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Reviewer's Choice
Food, Clothes, Men, Gas, and Other Problems
Martha Rosenberg
Independently Published
9798304898270, $14.95, PB, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Food-Clothes-Men-Other-Problems/dp/B0DS94XHDC
Synopsis: Why do men give Valentine's Day gifts that require apologies? Why do medical researchers tackle obscure diseases but skip PMS, which affects half the planet? And why has microwave popcorn in the office become the culinary equivalent of a car alarm?
With the publication of "Food, Clothes, Men, Gas, and Other Problems", author and essayist Martha Rosenberg dives into these modern absurdities, mysteries and more. From the rise of housing rage in the COVID era to the hazards of bumper stickers in the age of road rage, Rosenberg dissects everyday life with the precision of a journalist and the wit of a stand-up comic.
What would the Marlboro Man think of smartphones and bottled water? Why do holiday diets never survive the appetizers? And are fashion buyers still necessary when trends make no sense? With wit, wisdom, insight and humor, Rosenberg skewers the cultural norms we accept without question -- until she points them out.
In a nod to her roots in satire, Rosenberg reflects on her friendship with the late John Hughes, the National Lampoon writer and director behind The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. His irreverent humor and knack for capturing the quirks of human behavior echo in her sharp, observational style.
But "Food, Clothes, Men, Gas, and Other Problems" is more than punchlines. Rosenberg's background as a medical reporter lends depth to her humor, whether she's interviewing experts like Brene Brown and William Cope Moyers or reflecting on the rebellious spirit of cartoonist John Callahan.
Be prepared to laugh at the chaos of life, as Martha Rosenberg incisive take on work, relationships, and culture.
Critique: Original, insightful, iconoclastic, and providing a fun and provocative read, "Food, Clothes, Men, Gas, and Other Problems" showcases author and essayist Martha Rosenberg's genuine flair for the kind of narrative and humor laden storytelling style that keeps the readers compulsive page turning engagement from start to finish. The kind of book that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it's been finished and set back upon the shelf, this trade paperback edition of "Food, Clothes, Men, Gas, and Other Problems" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Humor/Essay collections.
Editorial Note: Martha Rosenberg is an investigative reporter whose work has appeared in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Consumer Reports, Public Citizen, the Center for Health Journalism at USC Annenberg, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and other top outlets. Rosenberg's reporting has been cited by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Public Library of Science Biology, Science Direct, the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, Britannica, National Geographic, Hastings Law Journal and Wikipedia. Rosenberg won a Northern Illinois Newspaper Association award for work appearing in the Evanston RoundTable and her FDA expose was recommended reading for Chicago's One Book One Chicago reading program. She has lectured at universities and medical schools.
The AI Studies Shelf
Machine Learning Essentials You Always Wanted to Know
Dhairya Parikh
Vibrant Publishers
https://www.vibrantpublishers.com
9781636513799, $69.99, HC, 274pp
https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Learning-Essentials-Self-Learning-Management/dp/1636513794
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/machine-learning-essentials-you-always-wanted-to-know-parikh/1147214702
Synopsis: In today's rapidly evolving world, machine learning (ML) is no longer just for researchers or data scientists. From personalized recommendations on streaming platforms to fraud detection in banking, ML powers many aspects of our daily lives.
As industries increasingly adopt AI-driven solutions, learning machine learning has become a valuable skill. Yet, many find the subject overwhelming, often intimidated by its mathematical complexity. That's where "Machine Learning Essentials You Always Wanted to Know" comes in.
This is a beginner-friendly DIY guide that offers a structured, step-by-step approach to understanding machine learning concepts without unnecessary jargon. Whether you are a student, a professional looking to transition into AI, or simply curious about how machines learn,
"Machine Learning Essentials You Always Wanted to Know" provides a clear and practical roadmap to mastering ML.
"Machine Learning Essentials You Always Wanted to Know" covers:
The fundamentals of machine learning and how it powers modern technology
The three key types of ML - Supervised, Unsupervised, and Reinforcement Learning
How to combine algorithms, data, and models to develop AI-driven solutions
Practical coding techniques to build and implement machine learning models
Part of Vibrant Publishers' Self-Learning Management Series, "Machine Learning Essentials You Always Wanted to Know" serves as an invaluable guide for building machine learning skills, enhancing your expertise, and advancing your career in AI and data science.
Critique: An ideal introduction to the subject of machine learning and an essential, unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and college/university library AI and Machine Learning collections and supplemental Computer Technology/Science curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Machine Learning Essentials You Always Wanted to Know" from Vibrant Publishers is also readily available for students, academia, and all other interested readers in the subject in paperback (9781636513775, $29.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99).
Editorial Note: Dhairya Parikh (https://www.vibrantpublishers.com/pages/dhairya-parikh), is an experienced data engineer who returned to academia to refine his expertise,
The Money/Finance Shelf
Where's the Key to the Safe?
Pam Baker & Cameron Zabko
Lasting Legacy Consulting
https://lastinglegacyconsulting.com
9798991857024, $24.99, HC, 191pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wheres-Key-Safe-Pitfalls-Maximize/dp/B0F11D99J5
Synopsis: The death of a loved one is emotionally devastating -- but the financial aftermath should not make it worse. Yet too many families find themselves overwhelmed by probate, missing paperwork, and financial confusion when a loved one passes. If you are financially tied to someone (a spouse, parent, child, or business partner) are you truly ready for what happens when they're gone?
Financial advisor Cameron Zabko, CFP(R), and Widows Who Wine(TM) founder Pam Baker know firsthand how overwhelming finances can be after a loss. Despite having a well-planned estate, Pam still faced countless unexpected challenges when her husband passed. Cameron, as a financial expert, saw firsthand the gaps in conventional planning.
Now with the publication of "Where's the Key to the Safe?: How to Avoid Probate Pitfalls and Maximize Family Finances" they have collaborated to bring to bare their dual perspectives to simplify estate planning, bridging the emotional and financial realities so you can confidently prepare what to do before and after losing someone you're financially connected to.
Blending real-life storytelling and expert financial guidance, "Where's the Key to the Safe?" will help you:
Understand estate planning beyond wills and trusts, including taxes, spousal benefits, and business succession.
Avoid financial nightmares like the widow's tax, probate pitfalls, and lost assets with simple, proactive strategies.
Build a financial safety net by choosing the right advisors, attorneys, and CPAs.
Manage must-know details like online accounts, insurance, health care directives, and passwords.
Ease the financial burden and stress on loved ones and proactively protect assets with clear-cut, easy-to-follow steps.
More than just another estate planning book, "Where's the Key to the Safe?" is an empathetic, action-driven instructional guide to achieving financial peace of mind. Packed with checklists, real-world examples, and step-by-step strategies, "Where's the Key to the Safe?" is the support you need to financial prepare for death before a crisis forces you to.
