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Reviewer's Choice
A Story for Everything: Mastering Diverse Storytelling for Any Occasion
Corey Rosen
TMA Press
https://turnerpublishing.com/collections/tma-press
c/o Turner Publishing Company
https://turnerpublishing.com
9798887981031, $31.99, HC, 368pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Everything-Mastering-Storytelling-Occasion/dp/B0DT8PJKGX
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-story-for-everything-corey-rosen/1146845455
Synopsis: People forget facts and figures, but they never forget a good story.
"A Story for Everything: Mastering Diverse Storytelling for Any Occasion" by The Moth StorySlams host Corey Rosen provides a practical, DIY instructional guide on crafting and delivering impactful narratives for professional, academic, and personal success. Combining humor, heart, and advice, Rosen demystifies storytelling, making it accessible for beginners while enriching experienced storytellers.
Organized into three parts (business, school, and family) "A Story for Everything" specifically addresses diverse storytelling needs ranging from job interviews and persuasive pitches to college essays, eulogies, and wedding toasts. Each chapter features vivid examples and easy-to-follow exercises, helping readers tap into their life experiences and transform them into compelling stories. Through personal anecdotes and structured exercises, readers learn to reflect on their experiences, structure their stories effectively, and share them with authenticity.
Whatever the occasion, "A Story for Everything" will empower you to elevate your communication and enrich your relationships. If you want to make an unforgettable impression, "A Story for Everything" will teach you how!
Critique: Deftly crafted, impressively informative, packed with 'real world' tips, tricks and techniques for public speaking and private conversation, "A Story for Everything: Mastering Diverse Storytelling for Any Occasion" is thoroughly reader/user friendly in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, college and university Communications & Public Speaking collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "A Story for Everything" from TMA Press is also readily available in paperback (9798887981024, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note: Corey Rosen (https://www.coreyrosen.com) is a writer, actor, visual effects producer, and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco, California. He is also the author of "Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience", a laugh-out-loud, funny, practical and inspiring manual to develop true stories from concept through presentation. Corey hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, and won their first ever Bay Area StorySlam (2012). He has taught in the MFA Animation program at Academy of Art University and for The Writing Pad. He has written and directed television commercials and award-winning short films.
The AI Studies Shelf
Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World
Ranan Lachman
Stonehome Press
https://site.comfortoverride.com/books/comfort-override
9798993230306, $26.99, HC, 278pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Override-Future-Proof-Flips-World/dp/B0FTST2WFX
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/comfort-override-ranan-lachman/1148472629
Synopsis: The tsunami of change is already here. Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn't coming for your job sometime in the future -- it's already here and transforming it.
It is reliably estimated that by 2030, 375 million workers globally will need to switch entire occupational categories due to AI. The career you are building today may not exist in five years.
Climate change isn't a distant threat -- it is even now dramatically reshaping economies, forcing mass migrations, and making entire regions economically unviable. Because of climate change, the stable world order that you have built your life around is dissolving into competing power blocks, parallel economies, and accelerating uncertainty.
The there are the ever escalating pressures arising from income inequality, food insecurity, wars. increasingly devastating weather based events, and more.
While the world transforms at exponential speed, you are still operating with the same routines, the same thinking patterns, the same strategies that worked in a world that no longer exists.
With the publication of "Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World", transformation expert Ranan Lachman reveals why your comfortable routines have become death traps in disguise.
Those predictable patterns that make you feel safe? They're making you more vulnerable to disruption. The expertise you've spent years building? It could become worthless overnight. The financial strategies your advisor recommends? They're optimized for an economy that's already history.
But "Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World" isn't a book about fear - it's about power. The power to transform yourself faster than the world transforms around you.
Drawing from neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and real-world case studies (from Netflix's self-disruption to Kodak's cautionary collapse) "Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World" exposes how our brains trap us in "routine addiction" and provides a proven framework for breaking free.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Professional skills that took decades to master are becoming obsolete in months. The half-life of expertise continues to shrink while the pace of change accelerates exponentially. Those clinging to comfortable routines are being left behind at unprecedented speed.
But through the revolutionary ADAPT system, you will discover how to:
Transform rigid routines into flexible strategies that strengthen rather than shatter when life disrupts your plans.
Build "adaptation muscle" through systematic micro-experiments that rewire your brain for resilience.
Create anti-fragile career systems that profit from uncertainty instead of being crushed by it
Develop AI collaboration capabilities that make you irreplaceable rather than obsolete
Design relationships, wellness practices, and financial strategies that evolve with change rather than breaking under pressure
Critique: Timely, exceptionally informative, brilliantly inspiring, and impressively reader/user friendly in tone, style, organization and presentation, "Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World" by Ranan Lachman is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Comfort Override: Future-Proof Your Life as AI Flips Your World" from Stonehome Press is also readily available in paperback (9798993230306, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $0.99).
Editorial Note: Ranan Lachman (https://site.comfortoverride.com/about) is a transformation expert with a BA in Computer Science and an MBA, who has reinvented himself across radically different worlds-jet-fighter co-pilot, management consultant, Wall Street investment banker, and CEO of multiple technology companies. He lives what he teaches, having relocated to four countries across four continents and even circled the globe for a year with his family while managing a startup. A dynamic speaker on artificial intelligence (AI) and business transformation, Lachman has published four books, and his insights have been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and other leading outlets.
The Parenting Shelf
The Field Guide for Single Parents
Patricia Hankin, author
With contributions from Jessica Ames, LICSW
Bold Bound Media
https://boldboundmedia.com
9798992769319, $29.95, HC, 400pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Single-Parents-Practical/dp/B0FX3F1GTS
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-field-guide-for-single-parents-pat-hankin/1147155687
Synopsis: Written by Pat Hankin with contributions from Jessica Ames, LICSW, "The Field Guide for Single Parents: Practical Tips to Gain Control of Your Life" is a compendium of single parent-tested strategies for raising children. Hankin personal experience as a single parent, combined with Jessica Ames professional expertise as a family therapist artfully combined into being a comprehensive and 'reader friendly' resource for the one-out-of-four (25 percent) of American families that are headed by an un-partnered parent.
