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MBR Bookwatch

Volume 20, Number 6 June 2021 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Able Greenspan's Bookshelf Diane Donovan's Bookshelf Gary Roen's Bookshelf
Helen Dumont's Bookshelf John Taylor's Bookshelf Laurel Johnson's Bookshelf
Mary Cowper's Bookshelf Micah Andrew's Bookshelf Michael Dunford's Bookshelf
Nancy Lorraine's Bookshelf Paul Vogel's Bookshelf S.A. Gorden's Bookshelf



Able Greenspan's Bookshelf

The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power
Roger Duncan, author
Michael E. Webber, author
Roger Duncan Consulting
9781734429022, $29.95, HC, 290pp

https://www.amazon.com/Future-Buildings-Transportation-Power/dp/173442902X

Synopsis: Most people have fantasized about stepping into the future, if only for a moment. Will there be flying cars? Will buildings be sleek, "smart," and clean, or will they be just one more dysfunctional component of a decaying infrastructure? Will there be robots everywhere? Will we have clean energy and clear skies or polluted air and water?

The evolution of buildings, transportation and power will determine how our future looks and feels. An impressive study, in the pages of "The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power", co-authors Roger Duncan and Michael Webber argue the Energy Efficiency Megatrend will shape our future technology. Buildings and vehicles will evolve into sentient-appearing machines such that we will be living, working and moving about inside robots. Buildings may develop personalities and the transportation system will have any manner of vehicle available at a moment's notice. This complex, interconnected system will be powered by the clean and efficient conversion of fuels and energy flows that surround us.

Critique: An inherently interesting, informative and engaging study that is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, thirty-two pages of Notes, and a seventeen page Index, "The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, college and university library Urban Sociology, Energy Production & Extraction, and Transportation collections and supplemental studies curriculum lists. It should be noted for students, academia, governmental policy makers, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Future of Buildings, Transportation and Power" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781734429008, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.55).

Editorial Note: Roger Duncan is a former Austin City Council member and former General Manager of Austin Energy, the city's municipal electric utility. Michael E. Webber is the Josey Centennial Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas, and Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a multi-national energy services and infrastructure company.

Whoa Dude!
Kevin G. Becker, author
Ned Hopkins, illustrator
Independently Published
https://whoadude-the-book.com
9781736752104, $16.99, PB, 222pp

https://www.amazon.com/Think-things-before-getting-smoking/dp/1736752103

Synopsis: With the rush to legalize marijuana for recreational and/or medicinal use, it has been lost in the haze that marijuana is a psychoactive drug. A drug that can lead to serious health problems, in some people. Most vulnerable are adolescents, young adults, and pregnant women, but heavy or chronic use of Weed can also lead to dependence and health complications for people at all ages. The scientific evidence clearly shows effects of Cannabis and Cannabis products on Cognition, Memory, and IQ as well as influencing Psychosis, Anxiety, Depression, Cardiovascular problems, and other health and behavioral problems.

"Whoa Dude!Think on these things before getting too deep into smoking Weed*: *or what the science of marijuana is telling us about the harmful effects for you, your friends, or your kids." by Kevin Becker leads the reader directly to and through the science of Marijuana and the deleterious medical effects on our health.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Whoa Dude!" is an impressively informed and informative contribution to our current national discussion concerning the use and legalization of marijuana -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to highschool, community, college and university library Health/Medicine collections in general, and Marijuana supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Whoa Dude!" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: Kevin G. Becker received a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1989 in Molecular Biology and Genetics. He spent 30 years as a scientist in the Intramural Research Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This included postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, Neurological Diseases and Stroke, and The National Human Genome Research Institute. He was a Staff Scientist at the National Institute on Aging for over 20 years. He has published on a broad range of topics including aging, autoimmune disease including multiple sclerosis, autism, bioinformatics, gene expression, genetics, immunity, metabolism and neuroscience. He is an author or co-author on over 300 peer reviewed scientific publications.

Able Greenspan
Reviewer


Diane Donovan's Bookshelf

The Essence of Nathan Biddle
J. William Lewis
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626348462, $27.95 HC, $8.69 Kindle, 440pp

https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Nathan-Biddle-William-Lewis/dp/1626348464

The Essence of Nathan Biddle follows a Southern boy's coming of age and search for meaning, and is recommended for mature teen to adult audiences looking for a powerful blend of mystery, philosophy, and psychological inspection.

Of these elements, perhaps an appreciation of philosophy will be the biggest prerequisite for readers of this novel. The story is introduced with a reference to Kierkegaard and continues to weave elements of various philosophies into Nathan Biddle's story as it opens, surprisingly, not with a piece of his life, but a reflection about his death: "On the first anniversary of Nathan's death, we went to the sea. We may have been looking for the ungraspable image that Melville said is visible in all rivers and oceans, but I didn't see it. Maybe I wouldn't have recognized it if it were floating like flotsam on the surface of the water. In any case, I didn't see the image and I didn't find the key to it all."

His death is inconceivable to the first-person narrator, the ocean offers comfort, and as Nathan's story unfolds, it's evident that the brooding narrator's foray into Existentialism offers some means of special understanding of these unique matters.

As Kit reflects on his uncle's demise and tragic life and faces his own confrontation with death, he begins to lose track of a deeper meaning: "I was so intent on finding an explanation of the meaning of existence that I couldn't understand the point of the discussion. I struggled with it for several hours before giving up. I don't know how long it took me to figure it out, but I finally realized that existentialism doesn't give answers; it just gives a person a theory for superimposing meaning on his existence. That wasn't what I was looking for."

Readers follow Kit's slow enlightenment process to receive keys to understanding not just philosophy's connection to life, but his family ties with his mother and his 'not quite friends' relationship with Anna, which is mercurial and as puzzling as his uncle's influence.

J. William Lewis excels at twists of language that lead readers to think about understated meanings and unexpected revelations: "Are you awake, Kit?" my mother asked sweetly. I had opened my eyes and I was looking directly at her, so she had to know perfectly well that I was awake. What she really meant was, "Are you ready for a bomb, Kit?"

Kit's ability to grasp nuances of these relationships and life's meaning leads readers into the satisfyingly complex story of a young man's proclivity for trouble, getting fired, and skirting on the edge of existential enlightenment.

Kit questions his identity, relationships, and trajectory, bringing readers a satisfying story steeped in Southern lingo, atmosphere, and a touch of intrigue within the overlay of a coming of age story that keeps readers engaged and guessing to the end.

His search for a better place, a different reality, and answers to life's meaning make for an engrossing, involving story that's hard to put down as his unique version of reality traverses questions and new insights.

The Seeds of Eden: Privileged Secrets
Harper Woods
Independently Published
9798636635604, $18.98 Paper/$.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Privileged-Secrets-Book-One-Seeds/dp/B08732LVX6

Book One in the Seeds of Eden series, Privileged Secrets, is a strong political thriller set in a world where a new religious order, The Society of Truth, is taking over. Thousands of people are being brainwashed daily by this cult, which professes to know secrets about achieving immortality. But its members and these secrets are about to be challenged by an underground organization whose sole purpose is to expose and contradict corrupt groups.

Erica Pfeiffer is the best agent working on this alternate force. She is going undercover as a Society of Truth member to gain access to the mysterious artifacts that have given them this power. While on assignment as a spy, she also discovers a deplorable and sinister practice being conducted in the name of religion.

As Privileged Secrets evolves into a tense series of encounters that explores social and political challenges, it pairs action-packed scenarios with extraordinary forces reminiscent of Indiana Jones with a dangerous investigation of influences of the past in the manner of The Davinci Code. However, this story also examines the personalities and interests of cult members who have gotten involved and over their heads in the group's secrets and relationships.

"We have to be prepared for this inevitability. I'm sure God is. He probably inspired us to have this discussion."

With its premise backed by mystery and religious precedent, the Society seems invincible; its lure impossible to question or break. Erica is charged with gathering her evidence and ammunition from the beginning of time itself. This feels like an impossible situation as she confronts forces beyond even her own vast experience.

Will a new generation come to the rescue with a special brand of kindness and a secret strength from a Higher Power?

Readers who enjoy social, political, and spiritual overlays that bring characters and cults to life will appreciate how Harper Woods brings all these facets together in a tense thriller filled with many unexpected twists and turns.

When values of good and evil are turned upside down and a new cohort rises, can real free will change everything? A new movement within a movement, based on different values, emerges...but, perhaps not in time to save everyone.

Privileged Secrets proves a powerful force in both its characters and story line. It's thoroughly engrossing, psychologically gripping, and difficult to put down.

Political thriller readers are in for a treat!

The Dreamsinger
Edward Myers
https://edwardmyerswriter.net
Montemayor Press
www.MontemayorPress.com
9781932727432, $16.95 PB

In the Realm of Siir, teenage Allu's world, all music is forbidden. It's a power possessed only by the Masters who rule over everyone else. Despite this edict, Allu is by nature musically gifted, and her abilities are recognized by these Masters, who decide to hone her craft for their own purposes.

As The Dreamsinger unfolds, Allu finds her gift and its perceived value at odds with her innate inclination to employ it for a different purpose. Complicating matters is a romance which presents Allu with additional questions, challenges, and dangerous decisions.

Allu's unique voice threatens and promises to change everything. This likeable young protagonist is especially compelling and nicely drawn as Allu faces an evil that defies defeat, romance, and her growing powers as a novice musician in a world where music is strictly regulated. Allu feels she's been betrayed by her family. Will she be betrayed by her own emotions and her love, as well?

As she creates forbidden music with her would-be lover, Ned, she comes to question the Masters and their purposes, as well as her role in exploring her gifts in a different manner than she was raised to believe. Allu uncovers how the power of music can risk the Masters' rage and reign, and she finds out why they are so controlling and so afraid of her music being released into the world.

Edward Myers embeds The Dreamsinger with lovely, evocative reflections as Allu faces important decisions and finds her loyalties becoming fluid: "The Song Guards started singing the Anthem Against Evil. The tune took Allu by surprise. She forced herself to pay attention, took a deep breath, and joined in. The Guards' voices rose like startled pigeons. Allu couldn't help but smile to herself: so much for those traitors!"