Critique: It's simple. Don't leave your loved ones guessing. Give "Where's the Key to the Safe?: How to Avoid Probate Pitfalls and Maximize Family Finances" a careful reading from cover to cover and protect your family's financial future today for what will prove to be inevitable in a tomorrow yet to come. While also available in paperback (9798991857000, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), this hardcover edition of "Where's the Key to the Safe?" is a critically important and recommended addition to personal, community, senior center, and college/university library Money/Financial Management collections.
Editorial Note #1: Cameron Zabko (www.westhollowwealth.com) is a Certified Financial Planner(R) professional and founder of Westhollow Wealth Management. He helps families and business owners create estate plans that protect their legacies and financial futures. Cameron lives in Milton, Georgia, and his insights have been featured in NerdWallet and industry periodicals.
Editorial Note #2: Pam Baker (www.widowswhowine.com) is the founder of Widows Who Wine(TM), a community helping widows find connection and joy after loss. A dedicated problem solver and advocate, she also hosts The Lost Love Stories podcast.
Trust Your Trust Fund
Chase Collins
Chase Your Potential LLC
9798992385922, $24.99, HC, 182pp
https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Your-Fund-Finding-Inherited/dp/B0F3V7CSDW
Synopsis: Statistics show that most inheritances are gone within three generations, and nearly 90% of lottery winners go broke within five years. Trust fund recipients and inheritors often struggle in silence, feeling lost, guilty, and unsure of what to do with their wealth. Doors of opportunity are open, but without purpose, financial literacy, and a plan, even great wealth can lead to self-destruction.
With the publication of "Trust Your Trust Fund: Finding Purpose and Freedom with Inherited Wealth", inheritor turned financial coach Chase Collins pulls back the curtain on the unspoken struggles of inherited wealth, from emotional burdens, family expectations, and social isolation to destructive behaviors and reckless decision-making.
Blending personal experience with expert coaching strategies, Collins jump-starts a conversation no one is having -- how to navigate the emotional and financial complexities of inherited wealth while building a fulfilling life.
Readers will gain:
Methods to break free from the guilt, shame, and other stigmas around inherited or sudden wealth and privilege.
An understanding of the psychology of inherited money and how to avoid common pitfalls like overspending, trust issues, and lack of motivation.
Strategies to break generational cycles of mismanagement, addiction, and self-sabotage.
The financial literacy to sustain and grow your inheritance responsibly.
The ability to define your purpose beyond your money and create a legacy that truly matters.
Wealth is not an identity. It is a tool -- when you learn how to use it. Whether you have recently inherited money, expect to, or know someone who has, "Trust Your Trust Fund" will shift the way you think about wealth and help you navigate it with confidence.
Critique: Extraordinarily informative and thoroughly 'reader/user' friendly in organization and presentation "Trust Your Trust Fund: Finding Purpose and Freedom with Inherited Wealth" is the comprehensive and timely guide you will need in order to turn a financial or estate inheritance into purpose and financial security resulting in a lasting, lifelong fulfillment. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Money/Financial Management collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Trust Your Trust Fund: Finding Purpose and Freedom with Inherited Wealth" from Chase Your Potential LLC is also available in paperback (9798992385946, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Chase Collins (www.TheTrustFundCoach.com) is a certified master life coach and the founder of The Trust Fund Coach, helping inheritors navigate the emotional and financial complexities of wealth. With firsthand experience in generational wealth, real estate investing, and business strategy, he guides clients toward purpose, financial confidence, and personal fulfillment.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
A Knight's Bad Day
Elaine Drew
Taeran Arts
9780983323655, $15.99, PB, 54pp
https://www.amazon.com/Knights-Bad-Abbess-Wihtburh-Tale/dp/0983323658
Synopsis: You have heard stories of knights overcoming challenges, but what happens when they can't? Can a knight named Egbert (the hero in this medieval tale of warriors, women and magic) turn disaster into success?
Critique: An Abbess of Wihtburh Tale, "A Knight's Bad Day by author/artist Elaine Drew is beautifully illustrated, humorous, and original. A fun and easy read from cover to cover, this original, deftly crafted, iconoclastic, and unconventional Medieval story will particularly fascinate readers with an interest in off-beat fairytales, Medieval settings, and presented in a kind of graphic novel style. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition from Taeran Arts is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Elaine Drew is an actor, tailor, and medieval writer who has authored two novels (Damsel's Dilemma & Nun Too Clever) that take readers back 1300 years to early medieval England, and now a lavishly illustrated short story from the same period, A Knight's Bad Day. (https://blog.fitnyc.edu/artanddesign/2023/04/19/elaine-drew-actor-tailor-medieval-writer)
The Marriage Shelf
Marriage After Retirement
Amy Rose Herrick
https://www.amyroseherrick.com
Money With Amy Series
9781960427434, $29.99, HC, 106pp
https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-After-Retirement-Questions-Answer/dp/1960427431
Synopsis: With the publication of "Marriage After Retirement: 25 Questions to Ask and Answer Before You Marry", Amy Rose Herrick shares the essential knowledge and tools to ensure your marriage thrives in retirement with this comprehensive guide. With "Marriage After Retirement", you will learn how to merge finances, handle health challenges, navigate family dynamics, and more to create a strong foundation for your future together.
"Marriage After Retirement" covers:
Boosting your financial compatibility by learning how to merge finances, handle assets, and navigate income changes in retirement.
Preparing for potential medical challenges, caregiving responsibilities, and insurance decisions with your partner to strengthen your bond and create a secure future.
Envisioning your dream retirement together and avoid misunderstandings by discussing lifestyle expectations from the start.
Building a strong family dynamic and plan for inheritance by addressing how your marriage will impact relationships with children, grandchildren, and estate planning.
Balancing togetherness and independence while adjusting to new routines by openly communicating about daily life and personal space.
"Managing After Retirement" includes:
25 insightful questions to help you and your partner foster open and honest conversations about marriage in retirement.
Essential topics to cover, including financial compatibility, health and long-term care, lifestyle expectations, family dynamics and inheritance, and daily life and personal space.
Guidance on how to strengthen your bond, avoid misunderstandings, and create a shared vision for a happy and fulfilling future together.