"The Field Guide for Single Parents" is comprised of four parts:
Part 1 focuses on keeping yourself healthy and (relatively) sane.
Part 2 addresses the single parent's biggest challenge: time.
Part 3 is all about money.
Part 4 is about your relationships: kids, family and friends, potential romantic partners, and, ultimately, yourself.
"The Field Guide for Single Parents" is an ideal instructional reference guide for the first three critical decades of a child's life when raised by a single parent.
Critique: Real world practical, exceptionally well written, throughly 'reader/user' friendly in organization and presentation, "The Field Guide for Single Parents: Practical Tips to Gain Control of Your Life" is the direct answer to the eternal question 'Why don't kids come with instruction manuals for a parent?". While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary Parenting collections, it is also readily available to single mothers and single fathers raising children (infancy through adolescence) on their own in a paperback edition (9798992769302, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) from Bold Bound Media.
Editorial Note #1: Patricia Hankin independently raised her child to adulthood and regularly contributed to an online single-parent forum with 470,000 members. After repeatedly answering the same questions, she started keeping a file of resources in response to many of those questions. It was one post that put her into action to codify that information: "What books can I read to find out about single parenting?" A light bulb went off and Pat wrote THE book-a resource guide to help deal with the most common questions and offering advice tailored to the 19 million single parents in this country. Her long business career allows her to speak with authority on personal finance, time management, risk management, and building personal teams to support oneself. Her daughter, now a laboratory science specialist, chimes in from her experience. They live in the Boston area.
Editorial Note #2: Jessica Ames, LICSW, is a well-known family engagement therapist and contributes here to the parenting topics. She received a master's degree in clinical social work from Smith College. Jessica has worked at renowned institutions-Boston Children's, Mass General Hospitals, and the Manville School at Judge Baker Children's Center. She also has a private practice in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Beyond Blessed Parenting
Tricia Thornton
https://www.triciathornton.com
Fitting Words
https://www.fittingwords.net
9781571024893, $16.99, PB, 192pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Blessed-Parenting-Principles-Experience/dp/1571024891
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-blessed-parenting-tricia-thornton/1147843025
Synopsis: With the publication of "Beyond Blessed Parenting: Embrace These Seven Principles and Experience Authentic Connection", author Tricia Thornton has created the perfect DIY instructional guide for parents seeking to navigate the complexities of raising children in today's tumultuous world with heartfelt insights into personal growth and spiritual connection.
"Beyond Blessed Parenting" begins with a candid reflection on the Tricia Thornton's own inner doubts and challenges, revealing a transparent authenticity about the imperfections of parenting. This relatability sets the tone for a compassionate and supportive journey through parenthood.
Through seven foundational principles - Silence, Listening, Acknowledge, Renew, Forgiveness, Balance, and Embrace - "Beyond Blessed Parenting" seeks to offer both respite and guidance. These principles encourage introspection, urging parents to cultivate their individual growth, which in turn enriches their parenting.
Drawn from Tricia's real-life experience as both parent and therapist, she offers reassurance to parents that while perfection is unattainable, a beautiful, immensely rewarding parenting experience is.
Critique: Down through the ages all new parents have lamented that their children's didn't come with an owner's manual that would teach them as parents what to do -- and when to do it. But "Beyond Blessed Parenting: Embrace These Seven Principles and Experience Authentic Connection" by Tricia Thornton is as close as a 'how to' manual for effective and successful parenting as is currently available. Exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader/user' friendly in organization and presentation, "Beyond Blessed Parenting: Embrace These Seven Principles and Experience Authentic Connection" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library Parenting collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Beyond Blessed Parenting: Embrace These Seven Principles and Experience Authentic Connection" from Fitting Words is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Tricia Thornton (https://www.triciathornton.com) is a registered play therapist, author, and speaker.
The American History Shelf
Black History for Every Day of the Year
David Olusoga, author
Dr. Yinka Olusoga, author
Kemi Olusoga, illustrator
The Experiment
https://theexperimentpublishing.com
9798893030938, $19.95, PB, 512pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Black-History-Every-Day-Year/dp/B0DVKPM7CY
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-history-for-every-day-of-the-year-david-olusoga/1146915139
Synopsis: Did you know that Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Or that the first accounts of a Black samurai in Japan date back almost 500 years ago?
Written by historian and broadcaster David Olusoga and his siblings, professor Yinka Olusoga and artist Kemi Olusoga, "Black History for Every Day of the Year" is an illuminating historical overview of consequential people, places, and events in Black History. Accompanied by B/W photos, quotes, and illustrations, the 366 entries comprising "Black History for Every Day of the Year" will take you on a journey across global history, from the ancient Kingdom of Kush to the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Black History for Every Day of the Year" showcases unsung heroes from history, as well as contemporary figures and events including:
Activists: Toussaint L'Ouverture, Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X
Athletes: Jackie Robinson, Venus and Serena Williams, Simone Biles
Authors and Poets: James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Amanda Gorman
Musicians: Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce
Public Figures: Kofi Annan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kamala Harris
Scientists: Alice Ball, Katherine Johnson, Neil deGrasse Tyson
Movies and Art: the Benin Bronzes, Hamilton, Black Panther
Events: the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and more.
With accounts of triumph and celebration, ingenuity and creativity, alongside tales of racism and oppression, hope and resistance, "Black History for Every Day of the Year" gives you something new to learn every day - a rich history that is relevant to us all.
Critique: Featuring B&W photos and illustrations throughout, "Black History for Every Day of the Year" is a seminal and groundbreaking historical study that is a fun and fascinating read from cover to cover. The entries are deftly organized by month and day-of-the-month. A valuable contribution to raising from an undeserved obscurity so many achievements by so many men and women of color, "Black History for Every Day of the Year" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, highschool, and college/university library Black History & Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this trade paperback edition of "Black History for Every Day of the Year" from The Experiment is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.48).
