. She wants to look like she deserves him. Maybe that's why she's standing in front of the mirror with a furrowed brow, manifesting her seventeenth look - a sequined chessboard gown with a heart-shaped Elizabethan collar. The white lace of the ruffles matches her white glitter eyeliner, and her fuchsia updo is fashioned into a queen's chess piece. Too much?
Pearly Gates mixes a queer, quirky fantasy with humor and a spicy observational style that ultimately defies any attempt at pat categorization... but that doesn't mean that its potential audience is limited. Actually, it's wide open.
Bonnie Solomon takes a ribald romp through the afterlife as she sends character Pearly Gates on a mission that sends her into the queer community to assist, as she can, via a new position at Thunderbolt Books & Coffee.
Pearly Gates represents good intentions too easily gone awry as she falls for the cafe owner, must evade afterlife detectives on her tail, and finds herself in an unlikely position of support, providing pro tips on gay sex to her protege Hannah. She relishes the up-and-coming success of others in the queer community:
"Pride swells in Pearly's chest. She sees herself in Danielle - these early days of drag, the thrill of success, of liberation. It felt so good to express her truest self."
Through Pearly's observations, readers are allowed entry into this milieu and can observe, through various characters' eyes and experiences, its nuances, emotions, visions and disappointments.
Solomon writes with great attention to creating not just a lively dive into disparate lives and interests, but a series of personal journeys. These reflect the burlesque world, the queer community, and many of the ironies that arise from ambition, self-perception, and love.
Libraries seeking additions to their queer collections will welcome this powerhouse of a novel that receives its impact from a seemingly wise, albeit somewhat flawed character from the afterlife who finds that her greatest challenges lie not in her new mandate, but from her old life.
Readers anticipating any kind of staid treatment of this atmosphere and these characters will relish how vivid, lively, and important each becomes as events play out. This approach draws them into an evolutionary process that pairs confrontation and possibilities of rebirth with new perspectives on world orders and interactions.
Packed with hot scenes and exciting personalities, Pearly Gates is a standout.
The City Wolves And The Mauritius Kestrel
Simon Weber
simonweber.org
OGMA Publishing
9783907712016, $8.95 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWND6JGG
The City Wolves And The Mauritius Kestrel is a 'Scout Detectives Mystery' that Simon Weber originally wrote to get his three children interested in scouting. Luckily for young readers, the encounters of Hawk and his Switzerland gang, The City Wolves, has been published to reach beyond the family circle and into the lives of anyone interested in a vivid scouting adventure story.
Swiss traditions and culture intersect with these stories in an educational, compelling manner. This approach involves a wide audience in the disappearance of a Mauritius kestrel from the local Natural History Museum just before its big exhibition - an event that poses all kinds of possible perps and scenarios to the kids who investigate.
Despite being young, the gang has all kinds of resources at its fingertips. These include solid relationships with adults, their own friendships, familiarity with the pranks and possibilities of competing gangs, and their inherent problem-solving savvy.
These elements blend in a story that proves more than a mystery alone as the kids develop new relationships, consider disparate options and choices, and forge new paths of growth and discovery during the course of tackling some very adult issues.
The clues surrounding the fate of the Mauritius Kestrel give the kids plenty of opportunities to tap their scouting skills and interpersonal connections. Readers will relish the adventure, mishaps, and clues that lead to even more complications than the gang had anticipated when they undertook their mission.
Simon Weber's attention to moment-by-moment details creates a riveting, lively story steeped in questions and answers, childhood empowerment connections, Swiss culture and atmosphere, and scouting's allure and education.
Libraries will appreciate how the singular focus on a bird's disappearance evolves into bigger-picture issues, from gang interactions to stolen watches and motivations for thievery. Kids will find the action swift, the dialogue realistic and involving, and the story satisfying unpredictable.
Packed with unforgettable encounters and moments of discovery, The City Wolves And The Mauritius Kestrel is highly recommended for any middle-grade reader attracted to stories of mystery and adventure ala The Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown.
Rosalba Torres Leal: The Santa of Roses
Dokali (Duke) Megharief
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
B0DXQV6W9T, $9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Rosalba-Torres-Leal-Santa-Roses-ebook/dp/B0DXQV6W9T
Rosalba Torres Leal: The Santa of Roses reviews the life of a Columbian woman who moved to the U.S. to teach Spanish, met and married a man from Africa, and produced beautiful paintings of her Columbian home.
Her struggles with Alzheimer's, a foreign culture, and art will appeal to a wide audience of readers, whether they're seeking books about Latina artists, immigrant experiences, or women facing advancing years and physical and mental challenges.
The first note is that Dokali (Duke) Megharief accompanies Leal's paintings with equally vivid discussions of the human spirit under siege, examining the creative force that produces extraordinary works against all odds.
This different approach to biography and art is represented throughout, from the opening pages of the book, which contrast art by Leal with insights from Megharief's evocative review of her life. Thus, an opening color image of a cottage receives embellishment that places it in historic context:
In a secluded corner of the world, where the mountains kissed the sky and the whispering pines held secrets of centuries, there stood a cottage unlike any other. Its lavender-gray walls seemed to blend seamlessly with the mist that clung to the peaks, as if nature herself had painted it into existence.
Biographies of artists in their eighties are few and far between. It's especially notable to have a synthesis of life story paired with artistic impressions that back text with images and insights that could only have come from personal acquaintance.
Megharief cultivates a "you are here" approach to uncover hidden details in Leal's world, inviting discussion and knowledge that offers a rich dip into how art is created and how it impacts its audience:
...like a veil lifting, Lily understood. The Midnight Rose was more than pigment and canvas; it was a conduit, a bridge between realms. Its fragrance carried echoes of forgotten gods, their love stories inscribed upon its petals.
This intersects two kinds of art under one cover, providing readers with a creation far richer than either an art book or an artist's biography alone.
The journey through Leal's family connections, lasting legacy, and impact is a particularly rich representation of different threads to an artistic life well lived and everlasting:
She knew that she had found what she was searching for - a connection to something greater than herself. And as she looked at Rose, she saw not just an artist, but a guardian of memories, a keeper of whispers.
These disparate elements make Rosalba Torres Leal: The Santa of Roses especially highly recommended reading and acquisition for all kinds of libraries and readers; from those interested in artist biographies and perspectives to others seeking a visual and written work of art in and of itself that will appeal widely and which stands out as unique.
Creation's Testimony
Jeffrey Weitzel
Independently Published
https://gospel.design
$16.99 Paperback/$24.99 Hardcover/$4.99 eBook (free on author website)
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=qbqa1FYNFOdNwQRh2Fg3Hud7Oja7HLleXr94UEoqQbs
Creation's Testimony: His Invisible Attributes Clearly Seen, Understood by the Things that Are Made examines God's creations with an eye to considering how God's purpose and wonder is embedded in the fabric of His creations.
Elements of life that appear incomprehensible or invisible are supported by evidence that comes not from human analysis and statements, but by the presence and operations of nature in human lives. This ranges from the sun, moon, and stars to answers embedded in creation and life that thinkers will reflect upon with the help of Jeffrey Weitzel's survey.
This is not to say that listening to nature in a deeper manner can replace Biblical stories, examples, or insights; but rather that such an approach can add depth and discovery to what has already been written as a well-known narration of human affairs and history.
Readers of Creation's Testimony should not expect a treatise designed to change the world or link Christian thinking to world affairs. Its lesson in encouraging deeper inspections of personal, historical, and spiritual intentions is more of a guidepost that lends direction into the process of better understanding creation itself:
...if you observe a natural, created thing, it will only do what it was designed by the Creator to do. All created things are consistent in that way, so that we can make observations and learn a thing or two about how they work.
In many ways, this approach results in seeing more clearly. Weitzel considers modern obstacles to this clarity, proposes a course of inspection that circumvents patterns of human affairs that obscure divinity, and creates food for thought perfect for spiritual reading circles or book club discussions:
...we see the beginning of a pattern of man wanting to hide nature and hide from nature - both our own nature, and the nature of creation. Immediately Adam and Eve tried to hide their natural bodies, as guilt had pricked something inside of them that made them ashamed of who they were.
Lest readers think this discourse will focus on Scripture and history alone, it should be mentioned that personal experience weaves through the bigger-picture thinking to create powerful connections. These draw important links between daily experience and bigger-picture thinking:
And somehow, I have been able to function at a remarkably high level for all of this, although it did take time for my brain to make the adjustment. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made, and God has installed back-up plans in our bodies to compensate when other things go wrong, much like the plan He put in place when sin entered the world.