Critique: Exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, "Marriage After Retirement: 25 Questions to Ask and Answer Before You Marry" will help to provide a solid foundation for a lasting marriage -- before and after the changes that retirement of one or both spouses will inevitably entail. "Marriage After Retirement: 25 Questions to Ask and Answer Before You Marry" is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, senior citizen center, and community library collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Marriage After Retirement: 25 Questions to Ask and Answer Before You Marry" is also readily available in paperback (9781960427076, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Amy Rose Herrick (https://www.amyroseherrick.com) is widely recognized as "America's Profit Building Specialist". She is a Chartered Financial Consultant, Tax Professional, and Educator. With over three decades of expertise, she has dedicated her career to empowering entrepreneurs, professionals, and families to build profitable businesses, reduce tax burdens, and create comprehensive financial strategies for long-term success.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss
Stacy Waldman Bass
https://www.lightkeepermemoir.com
Radius Book Group
https://radiusbookgroup.com
9798895150566, $29.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lightkeeper-Memoir-Through-Lens-Love/dp/B0DXD4B12Y
Synopsis: In 1995, when a tragic seaplane accident on Block Island claimed her father's life, Bass's world shattered. She began to write as a way to process her excruciating grief, while gathering the pieces of his life through collected photographs. Some twenty-five years later, her mother was diagnosed with, and ultimately died from, pancreatic cancer after a one-year battle against that harrowing disease. During her mother's illness, Bass created a living tribute of images and words that built a community of support around her mother when she needed it most.
By collecting and sharing photographs of her parents, Michael and Jessica Waldman, Bass recognized how photographs serve not merely as records but as powerful portals into memory -- gateways to the stories that exist just outside the frame. Filled with stunning prose and vibrant photography, "Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss" is an evocative life story reveals how Bass became the "lightkeeper" of her family's legacy, preserving their stories for future generations.
For anyone who has loved deeply and lost tragically, "Lightkeeper" offers both solace and inspiration -- reminding us that the light of those who have been lost always endures.
Critique: Extraordinary, exceptionally well written, informative, emotionally and intellectually engaging, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss" by Stacy Waldman Bass is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir and Photo/Essay collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Lightkeeper: A Memoir Through the Lens of Love and Loss" from the Radius Book Group is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Stacy Waldman Bass (https://www.lightkeepermemoir.com) is an author, artist and photographer. She is the author of two critically acclaimed monographs celebrating the American landscape: In the Garden (Melcher Media/Perseus Books, 2012) and Gardens at First Light (Moffly Media, 2015).
The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir
Maryellen Donovan
https://www.maryellendonovan.com
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647429560, $17.99, PB, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Yesterday-Memoir-Maryellen-Donovan/dp/1647429560
Synopsis: One sunny Tuesday morning, Maryellen Donovan's beloved husband, Steve Cherry, lost his life in the 9/11 attacks -- rocking her to her core, and changing her family forever.
Maryellen's life and love with Steve was all she could have hoped for. In the wake of his death, she was inconsolable. But ultimately, she had no choice but to be strong for her two young sons -- and even when deep in the grip of hopeless despair, she found solace in her deep faith and belief that, with the support of friends and family, she would eventually find love and happiness once again.
Her route to her happy ending proved long and winding and full of obstacles (cancer, family conflict, even more loss) but she always found a way forward, no matter the setbacks she encountered.
"The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir" is her inspirational and deeply personal story -- and one that will provide hope to anyone who has also experienced unfathomable loss and loneliness, "The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir" is an eloquent testament to the idea that there is always a path to love and joy -- but only if you are determined enough to keep yourself open to it.
Critique: Candid, valid, inspired and inspiring, "The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir" is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary woman having to come to grips with unexpected tragedy and its enduring consequences and responsibilities. A simply fascinating and emotionally engaging read from start to finish, "The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir" is one of those life stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir" from She Writes Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
My Ordinary Life
Franklin Abbott
RFD Press, Inc.
9798987665428, $19.95, PB, 350pp
https://www.amazon.com/My-Ordinary-Life-Franklin-Abbott/dp/B0F6WT2XN8
Synopsis: "My Ordinary Life" by Franklin Abbott is a memoir in the form of a book of story poems, a blending of genres. The heart of "My Ordinary Life" takes us through the beginnings of the Covid pandemic through the waves of vaccinations and variants to the point where Covid was no longer seen as a deadly threat.
Interwoven are stories of friends who were lost, the pain and fear of isolation, the confusion of the world opening and closing again. Abbott interweaves his own aging, the deaths of both of his parents and the growing awareness and appreciation of the simple gifts of everyday life.
The long pause of Covid allowed him to look more deeply at what would have been transient in his formerly busy life, be that the birds and frogs in his garden, the companionship of his cats, the small interactions with service workers and friends. In the pages of "My Ordinary Life" he eloquently and insightfully explores the intersections of grief and gratitude in a wide variety of situations.
"My Ordinary Life" is as therapeutic as it is poetic with an affirmation of trauma that begins to allow it to surface and be healed.
Critique: Emotionally and intellectually compelling, written with an intimate eloquence of human experience in universally recognizable observations, "My Ordinary Life' is an extraordinary memoir that will have a very special appeal to the LGBTQ community. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections and supplemental LGBTQ/Poetry curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this trade paperback edition of "My Ordinary Life" from RFD Press is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Franklin Abbott was raised and educated in the Deep South where he has lived most of his life. He attended undergraduate school at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia and received his master's in social work at the University of Georgia. He has lived in Atlanta since the late '70's and was a psychotherapist in private practice for over forty years. His work as a therapist spanned three great American traumas, the AIDS epidemic, 9/11 and Covid. He specialized in spiritual issues, medical trauma, relationships and group dynamics. He was part of the early Radical Faerie movement and the pro-feminist men's movement and edited 3 anthologies on men and masculinity. Boyhood: Growing Up Male, his last anthology was republished by the University of Wisconsin Press. Abbott served as poetry editor for RFD magazine and Changing Men magazine. He was a conference organizer for he National Organization of Men Against Sexism, Gay Spirit Visions and founded the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival. Among the poets and writers he was closest to were James Broughton and Assotto Saint.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Untended
Mattea Kramer
https://matteakramer.com
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647428877, $17.99, PB, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Untended-Novel-Mattea-Kramer/dp/1647428874
Synopsis: Casch Abbey is a waitress, single mom, and recreational boxer who falls in love twice: first with a veteran who secretly grows pot on a rich man's land in Vermont's Green Mountains, and then secondly -- with a painkiller that eases her long-buried pain.
After her foot is crushed under the wheel of a station wagon, Casch loses her waitressing gig and goes broke -- and the meds for her foot are her only source of relief. But when the drug is recalled due to outcries of widespread addiction, Casch's dependence imperils her already tenuous life, as cravings lead her into her small town's simmering netherworld.
Critique: Original, clever, and a story that is all too believable in the face of the on-going and unintended pain-killer derived drug problems of today, Mattea Kramer's "The Untended" is exceptionally well written and an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover. "The Untended" is Kramer's debut as a novelist and a choice pick for community library psychological fiction/thriller collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Untended" from She Writes Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Mattea Kramer (https://matteakramer.com) is an American writer and researcher. She writes about drugs, power and powerlessness, and the voice in your head. She's been published in The Guardian, The Nation, Mother Jones, Guernica, and The Washington Post, and she has appeared on MSNBC and on radio stations across the country.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Circus of Satan
Jeffrey Konvitz
89th Street Press
9781662950353, $29.99, HC, 542pp
https://www.amazon.com/Circus-Satan-Jeffrey-Konvitz/dp/1662950357
Synopsis: In 1878 a teenage Jew, the Hessex Kid, kills an Irish thug in a Five Point's bar fight in front of hundreds of drugged and drunken killers, all members of the Whyo Gang, which controls all crime in Manhattan under the aegis of the corrupt Irish politicians at Tammany Hall.