Editorial Note #1: David Olusoga is a British-Nigerian historian, author, presenter, and BAFTA-winning filmmaker. He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and a regular contributor to numerous publications, including The Guardian, Observer, and BBC History Magazine. His books include Black and British, which won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize and the Longman-History Today Trustees' Award, The Kaiser's Holocaust, and The World's War. He is also the author of Black and British: A Short Essential History, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Prize. In 2019 Olusoga was awarded an OBE for services to history and community integration.
Editorial Note #2: Dr. Yinka Olusoga is a lecturer in Education at the University of Sheffield. She is an historian of childhoods and play. Her research aims to get children, families, and teachers excited about history and interacting with primary historical sources.
Editorial Note #3: Kemi Olusoga is an artist and historian who has worked with and within the UK's Heritage sector, interpreting history through exhibitions and publications.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Of Time and Punishment
Jerry D. Mathes
Stephen F. Austin University Press
https://www.sfasu.edu/sfapress
9781622882823, $22.00, PB, 310pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Punishment-Jerry-D-Mathes/dp/1622882822
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-time-and-punishment-jerry-d-mathes/1146817918
Texas A&M University Press
https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781622882823/of-time-and-punishment
Synopsis: "Of Time and Punishment" by is the deeply personal story that centers between Jerry Mathes's release from federal prison and his release from the purgatory of a halfway house in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1985.
Mathes had been an honorable, decorated soldier in the Army National Guard who had become a federal inmate after conviction for his role in covering up the theft of a machine-gun by a friend.
At its heart, "Of Time and Punishment" is the candid story of a young man, who after his release from prison, struggles to create a new life as he searches for work and friendship with the stigma of being a felon as he copes with a fractured sense of identity, his past, and the lure of the booze he is forbidden to have.
Critique: Candid, exceptional, emotionally engaging, impressively written, and an inherently fascinating and memorable read from first page to last, "Of Time and Punishment" is an extraordinary memoir that will have a special appeal to readers with an interest in the stories of incarcerated men and their struggles to reform and rebuild their lives. "Of Time and Punishment" is one of those remarkable true life memoirs that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. This paperback edition from the Stephen F. Austin University Press is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note: Jerry D. Mathes is the author of Ahead of the Flaming Front: A Life on Fire, winner of the North American Book Prize; an essay collection Fever and Guts: A Symphony; The Journal West: Poems; and Of Time and Punishment: A Memoir. Among things he's done to support his writing, was to serve on a helicopter-rappel crew and logistics at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica where he led the Southernmost Writers Workshop in the World. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7036774.Jerry_D_Mathes)
A Comprehensive Breakdown
Peak Afflatus
Independently Published
9798298060349, $6.99, PB, 72pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Breakdown-Essays-Collapse-Functioning/dp/B0FMLGNGH9
Synopsis: With the publication of "A Comprehensive Breakdown: Essays on Autism, Collapse, and the Myth of Functioning", Peak Afflatus writes about a life dismantled and a self reclaimed.
A raw and unflinching collection of essays by an anonymous author (Peak Afflatus is a pseudonym) "A Comprehensive Breakdown" lays bare a life unravelled by burnout, undiagnosed autism, and the relentless pressure to perform in a world that never quite fit.
From the collapse of a creative career to a solitary trek across the French Alps, these piercing reflections trace the journey from breakdown to breakthrough. With unwavering honesty, the author dismantles the myths of "functioning," confronts the weight of self-censorship, and finds liberation in embracing a neurodivergent identity.
Through vivid encounters with wildlife, candid accounts of mental health, and a hard-won lens of self-acceptance, "A Comprehensive Breakdown" speaks to anyone who has ever felt out of step with time, society, or themselves. This is not a guide to re-invention, but a testament to the messy, deeply human process of becoming yourself.
Critique: Original, erudite, candidly introspective, impressively insightful, intellectually and emotionally engaging, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "A Comprehensive Breakdown: Essays on Autism, Collapse, and the Myth of Functioning" is especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and college/university library Psychology & Self-Help collections and supplemental Mood Disorder curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists of students, academia, practicing psychologists and counselors, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "A Comprehensive Breakdown: Essays on Autism, Collapse, and the Myth of Functioning" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Peak Afflatus writes under a pseudonym to retain focus on the work rather than the self. After leaving a twenty-five-year creative career, Peak began examining burnout, identity, and the compelled work of renewal through writing. Peak's essays combine personal reflection with social observation, tracing how culture, work, and perception both fracture and define the inner life. Written with precision and measured intent, Peak's work invites readers to look inward, to recognize themselves from unexpected angles, and to ask what honesty looks like in a world preoccupied with performing.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Purple Ribbon
Kip Lyman
https://www.kiplyman.com
Palmetto Publishing
https://www.palmettopublishing.com
9798822988774, $21.99, PB, 508pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Ribbon-Kip-Lyman/dp/B0FRBSJQQD
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-purple-ribbon-kip-lyman/1148307856
Synopsis: Chelsea Whitlock is a woman who has turned past trauma into a life filled with love and prosperity. When Tyler Atwater unexpectedly enters her world, emotions she thought were long buried resurface. Little does she know that fate is harboring a perilous threat to the delicate foundation of their burgeoning relationship.
Parallel to Chelsea's journey is that of J. Scott Anderson, a man who appears to be living the dream, with a flourishing career, good health, and a loving family. However, Scott's idyllic life falls apart as he becomes the obsession of a sinister individual whose twisted envy mutates into a psychological game of control, manipulation, and destruction, targeting everything - and everyone - Scott loves.
With a masterfully woven plot, "The Purple Ribbon" by Kip Lyman deftly explores the tangled destinies of this coastal community, revealing a web of deception, longing, and the irrevocable consequences of a choice made in the shadows. This captivating saga delicately balances the darkness of deceit and envy with the uplifting power and resilience of the human spirit, offering a harrowing yet mesmerizing descent into the fragile boundaries of truth, obsession, and survival.