Weitzel creates a mesh of insights that often pinpoint why modern Christian thinkers may struggle to recognize and acknowledge God's hand in the most basic of life processes:
It should not be a difficult thing to do, to look at the sky and know where in the day, week, month, and year we are. Yet it is. There are some basic things that have been lost to us since the time of creation. Some has been lost in much the same way that common sense is no longer common, some lost in cultural constructs that have changed over millennia, but there is more as well - difficulties that no common sense or research can account for.
The result is a heady collection of insights that deserves to be part of any serious Christian thinker's collection and libraries catering to them.
Best used as a focal point for group discussion beyond individual contemplation alone, Creation's Testimony serves as a vivid connection between Scripture and created things in the world. It reviews how the messages of this creation can be distilled into basic, essential insights into life's meaning. This focus will absorb and delight Christian audiences interested in harvesting many new insights about God's intentions and incarnations.
Silver Echoes
Rebecca Rosenberg
https://rebecca-rosenberg.com
Lion Heart Publishing
9781732969964, $3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Echoes-Historical-Twenties-Biographical-ebook/dp/B0DXFWXTMJ
Silver Echoes is a 'Gold Digger' novel based on a true story. Rebecca Rosenberg juxtaposes characters and places between 1920s Chicago (where Rose Mary Echo Silver Dollar Tabor becomes embroiled in gangster activity) and 1932 Colorado (where Silver's mother is trying to protect the family silver mine from predatory interests and takeovers while searching for her missing daughter).
These two lives and worlds clash in a vivid, powerful tale of survival and adversity that leads mother and daughter to search for solutions to impossible, dangerous situations.
Rosenberg captures a sense of immediacy through her employment of the first person which presents Silver's ambitions and perceptions in a vivid dance with danger:
Each rung sent a jolt of pain through my feet as I climbed. Below, Lake Rhoda shimmered, reflecting a dizzying upside-down world. Lordy, what have I gotten myself into? But then I picture it: the crowds roaring, the flashbulbs popping. My name in every headline. This crazy stunt will make me the talk of the town, the next big thing.
The fluctuating price of silver and the passage of time from 1916 influence the characters in different ways as Rosenberg builds a series of encounters between family, forces, and shifting political milieus. Her attention to injecting an atmosphere of the times into her work results in attracting rapt reader attention to the backdrops which affect mother and daughter:
Baby Doe was lost in the story of her own life, Carl Erickson's words weaving a tapestry of memory and emotion that enveloped her completely. Fancy ballrooms, chandeliers sparkling like a prospector's dream. President Arthur, laughing fit to bust. Actors, singers, highfalutin' folks they'd hobnobbed with. Mark Twain, spinning his tales, Walt Whitman, reciting poetry. Even Sarah Bernhardt, dramatic as all get-out. Met artists too, Tiffany, Remington... their masterpieces hanging in our Denver palace.
Silver Dollar's legacy may introduce thugs and danger into mother Baby Doe's life, but that's only one aspect of her daughter's choices that she uncovers as she pursues Silver's life and its connections to and reflections upon her own legacy.
Mining interests, shifting social milieus, and passion permeate a story filled with unforgettable moments:
Our lips met in a last desperate kiss, filled with longing and uncertainty. Our hearts pressed together, the photograph clutched between us, a frail promise in a world on the brink of war. As we pulled apart, the reality of his departure broke my heart into a thousand pieces.
A unique and powerful aspect is how Silver Dollar's alter ego, Echo La Vode, wreaks havoc on her life, threatening her love for Carl, her show business career, and even her very life.
Libraries and readers interested in historical biographies that sizzle with "you are here" atmosphere, confrontations, psychological inspections, and love will delight in how Rosenberg expands upon the story introduced in her previous novel, Gold Digger: Baby Doe Tabor.
Newcomers need have no prior familiarity with the characters and setting of the first book in order to enter into Silver Dollar's world, but will find (as will prior enthusiasts) that the two books together capture an extraordinary set of characters whose lives, psyches, and concerns entwine with the times. This creates an action-packed, thoroughly engrossing story that proves hard to put down.
Book clubs and libraries will find Silver Echoes a memorable, well-written, winning story that deserves top recommendation for its outstanding attention to psychological and social detail and its strong foundations in nonstop action and surprising discoveries.
Late To Your Own Funeral
Rachel Donnelly
Ripples Media
https://ripples.media/books/late-to-your-own-funeral
9798992512700, $22.00 Paperback/$35.00 Hardcover/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Late-Your-Own-Funeral-Legacy/dp/B0F1R6JDMV
Late To Your Own Funeral: How To Leave a Legacy and Not a Logjam pairs an intriguing title and especially eye-catching cover art with a dash of wry observational humor that lightens the subject of funeral planning and death. This much-needed touch draws readers into a serious subject with many practical insights about organizing and leaving behind an estate. The book should be on the bookshelves of any library or individual interested in the process (which, ideally, should be everyone).
Chapters reflect this unique brand of humor and practical advice starting with the first chapter, 'The Business Of Death: The Flaming Dumpster Fire We Leave in Our Wake,' and continuing with discussions such as 'Ignorance Isn't Bliss: What You Don't Know Won't Kill You, Because You'll Already Be Dead' and 'The Stuffademic: Nobody Wants Your Hummel Figurine Collection.'
Humor aside, there's a wealth of practical advice here, from funerals to inheritances, which is couched in not just accessible language (as some competing books are) but in words which are inviting and thought-provoking while adding unexpected wit to a serious topic.
Much information comes from Rachel Donnelly's own experiences, which led to her mission to help others navigate this particularly trying time:
Death, as inevitable and universal as it is, comes with a bag of uncertainties and unspoken rules. Aside from it being completely sad and heartbreaking, nobody ever seems to know what the eff to do. This isn't just a book; it's a survival guide written from my perspective as an after loss professional and someone who's been in the trenches of death's bureaucracy.
From DIY estate planning pitfalls and planning for minor children's care in the event of the sudden death of both parents to managing family dynamics, choosing a probate attorney, and selecting an executor, added insights in this book that rarely appear elsewhere make for an invaluable reference that stands heads and shoulders above the rest.
In the case of an executor choice, for example:
...regardless of the reasons or circumstances that lead you to include conditional terms in your Will, it is imperative to ensure that your executor is fully aware of the terms they will be enforcing. They must be prepared for the job and any potential friction that may arise. Communication is always key, and being clear is being kind, especially when it comes to defining an executor's responsibilities.
Why should the living be so concerned about being especially careful in their estate planning? Donnelly nails it with her answer:
Consider this your ultimate parting gift: a meticulously organized exit strategy.
Libraries will not only want to include Late To Your Own Funeral in their collections, but will want to very highly recommend it to book club discussion groups and any group considering death, finances, or estate planning. If there is no such group, it's time to create one, using Late To Your Own Funeral as its foundation.
Packed with eye-opening and honest assessments couched in humor paired with insights gleaned from real-world experience, there is no better estate or funeral planning guide than Late To Your Own Funeral precisely because it pinpoints common obstacles to final clean-up and the elements that lead to messy situations for survivors.
This makes Late To Your Own Funeral worth its weight in gold.
Yankeeland
Lacy Fewer
https://linktr.ee/LacyFewer
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888246078, $28.95 HC, $18.95 PB, $7.99 Kindle, 258pp
https://www.amazon.com/Yankeeland-Lacy-Fewer/dp/B0DQYC91WS
Yankeeland's special blend of historical fiction and women's lives bring with it the opportunity to appreciate the contrasts between immigrant experience and lives in "the old country." In this case, said country is 1900s Ireland, where two women make different choices - Brigid to emigrate to America with her husband Ben; cousin Molly to remain in Ireland.
Unlike many a story about immigrant experience and struggles, Brigid finds herself caught up in a medical system that holds special issues and challenges towards women whose goals are extraordinary. In this case, Brigid tries to get pregnant and finds her efforts lead to questions about her mental stability that threaten the patriarchy and her freedom of choice.
The story opens not in the past, but in 1993, where the narrator is handed a mystery that comes with a choice and a warning:
I'll never know why fate handpicked me that beautiful midweek East Coast morning. Sitting on the floor, two large black sacks sat by my side. I was told I could do as I wished with them, as they had brought nothing but sadness to the previous finder. The bags, you see, held their story.
This draws readers into a story of discovery that pairs a passion for history with a series of personal revelations that embrace "generations of pain" through letters that move into the 1900s and two women whose connections are not lessened by distance, but strengthened by their family ties.
America is called "Yankeeland" in their terminology, also indicating that events which unfold may not be as idealistic and ordinary as the women initially perceive.