The boy is then grabbed by the rabble and murdered.
By 1900, the Irish mob has gained control of the police departments, the gangs, and crime in every major American city, and from 1900 to 1910, a political operative named James Monaghan has risen to the pinnacle of power at Tammany, which is the head of the nationwide snake.
In 1910, a gambler from Chicago named Billy McGuinness, haunted by the legend of the Hessex Kid, arrives in New York. He is connected to mid-west political powers and to gangsters Max and Moses Annenberg, Big Jim Colisimo, and Johnny Torrio, his sole objective: to destroy Monaghan and the Irish political and criminal machine,
McGuinness begins his torturous maneuvers through real historic events and within the confines of New York's Bowery ghetto and its Tenderloin District, a.k.a Satan's Circus, manipulating the real politicians and gangsters who marked the period, now long-forgotten.
In the end, McGuinness becomes the inadvertent moving force behind prohibition booze smuggling, Murder Inc. and the Cosa Nostra -- until he is ultimately embraced by the hand of God.
Critique: Original, fascinating, deftly crafted with great attention to historical detail, "The Circus of Satan" by Jeffrey Konvitz is a saga of a novel and a great read from start to finish. Although a work of historical fiction, and with a special and particular appeal to readers with an interest in the history of New York gangs and organized crime, "The Circus of Satan" is given a genuine feel of authenticity and believability through the literary magic of author Jeffrey Konvitz's exceptional flair for the kind of narrative driven storytelling style so well suited to engaging the reader's rapt attention from cover to cover. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Crime Fiction collections, it should be note for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Circus of Satan" from the 89th Street Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jeffrey Konvitz is an American attorney, writer, and film producer. He was raised in Woodmere, New York, and he graduated from Cornell University (AB) and Columbia Law School at Columbia University (JD). He is best known creatively for his 1974 New York Times best-selling novel, The Sentinel, which sold over 7,000,000 copies. He went on to adapt The Sentinel for the screen and produced the film for Universal Studios. Jeffrey is also the author of The Sentinel sequel novel, The Guardian, and the thriller, Monster: A Tale of Loch Ness. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/142037.Jeffrey_Konvitz)
Changing Hands
Nanette L. Avery
https://www.nanetteavery.biz
Book Baby Publishers
9798350969948, $11.99, PB, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Hands-Nanette-L-Avery/dp/B0DK88DQVC
Synopsis: "Changing Hands" is the story of one opal ring that makes its way through several centuries in the hands of vastly different owners. Multi-layered characters exchange ownership while slices of history dominate their survival and subsequent fate.
It all begins in the mid-1700s when James Newcomb Sr., traveling across the English countryside, ignores warnings by the locals and purchases a silver jewelry box containing exotic jewelry, one of which is a magnificent opal ring. Upon his death, the story continues on to the home of an eccentric artist and the opal's strange arrival. Love and deception lead the reader to the Arctic Ocean aboard an expedition following the transit of Venus.
Cast in the shadows of love, morality, and greed, "Changing Hands" follows a story thread from one character to another in a span of several centuries. However, the appeal of the novel is not the reader following one person and exiting to another, but rather the following of an idea: that we humans in all times and locations are powerfully enticed and seduced by something we can never possess.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting read from start to finish, "Changing Hands" is a novel that showcases author Nanette Avery's genuine and distinctive flair for the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that fully engages the reader throughout. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Historical Fiction Collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Changing Hands" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Nanette L. Avery is a Tennessee-based novelist and short story writer who has delved into a variety of fiction genres, including murder mystery, historical fiction, and Southern Gothic. Her works have received praise from Kirkus Reviews and Foreword-Clarion Reviews, and her historical fiction title Orphan in America was named one of Kirkus Indie Books of the Year. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/646117.Nanette_L_Avery)
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Arc of the Universe
Nikki Alexander
https://nikkialexanderwrites.com
Strawberry Tree Books
https://www.strawberrytreebooks.com
9798992726206, $16.99, PB, 324pp
https://www.amazon.com/Arc-Universe-Nikki-Alexander/dp/B0F8YS7VQG
Synopsis: Carrie Davenport, a renowned constitutional law professor, has the career opportunity of a lifetime. Project Mars, the brainchild of a billionaire tech tycoon, has ambitious plans to establish the first human settlement on Mars. And Project Mars selected her (a Black, queer, publicity-shy professor in North Carolina) to design a system of government for the colony.
Carrie eagerly researches how to craft a suitable constitution for space. But when she is stopped by the police one evening in a case of mistaken identity, the filmed encounter thrusts Carrie into a spotlight she never asked for, putting her at the center of the discourse on racial justice in the US. Suddenly, American democracy doesn't seem like a shining beacon to carry into space. Carrie must decide whether to speak up -- against the police brutality she endured, the tech-bro culture of Project Mars, and an even deeper underbelly of corruption behind the mission.
Can Carrie regain faith in herself and in society to craft the "government of the future" and prevent the prejudices of Earth from tainting human life beyond?
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, compelling, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Arc of the Universe" is a novel that is brought to an impressive level of literary excellent by the narrative driven storytelling skills of author Nikki Alexander. A first class legal thriller and an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Arc of the Universe is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library LGBTQ and Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Arc of the Universe" is also readily available from Strawberry Tree Books in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Nikki Alexander (https://authornikkialexander.com) is a Harvard educated lawyer who has studied race, gender, and outer space. She strives to tell the story of successful Black women navigating difficult environments in ways that are unexpected in light of traditional narratives, at the same time exploring themes that will appeal to any reader-moral dilemmas, high expectations, and romantic relationships in the face of career and family pressures.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Switch
Ann McMan
Bywater Books
www.bywaterbooks.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781612943213, $19.95, PB, 270pp
https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Ann-McMan/dp/1612943217
Synopsis: What happens when you're looking for love and all your best friends are romance readers?
Cue a clown car of ill-fated first dates that read more like failed first drafts of romantic fiction tropes than aspiring hunts for the love of her life.
Assistant Conductor, Izzy Lebrun, spends her days riding the rails of The Green Mountain Zephyr between her home in Philadelphia and the end of the line in St. Alban's, Vermont. Beleaguered Izzy walks a tightrope -- desperately trying to achieve a work-life balance between a job that pays the bills, and her dogged determination to finish her graduate degree so she can finally get a job that keeps her rooted in one place.