Allu soon finds within herself the courage to identify who is the real traitor, who remains true to music and the harmony of good in her world, and what path she should choose for herself and her community.

Edward Myers creates a bold and strange new world where a young woman is at the heart of social and artistic transformation--changes that are intrinsically linked in this book.

The Dreamsinger will appeal to fantasy readers--both young adults and adults--who seek a tale that is evocative, absorbing, and powered by a young woman who comes into her own various talents as a composer and singer.

A Collection of Words
Sea Gudinski
seagudinski.com
Art of Telling Publications
9781734844702, $10.00

https://www.amazon.com/Collection-Words-Sea-Gudinski/dp/1734844701

A Collection of Words gathers poetry and short prose representing the extent of Sea Gudinski's literary career, and is loosely arranged by the themes of birth, death, and rejuvenation.

Poetry and prose are presented in separate sections - an excellent way for literary readers to absorb each in their turn, allowing for an immersive experience unsullied by having to move in and out of very different literary forms presented back-to-back.

Poetry opens this collection with the title poem 'A Collection of Words', which reflects on the intention of the written word and its impact on a reader. Closely following this free verse assessment is 'Words and Their Worth', which considers why word choices and language can be fluid and meaningful between readers, and how they can lend to a "scintillating life."

As the subjects and poems progress, it's evident that this collection, more so than other poetry books, encourages a literary dance between reader and writer. The stage is set for new doors of perception to open as Gudinski examines the reckless joys of music, love, life, and, eventually, decline and death.

The prose section incorporates some of the heady rush of the poems, but adds more philosophical introspection and questions. It opens with 'Prometheus', a piece about the rise of man and his place in the universe, reflecting on "...this quaint little Eden and the man who accidentally happened upon a chance to possess the divine..."

These aren't just philosophical/spiritual/ethereal observations, as is evident in 'A Curt Rant About the Evils of the World'. This piece, in contrast, rails against the waste of the limitless power modern man holds in his hand but ill- considers: "We're walking around with little Pandora's Boxes in our pockets and we use them to entertain - and even worse - to control, to manipulate, and to bully one another."

Each poem and prose piece is a succinct examination of life, man's place in it, and the folly and fancies of changing the world. Embedded with poetic flair (even the prose pieces) and a sense of irony as they examine man's meaning and existence against the backdrop of the universe, A Collection of Words will especially delight philosophy and spirituality readers seeking more than just effervescent words from their literary works.

The Journey to Max - An Adoption Story
Christopher & Alejandro Garcia-Halenar, authors
Lea Embeli, illustrator
XanMaxBooks
www.xanmaxbooks.com
9781732604438, $9.99

https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Max-Adoption-Story/dp/1732604436

Young picture book readers interested in the subject of adoption will find The Journey to Max - An Adoption Story a lovely journey narrated by Xander, whose little brother Max did not arrive to the family via the usual delivery vehicle.

Max was adopted; and finding him was an arduous affair. Xander and his two dads embark on cross-country road trips to meet potential surrogates and birth mothers who might be willing to add to their family, but are faced with disappointment each time.

This lively picture book story chronicles that journey from Xander's perspective, charting the course between their family's heart (which "never reached a full beat" without a sibling) to a young woman determined to find a family "who would love Max as much as she did."

These heartfelt moments inject emotion and caring into the journey and celebrate not only the new bonds created by the adoption, but the expansion of love into their extended family, including Max's birth mother.

The Journey to Max is a lovely adoption chronicle that stands out from other picture books on the subject. It embraces the journey, the results, and the wider range of love that evolves from the quest, as well as the loving relationship between two men and their children.

Lovely illustrations by Lea Embeli color the journey and create a memorable, involving tale highly recommended for picture book readers and adults seeking wider-ranging, positive stories of diverse family choices and relationships.

The Way of Miracles
Mark D. Mincolla, PhD
Beyond Words Publishing
www.beyondword.com
9781582708287, $21.00

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Miracles-Accessing-Your-Superconsciousness/dp/1582708282

The Way of Miracles: Accessing Your Superconscious comes from a holistic practitioner who maintains that we create miracles via our super conscious minds, and that developing that mind and its spiritual connections is what generates the miracle itself.

Documented research into health 'miracles' (including his own self-cure of a life-threatening illness), consciousness-raising exercises to strengthen self-healing capabilities, and discussions of the science and energy of the human brain and mind power a title which will especially appeal to readers interested in health, new age, and self-healing.

His survey also adds philosophical insights into the mix: "We know that stress triggers emotional tension, which causes dis-ease and ultimately disease. This is a sequence of events evolving from energy to manifest as matter. It is our tendency to see life solely from a matter-based perspective; thus, our current Newtonian understanding of medicine is, for the most part, based on our knowledge of cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. Moreover, here in the West, when it comes to establishing the causal root of disease, the prospect of energy remains curiously absent."

As Dr. Mincolla shares his experiences, techniques, and insights, practitioners and patients alike receive the rare opportunity to understand how applied self-help and healing techniques alter the body and mind.

More than many other books about healing energy, self-help, and transcendence, The Way of Miracles combines insights on empowerment and enlightenment with the mental and physical energy that accompanies chosen paths to health.

It's highly recommended for new age, spirituality, philosophy, and health readers alike, and is strengthened by a blend of science and applied new age thinking that stands out from the crowd.

The Sower
Rob Jung
https://www.robjungwriter.com
Hawk Hill Literary, LLC
9781736610800, $15.95

https://www.amazon.com/Sower-Book-Two-Chimera-Chronicles/dp/1736610805

The Sower is Book Two of the Chimera Chronicles, and continues the story introduced in its prequel, The Reaper. In that first story, Catalan artist Joan Miro's painting, popularly known as 'The Reaper', disappears after the 1937 Paris World Exposition. The last week of that exposition was captured by the experiences of security guard Francois Picard and freight hauler Antoine Lipp in a historical piece that brings the time and the painting's fate to life.

The Sower continues the saga, and will best be read by those who have enjoyed The Reaper. It carries on the story of what happened after the painting was recovered and a murder mystery investigation begun in 2014, calling into question the recovered art's authenticity and introducing a multifaceted new character in transgender Minnesota P.I. and ex-Marine Veronica "Ronni" Brilliant.

Ronnie is charged with solving the murder of Lorraine Blethen, Magnolia Kanaranzi's mother (introduced in the first story), but battles her own trauma and past as she struggles to do her job. At first Magnolia is disturbed about what Ronnie might uncover, but she's admonished that "I have it on good authority that a sex change operation takes their backbone as well as their balls."

Aaron Feldman, Kanaranzi's chief policy adviser, thinks the investigation won't get in the way of Magnolia's political ambitions and plans, but he's wrong. Veronica exhibits tenacity irregardless of her gender, and proves to be a bulldog that can't let go of a lead...even if it threatens her life.

As conflicts escalate between Kanaranzi and her estranged son and a secret campaign to intimidate Ronni comes to light, Ronni's determination not to become embroiled in a political race is overturned by her increasing involvement in a plot that holds many surprising twists.

Far more than the usual murder mystery or thriller approach, the historical and psychological elements of The Sower are outstanding. The true history is so realistically woven into the story line that readers who usually eschew the tendency of historical fiction to impart too many dry facts will find the combination of Ronni's intrigue, problem-solving, and social struggles make for a compelling piece that's hard to put down.

More than a whodunit mystery, it's a story of redemption, growth, subterfuge, politics, and a determined investigator's pursuit of the truth not only about Magnolia and her family, but her own psyche.

Set in the political and social milieu of Boston, Minneapolis and St. Paul and including fine details on Ronni's personal relationships and conundrums, The Sower proves every bit as compelling as its predecessor. It will attract an audience of historical mystery readers looking for more psychological depth than the usual murder mystery offers.

Where I Live Some of the Time
Barry Vitcov
Finishing Line Press
www.finishinglinepress.com
9781646624331, $19.99

https://www.amazon.com/Where-I-Live-Some-Time/dp/1646624335

The poetry in Where I Live Some of the Time is about life connections, aging, and change. It traces the evolution of poet and educator Barry Vitcov's life as he reviews the "predictive surprise" life brings.

These are evocative free verse pieces often grounded in a sense of place and time, setting the stage for transformative moments as in 'Old Friend Calls': "No ocean view from this sprawling Carmel house/Above the village and below the highway/Situated like a bride's maid/Waiting for another's adventures to begin/Surrounded by art and randomness."

Vitcov seeks to "embrace the uncertainty and the burden/Of cyclical change and expectation" and looks for surprise and insight even in the weather, captured in 'Sousa the March King': "March arrived in late February/Snow softly tiptoeing like a sleepy housecat/The wind roaring like lions."

Under his observational pen, even a dog walk is cause for reflection, as in 'Poodle Walk': "Poodles never seem to notice/The changes I observe/Empty houses where seniors once lived/Or their own mortality."

Pets, people, and portraits of angels and man permeate a fine gathering of life reflections highly recommended for poetry readers who look for free verse that captures both the moment, a sense of place, and a timeline of aging.

Where I Live Some of the Time is a lovely collection that lingers in the mind longer after the last poem is imbibed.

Conduit: The Beginning
James Alexander
J&A Publishing
ASIN: B007CLQIHY, $2.99

https://www.amazon.com/Conduit-Beginning-James-Alexander-ebook/dp/B007CLQIHY

Conduit: The Beginning is an alien invasion story about the destruction of mankind from within and outside, reflecting the evolution of hope in the birth of a baby who hones extraordinary abilities after his mother is shot in a mall.

For Marc, placed in foster care after this event and forced to grow up in a challenging social system, these abilities have both plagued and supported him, but they seem pointless until aliens come to town.

When he learns of these beings' special interest in and deadly purpose for humanity, and the truth about his own origins, Marc comes to believe he may be the only one to save the world, even broken as he is.