As letters back and forth between family members explore the different directions their lives take, readers receive a warm survey that comes not just from Brigid and Molly, but from brother James and others who hone their own appreciations for America's different promises and shifting opportunities:
San Francisco was exploding, people arriving from everywhere, monied and penniless all there together. James loved this about the city. He loved how there were so many different people it did not allow for the small-minded class system of the old country. The people in the city he now called home were filled with a sense of excitement and encouragement, a wanting for each other to do well, a kindness at the core, genuine and warm-hearted, not with one eye on the pearly gates. They called it the American Way - they were proud of it, celebrated it, cherished it, goddamn, they lived it. It wasn't for everyone, but it was for James and for those he surrounded himself with.
Brigid's passion for creating a family of her own feels increasingly impossible, but also is buffeted by a growing connection with a woman who is an alternative healer and a clairvoyant, and the frustration of being thwarted in her biggest dream.
Her association with Mrs. Taylor despite her husband's rejection of this woman's oddities creates further paths of conflict even as it introduces her to new ideas independent of her husband's thinking:
Brigid was not discouraged from wanting to be in Mrs. Taylor's company. In fact, she pitied the woman's misfortune - she'd been widowed at a young age, lost her son shortly after his birth, and now tried so bravely to make a life for herself. Brigid admired her great fearlessness and passion to progress her life, not unlike Brigid herself, who had vowed all those years growing up in Moling to follow her own dream. Why, she and Mrs. Taylor were kindred spirits.
This is but one of the ways in which Brigid evolves in her new life, but Molly, too, holds new associations and keeps secrets from Brigid, if only because:
Molly told herself it was just as well, as what could Brigid do about it anyway with the great ocean between them?
Births, deaths, and secrets evolve over the course of letter-writing and life's evolution to create satisfying contrasts between the hopes, dreams, and observations of these two women.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction about women's lives and particularly writings which contrast the concerns of old and new countries in immigrant experience will appreciate the backdrops and challenges that Lacy Fewer traverses in her vivid story.
Libraries seeking fiction that excels in vivid descriptions, strong juxtapositions of interpersonal relationships and choices, and the evolution of Brigid Kelly's world as she moves from a small Irish village to the sweeping promises (and illusions) of America will find Yankeeland easy to recommend to a wide audience, from women's fiction readers to patrons who look for powerful tales of immigrant experience and connections that remain equally compelling in "the old country."
Filled with delightful moments of growth, new discoveries, and connections that evolve over time and distance, Yankeeland is a thoroughly involving story that explores secrets, family ties, growth, and life and death in a manner that makes the story hard to put down.
I Can, I Will & I Did
Samina Bari with Micheline Auger
www.saminabari.com
Black River Publishing
9798991904001, $34.99 HC, $24.99 PB, 292pp
https://www.amazon.com/Can-Will-Did-Lessons-Leadership/dp/B0F4THH9ST
I Can, I Will & I Did: Lessons on Life, Love, and Leadership is a memoir steeped in a successful businesswoman's achievements and growth, and will especially delight aspiring businesswomen interested in learning about how the intersection of women's perspectives and experiences influence and impact business acuity.
Samina grew up in a strict Muslim household in America who faced many obstacles to success. From evolving in a cultural background where women are not viewed as potential achievers to navigating through her husband's death and many challenges to changing her life and focus, Samina provides a touching, informational review that is hard-hitting, raw, and compelling.
The forces both personal and cultural that shaped her life and growth are reviewed candidly, in a manner that all kinds of readers will readily understand:
I couldn't wait to get away from the small-minded bullying of our across-the-street neighbors, the unrelenting harassment of my mother, and the subservient and oppressive culture that became my experience of Islam. But first I needed to learn how to drive.
As she undergoes therapy to help her deal with her mother, builds a professional career in New York that is far from her roots and upbringing, and navigates hard questions about what she really wants from life, readers will find her reflections poignant and thought-provoking - and perfect for book club and reading group discussion:
Could I have it all? Did I want it all? What did I actually want? I had everything I had dreamt of and worked so hard for, both professionally and personally. But the pace was too much. Something would suffer, and I didn't want anything to. In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to take control and start mapping a new life plan.
On the cusp of finally figuring out the majority of her questions, her world collapses. Once again, Samina is forced to navigate unfamiliar territory relying on little but her own moxie to survive, rebuild, and adopt new responses to make the most out of what life hands her.
Libraries seeking memories of strong women who overcame obstacles stemming from cultural expectation and family direction to step into empowerment will want to recommend I Can, I Will & I Did to a wide audience, from women's groups and book clubs to patrons who like compelling personal memoirs and businesswomen who appreciate stories of success.
Its vivid portrait of business environments, family ties, and common obstacles women face as they grow into their selves and objectives makes for a powerfully thought-provoking narrative that is very highly recommended for a wide circle of readers.
Gilded Spirits
Amrit Kallar
https://www.amritkallar.com
Brown Books Publishing
www.brownbooks.com
9781612547350, $17.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Spirits-Novel-Amrit-Kallar/dp/1612547354
Gilded Spirits is a novel about Emily and Meera, two very different women who each find their home in California, and whose choices and challenges end up resonating through time to change each of their lives in different ways that emerge strangely similar, when viewed from under the dark shadows of issues that keep emerging from the fabric of American society time and again.
Meet Emily Jones in the first chapter, who has escaped Savannah, Georgia to move to California during the Gold Rush with her love, Jonah James, a Black man. Her move West, propelled by the zeitgeist of Manifest Destiny, has in it all the experiences of an enthralling Western movie. Love, loss, honor, and betrayal - Emily witnesses it all.
Her mirror in modern times is Meera, who has emigrated to the U.S. and the San Francisco Bay Area at the turn of the last century. Meera is in search of many similar things as Emily, but ordinarily time would keep them separate. Not when a supernatural Matchmaker joins their lives, fostering an influence upon each which leads them to make some extraordinary associations and decisions that will change their worlds.
The match results in many social and political challenges, including Meera's confrontation with an organization of exploitative technology companies, "WC Terras," sees her shackled by a chokehold of workplace repression and ruthless power politics. Meera is in search of many similar things as Emily, and ordinarily time would keep them separate. In the world of Gilded Spirits, however, their lives and times become intertwined in surreal ways, leading them to make some extraordinary associations which aspire to change the trajectories of the worlds they've each known, forever.
Amrit Kallar's hard-hitting novel embraces romance, risk-taking, and contrasts in historical events and perspectives that nicely juxtapose opportunities with angst:
I often wondered how different my life would have turned out if he was alive, if I would have settled somewhere further south, in Utah or Arizona, Colorado or Texas. As man and wife, would the world have seen us any differently, with all our accumulated riches over the years? Or would the scars from the shackles of slavery continue to have banished us from finding happiness?
Each woman faces her life's possibilities in different ways, and each represents new thinking, solutions, and approaches to life.
The result is a powerful story of action, reaction, and unexpected connections that librarians will find easy to recommend to fans of historical fiction, California novels, women's experiences and insights, mental illness viewpoints and treatments, and contrasts in place, time, and perspective between the Gold Rush ea and current California technological business.
Immigrants, allies of mental health, women's and workers' rights and causes, and California residents alike will appreciate how Gilded Spirits joins together seemingly disparate worlds and experiences, proving that historical precedent does, indeed, have a place in determining choices in modern times:
"We and so many more like us are all blackbirds, caged one by one, at the hands of WC Terra. We lived in fear of our wings being clipped, our dreams being shattered, our will and intellect being devoured."
The result is a lively, compelling story that also deserves the spotlight in book clubs and reader groups for its ability to profile and immerse readers in all kinds of issues, prompting lively discussions and debates. Gilded Spirits turns an overlooked urban legend into a golden yarn that spins a timeless tale that's gratifying 'till the last untangled knot. Highly recommended!
Diane C. Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Donovan's Literary Services
www.donovansliteraryservices.com
Gary Roen's Bookshelf
If Two Are Dead
Rick Mofina
www.RickMofina.com
Mira
c/o Harlequin
www.Harlequin.com
9780778368595, $18.99 pbk / $12.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/If-Two-Are-Dead-Novel/dp/0778368599
Rick Mofina is one of the finest suspense authors writing today and "If Two Are Dead" delivers the goods once again in a page turner. Luke and Carrie Conway have moved back to Clear River Texas to take care of her father. As the book opens Luke is driving somewhere, when he realizes he hit something. He is a local cop now and he does something he never thought he would do. For Carrie who has something in her past, that she believed she would never have to face again. Now, both are challenged as never before, in a tense nail biting masterfully told unfolding chilling tale. "If Two Are Dead" is a bit slower than other novels of Mofina but keeps readers spellbound all the way to the end.