All she wants is to earn her Ph.D., get a damn cat, and find the love of her life.
Is that too much to ask?
"Switch" by Ann McMan follows Izzy through her sometimes disastrous, sometimes implausible, but always hilarious journey through a maze of failed dates and epically bad one-night stands. Will Izzy ever reach the end of the line and have her ticket punched for a HEA or is this the end of the line for her?
Critique: An original, deftly crafted, memorable distinctive, and fun read from cover to cover, "Switch" demonstrates novelist Ann McMan reliable master of the romance genre. While especially recommended for community library Contemporary Romance collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this trade paperback edition of "Switch" from Bywater Books is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228602243, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Ann McMan (https://annmcman.com) is the author of fourteen novels and two short story collections. She is a two-time Lambda Literary Award recipient, a six-time Independent Publisher (IPPY) medalist, a Foreword Reviews INDIES medalist, and a laureate of the Alice B. Foundation for her outstanding body of work.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Chicago Justice: A Macbeth Thriller
Dave Case
Genius Book Publishing
https://geniusbookpublishing.com
9781958727751, $19.95, PB, 340pp
https://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Justice-Thriller-Dave-Case/dp/195872775X
Synopsis: Chicago Cop Stacey Macbeth ended Lonnie Huggins' reign of terror when he sent the vicious criminal to prison -- or so he thought. Now a nonprofit team of investigators has freed Huggins back to the 'hood on trumped-up misconduct allegations against Macbeth.
Word on the street is that Huggins is out and looking to settle some old scores, starting with Macbeth. With innocents caught in the crosshairs, Macbeth vows once more to bring Huggins to justice, setting the stage for a head-to-head confrontation where the rule book has been hurled out a Cabrini high-rise window.
Knowing that this time there will be only one left standing, both men embark on a collision course, each seeking their own brand of 'Chicago Justice'.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting read from start to finish, "Chicago Justice: A Macbeth Thriller" by novelist Dave Case will hold a very special appeal to fans of crime novels that are a splendid blending of action and mystery. While this paperback edition of "Chicago Justice" from Genius Book Publishing is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Dave Case (https://www.davecasebooks.com) spent thirty-one years with the Chicago Police Department and now serves as a commander in the suburb of Bridgeview. He's an alumnus of Northwestern's Graduate School's program for Creative Writing and of Northwestern's Center for Public Safety's School of Police Staff and Command, in which he is now an adjunct instructor.
The Meaning of the Murder
Walter B. Levis
walterblevis.com
Anaphora Literary Press
https://anaphoraliterary.com
9781681146225, $25.00 pbk / $2.99 Kindle, 238pp
https://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Murder-Walter-Levis/dp/1681146223
Synopsis: The father of a modern orthodox Jewish family works as a compliance officer at a bank in New York. When he discovers that his bank is violating OFAC laws and funding terrorists in the Middle East he alerts the bank's top brass. They ignore him.
After struggling with the conflict between his position as a fully assimilated member of his professional community and his moral obligations as a man and a Jew, he turns whistle-blower and goes to the DOJ. The night before his deposition he disappears.
Eliana Golden was thirteen when her father disappeared. Years later, after surprising her family by joining the NYPD, Eliana meets a mysterious and alluring soldier, a man who is far more dangerous than Eliana (and everyone except those at the highest and most secret levels of the U.S. government) understands.
And he knows exactly what happened to her father.
What follows is a journey into the darkest depths of America's covert war against terrorism and the horrific moral compromises it can entail.
"The Meaning of the Murder" is a psychological drama and a meditation on the moral ambiguity of violence, telling the multi-layered story of a family recovering from trauma, a detective determined to solve a crime, and the price we pay for safety in the war on terror.
Critique: Former crime reporter Walter Levis presents "The Meaning of the Murder", an intricate novel about a policewoman's search for the truth about what happened to her whistleblower father, who disappeared when she was only thirteen. Original and deftly crafted, "The Meaning of the Murder" examines dark themes such as corruption, money laundering, terrorism, greed and brutality. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Meaning of the Murder" is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99).
Editorial Note: Walter B. Levis, a former crime reporter, lives in New York City. His articles have appeared in The NY Daily News, The National Law Journal, The Chicago Reporter, The Chicago Lawyer, The New Republic, Show Business Magazine, and The New Yorker, among others. He is author of the novel Moments of Doubt. His short stories have appeared widely and have been chosen for a Henfield Prize and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His website is walterblevis.com
Every Step She Takes
Kelley Armstrong
https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com
Datura Books
https://daturabooks.com
9781915523426, $18.99, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Every-Step-Takes-Kelley-Armstrong/dp/1915523427
Synopsis: Genevieve lives a quiet life in Rome. Nice apartment, cute boyfriend, respectful neighbors. She can be exactly who she wants to be, and no one asks her any questions.
But they should. Because Genevieve is a woman with secrets. And one is soon to be uncovered.
After returning home from a grocery run, her front door swings open, unlocked. She knows she locked it when she left. She has no doubt. Inside, everything is just as she left it... except for a small box on her kitchen table, postmarked from the US. A box addressed to "Lucy Callahan." A name she hasn't used in ten years.
With her old life calling her back, threatening to destroy the peace she has curated, Genevieve is faced with two options -- confront the past, or keep running. But maybe she'll have to choose both.
Critique: A simply riveting psychological thriller of a read from cover to cover, "Every Moves She Makes" by novelist Kelley Armstrong showcases the author's authentic mastery of the genre. Original, deftly crafted, and highly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that this paperback edition of "Every Moves She Makes" from Datura Books is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Kelley Armstrong (https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com) is a Canadian author and while primarily a fantasy-writer, has several other genres she writes in such as middle grade, horror and crime. Kelley believes experience is the best teacher, though she's been told this shouldn't apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies.
No Man's Ghost
Jason Powell
www.authorjasonpowell.com
Datura Books
https://daturabooks.com
9781915523556, $18.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/No-Mans-Ghost-JASON-POWELL/dp/1915523559
Synopsis: Charles Davids is a probationary firefighter working his first week out of the academy. For Charles, quietly battling his lack of confidence is a daily challenge as his new officers coach him on life as a New York City firefighter. The men love to tease and prank the new guy, but when it comes to drilling and training, they are clear that this job is no joke. As is said in the fire service: "Let no man's ghost return to say my training let me down."
Unfortunately for Charles, his first week is the same week that Alan Johnson, an unstable and soon-to-be-ex-husband, gets kicked out and comes up with the idea to report fake fires at his wife's apartment every night. Alan laughs at the thought of her being awakened nightly by sirens and horns -- if he can't sleep in their apartment, why the hell should she? But after days of crying wolf, Alan decides that fake fires aren't enough.
Set on the hot summer streets of NYC and building to a fiery conclusion, "No Man's Ghost" is a vibrant and thrilling look at the people who keep a city safe -- and the ones who want to watch it burn.