A new day is dawning, for both Marc and humanity. But first, both must accept a revised vision of the world and their place in it, in order to survive the aliens' intentions.

From a president who becomes involved in the seeming peaceful relationship between races, but who faces treachery from his wife, to Jack and Adrianna Connor's handling of Marc after the shooting and years later, when Marc returns to date their daughter, Conduit: The Beginning excels in many satisfying twists and turns of plot that introduces a host of characters.

As lives become entwined and threats move from political to personal circles, Conduit: The Beginning builds a different kind of alien story that is as much about alienation and heroism on different levels as it is about a world-changing invasion.

Marc is an experiment from the past with the sole key to change the present...but only if he can survive the invasion to fulfill his potential.

James Alexander does an excellent job of depicting Marc's changing life, his uncertain progression through childhood into an adulthood that itself suffers a sea change, and the motivations and psychology of characters around him, who also evolve in different directions as they age.

Tension is well done and the story's unexpected progression places it above and beyond most (too-predictable) alien invasion scenarios.

The result is a sci-fi read covering the ends of some worlds and the beginnings of others. Conduit: The Beginning's ability to draw readers with a fine anti-hero flawed by his own mystery and uncertainties, yet able to step up to an unbelievable role, creates a read that's hard to put down.

Magical Mia - Kindness is Contagious
Julie Cassetta
Grow Good Publishing
https://growgoodpublishing.com
9781736420812, $11.99 Paper, $18.95 Hardback, $4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mia-Contagious-Julie-Cassetta-ebook/dp/B08XG3Z3YG

Magical Mia - Kindness is Contagious presents a picture book recipe for kindness and joy with the life perspective of Mia, who maintains that magic lies within, and in one's choices about reacting to new things: "Magic isn't something outside of yourself./Look at that girl sitting all by herself./Sometimes I get scared to meet someone new./But I trust the magic, and she looks scared too."

When one puts oneself into the world in an enthusiastic, accepting manner by taking risks, "the magic begins." In this case, it revolves around a new friend and Mia's act of kindness, which builds bridges instead of barriers.

Elena Taranenko's appealing drawing captures this blossoming friendship, illustrating how the magic Mia begins spreads from friend to friend, with new opportunities and positive results.

However, giving is a two-way street. When Mia encounters difficulty in math, her friend's help adds another building block to this special magic: "Noah's magic grew bigger that day,/because he cared enough to show me the way."

Kids and read-aloud adults will delight in an uplifting story of the real magic of kindness and how it spreads, and will appreciate the opportunity to relate this perspective and its lessons to daily life events. Magical Mia - Kindness is Contagious is highly recommended reading as an early formula for success.

Clarity: A Memoir
Diana Estill
https://dianaestillauthor.com
Corncob Press
9780990644231, $14.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YM2C42M

At age four, author Diana Estill was largely parenting herself, managing the family finances and shopping for groceries while her father chased women and her mother checked out. Clarity: A Memoir mines these early memories for important insights about abuse and its lasting impact on families.

Clarity is about the process of growing up virtually alone, without guidance, and falling into the trap of manipulation. From having to confront childhood monsters without the comfort of caregivers, to handling frightening adult responses to life, Estill reveals how emotionally abused children navigate their world to survive. When her volatile father drives dangerously, raging at a sputtering auto engine, she intuits his message: Perform or perish. "Never would I disobey my dad, I resolved. When he raged, even his car feared him." That singular thought readies her for a lifetime of people pleasing.

From coping with her father's sexual fixations, to an abrupt move from an urban to a rural lifestyle, Estill searches for an ever-elusive normalcy. Even after she marries, she's still trapped with her crazy family and looking for a way out: "...my marriage had not extinguished the need to escape home. All I had gained was a cellmate."

As her story moves into spiritual realms, Estill finds a level of acceptance and a different kind of love that changes her perspective. "Reluctantly I accepted what I'd spent a lifetime denying. I would never have the relationship I craved with my mom or dad.

Filled with moments of self-discovery that will especially resonate with fans of The Glass Castle and The Liar's Club, Clarity is more than just a memoir. This personal narrative told in a fictional style traces the path from abuse to recovery and forgiveness.

Readers interested in stories replete with psychological and emotional depth will welcome this engaging read.

Exploring Other Lifetimes
Patty Paul
www.23brightfuture.wixsite.com/patty-paul
IMdex Publishing
9780964272706, $16.99

https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Other-Lifetimes-Memoir-Journey-ebook/dp/B08Z7SF478

Exploring Other Lifetimes: Memoir of a Soul's Journey presents some thirty of Patty Paul's other lifetimes, which she visited in self-guided meditations in order to understand how they connect with her current incarnation. Paul is especially astute at describing what she discovered and experienced and how it impacts her present-day world.

If this sounds like just another past life or reincarnation approach, be advised that Patty Paul's perspective is very different. It is based on the premise that these other lifetimes are all happening at once, at various levels of consciousness, and have influence on her current life for specific reasons.

As they simultaneously unfold and intersect, they hold lessons, spiritual relationships, and opportunities for self-discovery that are accessible through meditation and other techniques, which Paul describes at the end of her book.

Another way in which Paul's book diverges from the new age norm is its ability to provide not just reviews of these other lives, but summations of their impact, like this one in Chapter 6: "This is the bigger picture of Mignon's lifetime: Mignon's is a beautiful and powerful key lifetime. It is another moment in the continuum of spiritual growth that began with Maya's first directional lifetime - the one in which certain primary positive and negative influences were established which are present, to one degree or another, in all my lifetimes."

From various issues such as trust, leadership, and decision-making to how learning about these lifetimes changed her reality, Paul provides readers with a unique memoir that is as much a path to personal empowerment as it is an exploration of her individual soul's journey.

Her ability to be specific about these lifetimes and their lessons sets this book apart from others, offering a vivid memoir filled with thought-provoking insights and opportunities for transformation, growth, and a revised purpose in considering life's spiritual roots and choices.

While new age readers will be the most likely audience willing to pick up and absorb Exploring Other Lifetimes, ideally it will also be found in spirituality and self-help libraries, offering open-minded, growth-oriented self-help readers an unusual blueprint to a realizing a revised, more perceptive and effective life.

Stronghold
Kesha Bakunin
https://www.keshabakunin.com
Atmosphere Press
https://atmospherepress.com
9781637529379, $23.99 paperback

https://www.amazon.com/Stronghold-Kesha-Bakunin/dp/1637529376

Readers of political parables and fiction that hold familiar settings and thought-provoking insights into the origins of repression and tyranny will find Stronghold a frightening read. This is even more significant because it was banned in Kesha Bakunin's home country, a Soviet satellite where Bakunin observed firsthand the fall of his homeland into dangerous patterns of authoritarianism, social conformity, and religious orthodoxy.

In this world, even a cautionary tale can be viewed as seditious and dangerous, and can be banned such as Stronghold was. This fact makes Bakunin's determination to spend years seeing its incarnation in English to warn the wider world even more admirable.

Stronghold opens with Erik Mortensson's acceptance of an orb that makes him a Keeper doomed to death by his obsessed cousin. The next scene moves to Lord Untu Va'aldek, a man of science in possession of dangerous information.

Nobody has ever made it into the Stronghold, which has existed as leaders and regimes rose and fell. Keepers and would-be claimants of its mysteries, whether they are learned men or tribal members, tend to die.

But as the story unfolds in all its complexity, the real truth and meaning of the Stronghold and its promises and challenges come to light.

It should be noted that despite its political power and ability to disturb, Stronghold holds a mercurial, fluid story line with many changing viewpoints, timelines, and social and political insights. Readers who anticipate a straightforward tale of repression or discovery may often find themselves lost and wondering as the story moves between past and present, different peoples and political systems, and stark contrasts between princesses, judges, astute observers of and participants in clashing political processes, and more.

The language is often passionate, revealing, and filled with insights that embrace not just political and social strife but family relationships changed by them: "You describe my father as the basest of scum. I'm afraid he is. Not only - and even not mainly - because of what he did to you. In his life, the man I've been calling the Seer hurt many people. And the fact that they - we, the Hounds - didn't realize it, doesn't change the fact that we've been wronged. He saved our lives but in return he took ownership of them. He taught us a lot, but in exchange we paid with our sight, that strangest of powers I'll never be able to understand which you all take for granted."

The result is both a parable and a warning that demands from its readers an ability to be both intellectual and flexible as the fluid story line moves between examples of transformations both personal and political: "How had he arrived to where he was now? He had turned into a sectarian fanatic, falling prey to the same ideology he had intended to use and renounce. He'd lost his dazzling wife and acquired instead a pack of submissive underage slaves who - if he was being honest with himself - aroused in him fewer carnal desires than a writing desk. And finally, he had come to fear - truly and terribly - his ruler, the self-styled caliph. Duke Rur realized that he had become everything he used to despise."

This process of how systems and people move from ideals to become what they inherently distrust is one of the threads that make this novel so wrenching and idealistically demanding.

Readers interested in a blend of fantasy and political and social inspection will find Stronghold no light discourse, but a powerful statement that lingers in the mind long after its initial reading, demanding multiple rereads to reveal all the gems layered within its complex tale.

Henry and the Gym Monster
Ben Lancour
Ben Lancour Books
benlancourbooks.com
9781736716601, $3.99 Kindle; 12.99 Paper; $16.99 Hardback

https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Gym-Monster-Childrens-Responsibility-ebook/dp/B08YM1RMSX

Kids who enjoy physical education will find much familiar in Henry and the Gym Monster, where young Henry confronts a PE teacher and a monster who have different ideas about the importance of physical education class.

Good reading skills will lend further appreciation to the story, which receives creative and colorful illustrations by Emily Bennett as it surveys Henry's confrontation with Manny the Monster, who cannot be seen by the strict gym teacher who penalizes Henry for shouting, ignoring directions, and bullying...all ideas that this evil Monster has given him.

Regulated to the sidelines, Henry struggles with a monster that grows larger the more Henry blames Manny for his choices. How can Henry vanquish an enemy who has grown too large to handle, created through Henry's own choices to do the wrong things?