Galapagos
Kurt Vonnegut
Dial Press
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780385333870 $18.00 HC / $14.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Galapagos-Novel-Fiction-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385333870
"Galapagos" was highly anticipated to be another great read by Kurt Vonnegut. Sadly its snail pace, unlike any other Vonnegut title was very disappointing. Where "Slaughter House Five" was rapid fire fiction that solidified Vonnegut as a great author, "Galapagos is nothing like anything before. Its constant overuse of numerous words slows the work so bad; some readers may want to red pen the useless terms. The problem often seen with newer writers, is surprising with such an established author. Others who enter may enjoy "Galapagos to ignore its faults.
Crazy in Poughkeepsie
Daniel Pinkwater
Tachyon Publications
https://tachyonpublications.com
9781616963743, $16.95 HC, $3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Poughkeepsie-Daniel-Pinkwater/dp/1616963743
"Crazy in Poughkeepsie" is another thrilling jaunt by a master of fantasy enjoyment. Mick's life changes when his brother Maurice back from Tibet. Maurice tasks him with taking care of Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel while he stays with their family while Mick's brother goes back to college. What transpires afterwards is a whirlwind of amazing situations for Mick, that involve a crossover world rarely experienced by few people. Pinkwater's magical prose takes readers thorough so many wonderful things with charming characters till the end. "Crazy in Poughkeepsie" is a gem for any reader who is looking for a new writer to add to their list of authors.
Adventures of a Dwergish Girl
Daniel Pinkwater
Tachyon Publications
https://tachyonpublications.com
978166963361, $16.95 HC, $3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Dwergish-Girl-Daniel-Pinkwater/dp/1616963360
A book by Daniel Pinkwater is always a treasure and "Adventures of a Dwergish Girl" lives up to his reputation of first class entertainment. Molly O'Malley decides to experience new things in her life by leaving the Catskill Mountains where she has lived so far. Now everything is new and wonderful as she encounters so many astonishing things on her journey to New York City. Some of her encounters are fresh pizzas from an Italian eatery, the sounds and sites of a great city and a new quest for knowledge that helps her learn more about herself. "Adventures of a Dwergish Girl" moves along with a marvelous pleasurable ride all the way to the end.
The Quotable Mom
Edited by Kate Kowinski
Maine Line Book Company
www.mainelinebookco.com
9781402714238, $14.95 HC / No Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Quotable-Mom-Kate-Rowinski/dp/1402714238
"The Quotable Mom" is another great book to acknowledge moms for all they do for all of us. There are many different aspects covering so many aspects of how important moms are that highlight them with statements by all types of people from all walks of life. Some of those who voiced their testimonies are Pablo Picasso, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Barbara Walters, William Blake, Ann Landers, Oprah Winfrey, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Benjamin Spock, and Mark Twain to name a few. The Quotable Mom" is an exquisite contribution to celebrate that one lady who is unique in all our lives
Chicka Chicka I Love Mom
Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, authors
Julien Chung, illustrators
Little Simon
c/o Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
https://www.simonandschuster.com/kids
9781665966832, $7.99 HC / $7.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Chicka-Love-Mom-Book/dp/1665966831
Sometimes good things come in small packages. "Chicka Chicka I Love Mom" is one of those rarities that is a perfect gift for any mom on mother's day to cherish all year long. For each letter of the alphabet there is a statement like "You're A+". Each page is filled with beautiful drawings and upbeat proclamations to praise the one and only, extraordinary lady of the family. "Chicka Chicka I Love Mom" is a fun souvenir for the occasion
How to Interview Like A Pro: Forty-Three Rules for Getting Your Next Job
Mary Greenwood
iUniverse
www.iuniverse.com
9781938908064, $13.95 pbk $3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/How-Interview-Like-Pro-Forty-Three/dp/1938908066
So often these days, its amazing how some people ever get jobs, because they do not follow any type of etiquette, it also says a lot about the employers. "How to Interview Like A Pro" instructs there are better ways, to fulfill the same task. Covered are dressing properly, not only being on time but giving yourself a window earlier, asking questions and maintaining a conversation, knowing your legal rights, preparing for unforeseen situations, accepting negatives happen being honest are some of the aspects delved into. "How to Interview Like A Pro" is a fantastic wealth of information, resource for anyone looking for a job, or any other type of negotiation, situation to give confidence, whatever undertaking can be accomplished.
Here Is A Book
Elisha Cooper
Abrams Books For Young Readers
c/o Abrams
https://www.abrams.com
9781419766756, $18.99 HC / $17.09 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Here-Book-Picture-Elisha-Cooper/dp/1419766759
"Here Is A Book" leads readers of all ages into a world few ever know about starting with its enticing title. Turning the pages we find it is the progression of publishing starting with the combination of an artist and writer to produce the work. From there the manuscript is delivered to a publisher who considers it for publication. On and on is the progression until it is available to the public numerous ways. "Here Is A Book" is a fun excursion into the world of books.
Where Are You, Bronte?
Tomie dePaola, author
Barbara McClintock, illustrator
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
c/o Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com/kids
9781534418509, $19.99 HC / $10.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Where-Are-Bront%C3%AB-Tomie-dePaola/dp/1534418504
"Where Are You, Bronte?" is the true story of an artist and his best friend. The account begins with Tomie remembering all the good times he and Bronte his special dog who became his companion for many years. Author Tomie dePaola and illustrator Barbara McClintock celebrate a life well lived, by a special canine, who was there to give and receive, so much love from Tomie, as well as showing how he benefitted from the relationship. "Where Are You, Bronte?" is beautifully told, for anyone who has ever been in or has, an extraordinary bond, with a pet.
Saturday Morning at the Shop
Keenan Jones, author
Ken Daley, illustrator
Beach Lane Books
c/o Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
https://www.simonandschuster.com/kids
9781665940801, $18.99 HC / $10.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Saturday-Morning-Shop-Keenan-Jones/dp/1665940808
"Saturday Morning at the Shop" pays tribute to a place of enjoyment for many black men and women on the weekend. The location in many cities, is the local barber shop in the black community. Most of the time it is family owned, passed down for so many generations. The attractiveness of the work, is how the shop is a means of communication, for those who gather to hear the news of the day, or other things of interest, instead of relying on techno devices, or for the comradery. "Saturday Morning at the Shop" depicts a slice of American life from the past, that is still alive and well in certain communities.
Gary Roen
Senior Reviewer
Helen Dumont's Bookshelf
Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships Are Mended or Ended
Susan Shapiro Barash
Meridian Editions
https://www.meridianeditions.com
9781959170211, $35.95, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Estranged-Strained-Female-Friendships-Mended/dp/195917021X
Synopsis: When life gets hard, we turn to our female friends. Husbands, partners, and jobs come and go, but close friendships are our bedrock. Until they're not.
What happens when these bonds sabotage instead of support? Who among us has the courage to walk away? And how can we protect ourselves from further heartbreak?
With the publication of "Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships Are Mended or Ended", Susan Shapiro Barash takes a deep dive into the complexities of female friendships. By peeling back the societal narrative that our friendships are meant to last forever, she uncovers a more nuanced reality: the closest bonds do falter. Through groundbreaking research and 150 interviews with women ranging in age from 20-80, Barash reveals an emerging trend - estrangement among female friends.
"Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships Are Mended or Ended" is an eye-opening investigation/practical guide for women navigating murky waters of suboptimal friendships. It sheds light on unspoken pain of estrangement - both for the "estranger" who walks away and the "estrangee" who is left behind. Amid candid confessions of betrayal and grief, Barash challenges women to reimagine their friendships and take the bold step of letting go when necessary.
"Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships Are Mended or Ended" is cutting-edge book offers an empowering path forward: learning to prioritize self-worth, stability and authenticity over loyalty to friendships that no longer serve us.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships Are Mended or Ended" will prove of immense value and interest to readers concerned about creating, building, continuing, and restoring friendships and relationships from a decidedly female perspective. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Interpersonal Relations collections and supplemental Women's Studies curriculum lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Estranged: How Strained Female Friendships Are Mended or Ended" from Meridian Editions is also available in paperback (9781959170204, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Susan Shapiro Barash (https://susanshapirobarash.com) has written more than a dozen nonfiction books including Tripping the Prom Queen, Toxic Friends and You're Grounded Forever, but First Let's Go Shopping. For more than 20 years she taught gender studies and Marymount Manhattan College and has guest taught creative nonfiction at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Her fiction is published under her pen name, Susannah Marren.
From Tuscany with Love
Lauretta Avina
MSI Press
http://msipress.com
9781957354637, $34.95, PB, 194pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tuscany-Love-Lauretta-Avina/dp/1957354631
Synopsis: "From Tuscany with Love" by Lauretta Avina is an emotional memoir capturing the heartfelt journey of a scared, little girl from the rolling hills of Lucca to the bustling life in America. Through evocative stories and cherished family recipes, Lauretta pays tribute to the rich culture, love, and flavors that shaped her life. This memoir beautifully blends personal reflections on family, resilience, and the timeless traditions of Tuscan cuisine, offering readers a deeply personal and flavorful look at an immigrant's path to finding a home and a sense of belonging in a new world.