Critique: Original published in a hardcover edition in June, 2023 by Agora Books (and still available, $27.99/$18.95 Amazon), "No Man's Ghost" by novelist Jason Powell (who draws upon his 'day job' as a FDNY firefighter for a genuine feeling of authenticity) is now available in paperback (9781957957081, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99). An extraordinary, engaging, and riveting read from cover to cover, "No Man's Ghost" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both the personal reading lists for fans of deftly crafted suspense thrillers and community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Jason Powell (www.authorjasonpowell.com) is a FDNY firefighter and author whose work has been published in Slate, and numerous online writing outlets." No Man's Ghost" is his first novel and he can be found online on Twitter @JayPowell1625
One in Four
Lucinda Berry
https://lucindaberry.com
Thomas & Mercer
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662526046, $16.99, PB, 235pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Four-Thriller-Lucinda-Berry/dp/1662526040
Synopsis: Dr. Laurel Harlow can't believe she's agreed to do a reality TV show. But her years as a chemical dependency counselor and personal history with the show's director make her the obvious choice. Treating a mansion full of former child stars on the road to recovery is the tallest order of her career -- especially when one of them turns up dead while the cameras are still rolling.
In a house full of narcissists vying for the spotlight, everyone's hiding something... including Laurel. An investigation could expose a past she'd rather keep buried. But among the attention-starved patients, only one of them is a predator. And Laurel is skilled at spotting a predator when she sees one.
As she hunts a killer in her present, the unsettling truths of Laurel's past are forced into the light. But this time, she'll face her demons head on. She'll stop at nothing to expose a murderer, even if it means risking everything she holds dear.
Critique: A deftly crafted psychological thriller of a read from start to finish, "One In Four" by novelist Lucinda Berry is an extraordinary and fun read from start to finish for fans of psychological murder mysteries having to be solved by an amateur female sleuth. Original, fascinating, and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this trade paperback edition of "One In Four" from Thomas & Mercer is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Lucinda Berry (https://lucindaberry.com) is a former psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. She's written multiple bestsellers reaching millions of readers worldwide including The Perfect Child, Saving Noah, When She Returned, The Best of Friends, and Keep Your Friends Close. Her books have been optioned for film and translated into several languages. She can be followed on social media (@lucindaberryauthor).
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Visitor
Mitchell Waldman
All Things That Matter Press
https://allthingsthatmatterpress.com
9798991537261, $15.99, PB, 183pp
https://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Mitchell-Waldman/dp/B0FBRD78RJ
Synopsis: A man wakes up in a different body.
So begins the journey of Ash (short for Pin Asher9919) who awakens on a what he thinks must be a hospital bed on a different planet after an automobile accident took the bodily life of an Earth human named Edward Fleishman.
Ash is told he was the victim of a serious brain injury and miraculously recovered from being brain dead in a coma, but Ash feels he knows the truth: his spirit has replaced the distressed spirit of the former Edward Fleishman.
And so Ash's new life on earth begins, complete with a spouse who is a stranger to him, a body he is not sure how to use, a world he must learn to navigate, and a government he can't trust.
Critique: Original, clever, imaginative, compelling, and a fun, fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Visitor" by Mitchell Waldman is an extraordinary and recommended pick for all dedicated science fictions fans. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this trade paperback edition of "The Visitor" from All Things That Matter Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Mitchell Waldman's fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Web. Waldman is also the author of the novel, A Face in the Moon, and two story collections: Brothers, Fathers, and Other Strangers, and Petty Offenses and Crimes of the Heart. Additionally, he is also the Fiction Editor for Blue Lake Review. He worked as a writer and Attorney-Editor for a legal publishing company for thirty-seven years before retiring in 2022.
Accomplice to the Villain
Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Entangled Publishing
https://www.entangledinromance.com/tag/red-tower-books
9781649378545, $15.99, PB, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Accomplice-Villain-Assistant-3/dp/1649378548
Synopsis: REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to "Evie" or "Stop that."
Evie Sage didn't mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom's most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised "light paperwork and occasional beheadings," and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.
Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire -- or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.
Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again... neither was falling for The Villain!
"Accomplice to the Villain" is a wonderfully entertaining and magical office comedy with grumpy bosses, snarky frogs, and definitely-not-feelings!
Critique: Critique: "Accomplice to the Villain" by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is the third novel (the first two being 'Assistant to the Villain' and 'Apprentice to the Villain') by author Hannah Nicole Maehrer about Evie, the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain... and their unexpected romance. Original, clever, and a deft blending of humor, romance and fantasy, "Accomplice to the Villain' is a skillfully crafted and fun read from cover to cover. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Accomplice to the Villain" from Entangled: Publishing is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.9) and in a large print hardcover edition (Thorndike Press, 9781420527896, $36.99).
Editorial Note: Hannah Nicole Maehrer (or as TikTok knows her, @hannahnicolemae) is a fantasy romance author and BookToker with a propensity for villains. She grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania, watching Disney movies in her favorite rocking chair, where she spent hours imagining her own stories, creating entire worlds among the green walls of her living room. She kept her big dreams close as she went on to graduate with a bachelor's in psychology from Pennsylvania State University. Until one day her aspirations carried her to a small app on her phone that made those big dreams a reality. After developing the viral Assistant to the Villain TikTok series into a book, Hannah watched that world she always dreamed of take form.
Three Shattered Souls
Mai Corland
Entangled Publishing
c/o Red Tower Books
https://www.entangledinromance.com/tag/red-tower-books
9781649379153, $32.99, HC, 512pp
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Shattered-Souls-Broken-Blades/dp/1649379153
Synopsis: The Blades were never supposed to survive this long. But after the battle in Quu Harbor, escaping is no longer enough. The most dangerous liars in the four realms have one last mission -- return to Yusan and finish what they started.
But now a usurper sits on the serpent throne. And he may be more dangerous than the god-king.
With three relics of the Dragon Lord in their possession, the Blades will face the might of the four realms. Enemies will become allies. Allies will become traitors. And the ones they love most? They'll be the ones to break them.
Grief will carve the Blades into something ruthless and unrecognizable. But only by losing everything can they win this game of kings and crowns.
Critique: The third novel in author Mai Corland's 'The Broken Blades' heroic fantasy series from Entangled Publishing, "Three Shattered Souls" continues the saga -- replete with unexpected plot twists and an entertaining, imaginative, and fascinating originality. With its elements of romance and adventure, this epic saga of a novel is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Fantasy Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated action packed fantasy fans that this hardcover edition of "Three Shattered Souls" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note #1: The Broken Blades series is best enjoyed when read in order:
Book #1 Five Broken Blades
Book #2 Four Ruined Realms
Book #3 Three Shattered Souls
Editorial Note #2: Mai Corland is a Korean American attorney and writer, born in Seoul and adopted into New York. Mai writes award winning children's and young adult books under Meredith Ireland. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45900805.Mai_Corland)
The Poetry Shelf
Blood Lines: Living and Dying with Cancer - A Lyrical Journey
Juliet Robertson
Crown House Publishing
www.crownhousepublishing.com
9781781354322, $21.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Lines-Living-Lyrical-Journey/dp/1781354324
Synopsis: When my blood became ink, words began to flow.