Ben Lancour creates a fine story in which the traditional monster does not come from an outside threat, but from within. The monster action takes place not at night, but in broad daylight. And Henry's problem-solving efforts and final solution are unexpected, fun events that are unpredictable and appealing.

The sense of humor and pleasing action assure that picture book readers receive a lesson that is as inviting a leisure read as it is an educational lesson about following one's heart and vanquishing inner monsters by choosing the right thing (kindness).

Adults seeking to teach kids about the effects of good and bad choices will find Henry and the Gym Monster offers an excellent lesson on perspective and individual choice.

OOF: An Online Outrage Fiesta for the Ages
Strobe Witherspoon
Marginal Books
9780578863108, $3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/OOF-Strobe-Witherspoon-ebook/dp/B091D9BX4D

OOF combines satire and serious social inspection in a novel format that will intrigue literary, political, and social issues readers alike, and represents a unique inspection that is both fun and sad at the same time.

The story opens with a preface by a FLOTUS who remarks on her role and the irony and insults of those who commented on it: "People always ask me how he smelled. It's an invasive question. And insulting. As if he smelled really bad, and that was evidence I was just with him for the money...Everyone responded to his charm. Even when he was making people do things they didn't want to do. "It's gonna be so good for you. So stop with the hemming, the hawing, and approve da project already," he told people over meals of steak and cake. "Weren't you just arm candy?" people ask."

This special brand of the satirical inspection of modern-day events will especially intrigue literary readers who like various representational devices wound into their stories.

These include Twitter feed comments on social and political ironies and outrageous acts ("Finally!!!!!!! someone took on the important task of representing the struggles of a Slovakian supermodel and her sketchy ass parents as they game the immigration system for their own benefit. That fixes everything. #sarcasm"), articles by followers of the Hellfire Prophecy and the author himself, the certainty that worlds are ending and new ones being re-envisioned, and letters and notes.

Witherspoon includes his own observations and progressions within the course of a spicy story replete in angst, sales pitches, revelations about the foundations of tyranny, and truth in propaganda.

Many of the story's contentions are disturbing as well as eye-opening. If one reads closely, the roots of personal and social survival are also embedded in these attacks and ideas: "I can use that sadness to open up new networks of discovery within myself, which will open me up to others and close me off to the negativity that modern society has brought upon us, with the bureaucrats, the plutocrats, and the kleptocrats, all the crats that have been nibbling away at our essences over time, creating a vicious circle of corruption, deception, and despair."

Readers of social and political satirical literature will appreciate OOF for its full-flavored inspection of social assaults by media and political entities alike.

The fact that these comments are well couched in the media devices of modern times makes them even harder hitting and more absorbing, both mirroring real life and moving into realms of hope and despair. That the author weaves his own saga into his Book of Strobe adds a delightful tone of inspection and tongue-in-cheek intersection between the personal, the literary, and the political in a story that is not linear, but always entertaining and thought-provoking.

Good Night Phobos, Good Night Deimos
Tim Baird
www.timbaird.com
Independently Published
9781087948935, $9.99

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1087948932

Good Night Phobos, Good Night Deimos celebrates a child's space-roving imagination with a bedtime story that surveys an astronaut's habitat and the process of bidding goodnight to the devices and atmosphere of a world in which Phobos and Deimos occupy the night sky.

Lovely illustrations by Jamie Noble Frier accompany a fun survey of these items, from an airlock and 'meat' which is a reconstituted square to a "little tardigrade" under a looking glass, an astronaut who "still measures in feet," and the sprockets and rockets that occupy a bedroom.

Space-loving children with active imaginations about the planets who would imagine how an astronaut goes to bed in Mars will relish this story, as will read-aloud adults who join them in an exploration that, at times, will require word definitions; but which rewards young nighttime explorers with a very different world of possibilities than the usual bedtime tale offers.

Its fantasy and science blend proves a very satisfying adjunct to read-aloud bedtime books rooted in Earthbound scenarios.

Frankenbots: Sunken City of Scraps
Michael Ferrone
https://www.frankenbots.co
Independently Published
9781734947557, $13.99

https://www.amazon.com/Frankenbots-Sunken-Scraps-Michael-Ferrone/dp/1734947551

Frankenbots: Sunken City of Scraps is a fun fantasy picture book story that opens with Stu and the Frankenbots reviewing the many different invaders, human and alien, that Earth has experienced over the eons.

Stu and his force are tired of being the sole defenders of the planet...and so they post a town hall meeting notice to invite other mechanical Frankenbots to "learn the nuts and bolts" of beating galactic invaders.

The problem with collaborative thinking is that everyone has a different idea of how best to fight; from force fields and dynamite to lasers. All the ideas have pros and cons and cause the Frankenbots to battle among themselves instead of joining together.

When a rumbling noise leads them to investigate an underground legend, things begin to change.

Michael Ferrone's whimsical attitude about a tired mechanical army, the power of Sunken City, and revelations about how to work together imparts a fine message embedded in a robot-packed story that kids will find intriguingly different and fun.

The main message ("They were there to work as one/But disagreeable bots can get nothing done.") is imparted through a quirky, fun exploration that will delight the very young and read-aloud parents alike.

Adults looking for robot stories that first attract young leisure readers, and then imparts an essential message about tackling life's problems, will find the simple yet powerful story perfect for accomplishing two goals: leisure reading, and understanding the power of cooperative thinking.

Dying for Dominoes
Jane Elzey
Scorpius Carta Press
9781734642810, $26.99 Hardcover; $13.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/Dying-Dominoes-Cardboard-Cottage-Mystery/dp/1734642815

Dying for Dominoes is a Cardboard Cottage murder mystery about a group of middle-aged women charged with enjoying the games that draw them together in the Tiddlywinks Players Club, headed by Amy Sparks.

During the course of the game, a confession about a best friend who is tired of her fourth husband leads to an investigation when he's found murdered, leading Amy to believe that perhaps the game served as a warning of impending disaster, imparting information she was privy to.

Charged with supporting her friend and uncovering the truth about her husband's death, Amy becomes a sleuth determined to win a very different game...one which tests the boundaries of friendship.

Jane Elzey's blend of murder mystery and a circle of female friends who get together to play dominoes and talk makes for a cozy, warm story that is as much about evolving interpersonal relationships that change under adversity as it is about whodunit.

Elzey creates warm moments and thoughtful inspections of middle age, sisterhood, and murder that tests and expands friends' perceptions of their lives, heritage, and approaches to problem-solving: "Amy, listen to me," Genna continued, her face flushed. "None of us had a reason to run Zack over. Zip. Nada. Nil. That's the story, no matter who is doing the telling. Or who is doing the asking. Not one of us had a motive nor opportunity to kill Zack. Even if that fat, stinky old copper thinks we did! Got it?" "Except for me." Zelda's voice was barely audible. "I doubled Zack's life insurance policy six months ago. He thought it was a good idea." "Why did you do that?" Amy asked. "Protection against the odds. Zack was a horrible husband."

The blend of sassy, feisty, assertive women who take charge of the situation and a probe that begins to reveal more than a perp wants discovered adds to a story that is replete with strong characters, steeped in the atmosphere of the South and the culture of an Arkansas tourist town.

Dying for Dominoes is a moving story of discovery that tests the fine line between reality and insanity as the women use their game-playing prowess to tackle a real-life series of cat-and-mouse moves.

Cozy mystery readers are in for a delightful treat that engages female mystery readers, presenting a circle of savvy friends dedicated to supporting each other with affection while staying candid and realistic about all the possibilities in an evolving conundrum that threatens their lives, their trust in one another, and their ability to cheat the odds.

Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths
Steven Shwartz
Fast Company Press
www.fastcompanypress.com
9781735424538, $19.95 Paper/$9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Robots-Killer-Computers-Other-Myths/dp/1735424536

Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths offers a rebuttal to those convinced that AI developments are bad, and that human-built artificial minds will take over the world to eliminate the human race. It's a reasoned argument that considers why this can't happen, making a case for the presence of robots, computers, and higher intelligence developments that can aid humankind.

In order to refute these fears, AI researcher and investor Dr. Shwartz presents insights into the latest technology and developments, syncing these scientific studies with the myths that have derived from alternate visions of their applications.

From self-driving cars to computer neural networks and prediction analysis, Dr. Shwartz provides many cautionary notes about AI developments and their pros and cons which are realistic and do not involve dominating or replacing human beings: "We need to educate people about the need to avoid data fundamentalism. Computers are not always right, and their output can be wrong for many opaque reasons. Before we act on an answer or recommendation from a computer system, it is often prudent to investigate how the computer system arrived at the answer. If we are to accept answers and recommendations from deep learning systems that lack interpretability, we at least need guidelines from the vendor on how to evaluate reliability. Another issue is that some predictive algorithms must remain secret."

We are already seeing some of these problems today, as people turn over tasks to automated systems without fully understanding or assessing their output using human analytical abilities.

Discussions eschew the hype and drama of the usual AI environment to consider issues of data bias; strategies for imbuing AI systems with thinking and reasoning capabilities akin to but not the same as human common sense; and understanding the limits and possibilities of machine learning.

Also included are discussions of new legal and social processes that must be put into place to adapt to the presence and possibilities of AI in human society.

The result is a fine introduction to modern AI potential and research which substitutes common sense, history, and science for the hype and drama which normally is injected into AI discussions. Its survey of both narrow AI and artificial general intelligence (AGI) should be required reading as a basic primer for any science and technology student interested in AI development and history.

Changing the Game
Craig J. Tomsky
Izzard Ink Publishing
www.izzardink.com
9781642280470, $37.95 Hardcover

https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game-Transforming-Game-Changing-Meals/dp/164228047X

Many who think of 'game' usually add a 'y' to the mental idea of consuming game dishes, but Changing the Game: Your Guide for Transforming Wild Game into Game-Changing Meals fosters the idea that game cookery need not involve flavors that are challenging for everyday eaters.