Critique: Part immigrant memoir, part Italian cookbook, "From Tuscany with Love" is a heartfelt, emotionally engaging, and deftly crafted read. A true celebration of a life journey laced with tributes to Tuscany cuisine, and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Biography/Memoir and Italian Cookbook collections, this trade paperback (7 x 0.53 x 10 inches, 1.02 pounds) edition of "From Tuscany with Love" from MSI Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Lauretta Avina, an Italian American immigrant, has a deep passion for sharing good food with family and friends. Her first cookbook, Ricette del Mio Paese, came out in 2011. Lauretta is the founder and president of the Franca Barsi Memorial Scholarship, created to honor her late sister, a victim of domestic violence. In addition to her advocacy for domestic violence victims, she is a staunch supporter of military veterans and their families. She also advocates for students in her role as a Guidance Technician at her local high school. Lauretta enjoys preparing delicious meals, often using vegetables and spices from her husband's garden. She is well-known in her community.
Helen Dumont
Reviewer
John Taylor's Bookshelf
Baldwin, Styron, and Me
Melikah Abdelmoumen, author
Catherine Khordoc, translator
Biblioasis
www.biblioasis.com
9781771966269, $17.95, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Baldwin-Styron-Me-M%C3%A9likah-Abdelmoumen/dp/1771966262
Synopsis: In 1961, James Baldwin spent several months in William Styron's guest house. The two wrote during the day, then spent evenings confiding in each other and talking about race in America. During one of those conversations, Baldwin is said to have convinced his friend to write, in first person, the story of the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. The Confessions of Nat Turner was published to critical acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1968, and also creating outrage in part of the African American community.
Decades later, the controversy around cultural appropriation, identity, and the rights and responsibilities of the writer still resonates. Withe the publication of "Baldwin, Styron, and Me", Melikah Abdelmoumen considers the writers' surprising yet vital friendship from her standpoint as a racialized woman torn by the often unidimensional versions of her identity put forth by today's politics and media. Considering questions of identity, race, equity, and the often contentious public debates about these topics, Abdelmoumen works to create a space where the answers are found by first learning how to listen -- even in disagreement.
Critique: Original, exceptional, thought-provoking, Professor Catherine Khordoc's able translation of Melikah Abdelmoumen's "Baldwin, Styron, and Me" is the most recent addition (52) to the acclaimed Biblioasis International Translation Series. Of major importance to readers with an interest in art of the essay and Black literature, "Baldwin, Styron, and Me" is a fascinating and memorable read from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library American Literary Criticism and Black Studies collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "Baldwin, Styron, and Me" from Biblioasis is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Melikah Abdelmoumen was born in Chicoutimi in 1972. She lived in Lyon, France, from 2005 to 2017. She holds a PhD in literary studies from the Universite de Montreal and has published many articles, short stories, novels, and essays, including Les desastrees (2013), Douze ans en France (2018), and Petite-Ville (2024). She worked as an editor with the Groupe Ville-Marie Litterature in Montreal until 2021. She was the editor-in-chief of Lettres quebecoises, a Quebec literary magazine, from 2021 to 2024. Baldwin, Styron, and Me is her tenth book (and the first to be translated).
Editorial Note #2: Catherine Khordoc is a professor of French and Canadian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. She is the author of Tours et detours: Le mythe de Babel dans la litterature contemporaine (University of Ottawa Press, 2012). She also considers herself in many ways a frontier-dweller.
John Taylor
Reviewer
Mary Cowper's Bookshelf
What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up?
Karen Johnson
Jossey-Bass
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394286300, $22.00, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/What-Want-When-They-Grow/dp/1394286309
Synopsis: With the publication of "What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up? (And Other Thoughts from a 40-Something Mom)", parenting influencer Karen Johnson provides a fun, easy-to-understand, and inspiring guide for mothers currently experiencing an empty nest, or who see one on the horizon, and are looking to lead their best, most fulfilling lives and feel comfortable that they're not alone in their struggles.
"What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up?" draws upon stories and experiences drawn from Johnson and mothers around her, helping readers seek out new passions, including new career paths, to avoid feeling as if they are solely defined by motherhood.
"What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up? " explores topics including:
Taking risks, putting yourself out there, getting stronger mentally and physically, and fostering positive relationships
Navigating the wondrously weird world of perimenopause and aging bodies with confidence, knowledge, and grace
Working through the very real emotions of guilt, anxiety, failure, and shame that often accompany this transitory period in mothers' lives
Critique: Original, inspirational, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up? (And Other Thoughts from a 40-Something Mom)" by Karen Johnson will prove to be exceptionally appealing, practical, and useful to mothers currently parenting teens, young adult, and preparing for life after 'living under the same rook' with them. Ideal for mothers needing to develop an identity and life for themselves once the kids have left home to create their own adult lives, Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "What Do I Want to Be When They Grow Up?" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Parenting and Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections.
Editorial Note: Karen Johnson is known on social media as The 21st Century SAHM. A former high school English teacher, she began telling her stories of motherhood when she was elbow-deep in the trenches of toddlerhood. She now writes for some of the largest parenting websites in the world. (https://parentingteensandtweens.com/author/karenjohnson)
Olmsted's Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village
Cathy Jean Maloney
Southern Illinois University Press
www.siupress.com
9780809339525, $27.95, PB, 154pp
https://www.amazon.com/Olmsteds-Riverside-Stewardship-Innovation-Landmark/dp/0809339528
Synopsis: Just outside the bustling metropolis of Chicago lies the unlikely green oasis of Riverside, Illinois, a small village that has continued to directly influence American landscapes and suburbs since the 1870s. Once farmland, the location provided a blank canvas for preeminent designers Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux's manifestation of a truly democratic society. Olmsted's Riverside details the village's historical significance, harmony with nature, and its nearly 150-year impact on American suburbs today.
In "Olmsted's Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village", Cathy Jean Maloney explores how Riverside's layout and design presaged today's urban planning goals of walkability, green space, public transportation access, sustainability, and resiliency. Houses in Riverside are set back from the road, sidewalks meander along gently curving roads, and public green spaces abound.
Maloney also shows how Riverside's leaders and residents struggled with stewardship of Olmsted's ideals by balancing competing interests in suburban development and Chicago sprawl from the 1870s to the 2020s. Additionally, she details in chronological chapters how the village adapted to tragedies such as the Great Fire of 1871 and the Panic of 1873, as well as advancements in transportation, local civic life, urban policy, and environmental thought, all while staying true to the framework inherited from Olmsted and Vaux.
"Olmsted's Riverside" provides engaging examples of how citizen involvement can protect a community's ideals. This richly illustrated and in-depth study combines landscape architecture, regional history, and urban design to show how audacious civic planning and thoughtful conservation can provide a model for future American suburbs.
Critique: Impressively illustrated, exceptionally informative, inherently interesting, a seminal and ground-breaking study, this large format (10 x 0.63 x 8 inches, 1.1 pounds) paperback edition of Cathy Jean Maloney's "Olmsted's Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village" from the Southern Illinois University Press is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Landscape/Environmental Architecture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Cathy Jean Maloney is a landscape historian and author of five books on garden and environmental history, including World's Fair Gardens: Shaping American Landscapes. For more than twenty years, Maloney served as senior editor of Chicagoland Gardening magazine. She also chaired the Landscape Advisory Commission in historic Riverside, Illinois, and spearheaded its certification as an arboretum. Maloney has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, and teaches at the Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Botanic Garden while writing for national and regional publications. (https://gardenerscottageriverside.com/about-the-author)
Mary Cowper
Reviewer
Micah Andrew's Bookshelf
Reading Nature: The Evolution of American Nature Writing
John Seibert Farnsworth
Michigan State University Press
https://msupress.org
9781611865349, $74.95, HC, 180pp
https://msupress.org/9781611865356/reading-nature
Synopsis: With the publication of "Reading Nature: The Evolution of American Nature Writing", John Seibert Farnsworth highlights the ten books that most influenced the scope and direction of literary natural history in the United States.
"Reading Nature" explores how American nature writing came to focus on the deep observation of wild landscapes and how the genre evolved over 163 years, beginning with the publication of Henry David Thoreau's Walden in 1854.
"Reading Nature" also examines Mary Austin's Land of Little Rain (1903), John Burroughs's Ways of Nature (1905), Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac (1949), Rachel Carson's The Sea around Us (1951), Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire (1968), Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974), Terry Tempest Williams's Refuge (1991), Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass (2013), and J. Drew Lanham's The Home Place (2016).