When Juliet Robertson received an unexpected diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in 2020, her life altered irreparably. Poetry became an unexpected source of strength, offering an outlet for her to make sense of her illness.
"Blood Lines: Living and Dying with Cancer - A Lyrical Journey" is a poignant exploration of Juliet's life with terminal cancer. Her resilience and positivity are evident throughout this heartwarming collection of poems and the accompanying narrative is a shining example of how to live with adversity. Juliet intertwines notes, poems and visuals beautifully to craft a deeply layered narrative.
"Blood Lines" boldly confronts taboo subjects, delving into the medical intricacies of illness and the concept of death with unflinching courage.
Juliet's flair for writing is well-known to readers of her earlier works, Dirty Teaching and Messy Maths.
Bold, tender and unexpectedly humorous, "Blood Lines" will offer comfort and solace to anyone personally affected by cancer.
Critique: Eloquent, elegant, emotionally compelling, illustrated throughout, and rising to an impressive level of literary excellence, "Blood Lines: Living and Dying with Cancer - A Lyrical Journey" by Juliet Robertson is original, unique, heartfelt, and ultimately inspiring. Unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library cancer and medical issues themed Motivational Self-Help collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Blood Lines" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.73, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Juliet Robertson received an unexpected blood cancer diagnosis at the end of 2020 which altered her life trajectory. Juliet began writing poetry in 2021 as a way of making sense of her illness, treatment and prognosis. She discovered that sharing her poetry was a gateway to necessary, but not easy, conversations with family and friends. Prior to this Juliet was an education consultant specialising in outdoor learning and play and the author of two popular books, Dirty Teaching and Messy Maths. In 2024 she was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Education from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in recognition of her pioneering work and significant contribution to education.
The Sports Shelf
The Greatest Racehorse?
Mark Shrager
Eclipse Press
c/o Globe Pequot
https://www.globepequot.com
9781493088881, $26.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Racehorse-Man-Judgment-History/dp/1493088882
Synopsis: Through meticulous research and compelling analysis, in "The Greatest Racehorse?: Man o' War and the Judgment of History", author and horse racing expert Mark Shrager presents the first comprehensive head-to-head comparison between the legendary "Big Red" and fifteen of history's most extraordinary Thoroughbreds. Moving beyond traditional metrics of wins and speed records, "The Greatest Racehorse?" examines Man o' War's legacy through dual lenses: his racing excellence against immortals like Secretariat and Citation and his transcendent cultural impact that helped save the sport itself.
Set against the turbulent backdrop of World War I, Prohibition, and baseball's Black Sox scandal, this groundbreaking work reveals the forgotten story of how Man o' War became more than just a champion -- he was racing's savior when the sport faced potential collapse. Using rare historical records, statistical analysis, and insights from a forty-year career covering Thoroughbred racing, Shrager puts Man o' War's legendary status to the ultimate test.
From dominating victories and record-setting performances to his enduring influence on breeding and American sports culture, "The Greatest Racehorse?" finally answers whether Man o' War's supreme reign can withstand the test of time and the challenges of racing's modern titans.
Critique: Extraordinary, fact laden, informed and informative, as well as an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Greatest Racehorse?: Man o' War and the Judgment of History" must be considered essential reading for the legions of horse racing history fans. An absolutely essential pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Horse Racing History sports book collections, it should be noted that this trade paperback edition of "The Greatest Racehorse?" from Eclipse Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.65, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Mark Shrager (https://markbshrager.com) has published some 300 articles about every aspect of horse racing in magazines such as Turf & Sport Digest, American Turf Monthly, and others. His 1974 Turf & Sport Digest article, "1,001 Surefire Ways to Lose a Horse Race," was published in the annual Best Sports Stories anthology. He is also the author of The Great Sweepstakes of 1877: A True Story of Southern Grit, Gilded Age Tycoons, and a Race That Galvanized the Nation; Diane Crump: A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle, which won the 2020 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for the best book on Thoroughbred racing; and The First Kentucky Derby: Thirteen Black Jockeys, One Shady Owner, and the Little Red Horse that Wasn't Supposed to Win.
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Does Jesus Exist?
Jodell Onstott, author
Buddy Rodgers, illustrator
Emmanuel Academic Publishing
https://www.emmanuelacademic.com
9798991393102, $29.99, HC, 323pp
https://www.amazon.com/Does-Jesus-Exist-Biblical-Suffering/dp/B0FB6KZGSM
Synopsis: Is the Jesus of the New Testament a continuation of divine truth -- or a contradiction to it?
Modern Christianity teaches that Jesus came to fulfill and replace the laws of the Old Testament, ushering in a new covenant based on grace and faith. But does this claim withstand historical, archaeological, and biblical scrutiny? Further, what if the New Testament does not replace divine law but affirms it?
With the publication of "Does Jesus Exist?: The Quest for Biblical Truth & the Suffering Servant in Our Modern World", biblical scholar Jodell Onstott, follows the same rigorous, evidence-based approach that made her book "YHWH Exists" a seminal work.
Breaking open Jesus' role in history, Onstott examines Divine Law, studies the irreconcilable differences between the Old and New Testaments, and reveals a universal formula for recognizing truth -- one that has been suppressed, distorted, or ignored for centuries. In this impartial look at Christianity and Judaism, Onstott applies biblical archaeology and historic Christianity to investigate whether Jesus fulfills the role of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 53.
Meticulously researched and fact-based, "Does Jesus Exist?" explores:
The role of Jesus in the Torah and messianic prophecy.
How erasing YHWH's name from Scripture has reshaped faith and theology.
Whether Paul's teachings diverge from those of Jesus and the Hebrew prophets.
The seven universal precepts of truth that expose theological distortions.
Of special note is the inclusion of rarely discussed (often controversial) ancient texts, including writings from Celsus, the Talmud, Josephus, and Tacitus, to uncover what history really says about Jesus beyond Christian dogma.
"Does Jesus Exist?" is a bold and compassionate call for scholars, truth-seekers, and skeptics alike to examine faith through the lens of historical evidence. Presenting hard questions around atonement theology, Divine Law, and historical silence surrounding key gospel claims, "Does Jesus Exist?" is an unapologetic quest for the original truth.