Indeed, this cookbook and discussion adds an element of gourmet to the game equation, discussing the basics of how to pair game's unique flavor with embellishments that make it not just palatable, but preferable.

The key involves 'unlocking flavor' and knowing how to prepare and spice different game meats to make the most of their unique qualities, while making the resulting flavor palatable for all.

Chapters review this process, discussing spices, herbs, marinades, and other ways of altering or enhancing the underlying qualities of game meat.

Many recipes, such as that for Savory Breakfast Sausage, are introduced by Craig J. Tomsky's reflections on experiments conducted to arrive at the finished recipe: "I don't even want to tell you how many times I attempted to get a "traditional" breakfast sausage flavor using mostly wild game meat. Lots of venison went into the multiple gyrations that got this recipe to where I wanted it. You can also substitute 7 pounds wild boar meat and 3 pounds fatty pork shoulder in this recipe."

Recipes run the gamut from gourmet (Twice-Cooked Goose Jerky, Waterfowler's Gumbo, or Smoked Breast of Wild Turkey made with Sweet Ginger and Mary Ann Rub) to everyday fare, such as a Sweet Italian Sausage made with venison or large game.

All that's required for success is access to fresh game and a new attitude towards cooking it for optimum crowd-pleasing results. Changing the Game provides the rest...the ingredients and flavors which promise perfection, finished with side dish suggestions and wine pairings for added attraction.

I Am Here: Postcards from My Daughter in Spirit
Judith Jones Togher
Izzard Ink Publishing
www.izzardink.com
9781642280630, $14.95

https://www.amazon.com/Am-Here-Postcards-Daughter-Spirit/dp/1642280631

I Am Here: Postcards from My Daughter in Spirit is about the after-death communications that mother Judith Jones Togher experienced after the death of her daughter. It provides a story of hope, inspiration, and afterlife possibilities to those who would read about a journey through grief and accept the possibility of a lingering spiritual connection afterwards.

Togher uses dreams, automatic writing, and mediums to reconnect with her daughter. Her process of journeying to new realms of discovery, grieving, and recovery through them will prove especially inspirational to those facing their own grieving process.

The succinct, hard-hitting introduction pulls no punches, laying out the course of this journey in the very first paragraph: "I lost a child. My youngest daughter died and I was so overcome with the darkness of grief that I wanted to die too. It was only when I knew she really was not far from me, and we could still communicate in a different way, that the darkness lifted and I began to heal and live the life I needed to live, in peace and in wonderment. I hope to convey ways for you to learn to recognize messages that your loved one may give you in Spirit, and to discover some techniques to help you through grief and loss toward healing and joy in life."

Togher finds pieces of her daughter in everyday life...postcards, if you will, which serve as healing reminders of past and present connections which last beyond death: "On a day of mixed memories centered on her life and passing, this message was exactly what I needed to hear. It's an example of my daughter's sense of humor and love for her friend."

These serve as reminders of a connection that does not fade, but is living proof of resilience, love, and the lasting power of a faith and opportunities that still exist after the death of a loved one.

As Togher documents these postcard reminders and the healing process they bring, readers will find many insights throughout. Those open to the work of mediums will also discover that the mother/daughter bond is strengthened through messages and perceptions of their continued applications to everyday people and events: "...she wanted me to tell a good friend in San Francisco that she was always there for her. She expressed that her friends were not open to her clues that she was near, and it caused her much frustration!"

Ideally, I Am Here will be chosen by those who struggle with grief after the death of a loved one, who are open to the possibilities of their continued presence in and influence on life after their passing. This audience will have set aside skepticism in favor of seeing opportunities to heal and revise their connections to their loved one, and will find I Am Here a golden opportunity to move ahead and onward, bringing not just the memories but the influence of a loved one through them in life.

Togher explains why this is so important to the recovery process, for her: "Spirit has reassured us of the afterlife. Suzanne has reassured me of her happiness, joy and the fact of her presence when I need her. There is nothing to fear of death, and knowing this, we find our grief from the loss of loved ones here on Earth is eased."

Through her experiences, readers receive keys on how to find, recognize, and use their own 'postcards' to develop a revised worldview and connections to spirit and deceased loved ones. I Am Here's notes about compassion and the accompanying grieving of those who also experienced loss on different levels are signposts to new opportunities and life perspectives.

I Am Here should be included on the reading lists of those recovering from grief and those interested in afterlife stories and how they affect the living.

Sacred Life: Healing from the Virus in Consciousness
Bedri Cag Cetin, Ph.D.
Independently Published
9798584936259, $9.95 Kindle; $15.00 Paperback

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08THF64VF

Sacred Life: Healing from the Virus in Consciousness covers the intersection between miracles and science, giving readers the opportunity to heal not just through discussions of spirituality and consciousness, but through an autobiographical journey that follows Dr. Bedri Cag Cetin's own experiences.

In this case study of consciousness, Cetin juxtaposes notes about the ego and psychological inspection with a spiritual overlay of reflection that has its roots in the pandemic and its threats.

These connections between world experience and threat and the teachings of a spiritual path which encourage adaptation, healing, and revised insights about the world creates a dialogue that draws readers into the possibilities inherent in this approach: "Contrary to my perception at that time, the first dream suggested that all the valuable things I thought I had lost were actually kept safe for me. And the second dream emphasized the importance of keeping my faith in my inner guidance along the lines of what my spiritual teacher had taught me many times."

Even readers relatively less informed about enlightenment and spiritual self-analysis will be able to access these concepts via the clear instructions and reflections Cetin provides: "Conflict is a sign that you have chosen the ego as your guide, which then dictates your thoughts, decisions, and actions. On the other hand, peace is a sign that you are in the company and supervision of your Inner Guide."

His focus on separating ego and spiritual interests and how to make the kinds of choices that lead to and support a sacred life independent of ego provides the specifics lacking in similar-sounding discussions, documenting the promise, process, and pitfalls of learning, using Cetin's experiences and life as a blueprint.

The blend of autobiography and teacher's wisdom is nicely balanced. It provides a simple spiritual message that will reach everyone willing to listen.

Powerful, instructional, and healing, Sacred Life: Healing from the Virus in Consciousness uses the pandemic experience as a starting point for effecting a process of inner transformation that is specific. It's grounded not just in new ideas for personal change, but ultimately the opening approach to creating a "new mind era" that ideally will lead to a shift in consciousness.

Cetin is at the forefront of this movement with a title that outlines a course any open-minded (and especially new age) reader can follow to envision and tap into their own sacred life.

Only Angels Gaze Toward Heaven
John Molik
https://www.facebook.com/WriterJOHN
Independently Published
9780473569723, $11.95 Paper/$2.95 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Only-Angels-Gaze-Toward-Heaven-ebook/dp/B091DCSBYR

Only Angels Gaze Toward Heaven opens with Jordan Del Cielo's life in a Mexican orphanage, La Casa de Santa Filomena. Replete in poverty and murky family memories, Jordan is rescued by the return of his father, who brings him to America. Armed with Christian faith and a resolution to help others, Jordan becomes involved in Doctors Without Borders and finds his love in Miriam, building a life far from his childhood angst.

It's all perfect until it's not. As Jordan inadvertently becomes involved in international technology smuggling, fueled by threats to his newfound family happiness and adopted son, he and Miriam face moral, ethical, and spiritual challenges that threaten to tear apart everything they have so methodically built on the foundations of their faith and convictions.

Readers who choose Only Angels Gaze Toward Heaven thinking it will be a religious novel about family ties will find that John Molik is just as adept at injecting thriller and suspense elements into this story as he is in presenting the evolving portrait of a family challenged both from within and by outside forces.

His focus on following Jordan from his youth to the promise of his journey to America and the unexpected forces that both bring him a soul mate, then threaten to drive them apart, creates a story line that is filled with satisfyingly unexpected twists and turns.

As soon as readers begin to identify a specific focus or genre (romance, coming of age story, or inspection of beliefs and morals), the plot injects another surprise to keep them involved and guessing about the outcome, which always seems to skirt the edge of tragedy.

From the politics of the DEA and Border Patrol and a criminal conspiracy that embraces everything Jordan loves to Saul Darthe and a cast of characters who harbor their own struggles and special interests, Molik crafts a multifaceted story that will especially appeal to thriller readers looking for complex plots and subplots that defy predictable conclusions.

Keeping all these changing characters and perspectives logical is no light feat, but Molik accomplishes this and more as he embeds a sense of purpose, faith, and conviction into the story lines of many different characters.

The result is a fast-paced romp through a man's changing world that will especially delight Christian readers looking for an intersection between faith, love, and the influences of a big, bad world.

A Collection of US Army Unit Crests
SFC William E. Cotter, Ret.
Independently Published
https://www.facebook.com/usarmyunitcrests
9780578783529, $149.00 + $20.00 shipping

If one should wonder at the hefty price tag of A Collection of US Army Unit Crests, it should be pointed out that this reference is well worth the cost, and should be considered an essential acquisition for any military library or collectors who have more than casual occasion to look up Army unit crests.

Over 13,000 unit crests appear in full color and embrace the range of crests, from authorized to unauthorized, beercan, and never-issued crests, as well as those strays that don't fit into any neat category.

Furthermore, the crests are presented in branch order and pages are marked by branches, allowing researchers to easily locate the appropriate crest by branch and cross-reference that crest to other units that also used it.

It only takes a comparison between SFC William E. Cotter's approach and the few other competing books on the subject to see the clear difference as to why this reference is so essential. Others are in black and white, or narrow the crest focus to specific branches. Some make it difficult to understand the particular nature of a crest which can be assigned to more than one area.

The last reference that claimed to be somewhat authoritative only covered 3,200 crests. With over 13,000 here, there is simply no comparison (or competitor) to this manual, which adds ROTC and JROTC unit crests to expand a collection that includes crests from artillery units, military intelligence, schools, ordinance, and others in chapters that make it a snap to locate a specific image.

The images of each crest are small, allowing for 30 crests to appear on a given page, max; but are large enough to allow for detail.