Additionally and of special note is how "Reading Nature" features a series of close readings exploring how these ten authors transformed popular understanding of the natural world.
Critique: Academician John Seibert Farnsworth does not require that you will have read any or all of the ten books cited in "Reading Nature: The Evolution of American Nature Writing", but his own work is so compelling that you well might go out to your community library or favorite bookstore to find them. Fascinating, informative, thought-provoking, insightful, exceptionally well organized and presented, "Reading Nature" is unique, special, and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Nature Writing and Literary Criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Reading Nature: The Evolution of American Nature Writing" from Michigan State University Press is also readily available in paperback (9781611865356, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.55, Amazon).
Editorial Note: John Seibert Farnsworth (https://go.authorsguild.org/members/4642) is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Emeritus, at Santa Clara University, where his teaching and research focused on environmental writing and literature. He is currently serving a three-year term on Washington State's Wildlife Diversity Advisory Council, where he cochairs a subcommittee on the WDFW State Wildlife Action Plan. He is also the author of Nature Beyond Solitude: Notes from the Field, and Coves of Departure: Notes from the Sea of Cortes.
Micah Andrew
Reviewer
Michael Dunford's Bookshelf
Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers
Lyle H. Sandler
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760392461, $40.00, HC, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Storytelling-Designers-Concepts/dp/0760392463
Synopsis: "Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers: 100 Key Concepts for Bringing Good Ideas to Life" by interdisciplinary designer, innovator, and anthropologist Lyle H. Sandler is an essential reference that offers a comprehensive exploration of storytelling techniques tailored specifically for designers. By integrating classic narrative elements (such as character, conflict, and resolution) into visual work, authors and artists can create more engaging and impactful projects.
"Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers" covers:
Character Development: How to craft relatable and memorable personas in visual narratives.
Plot Structure: Techniques for creating compelling arcs and engaging storylines.
Emotional Resonance: Leveraging emotions to connect with the audience on a deeper level.
Visual Storytelling: Utilizing design elements like color, typography, and composition to convey meaning and enhance the narrative.
"Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers" is enhanced for the reader's benefit with examples from various design disciplines, including graphic design, UX/UI, and illustration. Sandler's expertise and accessible writing style make complex concepts easy to understand and apply.
"Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers" is not just another design book; it is an authentic guide to transforming design work into unforgettable stories. By mastering these storytelling principles, authors and artists can create designs that not only look good but also resonate deeply with their audience.
Critique: This large format (8.75 x 0.79 x 10.25 inches, 2.23 pounds) hardcover edition of "Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers: 100 Key Concepts for Bringing Good Ideas to Life" by Lyle H. Sandler is an ideal DIY study that will be of particular value to readers with an interest in advertising development and graphic design techniques. While a unique and recommended pick for personal, professional, corporate, and college/university library Communication/Design collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Universal Principles of Storytelling for Designers" from Rockport Publishers is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.00).
Editorial Note: Lyle Sandler (https://www.lylesandler.com/about-3) is an interdisciplinary designer, innovator, and anthropologist. He assists organizations, corporate leaders, and governments in designing products, services, and experiences that drive new forms of value in anticipation of future human needs. He is currently the Chief Design Officer at Aon Corporation, overseeing the design of products and services across all business units. Lyle is exploring innovative techniques that enable humans to efficiently interact with large volumes of data, including the creation of non-language, multi-sensory, progressive storytelling.
Michael Dunford
Reviewer
Paul Vogel's Bookshelf
All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from Marvel Comics
Jenn Fujikawa
Smart Pop
https://smartpopbooks.com
c/o Simon & Schuster (distribution)
https://www.simonandschuster.com
9781637743546, $15.95, HC, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ever-Needed-Learned-Marvel-Comics/dp/1637743548
Synopsis: In the Marvel Universe, the Avengers are the ultimate team, showing that the hardest tasks can be accomplished with the help of others and that working together takes setting aside otherworldly egos for the good of the common goal (looking at you, Tony Stark).
In life, difficult decisions come with a price, even if you're Spider-Man. Peter Parker shows that, whether your choice was right or wrong, it's how you take responsibility that's important.
As She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters definitely knows what it takes to win a fight. As helpful as brute strength can be, it's rational thinking and determination that help you triumph in the end.
Whether in laughter or grieving, birth, or rebirth, we can all learn a thing or two about how to live heroically from the beloved and beleaguered heroes of Marvel Comics -- no Vibranium shield or Asgardian hammer necessary.
Critique: Featuring full-color art from 80 years of Marvel Comics, with the publication of "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from Marvel Comics", Jenn Fujikawa shows how the characters comprising the Marvel Universe are sources of inspiration and motivation for conquer seemingly life's insurmountable challenges and accomplish feats beyond this realm with 50 'life lessons' drawn from the world's most iconic superheroes and stories. A fun, informative, thoughtful nd thought-provoking read from cover to cover, "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from Marvel Comics" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library collections. A 'must' for the legions of Marvel fans that this hardcover edition of "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from Marvel Comics" from Smart Pop is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jenn Fujikawa (https://justjennrecipes.com) is an author and content creator specializing in lifestyle and pop culture. She has created content for Disney, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, and more. Her recipes have been featured on Buzzfeed, LA Times, Food & Wine Magazine, and the cover of Food Network Magazine. Jenn was recently profiled in The New York Times, and is the author of The Official Parks and Recreation Cookbook, The Gudetama Cookbook, The I Love Lucy Cookbook: Classic Recipes Inspired by the Iconic TV Show, I Love Lucy: The Joys of Friendship, and the co-author of The Goldbergs Cookbook.
Paul T. Vogel
Reviewer
S.A. Gorden's Bookshelf
Wicked Wicked West: A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Books 1-3
Lily Harper Hart
HarperHart Publications
B081BCQM73 $9.99 Kindle, 653 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-West-Hannah-Hickok-Mystery-ebook/dp/B081BCQM73
Wicked Wicked West at first look appears as a magical cozy mystery. It actually is closer to a magical romantic mystery/thriller. The difference between the two genres is minor but it does change the tone of the tale and will affect the way you read the story.
Hannah Hickok breaks up with her longtime boyfriend and is fired from her job. As she attempts to pull her life together, she discovers that she has inherited a cosplay Western town in rural Kentucky from her estranged grandmother. Going from city life to semi-rural cosplay Western is a shock but, when you add in the fact that the town is also a haven to witches, ghosts and other paranormals, she has even more problems adjusting to her new life.
Before she finishes unpacking, a murder with supernatural links happens. She then discovers that she has inherited being a witch from her grandmother whose ghost is trying to communicate with her. Hannah has to pull her suddenly magical life together while attempting to find a dangerous killer.
Wicked Wicked West is a collection of three semi-independent mystery/thriller books. It is light and fun reading. If you enjoy magical mysteries that lean closer to romance that cozy, the collection is an easy recommendation.
Star Mage Quest (Star Mage Saga Book 1)
J.J. Green
InfiniteBook
9798663958189 $14.99 pbk
B0797W29Q7 $2.99 Kindle, 332 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Mage-Quest-Saga/dp/B08DC6GSD2
Star Mage Quest is a well-written space opera with a dark take on the future. If you need a space opera fix, you might want to consider it.
Carina Lin grew up in the slums of a backwater planet. She escapes the slums by becoming a mercenary. The killing and abuse becomes too much for her and she quits after saving a kidnapped young boy that she feels a connection with. Carina doesn't realize that she has just brought herself even more danger than her life as a mercenary.
Star Mage Quest is a solid well-written space opera. It has a nice complex world building with detailed character development. Its biggest problem is that the book doesn't have a story end -- just an end of a chapter. If you enjoy the tale, you will need to purchase at least one more book in the series to get past the cliff hanger at the end.
S.A. Gorden
Senior Reviewer
Suzie Housley's Bookshelf
Einstein's General Relativity Explained (with essential mathematics)
Antony Musker
Deltacat Press
9781399996402, $19.00, PB, 290 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Einsteins-Relativity-Explained-essential-mathematics/dp/1399996401
Synopsis: Enter the fascinating world of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity with a book that takes a new simple to understand approach to the brilliant theories that made Einstein a legend! Unravel the complexities of this scientific masterpiece in a simple and accessible format.
Written by an expert with a rich teaching and scientific research background, this book aims to demystify intricate equations and symbols, making it understandable for all with an essential scientific background.
By the end of this enlightening read, you will grasp the fundamentals of general relativity and gain a deeper appreciation of its historical context and cultural significance. Join this journey to unlock the secrets of Einstein's genius and expand your understanding of the universe!
