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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
The UFO Encyclopedia, 4th Edition
Jerome Clark, author
Brad Sparks, contributor
Relevant Information, LLC
https://www.relevantinformation.com
9781954866225, HC (Volume 1)
9781954866225, HC (Volume 2)
$155.00, HC, 1720pp (2-Volume set)
https://www.relevantinformation.com/product-page/the-ufo-encyclopedia-4th-ed
Synopsis: "The UFO Encyclopedia" by Jerome Clark that has been the definitive reference for UFO research and phenomena for over 30 years and with this newly updated and expanded two-volume fourth edition continues to be the primary resource for UFO research and education..
A massive two-volume hardcover set from Relevant Information is an monumental fourth edition that builds on its legacy with over 1,700 pages of research, new discoveries, and updated entries. It explores every facet of UFO phenomena, including detailed entries on sightings, investigations, conspiracy theories, and close encounters. It contextualizes the most significant UFO-related events, such as government disclosure programs and the release of declassified documents in the United States, Brazil, and other countries. New entries enrich the historical narrative and provide the latest perspectives on this fascinating field of study.
Authored by Jerome Clark, one of the world's foremost experts on UFOs, and contributions by Brad Sparks, this unique UFO encyclopedia has been meticulously crafted to serve as the ultimate resource for researchers, libraries, and UFO enthusiasts alike.
Critique: Unique, comprehensive, meticulously detailed, fascinating, thought-provoking, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, this voluminous, large format (8.5 x 1.88 x 11 inches) hardcover two-volume set from Relevant Information LLC is a mandatory and core addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library UFO collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Jerome Clark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Clark) is an American writer, specializing in unidentified flying objects and other paranormal subjects. He has appeared on ABC News Special Report, Unsolved Mysteries, Sightings and the A&E Network discussing UFOs and other oddities.
Editorial Note #2: Brad Sparks is an aerospace researcher and writer with thirty years' experience in UFO investigations and an increasingly skeptical outlook. A more detailed version of this review is to he published in the International UFO Reporter. A new study of the original Kenneth Arnold 'flying saucer' of 1947 is in progress. YouTube: Brad Sparks on what the serious study of the UFO phenomenon really needs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZeDHBkWnKs)
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Scary Diagnosis
Edward G. Rogoff
Prospecta Press
https://eastonstudiopress.com/prospecta-press
9781632261519, $21.95, HC, 168pp
https://www.amazon.com/Scary-Diagnosis-Navigating-Strength-Securing/dp/1632261510
Synopsis: Sixty percent of Americans live with at least one chronic health condition and over a lifetime, many people will face multiple surgeries or life-changing diagnoses. A scary diagnosis can be overwhelming, launching patients and their loved ones into a world of fear, uncertainty, and complexity.
"Scary Diagnosis: Navigating Fear, Finding Strength, and Securing the Health Care You Deserve" by Professor Edward G. Rogoff is a uniquely compassionate, informative, and empowering resource that will help patients, their families and caregivers to navigate the emotional and practical challenges that follow a serious medical diagnosis.
In "Scary Diagnosis" Professor Rogoff draws on his own experience with chronic illness and shares compelling stories from others who have faced similar journeys. Through these narratives, he reveals how individuals can move from fear to strength, advocate for themselves, and navigate the healthcare system, while maintaining their sense of control and dignity.
"Scary Diagnosis" is filled with real-life examples and valuable perspectives to help non-specialist general readers approach their medical and health challenges with resilience, determination, and hope.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a seven page Introduction, a two page bibliographic listing of Suggested Reading and a ten page Index, "Scary Diagnosis: Navigating Fear, Finding Strength, and Securing the Health Care You Deserve" by Professor Edward G. Rogoff is especially important reading for anyone presented with a troubling diagnosis, as well as medical providers, supportive family members and friends. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Health/Medicine collections and supplemental Health Care Delivery curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for medical students, practitioners, and general readers that this hardcover edition of "Scary Diagnosis" from Prospecta Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Edward G. Rogoff, Ph.D., is an accomplished educational leader who has taught at Baruch College, Long Island University and New York University. Diagnosed with hemophilia as a child he was cured of it as an adult following a liver transplant. Rogoff has served on the Board of the Hemophilia Association of New York since 1980, and for seven years he was also on the Board of LiveOnNY, the major organ donor organization for the New York City metropolitan area. Professor Rogoff remains a major advocate for continued research and better treatments for all patients who receive a scary diagnosis.