While the most likely reader of A Collection of US Army Unit Crests will be the military reference student, it also lends to leisure browsing by collectors, historians, and anybody who holds a special interest in military crest development. This reference is worth every penny, offering a format and scope unprecedented in military crest references and creating a key compilation that should be in all military libraries and on many a personal collector's reference bookshelf.

Where No Man Pursueth
Michael E. Jimerson
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781649218667, $15.77 Paper/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Where-Man-Pursueth-Micheal-Jimerson/dp/1649218664

Where No Man Pursueth is a novel of Civil Rights struggles, coming of age, and social and political change. It follows the life of Ray Elliott, who grows up to become a Texas Ranger on the side of a law which is influenced by Jim Crow prejudices and attitudes.

It opens with a child's nightmares and a decision about truth and consequences, then evolves into an adult's perspective on lynching, justice, and the wellsprings of prejudice reflected in a seemingly upstanding community: "Ray Elliott had heard racial slurs yelled out in anger. Although he didn't use such language, it was commonplace. Why did the words take him aback today? It was the source. The source seemed so unlikely. The offending speaker was a handsome man wearing a blue suit and a high starched collar with a matching tie."

The plot development, characterization, mystery, and compelling images of East Texas culture and evolution are nicely done.

Strong juxtapositions between a child's perception and an adult's interpretation of matters also provide satisfying insights into the development of not just individual characters, but the community and environment around and influencing them: "Spring was being heralded by the white flowers of the spindly dogwood trees blooming. He was taught the Cross at Calvary was made of dogwood and ever after the tree was reduced to spindly branches incapable of providing the implement of crucifixion ever again. He stopped long enough to touch the soft pedals. He remembered he was also taught every time he lied it was as if Christ was crucified all over again. The silly things they tell children."

A murder mystery and investigation fuels the plot and brings character insights and conflicts to life both within the courtroom and in the homes and lives of participants. The fact that the central character and 'hero' of the story is as flawed as many around him lends a realistic, engrossing touch as these characters, each damaged in their own unique ways by life circumstances and social influence, try to evolve beyond their upbringings and environment.

Should those with moral foundations help those without? Can lies ever be justified for the sake of a greater purpose?

These and other questions permeate a story that is much more than a murder mystery, social statement, or civil rights inspection. It develops all three facets under the flag of a community and individuals changed and challenged by its own ideals and perceptions as Ray faces an invasion not just of other forces, but an assault on his ideals.

Readers interested in stories about the South facing internal and external struggles will relish the Texas culture and the impact of social changes presented in this compelling story.

All Things Small
Norman B. Schwartz
Cresting Wave Publishing
https://gocwpub.com
9781735413549, $12.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/ALL-THINGS-small-Norman-Schwartz-ebook/dp/B08ZS9CXCQ

All Things Small is a literary fiction piece that takes place in Rome, where an ordinary American tourist becomes caught up in Italian culture in a strange manner that he hadn't anticipated. This romp through irony and strange encounters leads him to confront opera, the Mafia, gelato, plots, and a film shoot gone awry. A whimsical and eye-opening inspection is created that embraces all the nuances and flavors of Rome while immersing the protagonist and readers in a tour de farce.

From Nathan's desire to be a film cutter against all odds to his evolving romance and a way of life that seems intrinsic to Europe's slower speed, All Things Small begins with ordinary encounters and embraces the milieu of Italian art and culture: "The waves of the Mare Tirreno, the Tyrrhenian sea, rolled up on to the beach casually, slower than any waves he had ever seen before. Time, Roman time, continued to run at another speed. A seagull and a cormorant strolled side-by-side in slow-motion with no intention of flying. Why bother when you would only have to do it again?"

Nathan's fall into questionable circles and ambitions begins slowly, but evolves into a story laced with wit and irony as he ignores both common sense and the advice of others and finds himself in more than one kind of pickle: "The beginnings of all things are small," Nathan replied. "A poet said that."

As his immersion in film and European culture grows, Nathan discovers new opportunities that lead him beyond Rome to Hollywood, where his comic misadventures impart a wisdom and approach to the art that lead to success.

All Things Small makes the most of a European sojourn to explore an American wannabe film novice's adventures and growth process. Norman B. Schwartz excels in considering the rocky road to big bucks, new ideas, revised dreams, and the flexibility that Nathan develops as he navigates unfamiliar terrain to not only make his mark on the industry, but accept new directions as part of his life.

Schwartz creates a character who enters into unfamiliar territory and excels at not just surviving obstacles, but learning from them.

Nathan's long search begins with a small story. The surprising conclusion of his efforts gives a satisfying bang to the journey Nathan undertakes, both in a foreign land and in his own personal and professional development.

Readers interested in Italian culture, film, and interactions between Italians and Americans will find All Things Small a thoroughly engrossing tale that embraces Italian culture and approaches to life.

A Dangerous Freedom
John Ruane
Permuted Press
www.permutedpress.com
9781682619735, $17.00 Paper/$9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Freedom-John-Ruane/dp/1682619737

Thrillers revolving around terrorism and struggles against it abound; but what places John Ruane's story in a different category than most is its attention to building a character who confronts adversity in a different way.

Dylan Reilly has only resorted to carrying a gun in the aftermath of three attacks that threaten him and his wife. Dylan has become an expert shooter. This leads to an approach to confronting danger that is reminiscent of old-time Western days as he develops a sixth sense for trouble and protects wife Darleen and himself.

This story offers realistic focus on the lasting effects of 9/11 on the country. Dylan not only develops a hyper-ability to perceive threats and tackle them more effectively, but those around him acknowledge that this awareness has permeated society: "A smirk grew on the security guard's face. "Sure, I get it," said the officer with a strong Brooklyn accent. "You're at the Freedom Tower for the first time, right?" "Yes," said Dylan, looking around, realizing this guard wasn't taking him seriously. "You're overwhelmed by the fact that you're standing in the place where the worst attack on American soil took place, and you have to keep an eye out for terrorists, who will no doubt attack again, right?"

While Dylan's instincts are spot on and get him out of many kinds of binds, terrorist threats become part of the cat-and-mouse game he's always fighting: "Ziad felt no remorse about killing innocent civilians, Americans."

Forced to change his looks and his approach to identifying trouble in the making, Dylan finds that, too often, he remains the only obstacle to terrorist plots that others don't seem to see in advance.

Can the world's fastest gun outthink them all and prove a hero to a country reeling from violent attacks?

John Ruane does a particularly fine job of capturing the psychological milieu of modern-day America post-911. As his main protagonist's role and objectives are brought to life, so is the growth process of both an individual tasked with protecting others and the ordinary citizens of a nation tasked with protecting itself.

Readers who think that the proliferation of guns and those who employ them in the name of justice should be tempered might find the plot and actions of its main protagonist to be counter to their beliefs, but Ruane creates a thought-provoking inspection of the character of a man who turns to firearms to thwart his enemies.

As Dylan's coveted anonymity is lost, along with many of the things he treasures in life, he reinvents himself in a specific manner that leads him to expose not just himself, but the undercurrents of threat that create the very dangers communities strive to foil.

The result is a thought-provoking blend of cowboy-style heroism, terrorism inspection, and social commentary that will leave thriller readers thinking long after the final volley is fired.

Peril.
Chistopher Meerage
Independently Published
9781304259059, $2.99

https://books.apple.com/us/book/peril/id690294350?fbclid=IwAR2pc8H1LKk1PBJoRKp444X0cMm9xIHnTukVasePvwZBqoKHXrqTKUqEK-Q

When Tom and his colleague Kurt move away from their comfort zones into a strange world affected by an unusual drug, everything changes, in Peril. The two are used to business challenges and Tom even finds himself bored and frustrated by some customers and transactions, but when things begin to change, Tom finds that his relationship not just with Kurt but with the world are on the line.

Chistopher Meerage provides a satisfying romp through business and social worlds. He does a fine job of documenting Tom and Kurt's tour de farce as they navigate new waters with resulting conundrums that challenge their everyday lives: "He had extricated himself for the time being, but as he walked to the bathroom to adjust contacts that didn't exist he could not deny the fact that he had no second act."

Tom faces changing relationships with coworkers, his wife Gina, and the careful life he's built for himself over the years.

From anonymous phone calls accusing him of infidelity to unexplained disappearances that get him in trouble on the job and at home, Tom finds his predictable, staid, if not somewhat boring life has become a roller coaster of adventure that brings readers along for the ride.

Meerage provides all the nuts and bolts for a ribald journey through an awakening mind. Does Tom really care about anything he's built? Does he have the will to fight for it? As his world splits between choices made by Old Tom and New Tom, boundaries continue to shift.

When choices lead to an unexpected result, Tom is given the kind of reprise he needs to revamp his life into something very different...a form others might deem as unacceptable as Old Tom would have once thought.

Peril. excels in dark humor, conundrums, and challenges to the status quo. It also stand outs in following Tom's psychological shifts as he re-examines his life, relationships, and choices, too often banging his head against the proverbial wall of change: "He knew that it all had to be related but the frustration of not being able to tie it together left him on the verge of tears. His mind danced fruitlessly around a mosaic held together by an unseen thread that alluded to its presence only by virtue of the fact that the patchwork was joined."

The result is a story of a journey both gone awry and headed in a better direction - one which offers readers a chance to immerse themselves in the unexpected connections between Kurt, Tom, and the worlds they build and challenge.

Business fiction readers, in particular, are in for a treat!

You Have Your Way
E. Vernon F. Glenn
Cooper River Books
https://www.cooperriverbooks.com
9781732906617, $18.95 Paper/$7.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/You-Have-Your-Vernon-Glenn/dp/1732906610

In You Have Your Way, trial lawyer Eddie Terrell is seeing much professional success, but wants more. He becomes involved in nefarious pursuits involving risky investments and questionable schemes. These, in turn, introduce him to new women and personal challenges that seem to lead him away from his initial successes.

As Eddie navigates uncertain new worlds, he begins to understand the mechanics of what constitutes real success in life.