Critique: Einstein's General Relativity Explained (with essential mathematics) is an innovative guide that helps unravel the mysterious world of one of the most brilliant thinkers in history, using language that everyone can understand. Experience the awe-inspiring legacy of Einstein in a format that makes his work accessible to all.
Antony Musker deserves commendation for writing such a brilliant book that unravels the enigma of Einstein's theory of relativity. His profound expertise and unparalleled background have led him to crack the code, making this book an essential for scientific enthusiasts and admirers of Einstein's legacy. Dive into the depths of knowledge and be amazed at how his words will allow you to walk in the greatness that made Einstein a historical name in the scientific world.
I Love Dogs! A Tribute to Man's Best Friend
James Weagley
Kindle Direct Publishing
https://www.faithnwellness.com
9798307023020, Kindle, $2.99, $10.99 PB, 250 pages
https://www.faithnwellness.com/i-am-pleased-to-announce-my-new-book-i-love-dogs-a-tribute-to-mans-bet-friend
Synopsis: I Love Dogs! A Tribute to Man's Best Friend is a perfect example of how a pet can bring peace and harmony into one's life. This enchanting children's book invites young readers on an adventure through the wonderful world of dogs, celebrating our unique bonds with our furry companions.
With vibrant pictures that leap off the page and engaging text that captivates the imagination, I Love Dogs! A Tribute to Man's Best Friend is not just a book; it's an invitation to explore the diverse universe of dog breeds and their charming characteristics.
As children turn each page, they will discover fascinating facts about various dog breeds, enriching their understanding of these beloved animals. This knowledge not only fosters a sense of empathy and responsibility toward pet ownership but also empowers young readers with a deeper understanding of the world of dogs and the joy they bring.
Critique: I Love Dogs! A Tribute to Man's Best Friend is a delightful book serves as a charming introduction to the world of our furry friends, filled with captivating visuals and engaging educational content that makes learning about dogs both fun and enriching.
For parents and educators, this book is not just a story; it's an opportunity to cultivate a love for animals in children, teaching them about responsible pet care and the joy that comes from sharing our lives with dogs.
James Weagley has written a beautiful testament to this belief of the love of a dog. It invites readers on a journey filled with warmth and compassion. With his carefully chosen descriptive language and heartwarming real-life photographs, Wegley captures the essence of our furry, loveable friends in a way that resonates deeply with both young and old.
This book is more than just a collection of stories and images; it is a tool for parents and educators eager to nurture a love for animals in children. It provides insights into pet care, fostering empathy and responsibility among young readers. As they turn each page, children will not only learn about the diverse lives of animals but also about the importance of kindness and understanding in their interactions with them.
Imagine the joy of sharing this experience as a family, exploring the magic of animal companionship together. With each chapter, readers will embark on an adventure that ignites curiosity and inspires a lifelong respect for man's best friend!
Editorial Note: Recommended ages baby to young adult.
Livengoods Living Well
Douglas W. Price
Lighthouse Christian Publishing
https://lighthousechristianpublishing.com
9781643734583, Audio, $3.99, Kindle, $.99, $24.95 PB, 162 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Livengoods-Living-Well-Douglas-Price/dp/164373458X
Synopsis: Livengoods Living Well by Douglas W. Price uniquely intertwines exploring personal identity and moral development with faith and kindness. As readers follow Donald and Linda's journey, they are not just observing the characters' lives; they are also prompted to deeply reflect on their own experiences and the growth that comes from embracing diverse perspectives.
Structured in three engaging parts, the story takes readers through pivotal moments in Donald and Linda's lives, from childhood innocence to adulthood's complexities. Thoughtful crafting of each chapter ensures resonance with readers of all ages, making it a delightful read for families and individuals alike. The emphasis on virtues such as kindness, strength, and generosity are a gentle reminder of the importance of understanding and compassion, especially towards those with differing beliefs.
As we delve deeper into Parts II and III, the narrative reveals profound insights into personal growth and the trials of maintaining one's integrity in a transforming world. Donald and Linda's journey is not merely a reflection of their experiences; it becomes a mirror for us to examine our journeys, the relationships we build, and our moral choices.
Critique: With a warm and inviting tone, Livengoods Living Well encourages readers to embark on their own discovery - both in the world and within themselves. It serves as a beautiful reminder that life, whether physical or metaphorical, is a powerful catalyst for understanding and empathy.
Douglas W. Price, displays a passion for personal growth and faith through his descriptive words. His storytelling invites readers to step into the lives of his characters and experience the challenges that shape them. Through his thoughtful narrative, readers gain a deeper understanding of the personal journeys and defining moments that influence each individual's growth.
Sigi The Brave Dachshund
Maria Ritter, author
Matthew Ritter, illustrator
Spaetzle Press
9798218598730, Kindle, $3.99, $16.99 PB, 32 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Sigi-Brave-Dachshund-Maria-Ritter/dp/B0DVC6X3TZ
Synopsis: Sigi the Brave Dachshund is a heartwarming tale that celebrates courage, self-discovery, and the unique strengths found within us all. Set against the enchanting backdrop of the Black Forest, the story follows Sigi, a spirited Dachshund who, despite being the smallest animal on the farm, takes his role as a protector of his family seriously.
Because larger animals often underestimated and teased him, Sigi's journey started when a German Shepherd went missing and someone gave him the mission of finding her. Guided by new friends and his intimate knowledge of the forest, Sigi embarks on an adventure that challenges his self-doubt and showcases his unwavering courage.
Critique: Sigi the Brave Dachshund has truly captured this reviewer's heart. With its charming narrative and beautifully crafted illustrations, the story comes to life most delightfully. It's a book that leaves a lasting impression - one that children and adults alike will treasure for years to come.
Maria Ritter shows her exceptional talent as an author in Sigi the Brave Dachshund. Paired with Matthew Ritter's captivating illustrations, this book is truly a masterpiece. From the very first page, the story enchanted me, and I firmly believe it has the potential to be an award-winning book.
Editorial Review: Recommended for ages 8-19 years old.
Colorsss
Deborah A. Hutchinson, PhD
Peanut Butter Publishing
https://peanutbutterpublishing.com
9781598493788, $18.95 PB, 32 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Colorsss-Deborah-Hutchinson/dp/1598493787
Synopsis: Colorsss invites children on a vibrant journey through the natural world, exploring the amazing colors found in snakes! While most people imagine snakes as green or brown, nature has a few surprises: some are bright blue, even pink! These unexpected colors will surely pique your curiosity and make you want to explore more. Surprisingly, they appear in every color of the rainbow!
This book uncovers the fascinating reasons behind the brilliant colors and bold patterns found in the animal kingdom. After admiring these rainbow-hued reptiles, readers can explore bonus pages to learn how snakes use their colors, patterns, venom, and poison to survive and thrive in the wild.
Critique: Colorsss delivers a vibrant and educational journey into the world of snakes - their dazzling colors, remarkable traits, and the wonders of their natural habitats. From beginning to end, it offers fascinating insights that illuminate the richness of the animal kingdom.
Deborah A. Hutchinson, PhD, has crafted an educational book that draws readers into the captivating world of snakes. With vibrant imagery and fascinating facts, each page bursts to life - sparking curiosity and leaving children inspired to discover even more about these incredible creatures.
What Do I Get in Return
Trish Titus
Independently Published
9798988712909, Kindle, $9.99, $24.99 PB, 487 pages
https://www.amazon.com/What-Do-I-Get-Return/dp/B0DQV46K4J
Synopsis: Step into the captivating world of a contemporary romantic suspense novel that weaves a compelling tale of LD, a man who has spent years concealing his true identity under a pseudonym. He seeks solace and safety from a turbulent past. His life turns unexpectedly when he joins the vibrant community at Fire Station 15, where he forms deep and meaningful friendships with his colleagues, Jason and Talia.
As LD navigates the challenges of his new life, he discovers the exhilarating possibility of true love. However, the shadow of Jason's past looms over their newfound happiness, introducing a series of lurking threats that could shatter their fragile peace. With each turn of the page, the suspenseful journey pulls readers into a world of secrets, potential betrayals, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Critique: What Do I Get in Return is a masterfully crafted novel brimming with suspense and intrigue. Each character brings their unique voice to the story, creating a richly layered narrative that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. The combination of suspenseful twists and well-developed personalities makes for an unforgettable reading experience.
Trish Titus wields a powerful pen, infusing her writing with elements often absent in similar titles. Through her vivid and impactful descriptions, she allows readers to feel every moment of suspense, making each passage a gripping experience.
The Other Side of Sunshine
Kay DiBianca
Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.
https://elklakepublishinginc.com
979889134, $TBA, PB, 329 pages, Ages 9-12
Synopsis: Embark on an exhilarating treasure hunt with ten-year-old Reen Penterson, who has put aside her summer plans of writing a bestselling novel to delve into the thrilling world of hidden treasures in her university town!