The Photography Shelf
The Life and Times of Forever
Patricia Z. Smith
Goff Books
https://goffbooks.com
c/o ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781961856288, $30.00, HC, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Times-Forever-Patricia-Smith/dp/196185628X
Synopsis: "The Life and Times of Forever: A Personal Journal" by Patricia Z. Smith is captivating and emotionally compelling collection of photo collages that transcends the still life genre to weave memorably impressive and lush close-ups of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and sculpture elegantly paired with fragments of poetry.
Each meticulously crafted image unfolds like a hidden world, inviting you to see something completely new each time you look at it. With her trademark eye for whimsy and unexpected juxtapositions, Patricia employs a playful exploration of nature's abundance to create a unique memoir -- walking us through the unique and visually eloquent way she sees the world.
Critique: "The Life and Times of Forever: A Personal Journal" is elegantly comprised of fragments of verse juxtaposed with full page, full color photographed images. The result is a memorable browse through pages that are unique, thought-provoking, and returned to time after time. Unique, beautiful, graceful, magnificent, remarkable, "The Life and Times of Forever: A Personal Journal" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library contemporary poetry/photography collections.
Editorial Note: Patricia Z Smith, 81, is a photographer, poet, and social activist. She was founder-director (and documentary director) of the first social network connecting women globally for secure private conversations. She documented poverty across the US, taught photography at the Smithsonian Institution, and had one-person exhibits of her photographs. (https://complementsthebook.com)
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
She Won The Vote For Women
Robert Hawkins
Great Plains Press
https://greatplainspress.ca
9781773371283, $25.95, HC, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/She-Won-Vote-Women-Lillian/dp/1773371282
Synopsis: The Canadian suffragist campaign of Lillian Beynon Thomas succeeded where all others had failed. "She Won The Vote For Women: The life and times of Lillian Beynon Thomas" by Robert E. Hawkins is full-length biography that fills an important gap in the history of the Canadian 'votes for women' movement, a campaign which saw Manitoba become the earliest federal or provincial Canadian jurisdiction to grant women the franchise.
To achieve the franchise, Lillian eschewed the then traditional tools of back-room, partisan party politics by instead developing a broadly-based, grass-roots movement which stands as a forerunner of modern political campaign techniques.
Facing hostile opposition to her pacifist views in Winnipeg during World War One, she and her husband went into voluntary exile in New York City. Returning home, she became a leading Canadian short-story writer, playwright, and public advocate for a Canadian cultural identity, distinct from that of Britain or America.
"She Won The Vote For Women" is the story of how a young girl came with her settler family to a desolate part of the hardscrabble prairie and who, despite these humble origins, succeeded in engineering a fundamental Canadian democratic reform and championing the emerging Canadian cultural nationalism.
Critique: Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity the life and accomplishments of one of Canada's female political pioneers, "She Won The Vote For Women: The life and times of Lillian Beynon Thomas" is a fascinating, informative, definitive, and inspiring biography. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library 20th Century Canadian Political History and Women's Biography collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject that this hard cover edition of Robert E. Hawkins' "She Won The Vote For Women" from Great Plains Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Robert Hawkins is the past President & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina and, until 2023, he was a law professor in its Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. Bob grew up in Western Manitoba and is a graduate of St. John's College, University of Manitoba, which has awarded him an Honorary Doctorate. Bob has published extensively in leading Canadian Law Journals on constitutional and administrative law, and on the legal history of the Prairie region, including Lillian Beynon Thomas' role in the suffrage movement.
Freedom Boy: The Power of One Child's Inner Wisdom
Arash Jacob
https://www.arashjacob.com
Freedom Boy Publishing LLC
https://www.freedomboypub.com
9798218324957, $19.99, PB, 196pp
https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Boy-Power-Childs-Wisdom/dp/B0DBJD8SW1
Synopsis: When the world of Arash Jacob was suddenly upside down his father didn't help.
Raised inside a tornado world of drunkards, drugs, manipulation, and a father's destructive pain, only a spark of hopefulness inside young Arash, as well as a few well-timed angels in human skin, carried him through.
That is, until his father's blind, money-chasing, self-splitting craziness brought the house down on them both.
But life again conspired, through its twisty, surprising road, and Arash discovered exactly what he needed to do...