Critique: Original, engaging, multilayered, and a riveting saga of a novel from start to finish, "The Purple Ribbon" by Kip Lyman is a simply fascinating and compelling mix of romance and suspense. With a special appeal to readers with an interest in mystery, romance, and women sleuths having to solve a crime, "The Purple Ribbon" is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Purple Ribbon" from Palmetto Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Kip Lyman (https://www.kiplyman.com) immerses herself fully in her writing with passion, developing a deep connection with her characters-be they noble, flawed, or delightfully complex.
Tequila: A Story of Success, Love & Violence
Tim Reuben
Meridian Editions
https://www.meridianeditions.com
9781959170266, $37.95, HC, 432pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Tequila-Story-Success-Love-Violence/dp/1959170260
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tequila-tim-reuben/1147933817
Synopsis: From the agave fields of Mexico to the skyscrapers of Manhattan, from bayside mansions in Miami to Los Angeles courthouses, "Tequila" by novelist Tim Reuben follows three generations of the Ramirez family as they battle for control of RAM, a multibillion-dollar luxury spirits powerhouse. When Maria Ramirez becomes CEO, her greatest foes aren't her competitors. They're her brothers (the corrupt, sociopathic Miguel and the self-destructive, spiraling Tomaso) whose actions threaten to drag the Ramirez name to ruin.
LA attorney Brian Youngman enters their world, hired for Tomaso's divorce case. What he uncovers are cartel ties, financial crimes, and unimaginable violence. As his growing love for Maria collides with his fight for justice, Brian becomes a reluctant hero in a battle where survival means pain and sacrifice.
Critique: Inspired by his legal experiences as an attorney, Tim Reuben has deftly crafted "Tequila" -- his first suspense thriller of a novel. A vivid, searing, and compulsive page turner of a legal drama replete with memorable characters caught up in pulse-pounding plot twists, "Tequila" is a simply riveting read from start to finish. While an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Tequila" from Meridian Editions is also readily available in paperback (9781959170273, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Tim Reuben (https://www.timreuben.com) is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. A veteran trial lawyer, Reuben founded his own litigation firm in Los Angeles, where he also actively publishes articles on topics of law and society.
Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir
Molly Gaudry
https://www.mollygaudry.com
Rose Metal Press
https://rosemetalpress.com
9781941628379, $17.95, PB, 208pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fit-Into-Me-Novel-Memoir/dp/1941628370
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fit-into-me-molly-gaudry/1148579224
Synopsis: In her most innovative book yet, with the publication of "Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir", author Molly Gaudry embarks on a search for belonging amid loss, framing her memoir around a fictional narrative featuring the tea house woman -- a character who appeared first as bride-to-be and then as widow in her earlier books.
As Gaudry grapples with traumatic brain injury, family secrets, repressed memories, and the job market in her essays, the tea house woman goes on a parallel quest of identity and desire. Gaudry also delves into literature as guide and comfort, using the words of authors as wide-ranging as Sappho, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Marguerite Duras, and Jose Saramago to form yet another text within a text.
Artfully braided into a hybrid-genre tour de force, the many strands of "Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir" ask: To what extent can fiction reveal more about an author than nonfiction?
As the tea house woman manages a mercurial lover, a family business, and caring for her dying father during the winter holidays, Gaudry, too, reflects on some of her own challenges: relearning, post-skating injury, to read and write while in the midst of earning a PhD; questioning her loneliness, desires, and ability to connect; wondering what it would be like if her biological brother flew in from Korea to inform her that their father has died; and navigating her identity as a transnational adoptee.
Each essay comprising "Fit Into Me" (the memoir) is a testament to resilience, and as those true stories merge with Fit Into Me (the novel), they reveal how literature can become a lifeline that guides us back to ourselves.
Critique: Original, unique, a deftly crafted blending of literary commentary and autobiographical memoir, "Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir" by Molly Gaudry is both a thought-provoking and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover. This paperback edition of "Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir" from Rose Metal Press is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Contemporary Asian/American Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note: Molly Gaudry (https://www.mollygaudry.com) is the author of the verse novel We Take Me Apart, which was a finalist for the Asian American Literary Award and shortlisted for the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry. Desire: A Haunting, its sequel, and Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir, are further explorations of the same storyworld and characters. Molly is the founder of The Lit Pub and holds master's degrees in fiction and poetry from the University of Cincinnati and George Mason University, respectively, and a PhD in experimental prose from the University of Utah. An assistant professor at Stony Brook University, she teaches nonfiction and poetry in the MFA and BFA programs. In the summers, she teaches fiction at the Yale Writers' Workshop.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Daily American
Douglas Morris
Lulu Publishing
www.lulu.com
9781300092520, $14.99, PB, 341
9781257755479, $4.99, Kindle, 341pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Daily-American-Douglas-Morris-ebook/dp/B0G394CHWD
Lulu
https://www.lulu.com/shop/douglas-morris/the-daily-american/paperback/product-7kvdm7n.html
Synopsis: "The Daily American" by Douglas Morris is a simply riveting, atmospheric, historical Cold War era thriller and, although a work of fiction, is based on actual events, set in 1970s Italy that revolves around a newly transplanted American reporter who discovers that the English-language newspaper he is working for is actually a CIA front.
The reporter then becomes entangled in a web of intrigue, espionage, and political extremism, putting his life on the line to expose the truth, showing how an ordinary individual imbued with the courage of their convictions can make a difference in the world.
Critique: Original, cleverly scripted, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "The Daily American" deftly showcases author Douglas Morris genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that is perfect for fans of international thrillers and CIA Black Ops suspense stories. "The Daily American" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community/public library Suspense/Thriller collections.