Critique: Informative enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of sixty-one pages of Endnotes, a twenty-six page Bibliography, and an eight page Scripture Index, "Does Jesus Exist?: The Quest for Biblical Truth & the Suffering Servant in Our Modern World" is a seminal and ground-breaking study that is highly recommended for personal, professional, community, seminary, synagogue, and college/university library Biblical Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, clergy, theologians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Does Jesus Exist?: The Quest for Biblical Truth & the Suffering Servant in Our Modern World" from Emmanuel Academic Publishing is also available in paperback (9780975337523, $21.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jodell Onstott (https://jodellonstott.com) is an author and socio-biblical researcher specializing in comparative biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. Her work critically examines the intersection of history, archaeology, and theology, applying an evidence-based approach to biblical texts. With decades dedicated to rigorous research, she challenges conventional interpretations and engages with primary sources often overlooked in mainstream religious scholarship.
The Woodworking Shelf
Garage Shop Income
Stoane Loudenslager
Wood and Stoane
https://woodandstoane.com
9798992385120, $29.99, HC, 196pp
https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Shop-Income-Secrets-Woodworkers/dp/B0F1BFR2MH
Synopsis: As a professional woodworker or carpenter, you do not need a massive shop, expensive tools, or a big budget to build a thriving woodworking business. In fact, staying small can be your biggest advantage -- with the right strategy.
With the publication of "Garage Shop Income: Big Shop Secrets For The Small Woodworker's Success", seasoned woodworking professional Stoane Loudenslager shares the insider strategies he learned from working in multimillion-dollar cabinet and furniture shops and now applies these to his own independent shop, aiming to guide other small, independent woodworking businesses.
Whether you're looking to turn your garage shop into a profitable side hustle, retirement income, or full-time home-based business, with "Garage Shop Income" as your guide you will get the practical, step-by-step strategies you will need in order to maximize your small space and make real money with woodworking-without unnecessary overhead or risky expansion.
Written with small shop and creative entrepreneurs in mind, "Garage Shop Income" provides you with real-world strategies you can apply immediately, including:
How to set up a high-efficiency small shop that maximizes profit per square foot.
Smart pricing and sales strategies to sell at markets, retail stores, and online.
The hidden revenue streams many small woodworkers overlook.
Lean production methods used in top manufacturing companies that can transform your shop's output.
The key mindset shifts that separate struggling woodworkers from successful business owners.
You don't need a massive shop, top-of-the-line tools, or even decades of professional experience -- you just need a solid step-by-step plan. Build your sustainable, profitable woodworking business now without getting in over your head. You're in the right spot to grow your woodworking business with "Garage Shop Income" as your guide.
Critique: A complete, genuine, authentic, and comprehensive course of instruction, "Garage Shop Income: Big Shop Secrets For The Small Woodworker's Success" by Stoane Loudenslager is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it an ideal DIY tutorial and instructional 'how-to' guide that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, highschool wood shop, and college/university library Woodworking Home-Based & Small Business collections.
Editorial Note: Stoane Loudenslager (https: //woodandstoane.com) is a professional woodworker, cabinetmaker, and builder with over 20 years of experience. From crafting executive furniture to large-scale commercial projects, his expertise spans cabinetry, architectural features, and custom furniture across the U.S. He shares big-shop strategies tailored for small woodworkers, helping them maximize efficiency and profit. Stoane also teaches and mentors, guiding the next generation of skilled tradespeople.
The Criminology Shelf
Women Who Talk to the Dead
Katherine Schweit
https://www.katherineschweit.com
82 Stories, Inc.
9781947635791, $22.00 PB / $9.99 Kindle / $19.95 Audible 220pp
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Talk-Dead-Relentless/dp/1947635794
https://www.audible.com/pd/Women-Who-Talk-to-the-Dead-Audiobook/B0FMHJ1732
Synopsis: In the shadows of Detroit's abandoned buildings and beneath the soil of county cemeteries lay hundreds of murder victims-buried anonymously, their killers uncharged, their families not knowing why they disappeared. For decades, only decaying police files hinted at what happened to these forgotten cold cases murders.
Until two women decided to listen to the dead.
With the publication of "Women Who Talk to the Dead: The True Story of 200 Forgotten Murder Victims and the Relentless Pursuit of Justice by an FBI Agent and a Detroit Police Detective", author Katherine Schweit chronicles the remarkable journey of Detroit Police Detective Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen. Surrounded by skepticism and bureaucratic roadblocks, these women spearhead Operation UNITED -- the largest coordinated exhumation of unidentified murder victims in FBI history.
Through rain-soaked cemetery digs, crumbling case files, and bone-filled body bags, Jones and Larsen assemble a team led by female forensic anthropologists, scientists, and investigators who methodically unearthed Detroit's painful past. Their primary goal: to identify the nameless dead and bring closure to families who had spent decades wondering what happened to their loved ones. Their ultimate goal: solve 200 murder cases.
"Women Who Talk to the Dead" takes readers inside this unprecedented cold case investigation, revealing:
The scientific breakthroughs that allow forensic experts to "hear" what bones can tell us decades after death
The emotional toll of searching for answers when everyone else has moved on
The bitter reality of which murders are solved and which victims society deems disposable
How a small team of dedicated women changed a system that has too often allowed killers to escape justice simply because their victims were poor, marginalized, or forgotten
Part forensic procedural, part social justice narrative, "Women Who Talk to the Dead" exposes the tragic consequences when the criminal justice system fails those most vulnerable. It also celebrates the resilience and determination of the law enforcement officers who refuse to let these forgotten victims remain nameless.
Some of Detroit's dead have finally reclaimed their identities -- but hundreds more still whisper from unmarked graves, waiting for someone to listen.
Critique: A seminal, unique, and groundbreaking study, "Women Who Talk to the Dead: The True Story of 200 Forgotten Murder Victims and the Relentless Pursuit of Justice by an FBI Agent and a Detroit Police Detective" is a simply fascinating read from start to finish. Of special and particular interest to fans of True Crime stories, "Women Who Talk to the Dead" will also be of immense value for students and political activists concerned with police procedurals, reforms, what can be done by dedicated, motivated individuals when confronting systemic law enforcement failure with respect to crime victims and their families. Informative and ultimately inspiring, "Women Who Talk to the Dead" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, library Criminal Justice and True Crime collections, as well as and college/university supplemental Criminology curriculum studies lists. It should be note for students, academia, governmental policy makers, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "Women Who Talk to the Dead" from 82 Stories Inc. is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and in an audiobook format (Audible, $19.95).
Editorial Note: Katherine Schweit (https://www.katherineschweit.com) is an attorney and author who also serves as an adjunct professor at DePaul College of Law. She brings to her work a rare depth of experience: she served 20 years in the FBI, retiring as a senior official, and previously worked as both a journalist and a Chicago prosecutor. During her time at the FBI, she was instrumental in creating the Bureau's first-ever active shooter program, launched in response to the Sandy Hook massacre. She is also the author of "Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis" and a Benjamin Franklin Award recipient for "A Simple Guide to the Second Amendment".
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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