Critique: Candid, inherently fascinating, inspired and inspiring, "Freedom Boy" by mystic/healer Arash Jacob is more than just another coming of age in difficult circumstances account, rather it is an deftly crafted, intensely personal, true life account of a troubled child who was saved from what he didn't know he needed saving from, by a power right under his very nose. Eloquent, emotionally engaging, informative and insightful, "Freedom Boy" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections and reading lists.
The General Fiction Shelf
Spilling Innocent Blood
James W. Haddad
Commonwealth Books Inc.
https://commonwealthbooks.blackwidowpress.com
9781892986351, $25.25, HC, 136pp
https://www.amazon.com/Spilling-Innocent-Blood-Friends-Cowards/dp/1892986353
Synopsis: Cody Clayville is invited to a interracial party, located in the heart of Miami, Florida, at a well-known establishment called The Mansion. A fight over a girl starts, then Cody rushes to help his friend, George. Suddenly multiple gunshots ring out. Cody, with four bullet holes in his back, is abandoned by his friends. They do nothing to help him as he lies on the floor bleeding profusely. With Cody's final breaths he realizes to his disgust and sadness, his friends were actually his enemies. The shooter escapes and homicide fails to bring him to justice...
Critique: With the publication of "Spilling Innocent Blood: Fake Friends, True Friends, or Cowards", novelist James Haddad presents the compelling and inherently fascinating story of a young man's betrayal by his closest friends. Showcasing author James Haddad's impressive and narrative driven storytelling style, "Spilling Innocent Blood" is an emotionally engaging read from start to finish. One of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Spilling Innocent Blood" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Spilling Innocent Blood" from Commonwealth Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: James Haddad is the author of "Eyes of a Child". He is a former journalist for the St. Croix Avis Newspaper and is a columnist for Today Magazine. He has written nine classical novels and one nonfiction book. He acquired bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida International University. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1904516.James_Haddad)
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Better is the End
Curt A. Canfield
Independently Published
9798338138779, $22.00, HC, 244pp
https://www.amazon.com/Better-End-CURT-CANFIELD/dp/B0DFYPQ7ST
Synopsis: As revealed in Curt Canfield's novel, "The Errors of Mankind", Will Barnes was purged of the beast that drove him to survive and excel, regardless of how it impacted others, and found a peace that enable him to reconcile with his wife over past transgressions.
"Better is the End" is Canfield's sequel, and continues the story of Will Barnes as he finds this peace of mind being undercut by a darkness left behind by the beast in the form of an uncontrollable anger that causes him to lash out at others.
Feeling like an alcoholic, he follows the AA program. He retraces his steps through life to find others he has harmed and then struggles with the process of making amends. He finally completes the process and unexpectedly finds lasting peace in a surprising way.
Critique: Deftly crafted and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Better is the End", although the sequel to Curt Canfield's literary novel "The Errors of Mankind" can be read as a 'stand alone' novel as the author uses an effective and entertaining fictional format in addressing universal concepts: Why am I here?; What does it mean to be happy?; Am I good?; How can I be redeemed? While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Better is the End" is also available in paperback (9798335745628, $15.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: Curt A. Canfield's debut novel, "The Errors of Mankind," is an anti-war novel covering both World War II and Vietnam. It is not a war story, nor does it attempt to redeem either side in either conflict. It focuses on the key moral issues involved in each war's inception, prosecution, and aftermath; it also deals with the existential issues each character in the book must face as they make their pilgrimage through life. Curt published a sequel to It received a 5 out of 5 start review from a major book club.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
The Widow's Web
Susan Moore
https://susanmooreauthor.com
Bloodhound Books
https://www.bloodhoundbooks.com
9781917449625, $15.95, PB, 290pp
https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Web-gripping-psychological-thriller/dp/1917449623
Synopsis: When tech mogul Brad Jones is found drowned off the Marin coast, his death is quickly ruled a suicide. But his wife, Dr. Anna Jones, a renowned cyber-psychologist, isn't convinced. Driven by grief and suspicion, Anna begins to dig into Brad's past, uncovering secrets that lead her deep into the world of Silicon Valley's elite.
As Anna delves deeper, she crosses paths with Scott and Kristy Lyle, influential figures with connections reaching the highest echelons of tech power. The deeper Anna goes, the more she realizes Brad's death is tied to a dark, long-buried secret -- one that powerful people would kill to protect. Caught between the dangerous truth and powerful enemies, will Anna risk everything to expose the sinister forces at play?