Editorial Note: Douglas E. Morris has had over 16 books published, many about traveling in Italy, was the editor of two award-winning weekly U.S. Embassy newsletters - the Veneto Views in Rome and the Brussels Weekly in Brussels - had a monthly travel column about Italy in Primo magazine, and has penned articles for a variety of periodicals around the world. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/58372286.Douglas_E_Morris)
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings
Carol Van Den Hende
https://carolvandenhende.com
Azine Press
9781958223086, $39.95, HC, 190pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Orchid-Letters-Beginnings-True-Stories/dp/1958223085
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dear-orchid-carol-van-den-hende/1148182210
Synopsis: The various stories by Carol Van Den Hende that comprise "Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings - True Stories and Fiction filled with Heart, Humor, and Hope" are a mix of true stories and new fiction, Dear Orchid opens the heart in unexpected ways: through loss and love, silence and recovery, and the hard-won resilience of people who don't always fit the mold.
With tenderness and heart, "Dear Orchid" is an Asian American author's homage to Mary-Louise Parker's Dear Mr. You, through letters to a girl newly freed from East Berlin, an aunt lost to Communist-era borders, and Purple Heart-decorated heroes. These intimate portraits explore the messy beauty of friendship, family, disability, and belonging.
As a reader you will encounter a wounded hero who jokes through his pain, a beloved cat with a crayon note taped to his back ("HELP ME"), and characters who refuse to be defined by what they've lost.
The final chapter of "Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings - True Stories and Fiction filled with Heart, Humor, and Hope" brings a fictional reunion with the unforgettable cast from the Goodbye Orchid trilogy, offering healing, closure, and a second chance romance.
Told in a lyrical, letter-style format, this collection blends memoir and imagination in a deeply personal exploration of grief, identity, and human connection. It's a window into private moments that echo something universal, especially for those who have ever felt unseen, misunderstood, or left behind.
Underneath the heartbreak and humor runs the quiet pull between star-crossed lovers, whose stories unfold across time, distance, and impossible odds. Whether you're drawn to true stories of survival or fictional narratives filled with tenderness and truth, Dear Orchid offers an emotional journey that celebrates love in all its forms. This is memorable collection that will hold a very special appeal to anyone who's ever loved, lost, or longed to understand the emotional truth behind the quiet moments that shape us.
Critique: Original, unique, emotionally engaging, with clever dialogue and exceptional well crafted characters, "Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings - True Stories and Fiction filled with Heart, Humor, and Hope" by Carol Van Den Hende is a blended anthology of stories showcasing themes of multicultural romance fiction, true life stories of experience and crisis, as well as clarion moments of both 'vulnerability and hope'. Extraordinary, memorable, inherently fascinating, and a riveting read from start to finish, "Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings - True Stories and Fiction filled with Heart, Humor, and Hope" is especially and an unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Dear Orchid: Letters and New Beginnings - True Stories and Fiction filled with Heart, Humor, and Hope" from Azine Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.95).
Editorial Note: Carol Van Den Hende (https://carolvandenhende.com) is a novelist who pens stories of resilience and hope. Her novels Orchid Blooming, Goodbye, Orchid and Always Orchid draw from her Chinese American heritage, and have won 40+ literary awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly Awards for Disability Awareness and Cultural Diversity. Carol's mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, global marketer, digital strategist, Board Trustee and Climate Reality Leader.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
The Thread Ruby
V. K. Leon
https://www.vkleon.com
Independently Published
9786188797710, $27.99, HC, 479pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Thread-Ruby-Book/dp/6188797713
When nineteen-year-old Ellie Ioannides crosses paths with her enigmatic tutor, Alex Rodocanachi, she feels an attraction she cannot explain. Magnetic and terrifying. Alex is rational, disciplined, and the heir to a powerful Greek shipping dynasty. He is not the person she would expect to fall for. Yet, every glance they share feels deeply like fate. Every touch sparks something deep within her.
Alex feels it too, but he's convinced their worlds can never truly meet. Ellie tries to dismiss the recurring dreams that feel far too real. Yet a part of him lingers with her - waiting at the edges of her life like a promise left unsaid until fate brings them together on her university graduation..
At the start of a deeply passionate and electrifying love affair, Ellie begins to uncover the truth. Some desires are not new but remembered. Some bonds are not chosen but returned. Alex holds secrets that go beyond one lifetime. Those secrets could take her heart, her destiny, and everything she thought she knew about herself.
From modern London to 19th-century Thessaly in Greece, beneath the shadows of Mount Olympus, The Thread Trilogy is a story of obsession, fate, and unapologetic passion where love is never truly lost; it is only waiting to be found again.
Lyrical, romantic, and unforgettable, this story will obsess you and remain with you long after you turn the last page.
Critique: Original, emotionally engaging, deftly crafted, and especially recommended for mature readers because of the sensually erotic approach to a darkly compelling romance, "The Thread Ruby" is extraordinary when considering that it is author V. K. Leon's debut as a novelist. A simply riveting read from start to finish, and the first title of a forthcoming trilogy (The Thread), it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Thread Ruby" is also available in paperback (9786188797703, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Editorial Note: V. K. Leon writes stories that burn with passion, obsession, and the kind of love that changes everything. She lives between Greece and London, a duality that fuels her characters' desires, conflicts, and choices. Off the page, she works on a shipbroking business, but on the page, she writes about the irresistible pull between two souls -- and the risks they will take for love.
For readers who crave romance that is unapologetically sensual, emotional, and unforgettable, V. K. Leon delivers.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Dry The Rain
Richard Leise
Picket Fire
https://www.picketfire.com
9798991761413, $17.95, PB, 228pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Rain-Richard-Leise/dp/B0FMLBS9DK
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dry-the-rain-richard-leise/1147900592
Synopsis: Dry The Rain is the hottest true crime series on MovieTrap, but the young woman whose life it is based on never wanted it made. After years of brutal captivity, Mallory was able to kill her kidnapper and escape the basement where she'd been caged. Now, the whole world is watching a Hollywood recreation of her ordeal play out on television, week by week.
In order to exert some level of control over her life, she decides to tell her story from her perspective -- and she knows that most of you will not be able to understand.