E. Vernon F. Glenn cultivates a chatty series of descriptions that draw readers into Eddie's life with surprising imagery and experiences: "She needed a wingman to legit her, so she had called on Eddie Terrell to be her shade moustache. They had tussled often here and there in the past, always enjoyed the push and shove, always got the claims settled and had plenty of respect for each other. Now they were on the same side and since she had requested Chubb to put Eddie in the game with her, Eddie was getting paid fat by the hour too. It would be fair to say they looked at each other as pros and also knew that they should not dip their quills in the company ink well."

The character of Gigi Faye Erin, a "crackerjack insurance investigator" that gives Eddie a run for his money, is very nicely portrayed as the story evolves. Glenn cultivates just the right tone of description to lend the story a sultry tone ("He loved her voice that sang and twanged out of her angel lips. She was built like a long, lovely country road he loved cruising up and down with his eyes."). Such descriptions might offend readers...but then, this audience should not be imbibing the special attributes Eddie has to offer.

Eddie also interacts with a host of other characters that intersect with and change his life and its certain trajectory. These all add depth and surprise to his story as he hones trial skills and interpersonal relationships alike.

There's a sharp edge to You Have Your Way which defies pat answers, predictable characters and events, and Eddie's own inherent attitudes about his profession and his women.

As negligence cases, death, payback, and negotiations take place on different levels, Glenn provides readers with a story filled with twists and changes, always powered by candid, revealing characters who interact in surprising ways: "I'm afraid that the Emily Post Miss Manners Good Old Boys Club approach is not going to be helpful here. We are going to find the strike price here pretty soon or the gloves are going to come off. So, now, what is your authority?"

You Have Your Way is a suspense thriller that revolves not around courtroom proceedings, but matters of the heart, providing a conflict-laden mystery that keeps readers involved to the end.

When the Earth Slept
Jillian Arena
Isabella Media Inc.
https://isabellamedia.com
9781735725697, $16.99

www.isabella.media/books/when-the-earth-slept

When the Earth Slept is a children's picture book recommended for youngsters with good reading skills or read-aloud adults. It promotes environmental awareness in the young through the fantasy story of an Earth that becomes ill from the effort to support all forms of life.

Wildfires are Earth's fever, earthquakes spark from her chills, and coughs become tornadoes. What can the Earth do to heal herself? Really, she needs a timeout from work.

And so she asks the human race to give her this break, and let her sleep. They do so, but become worried that she will never wake up. How can humanity reawaken (and re-energize) the planet?

When the Earth Slept features lovely, colorful illustrations by Melissa Wooten that spice this story. Another big plus is Jillian Arena's accompanying, vivid descriptions: "The people, lost in their exhilaration, had stopped thinking about their stores and their bowling alleys and their money and their vacations. She noticed that they were remembering, instead, their deep connection to each other, to her, and to all the ways that she supported them."

When the Earth Slept is a rich and lovely fable perfect for imparting a sense of environmental consciousness to the very young. The story is highly recommended as a read-aloud and discussion point for adults who would teach kids to celebrate and respect the planet.

Ecomasters: A Planet in Peril Book One: The Pathfinder
Donna L. Goodman
Isabella Media Inc.
https://isabellamedia.com
9781735725611, $16.99

www.booksbyisabella.com/books/ecomasters-a-planet-in-peril-book-one-pathfinder

Ecomasters: A Planet in Peril Book One: The Pathfinder gives young adult sci-fi fans a satisfyingly engrossing read and revolves around thirteen-year-old New York City girl Coral, who faces difficulties to her young life on many levels.

The city's water supply may be contaminated and has caused her best friend Jasper to become ill, her mother has vanished, her father is involved in questionable business activities, and Coral is just tired of it all.

When she stumbles on an opportunity to travel through time with her dog Peeve with other girls who also hold special abilities, Coral finds herself challenged in a different way.

One approach which makes this story a standout is Donna L. Goodman's use of the first-person and her attention to reinforcing Coral's character, determination, and observations: "When I get back to the building, Mr. Dobbins eyes me like a puppy who just peed in the house again. I start to lower my head, and then realize I don't care what he thinks. I have important things to do, too important to waste time feeling bad."

From her goal of getting to Illuminada to interacting with peers and the Ecomasters who will play a big role in the future of humanity, Coral adopts a proactive approach to life that embraces not just successes, but failures as she learns about different cultures, new forms of interaction, and the importance of using role models to learn new skills.

Under Goodman's hand, climate change issues assume both a fantasy element and a personal connection that places Coral and friend Miriam in surprisingly key roles usually reserved for adults.

The result is a story that is multifaceted and engrossing. It's as much a tale of assuming responsibility and learning from new life circumstances as it is a tale of one girl's newfound mission to heal both the world and her life in an unusual way.

Teen readers looking for action, adventure, and a sense of growth and social responsibility will find Ecomasters: A Planet in Peril Book One: The Pathfinder just the ticket for a thought-provoking read that operates on more than one level.

The Legend of Hobart
Heather Mullaly
https://www.heathermullaly.com
Favored Oak Press
9781736477380, $16.99 Hardback/$7.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.heathermullaly.com/the-legend-of-hobart

Children's book readers are in for a treat with The Legend of Hobart, which introduces a twelve-year-old's intention to become a hero to earn his place at Knight School. Hobart has the will to succeed, but finds out that he needs much more.

Among the requirements he doesn't have is an ability to identify a situation in which his actions are meaningful, effective, and even wanted.

As Hobart narrates the story of his first quest, his first duel, and his first encounters not just with adversity but his own magical abilities, he grows into his desire for bravery as he stumbles into a series of mishaps that test his vision of what it means to be courageous.

Heather Mullaly's choice of presenting Hobart's trials in the first person is gives this story its humor via quirky self-inspection. Both will be a draw to young fantasy readers who will appreciate not just the action throughout, but Hobart's astute analysis of his position in the world and his thoughts on how to change it: "If I still wanted to make it into knight school after this latest debacle, there was only one possibility left. I was going to have to slay a dragon. It was risky, I know. But I saw no other choice. I was desperate. (When minstrels tell their tales, they always seem to dwell on heroes' sense of duty. They completely overlook the equally powerful driving force called desperation.)"

The stuttering young hero encounters damsel Hero in the course of his journey, and is filled with wonder at her name and the slightly unfair association it has with what he is trying so desperately to become. He also builds his own character through these unexpected confrontations with life, which introduce elements of social inspection to blur the lines between good guys, bad guys, and the foundations of good and bad choices alike: "We never meant to be bandits!" the man cried. "We're respectable men." "Respectable, my foot," Hero snapped. "No, really," he said, as his friend tried to nod and ended up looking dizzy. "We were farmers until the crops failed. We never would have stooped to stealing if there were any other way to feed our families. Our whole village is starving."

These inspections of self and world fuel an especially inviting story that embraces humorous mishaps, thought-provoking revelations, and the kinds of choices that truly lead one to be considered courageous.

Advanced elementary to middle grade readers receive a winning combination of fantasy action and self-inspection. The overlay of humor and social insight keep this quest story vivid through and through. The Legend of Hobart is highly recommended as a standout over competing one-dimensional quest tales for this age group.

Love for a Deaf Rebel: Schizophrenia on Bowen Island
Derrick King
Provenance Press
9789811805752, 190 Pages, Kindle
9789811805745, Print 356 Pages, PDF, Illustrated

https://archive.org/details/love-for-a-deaf-rebel-ebook-edition_202103

https://archive.org/details/love-for-a-deaf-rebel_20210324

"Are you deaf?" Derrick said to the young woman in the food court who was intently studying the young banker sitting in the seat opposite her. With this question, his life changed as he slowly fell in love with Pearl, thought he came to understand her, and then found the added challenge of living with a paranoid schizophrenic without knowing what was wrong. She wrote: "I watch lips. If you speak and I ignore you will think I am rude. I don't want hearing to think that deafies like me are rude."

The encounter between strangers living in two worlds is compellingly described. The bond that then develops brings with it revelations about prejudice, acceptance, handicaps, and relationships. As the author begins to see how his perception of a relationship with a handicapped woman is influenced by his vision of equality, he changes ... and so will the reader.

Pearl is deaf, but her struggle is psychological. Derrick must face both his love for her and, later, his growing realization that she needs more help than he can offer. He is especially astute at describing the intersection of his needs and Pearl's psyche: "I was still so stunned by her accusations that I couldn't see how much Pearl must have been suffering in order to develop, to live with, and to act upon her bizarre thoughts." The duality of deafness and schizophrenia is charted through the lens of an intense love and personal growth process that brings a "you are here" feel to the story in a way few other memoirs achieve.

Derrick's shift from staid banker to hobby farmer and devoted husband to frustrated partner are exceptional coverages that offer readers in any similar circumstance the opportunity to reconsider not just their relationship, and their prejudices and motivations surrounding it, but obstacles and opportunities for change. This is an important feature in Love for a Deaf Rebel because it embraces not just personal experience, but many thought-provoking insights into the mechanics of identifying, helping, and living with deafness and schizophrenia simultaneously: a one-two punch that would leave many lost.

The eye-opening contrast between following dreams and building an adventurous life together and the crushing realities of a mental illness which can't be left behind show what it means to be in love against all odds. This isn't just a story of relationship discoveries; it's about building a life together, constructing a home, discovering a swindler and a spoiled house, and Pearl's challenge of developing enough trust to build the devotion that "glues" a marriage together over the long term, ready to have children.

As their relationship founders, Derrick questions his love, commitment, and ability to remain a force in her life and in his own. The role of friends and family is examined as closely as Derrick's own interactions with her and his choices to stand by her while her mental health collapses, nearly bringing him down with it.

Anyone interested in mental illness in family relationships or in the special interactions between deaf and hearing lovers will find Love for a Deaf Rebel infused with a passion that brings it more than a cut above the normal memoir; it's a riveting adventure through life and psyche that proves hard to put down. The epilogue is especially touching - but don't read it until the end.