With dreams of wealth and fame sparking their imagination, Reen and her spirited nine-year-old cousin, Joanie, join forces to form the R&J Detective Agency. Their partnership promises an adventure brimming with mystery, excitement, and discovery.
As the duo races against other young treasure hunters, including the cunning Alicia Allgood, they follow the cryptic clues left by the enigmatic "Mr. Shadow." Their journey takes them through the hallowed halls of the Bellevue University library, where they navigate through dictionaries, microfiche machines, and the Dewey Decimal System. Each clue leads them deeper into a world of secrets, from hidden treasures in a sundial to the wonders of local flora, showcasing their teamwork and determination.
Yet, the thrill of adventure turns to tension when Reen's rival, Alicia Allgood, steals their hard-earned solution. In Mr. Shadow's universe, nothing is as it seems. It's a race against time and clever foes, where Reen and Joanie's creativity, resilience, and the power of collaboration shine as they reclaim their treasure, proving that teamwork can uncover even the most elusive of hidden gems.
Critique: The Other Side of Sunshine is a delightful invitation for young readers to embark on a thrilling journey filled with a captivating mystery. This book encourages children to discover the world's wonders, sparking their imagination and sense of adventure.
Kay DiBianca has set the groundwork required to make a mystery lover out of anyone! Parents can envision their child diving into the pages of this story, their eyes wide with excitement as they uncover secrets and solve puzzles alongside the characters. This book fosters a love for reading and opens the doorway to discovering a new love of the mystery genre world!
Editorial Review: Discover the enchanting world of literature designed for children aged 8-12, where each page becomes a gateway for exploration and imagination! With the extraordinary talent of author Kay DiBianca, your young readers will embark on thrilling journeys that entertain and educate.
DiBianca's impressive accolades, including honors from the Illumination Awards, Eric Hoffer Awards, and the prestigious Memphis Public Libraries Richard Wright Literary Awards, highlight her commitment to crafting stories that resonate with young minds.
As a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime, Kay brings a wealth of experience and authenticity to her writing. She also engages with fellow authors through her insightful blog and contributions to the Kill Zone Blog, ensuring her narratives are both relevant and captivating, and that they speak to the experiences and interests of young readers.
Old Bad Sally: Monkeying Around at the Zoo
Connie Park, author
Chad Thompson, illustrator
Proving Press
https://www.provingpress.com
9781633378742, Kindle $15.99, $22.99 HB, 42 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Old-Bad-Sally-Monkeying-Around/dp/1633378748
Synopsis: Old Bad Sally: Monkeying Around at the Zoo is a captivating and whimsical tale that delights readers of all ages. Join the mischievous Old Bad Sally as she sets off on a playful escapade through the Zoo, where her bold decision to release the monkeys sparks a series of amusing and heartwarming adventures. This enchanting story is more than just entertainment - it's a powerful tool to ignite young imaginations and inspire a lasting sense of joy, curiosity, and wonder.
Critique: Old Bad Sally: Monkeying Around at the Zoo invites readers into a world of cheerful mischief and lighthearted fun, making it a delightful addition to children's literature. Old Bad Sally's spirited personality brings each page to life, leaving smiles and laughter in her wake.
Connie Park showcases her storytelling talent with vibrant prose and imaginative pacing, perfectly complemented by captivating illustrations. This charming picture book is not just a delightful read - it's a story destined to become a treasured favorite, a shared joy in any family's library.
Bursting with humor and heart, Old Bad Sally will captivate young readers as they follow her antics, encouraging a love of stories and the magic they hold.
Editorial Notes: Recommended for children ages 4 to 10.
Half-Truths
Carol Baldwin
Monarch Educational Services, L.L.C
https://monarcheducationalservices.com
9781957656854, Kindle $9.99, $15.99 PB, 314 pages
https://www.amazon.com/Half-Truths-Carol-Baldwin/dp/1957656859
Synopsis: In Half-Truths, Carol Baldwin masterfully weaves a narrative that transcends time, inviting young readers to explore the intricate tapestry of 1950s North Carolina. At the heart of this interesting tale is Kate Dinsmore, a spirited 15-year-old aspiring to become a journalist. Her journey, filled with the challenges of her family's modest means and the hope of her move to her affluent grandparents' home in Charlotte, is one that many young readers can relate to. However, the world she enters is one of stark contrasts, where societal expectations loom large, and the unspoken truths of her lineage surface.
Through her growing friendship with Lillian, the maid who becomes both confidante and kin, Kate's journey is not just about ambition; it's a profound exploration of identity and belonging. This novel is a valuable resource for educators and parents interested in literature that addresses social issues. It invites readers to reflect on the complexities of race, privilege, and the often-painful quest for authenticity as they unearth family secrets that intertwine their fates. Baldwin tackles these themes with sensitivity and insight, encouraging a dialogue about the realities of our past and the courage required to challenge the status quo.
Critique: Half-Truths is more than just a story; it is a call to action for young minds to question, to seek the truth, and to forge their paths amidst the half-truths that life presents. This book promises to resonate deeply with readers, inspiring them to confront their truths and understand the world around them with greater clarity and compassion. It's a powerful reminder that they can shape their own narratives and make a difference in the world.
Carol Baldwin has skillfully woven a tapestry of storytelling that resonates deeply with readers. Her latest work is a heartfelt exploration of the complexities of friendship, a theme that is universally experienced, and the societal pressures that often threaten to unravel it.
The characters she has brought to life are not merely figures on a page but embody grace, resilience, and authenticity. As they navigate the tumultuous waters of societal expectations, their unwavering bond becomes a beacon of hope and inspiration.
This story invites us to reflect on our relationships and the strength found in unity, reminding us that genuine friendship can withstand even the harshest storms. Prepare to be captivated by Baldwin's poignant prose and the profound messages that linger long after turning the last page.
Debra Lee Won't Break
Katherine Pickett
Hop On Publishing
9780991499182, Kindle $9.99, $18.95 PB, 376 pp
https://katherinepickettauthor.com/books
Synopsis: In a heartwarming and profoundly human story of resilience, love, and redemption, follow the unforgettable journey of Debra Lee - a woman who refuses to be defined by her circumstances.
At 38, Debra is juggling more than most: the ache of widowhood, the fierce love of raising a spirited young son, the emotional support of a daughter navigating college life, and the tender care of a mother slowly slipping away to dementia. On top of it all, Debra battles multiple sclerosis - a daily challenge that tests her body but never breaks her spirit. What sets Debra apart is her unwavering determination and her ability to find strength in the most difficult situations.
With a fire still burning in her heart, Debra sets her sights on the Chesapeake Challenge: a grueling 150-mile bike ride that could be her last shot at proving to herself - and the world - that she's still in control of her story. It's more than a ride; it's a declaration of strength, a chance to reclaim something no illness can take away.
Just as she pushes forward, the past comes crashing in. Caroline Cook - once her closest friend, now a painful reminder of betrayal - reappears, stirring up wounds that never fully healed. And then there's him - the man who shattered her dreams when she was still young enough to believe they'd last forever. Mystery shrouds the details of these past events, adding intrigue to Debra's story.
With every mile, Debra isn't just fighting through physical pain - she's wrestling with the emotional ghosts she thought she'd buried long ago. The bike ride becomes a metaphor for her life's journey, with each uphill battle and downhill coast representing the highs and lows she's experienced. As she nears the ultimate test, she must confront the question that could change everything: Will she let the past steal this triumph from her - or will she rise, unshaken, and claim the finish line as her own?
Critique: Debra Lee Won't Break is an electrifying tale of grit, heart, and unshakable resolve. At its core is Debra Lee - a fierce, unstoppable heroine whose strength lights up every page. Her journey through life's trials isn't just compelling; it's deeply empowering, reminding us all that courage and determination can carry us through even the toughest storms.
Katherine Pickett is a masterful storyteller whose words don't just tell a story - they pull you in, wrap around your heart, and linger long after the last page. Her characters, with their emotional depth, leap off the page with stunning realism - rich, layered, and unforgettable. They aren't just creations; they're companions, challengers, and reflections of our shared humanity.
At the center of her narratives stands a heroine unlike any other - bold, resilient, and fiercely independent. Faced with trials that would break most, she rises with grit and grace, becoming a beacon of strength and hope. Her battles aren't just hers; they mirror our struggles, inviting readers to tap into their own courage and find hope in the face of adversity.
Pickett doesn't just craft stories - she creates emotional journeys. With this book, she dares readers to explore the depths of strength, vulnerability, and perseverance.
Suzie Housley, Senior Reviewer
https://housleysliteraryservices.com
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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