An indictment of exploitative media and the viewing public alike, "Dry The Rain" is a literary nd psychological labyrinth from start to finish. Told through the idiosyncratic voice of a young woman who chooses to write rather than speak, author Richard Leise aptly charts a course across terrain that is at once horrific yet sober. Constructed with an incredible precision of language, "Dry The Rain" draws the reader into the fractured mind of a character with an unbreakable will.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, clever, emotionally engaging, and a simply riveting psychological suspense thriller of a read from cover to cover, "Dry The Rain" showcases author Richard Leise's genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that raises his novel to an impressive level of literary excellence. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Dry The Rain" from Picket Fire is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Editorial Note: Award-winning author Richard Leise writes and teaches outside Ithaca, NY. A Perry Morgan Fellow from Old Dominion University's MFA program, and recipient of the David Scott Sutelan Memorial Scholarship, his debut novel, Being Dead, was published fall, 2023. His short story, Of Ducks, was selected for 2025's Best Microfiction Anthology. His next novel, DYING MAN IN LIVING ROOM, is forthcoming from ELJ Editions. A three-year Teacher of the Year recipient, husband, and father of fantastic twins, he is @coy_harlingen on Twitter.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Ship of Spells
H. Leighton Dickson
Entangled
c/o Red Tower Publishing
https://entangledpublishing.com/featured-books/introducing-red-tower-books
9781649379139, $32.99, HC, 512pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Spells-Deluxe-Limited-Leighton-Dickson/dp/1649379137
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ship-of-spells-h-leighton-dickson/1146890604
Synopsis: When Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn is rescued from the wreckage of her first naval post, she expects death or disgrace. Instead, she wakes aboard the Touchstone, a mythic vessel whispered of in dockside ballads and royal war rooms alike. With a crew of misfits. A mysterious, elven captain. And a mission tied to the Dreadwall, the crumbling barrier that has kept the Overland and Nethersea from open war for a hundred years.
But the tragedy that sank her last ship didn't just take lives -- it left something ominous behind.
Now Renn carries a secret everyone wants. A magik that's chimeric, arcane... and slowly killing her. But the captain's mission may be her only chance to survive, even if he still doesn't trust her.
Caught between privateers, princes, and spies, Renn knows each choice could sink her future -- or set the sea on fire.
Critique: An original and simply riveting action/adventure fantasy from start to finish, "Ship of Spells" by H. Leighton Dickson is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy saga fans that this hardcover edition of "Ship of Spells" from Entangled/Red Tower Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99, Amazon.
Editorial Note: H. Leighton Dickson (www.hleightondickson.com) lives on the north shore of Lake Superior where the winters are long, and the forest is at her back door. A self-confessed naturalist, world traveler and science geek, she writes full time and is the author of over ten novels. When she is not chasing dogs, cats, foxes or grandchildren, Heather also works with several not-for-profit organizations to showcase the arts and culture of Northwestern Ontario.
Soul Toll
Anusia Gillespie
https://anusiagillespie.com
Resonance Press
9798999320513, $12.99, PB, 302pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-toll-anusia-gillespie/1148437298
Synopsis: Ember Brooke is sharp, ambitious, and determined to climb the ranks at her prestigious law firm. But beneath the polished surface, something is unraveling -- an inner pull toward spiritual awakening she can't ignore.
A chance encounter with her mother's old yoga mat pulls Ember into Resonance -- a hidden world where she uncovers a disturbing truth: her parents' relentless pursuit of success wasn't just ambition, it was engineered.
With an unlikely but unbreakable team by her side, Ember must confront more than the ruthless industry titan NP Dunn to dismantle a powerful empire -- she must face the forces inside that keep her tethered to the life she thought she wanted.
As Ember begins her journey of personal transformation, she must decide what success really means and whether she's willing to trade comfort for freedom.
Critique: Impressively original, deftly crafted, emotionally engaging, and a memorably riveting page-turner of a read from start to finish, "Soul Toll" will hold a very special appeal to fans of contemporary fantasy. While an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Metaphysical & Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Soul Toll" from Resonance Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Anusia Gillespie (https://anusiagillespie.com) is a lawyer-turned-novelist and RYT-200 certified yoga instructor. She describes her debut novel, "Soul Toll", as blending corporate ambition with her personal awakening. Her writing is shaped by a career spanning global law firms, legal tech startups, and Harvard Law School Executive Education -- offering a sharp, insider perspective on high-performance culture and the hidden costs of success.
The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon
Barry Maher
Crystal Lake Publishing
https://www.crystallakepub.com
9781968532130, $19.99, PB, 462pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Dick-Dysfunctional-Demon/dp/1968532137
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-great-dick-barry-maher/1148107499
Synopsis: Steve Witowski is a failed songwriter on the run from the law who finds himself caught in a supernatural thriller after an apparently innocent act of heroism -- saving a woman from a vicious assault by a seemingly unstoppable wino.
The woman, Victoria, is just part of a mystery Steve can't unravel. Even as he's looting the decomposing dead for the secrets of a self-proclaimed sorcerer. Even as he plummets into a nightmare of fire and blood and murder. Even then, Steve remains certain the sorcerer's spells, the occult rituals (the supposed demons and supernatural horror) are simply delusion and fantasy.
Steve is wrong.
Victoria, who has just bought a dilapidated church with a haunting past, entangles Steve in a deadly game of dark magic and rituals. As, unknown to him, the demon grows desperate, Steve plunges deeper into a world of crypts, grave robbing, and long-forgotten secrets, all while trying to escape his own haunted past. But when the face of the man Steve killed appears on his arm, the line between reality and nightmare begins to blur.