Critique: An original, riveting, and compulsively compelling psychological thriller of a read from start to finish, with the publication of "The Widow's Web" author Susan Moore provides an inherently fascinating study of ambition and betrayal, secrets and power -- all with the message that in the words of Susan Moore -- the realization that "our worst enemies may be those we trust the most". A deftly crafted and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of technothriller fans that this paperback edition of "The Widow's Web" from Bloodhound Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Susan Moore (https://susanmooreauthor.com) is an author and screenwriter whose creative journey has been fueled by the world of technology. Her work captures the essence of what it means to be human in a complex and ever-changing world. She has over three decades of experience working in the film, tech, and media, most notably at Skywalker for Lucasfilm Ltd. She has been successfully published worldwide for the 'Nat Walker Trilogy' and 'Power Families' series, and has an MA with distinction in Creative Writing from Kingston University, London.
Secrets of a 100 ft. Boy
Julien Charles Leigh Lowenfels
Palmetto Publishing
https://www.palmettopublishing.com
9798822959910, $34.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Partially-Fictionalized-Semi-Autobiographical-Coming-Age/dp/B0DHSWC29W
Synopsis: Set in 1975, Santa Barbara, "Secrets of a 100 ft. Boy: A Partially-Fictionalized But Mostly-True Semi-Autobiographical Coming-Of-Age '70s Murder Mystery" by Julien Charles Leigh Lowenfels is a novel about family, pets, spirits, and a possible killer inhabiting a crumbling hotel.
A 10-year-old boy with high sensitivities guides us with gallows humor through this dark mystery populated by a motley crew of humans and animals who are living at the tattered but still dazzling El Encanto Hotel with a murderer -- maybe.
This is the mid-'70s glamorous "American Riviera" in Santa Barbara, where the intrigue heightens as they discover that a potential murderer is lurking among them, casting a grim shadow over the seemingly carefree intoxication of the grown-ups.
This ominous riddle is unraveled through the eyes of the 10-year-old protagonist, who possesses the eerie ability to see spirits and grow to a towering 100 feet; he may even resurrect a drowned kitten.
A dark and candid novel of mystery, comedy and drama, "Secrets of a 100 ft. Boy" draws inspiration from author Julien Lowenfels personal experiences and familial struggles, which takes place in the setting of a decrepit hotel in glamorous Santa Barbara. The biographical novel lends an element of paradoxical charm as well as the chilling addition of murder, -- and of course, room service!
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, memorable entertaining, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Secrets of a 100 ft. Boy: A Partially-Fictionalized But Mostly-True Semi-Autobiographical Coming-Of-Age '70s Murder Mystery" will be of specially appeal for readers with an interest in coming-of-age/cozy mystery stories that blend the elements of suspense, dark humor, social dysfunction, and the supernatural' with personal resilience, emotional healing, and the power of 'laughter over adversity'. One of those unique novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Secrets of a 100 ft. Boy" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community/academic library Contemporary Literary Biographical Fiction collections. It should be noted that his hardcover edition of "Secrets of a 100 ft. Boy" from Palmetto Publishing is also available in paperback (9798822959927, $24.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Julien Charles Leigh Lowenfels is a long-time member of a writing group. He is also an artist showcasing his oil paintings at www.saatchiart.com/jcamp, and a passionate nature enthusiast. He curates a Hollywood history site, a testament to his family's legacy (www.hollywoodgrandson.com). His writing's appeal crosses various audiences, resonating with the LGBTQ community, mystery fans, and dark comedy lovers.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
A Day Like Any Other
Tom Oliva
Ballast Books
https://ballastbooks.com
9781964934273, $29.99, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Day-Like-Any-Other/dp/1964934273
Synopsis: It's a day like any other for Andy Lemon and his family before the world changes forever. Technology stops working. Natural disasters rock the earth. Cars start exploding. Shaken by an unknown event, America as the land of the free turns apocalyptic overnight, and all hell breaks loose.
While Andy, a retired Marine, knows how to protect his family from the chaos, other citizens are tricked into government camps with horrid living conditions. Confronted with the plight of his people and plagued by visions of loss and defeat, Andy decides he must act before it's too late to save his family and his freedom.
At the White House, President Keller, blackmailed by the mysterious Mr. X, knew all about this deadly event -- and did nothing to stop it and guard his people. With the other top government officials locked in the Capitol Building, Mr. X has the president under his thumb, right where he wants him, and the American people are paying the price.