Critique: a darkly funny, supernatural thriller set in California in 1982, "The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon" by Barry Maher, an original and wickedly funny novel of horror fantasy that is laced through and through with dark humor and, ultimately, pulse-pounding suspense, as the two protagonists, Steve and Victoria, are thrust into a supernaturally infused and devious adventure of occult horror, supernatural suspense, and unforeseen revelations. A deftly crafted and riveting read from cover to cover, "The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon" is extraordinary, clever, and unreservedly recommended for community library Horror Fantasy Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon" from Crystal Lake Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Barry Maher (https://www.motivationalpresenter.com) is the author of the nationally syndicated Slightly Off-Kilter newspaper column. Awhile back, Barry lost the ability to tell time, courtesy of a baseball-size, cancerous, brain tumor. He awoke from having his skull cut open without the tumor, but with the story that became "The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon".
The Business Shelf
The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets
Ulli Appelbaum
Independently Published
https://first-the-trousers.com
9798296542403, $44.90, HC, 114pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Brand-Associations-Minds-Markets/dp/B0FL78G58Q
Synopsis: The most overlooked concept in brand-building and marketing is the network of meanings, experiences, and feelings living in your customer's memory and mind with reference to Brand Name recognition.
Brand association networks are your brand's hidden operating system. They shape perception, trigger recall, drive preference, and ultimately, determine purchase. They allow your brand to grow faster than the competition, acquire more customers, command a higher price premium, and weather recessions better.
Grounded in Science. Validated by Research. Built for Results. "The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets" by Ulli Appelbaum draws on cutting-edge research in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and evidence-based marketing.
Appelbaum (an award-winning brand strategist with 30+ years of global experience) ably translates decades of academic insights and professional experience into clear, practical strategies. You will get the exact frameworks, diagnostic tools, and hands-on exercises used to build some of the world's most successful brands.
"The Science of Brand Associations" covers:
Understanding how brands are formed, stored, and retrieved in the brain
Building the right mix of associations to grow brand salience
Applying 9 science-backed strategies to shape memorable brand association networks
Leveraging brand codes and distinctive assets like never before
Using scorecards to assess and strengthen your current brand strategy
Avoiding the 16 common reasons brands fail
Overcoming negative associations and refresh outdated brand perceptions
Tailoring your approach based on brand size and competitive context
Critique: A seminal, practical, groundbreaking, and research based contribution to brand name marketing, "The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets" will prove to be of special interest to entrepreneurs, business managers, and corporate executives who are launching a startup, revitalizing a legacy brand, or refining a marketing strategy. This is the ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly' DIY guide to creating brands that people will remember, choose, and buy. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, business school, and college/university library Business Management/Marketing collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Science of Brand Associations" by Ulli Appelbaum is also available in paperback (9798296541109, $29.90) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.90).
Editorial Note: Ulli Appelbaum is an award-winning and seasoned marketing and brand strategy consultant. He has held senior strategy roles in Europe and the U.S.A. at some of the leading advertising agencies in the world including BBDO, Leo Burnett, Fallon Worldwide, and SapientNitro before starting his own brand research and strategy firm First-The-trousers-Then-The-Shoes Inc.
The Philosophy Shelf
Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination
Mark Vernon
https://www.markvernon.com
Hurst
9781911723974, $37.99, HC, 312pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Awake-William-Blake-Power-Imagination/dp/1911723979
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/awake-mark-vernon/1146340851
Synopsis: In the 200 years since William Blake's death, the visionary artist, poet and writer has become a household name, often beloved. Yet many struggle to comprehend his kaleidoscopic ideas; how they speak to human longings and the challenges of living in anxious times.
With the publication of "Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination", philosopher and psychotherapist Mark Vernon provides a fresh route into Blake, taking him at his word. Exploring this brilliant thinker's passionate writings, arresting artworks and fascinating life,
Vernon illuminates Blake's vivid worldview. Like us, he lived in a tumultuous era of war, discontent, rapid technological change, and human estrangement from nature. He exposed the dark sides of political fervour and social moralising, while unashamedly celebrating love and liberty. But he also conversed with prophets and angels, and was powerfully, if unconventionally, religious. If we take this seriously (not easy, in these secular times) then Blake can help us to unlock the transformative power of imagination.
Written for both longstanding fans and unfamiliar readers, Awake! reveals Blake as an invigorating and hopeful guide for our modern age.
Critique: Fascinating, thought-provoking, and engaging, insightful from start to finish, "Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Philosophy collections in general, and supplemental William Blake curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for philosophy students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination" from Hurst is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.88).
Editorial Note: Mark Vernon (https://www.markvernon.com) is a London-based psychotherapist, writer and former Anglican priest. A keen podcaster and a columnist with The Idler, he speaks regularly at festivals and on the BBC. He has a PhD in Philosophy, and degrees in Theology and Physics. His previous book topics include Dante, Plato and Christianity.
The Self-Help Shelf
You Don't Have to Achieve to Be Loved
Becca Pearce
https://morebeccapearce.com
Niche Pressworks
https://nichepressworks.com
9781962956680, $25.99, HC, 220pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Have-Achieve-Loved/dp/1962956687
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-dont-have-to-achieve-to-be-loved-becca-pearce/1148488461
Synopsis: Becca Pearce understands firsthand how hard change can be. Two life-altering events forced her to realize that what she once wanted no longer felt right. The resulting journey reshaped her path, upending everything she had believed about success and happiness.
With the publication of "You Don't Have to Achieve to Be Loved: Escape the Lies You've Been Sold to Design the Life You Want", Becca shares the knowledge she gained, outlining a step by-step process she developed that has helped hundreds of clients navigate change and transform their lives. Her straightforward method will help you identify what's important in your life and how you can use this understanding to design the life you really want to live.
Over the past twelve years, Becca has learned the value of vulnerability, the importance of optimism, and the imperative to find the life you want to live now because we're never promised tomorrow.
A former CEO and state official, she is now the president of Extend Coaching & Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping people find the courage to live the life they've been dreaming of.