On his fateful journey to the capital to save his country, Andy reunites with his band of brothers and forges surprising alliances. Together, they recruit other freedom fighters to their cause and begin to uncover the truth of what the government has been hiding. When it matters most, they must risk everything on the battlefield to liberate their people and reclaim their livelihood in a riveting fight for freedom from tyranny and to craft their own destiny against all odds.
Critique: A simply riveting action/adventure post-apocalyptic military thriller of a read from start to finish, with the publication of author Tom Oliva's "A Day Like Any Other" is an all too believable extrapolation of current geo-political and technological trends of today. Exceptionally well written, It is impressive to note that "A Day Like Any Other" is the author's debut as a novelist. "A Day Like Any Other" will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after this novel has been finished and set back upon the shelf. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dystopian science fiction fans and military fiction enthusiasts that this hardcover edition of "A Day Like Any Other" from Ballast Books is also available in paperback (9781964934273, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Tom Oliva entered the United States Marine Corps in 1986 and retired in 2006. Throughout his twenty-year military career, he worked in aviation life support systems on fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Tom participated in three combat tours in the Middle East between 2002 and 2005.
The Poetry Shelf
Night Visit
J. R. Solonche
DOS Madres Press
https://www.dosmadres.com
9781962847179, $21.00, PB, 96pp
https://www.amazon.com/Night-Visit-J-R-Solonche/dp/1962847179
Synopsis: "Night Visit" is a compendium of free verse by veteran poet J. R. Solonche and introduces him as someone who is impressively gifted in the art of using words to forge memorable images and emotional resonance in the reader. For example:
Orthodox Paradox
After so much rain,
the sun was heaven sent,
but so was the rain.
Critique: A memorable volume of free verse to be browsed through one thoughtful and thought-provoking 'words as art' poem at a time, "Night Visit" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Poetry collections.
Editorial Note: Nominated for the National Book Award, the Eric Hoffer Book Award, and nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, J.R. Solonche is the author of 40 books of poetry and coauthor of another. (https://poets.org/poet/j-r-solonche)
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
Play Smart: Playground Strategies for Success in a Male-Dominated Workplace
Brigitte Gawenda Kimichik, JD
The Sandbox Series, LLC
https://www.thesandboxseries.com
9798990912618, $22.95, PB, 258pp
https://www.amazon.com/Play-Smart-Playground-Strategies-Male-Dominated/dp/B0DKFJ5SHS
Synopsis: Book #2 from The Sandbox Series, "Play Smart: Playground Strategies for Success in a Male-Dominated Workplace" by Brigitte Gawenda Kimichik is a comprehensive guide that is comprised of valuable insights, practical advice, and actionable strategies to empower women and educate men in challenging work environments.
With over 30 years of professional experience, Kimichik offers a DIY self-help manual that covers a wide array of topics, including how to build a strong professional network, seek proper mentorship, advocate for yourself, educate your male colleagues and human resources for assistance, balance parenthood with career aspirations, negotiate salaries or raises, overcome gender bias and unequal pay, and confidently navigate the boys' club corporate culture - all with grace and confidence.
Through inspiring examples and real-life anecdotes, "Play Smart: Playground Strategies for Success in a Male-Dominated Workplace" is essential reading for any woman looking to advance her career and shatter glass ceilings.
Critique: A seminal, 'real world' practical, and thoroughly 'user friendly' combination of instructional guide and 'how to' manual for women in business, "Play Smart: Playground Strategies for Success in a Male-Dominated Workplace" is extraordinarily informative, exceptionally well written, deftly organized and impressively presented. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95), this paperback edition of "Play Smart: Playground Strategies for Success in a Male-Dominated Workplace" by Brigitte Gawenda Kimichik is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college/university library Business Management/Motivation collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Born and raised in Germany, Brigitte Gawenda Kimichik, JD earned her Abitur in December 1980 from the Gymnasium Osdorf, in Hamburg, Germany, and came to the US thereafter to study. She received her BBA with Honors from UT Austin's McCombs School of Business in the summer of 1983 and her JD from SMU Law School in 1986. She retired as a real estate finance partner from Andrews Kurth LLP after 30 years of practice of law in 2015. She now writes about important subject matters, including sexual harassment in the workplace (Play Nice), how to be your best professional self (NEW: Play Smart), and hazing, bullying and sexual assault on college campuses.
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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