Critique: Informative, coherent, insightful, motivating, "You Don't Have to Achieve to Be Loved: Escape the Lies You've Been Sold to Design the Life You Want" is a fascinating and invaluable read from start to finish. Exceptionally well written, organized and 'reader friendly' in presentation, "You Don't Have to Achieve to Be Loved" is an ideal DIY guide to achieving personal goals that are reflective of the best you can be under whatever circumstances surround you. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Self-Help/Self Improvement collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "You Don't Have to Achieve to Be Loved" from Niche Pressworks is also readily available in paperback (9781962956673, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Becca Pearce (https://morebeccapearce.com/book) holds a cultural anthropology degree from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is certified as both an executive coach and an exit planning advisor. Becca was named a 2019 Woman of Influence by I95 Business magazine and a Strathmore's Who's Who in 2023.
Untangling the Golden Knot
Chris Pollard
mk1217 LLC (Publisher)
9798999139726, $26.99, HC, 396pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Untangling-Golden-Knot-Confronting-Retirement/dp/B0FTC6VC7L
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/untangling-the-golden-knot-chris-pollard/1148335894
Synopsis: The transition to retirement is supposed to be the reward for decades of work and saving. Yet for many, that transition feels more like stepping into the unknown. The questions won't stop circling: How much is enough? What if the market crashes? What about inflation? What if I outlive my savings?
With the publication of "Untangling the Golden Knot: Confronting Your Retirement Worries and Knowing When Enough is Enough", U.S. Army veteran and certified financial planner and practitioner Chris Pollard draws on his decades of experience and expertise in guiding high - net worth families to reveal why financial security doesn't automatically bring peace of mind -- and what to do about it.
In "Untangling the Golden Knot" Pollard deftly blends the technical side of wealth management with the human side of retirement so you can stop second-guessing and start fully living without financial fear.
More than just a collection of charts and spreadsheets, "Untangling the Golden Knot" will reshape the way you think about money and the meaning of life to ask the questions no financial plan can answer: What are you retiring to? What will give you meaning in the next phase of life? How can you use your wealth to strengthen your family, support causes you care about, and build a legacy that lasts?
"Untangling the Golden Knot" explains:
Exactly what "enough" means for you (financially and personally) so you can stop chasing an ever-moving target.
Shift from a lifetime of saving to spending with financial clarity.
Build a long-term care plan that reduces stress for yourself and your loved ones as you age.
Identify "activity gold," fulfilling passion pursuits that deliver multiple layers of meaning.
Use simple decision-making tools to avoid retirement anxiety and act with assurance.
Clear, compassionate, and actionable, "Untangling the Golden Knot" will show you how to replace worry with wisdom so you can spend, give, and live without fear. If you are ready to enjoy the retirement you have earned, "Untangling the Golden Knot" will help you untangle the knot of uncertainty and step into lasting peace of mind.
Critique: Offering a wealth of 'real world practical' and informatively insightful information on wealth management and developing a life free of financial stress, "Untangling the Golden Knot: Confronting Your Retirement Worries and Knowing When Enough is Enough" is a deftly crafted and instructive DIY guide that will prove of specific value for non-specialist general readers involved with planning for their retirement. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Money/Finance Management and Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Untangling the Golden Knot" by Chris Pollard is also available in paperback (9798999139702, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Christopher Pollard, CFP(R), MBA, EA, is a U.S. Army veteran, West Point graduate, and principal of Great Path Planning. With over 15 years of experience in retirement income planning, tax strategy, and wealth management, he guides high-net worth families through the transition from saving to living with confidence. As principal of Great Path Planning (https://greatpath.com) he combines financial expertise with personal insight to help clients move beyond anxiety and enjoy purposeful, secure lives.
The Criminology Shelf
Convergence
Jonathan Dixon & Gregg Owen, authors
26th Street Books
https://26thstreetbooks.com
9798218644956, $19.99, PB, 400pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Convergence-Jonathan-Dixon/dp/B0FLVRM325
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/convergence-jonathan-dixon/1148021615
Synopsis: Co-authored by Jonathan Dixon and Gregg Owen, "Convergence" is a seemingly impossible story -- but every word is true. It is the factual account of a vicious double homicide in 1970s Chicago and of a trial that almost didn't happen.
"Convergence" is a different kind of true crime book. It isn't a mystery, because the killer was arrested right away. It's not a police story, although "Convergence" is there at every step of their investigation. It's not a defense lawyer's story.
This is a true crime story from the other side of the courtroom.
"Convergence" is the story of Gio Messina and Delphine Moore's murders and the trial that followed, but this time told from the perspective of the prosecution. You, as the reader, are there to witness how a case is built, how it's brought to court, and how it unfolds when the trial starts. You will see what happens when power and money try and keep the trial from starting at all. You can follow the prosecution from the courtrooms of Chicago to rural Tennessee looking for new evidence to replace the evidence that's vanished.
You are also introduced to the choreography of the courtroom: listening in on the careful strategizing, understanding the thought behind what a jury hears, and getting a close view of what's involved in how it's presented. Most importantly, you are introduced to Mike Goggin and Gregg Owen, the two prosecutors who fought to have the case heard. Goggin and Owen had set a record for convictions that still stands. They refused to let the Messina and Moore murders break it.
Convergence is a historical snapshot of a time when Chicago was changing, and a timeless picture of how justice is sought and found.
Critique: Original, unique, deftly crafted, and a simply riveting read from start to finish, "Convergence" will prove to be of immense appeal to readers with an interest in true crime, police procedurals, and the criminal judicial system of Chicago. Exceptionally well written, expertly organized and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, "Convergence" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library True Crime collections and supplemental Criminology studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Convergence" from 26th Street Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note #1: Jonathan Dixon is the author of Sauced (Random House, 2011). He was a longtime contributor to the Boston Phoenix, and his articles have appeared in Vice, The New York Times, New York Newsday, Conde Nast Traveler, and Martha Stewart Living, among others. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/58405176.Jonathan_Dixon)
Editorial Note #2: Gregg Owen was the keyboardist for the bands Shady Daze, the American Breed, Jerico, and Chill Factor. He served as an Assistant State's Attorney and Cook County Chief of Gang Prosecutions in the city of Chicago. He is the founder of Text2Drive. Convergence is his first book.
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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