Love for a Deaf Rebel is offered in a 350-page print edition and a 190-page Kindle edition. The print edition has twelve pages of color photos of their life together while the Kindle edition provides readers with a shorter story that can be more easily browsed on a small mobile reader. As a tribute to Pearl, both editions are free to download.

The Doctor's Dilemma: Stories
Daly Walker
Grand Canyon Press
www.grandcanyonpress.com
9781951479565, $29.99 HC, $14.99 PB, $9.99 Kindle, 330pp

https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Dilemma-Stories-Daly-Walker/dp/1951479645

Short story readers looking for personality-driven works that chart healing and change alike will find The Doctor's Dilemma replete with thought-provoking pieces that go beyond the theme of doctoring to examine the process of healing and recovery.

Take 'India's Passage', for one example. Here, young college student India Blue is having surgery to remove her gallbladder; a routine operation that goes awry and challenges her doctor when it turns from a "piece of cake" to a tragedy when a mistake is made.

With India basically existing in a state between life and death, Conner must face the reality that he's made a formerly healthy young woman a vegetable and changed three lives by his actions, however skilled or well-intentioned he began. How can he find redemption under such circumstances?

Another thought-provoking story is 'Jacob's Wall', in which Walter Roberts, an aging doctor building a wall in Indiana, reflects on his retirement; the fact that he's found, in masonry, "the equal of medicine"; and how a loner's stonebuilding efforts are changed by helper Jacob, Jacob is a kid forced upon him by Becky, a woman he'd like to become closer to, who becomes an unexpected force in his changing life.

Walter faces aging differently on several levels and questions his newfound passion and its (and his life's) eventual conclusion: "To Walter, like orthopedic surgery, there was something corporeal as well as spiritual about stonework. He wondered what he would do after the wall was built. It seemed as if his life was all memory and devoid of plans."

Life, death, aging, and everything in between are captured in these short stories of quiet desperation and coming to terms with choices and their consequences.

This is an exceptional literary collection that will delight anyone interested in the medical profession, in particular, and the routines, habits, and lessons of the healing process, which occurs on many different levels.

The Rope of Life: A Memoir
Mirinda Kossoff
Lystra Books & Literary Services, LLC
http://lystrabooks.com
9781733681674, $16.95 Paper/$6.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Rope-Life-Memoir-Mirinda-Kossoff/dp/1733681671

The Rope of Life: A Memoir represents a daughter's journey to understand enigmatic father Hugh Kossoff, who died at age fifty-six. He left behind a legacy that involved renouncing his Jewish heritage and becoming a Baptist in staunchly Confederate town Danville, Virginia in an attempt to fit in and raise his family without the stigma of being a 'Yankee Jew'.

Hugh prospered financially as the town dentist, but he and his family never quite overcame the stigma attached to their Jewish roots, nor did daughter Mirinda Kossoff really begin to understand her father's choices until she embarked on a personal journey to more closely probe her family's roots and the wellsprings of her father's decisions.

More so than most books about family ties, mysteries, and the lingering impacts of decisions, The Rope of Life represents an investigative process and coming to terms with the past that will appeal beyond Jewish readers to any who wonder about their parents' decisions, psyches, and influences.

Mirinda once trusted her capable father to bring them back home safely when she flew with him in his small plane, only to find, once they were in the air, that landmarks were all he had available to guide him. It was a one-time event she undertook to prove her loyalty to him; but once he was gone, that loyalty is tested over and over as she uncovers facts about his life and choices, and their lasting consequences.

At the point of his permanent departure, Mirinda excels at describing the enigma he's become and the distance between them as she became an adult: "He was fifty-three years old then, not old, and I was thirty, not a child, and we were at a crossroads. Debilitating back pain had reduced him to a phantom of his former hyperactive, optimistic self. His confidence was shaky. He worked less and less. He was not the father I knew growing up, the one I looked up to as fearless, strong, funny, protective, and controlling. After college, I fled my hometown to live in Japan, followed a few years later by nine months in England. While my world was expanding, his was shrinking. It frightened me to learn the extent to which he had withered, while I was living my life apart from his."

As she reviews her own childhood, coming of age, adulthood, and changing relationship with her parents, the story includes many personal insights of coping mechanisms and approaches to life that stemmed from her upbringing: "In situations where others get emotional and break down, I have vast reserves of psychic Novocain. Only an interior adrenaline buzz lets me know something emotional is going on. Much later, the real feelings surface, in private."

Adult children rediscovering the sources of their own attitudes towards and reactions to life will find The Rope of Life: A Memoir especially significant not just for its psychological inspections, but for its capture of the social and cultural atmosphere of a Southern girl's coming of age in Jim Crow South with a Jewish father who tried his best to fit in, but never could break the racial prejudice barrier.

Its dual story of family tragedy and social change will engross any reader interested in either family relationships or the circumstances of prejudice in the 1960s Jim Crow era - lessons perhaps holding even more importance in the face of modern attempts to return to some of the life approaches and values of the past.

Life and Other Complications
Heather Mullaly
www.heathermullaly.com
Favored Oak Press
9781736477342, $24.99 Hardcover/$12.99 Paper/$5.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Other-Complications-Heather-Mullaly-ebook/dp/B091FVTRP1

Mature young adult readers looking for a realistic story of a girl living with HIV and a secret will find Life and Other Complications an involving story. It revolves around truth, lies, and difficult decisions that seem to hold no positive course of action no matter what choice Aly Bennet makes.

She's been lying to her mother and the boy she loves for a very long time. So long, that she no longer knows how to tell her very best friends the truth, much less her family. It's a devastating truth that is certain to change everything; not the least of which is her love for Luke, which is just entering a newly intense phase.

But if she doesn't tell the truth, she'll be an accomplice in letting a man go free who changed her life forever.

Heather Mullaly excels at describing the tidal flow of relationships which move back and forth between layers of friendship and something more, setting these forces against the backdrop of a secret that seems to be growing heavier by the day. Her presentation of Aly's story in the first person cements these emotional currents: "What does HIV matter when you're already running out of time? I was desperately trying to convince myself that no one could ever want me like that. That I'm too filthy and broken. But that caused a stab of pain to mix in with my panic. Either Luke wants to have sex with me, which is horrifying. Or he doesn't, because I'm dirty and contaminated, and that's crushing. I am in so far over my head."

Aly isn't ready to lose Luke. She's only just begun, even though years have passed. And yet, circumstances are driving them apart in more than one way; both internal and external.

Mullaly provides an especially powerful, poignant story that feels firmly rooted in the dilemmas many urban teens face in modern times. Accounts of violation, lasting health issues, teen support groups and the firm bonds of friendship that evolve to relationships from them, and trauma and fear accompany life- and psyche-threatening situations that drive Aly and Luke together as much as they threaten to part them.

The result is a mercurial, satisfyingly complex story that interacts with young readers on many different levels.

Life and Other Complications is an engrossing embrace of many mature themes which pulls no punches in its descriptions of love, longing, lies, and redemption. It's highly recommended reading for those who like their characters firmly rooted in the realities of modern society.

Proles
Joel E. Lorentzen
Independently Published
www.prolesthebook.com
9798593702081, $4.99 Kindle/$14.99 Paperback

https://www.amazon.com/Proles-novel-about-Joel-Lorentzen-ebook/dp/B08TR7DZVV

Imagine a perfect society where everybody lives in harmony...one in which scientific models are regularly run to assure that every member lives in equality and peace. That's what the Theites have designed for themselves in Proles: A Novel About 2084. That's what their less enlightened neighbors, the proles, resist. And that is what seems destined to fail when it turns out that their perfect science is flawed.

Eric Brunson, Junior Brunson, Kelly, and other characters reside in an area that used to be Ohio. Shifting perspectives between different characters in this future society bring various issues to life. One example is the opening lines from twenty-nine-year-old Julianna's life: "Protocol. Nobody touched. The crowded lift was quiet. Julianna-119 was riding from her apartment to the lower floors in the building where she worked. Soap-and-fabric-softener smells filled the space. To Julianna, everything was both familiar and oddly out of place. Seeing her reflection in the spotless, mirror-finish stainless steel of the walls, Julianna forced her face to a mask of obscurity. Doesn't death matter to anybody but me?"

Julianna is responsible for manipulating environments in a given game zone to assure that the models they rely on work seamlessly. She, Tim, and others are so heavily invested in the processes and operations of the Best Society that they are in awe of their own prowess, remaining ignorant of its detriments.

As her father's death and the non-reactions of those around her combine with newly revealed secrets to shake Julianna's world, however, the proles begin to make more sense, in a strange manner, as her vision of the world and her place in supporting it are shaken to the core.

Can supercomputers really create a utopian networked society? Can technological code implanted into human beings smooth imperfections and result in a better world? What about the proles, who eschew the urban wonders the Theites have embraced, and who desire a different lifestyle outside of computer-controlled culture?

Science, philosophy, and moral and ethical quandaries coalesce in a satisfying manner in Proles. Some sci-fi readers might consider the constantly changing perspectives and questions that permeate this story a challenge to absorb, but Joel E Lorentzen's read isn't intended for casual action-oriented sci-fi audiences. It will please more intellectual readers of Orwell, H.G. Wells, and others who question the idea of an idyllic, one-size-fits-all social order.

High Council member Christina states the evolutionary apex of these goals in her speech: "For many years, the progress of the Best Society was constrained by the capacity of this model to assimilate the needs of many of the world's proles. The scale of the demands required refinements in production and distribution models, and the new version is significantly improved. But the breakthrough innovation is its treatment of behavioral science. In this model, social constructs are no longer just inputs, but outputs - so that happiness itself can be managed and maximized. Higher levels of happiness can be achieved, even with the same goods and services. So far, the evidence is convincing. People have more of everything that makes them happy, and everyone is happier with what they have."

Lorentzen excels at leading readers to question the benefits of a happy world if it demands conformity from all in order to define and reflect that feeling of success.

He also injects a powerful series of events into this allegory that are reflected in modern social struggles. This, much as the classic novel 1984 did upon its first appearance many decades ago, succeeds in engaging modern readers with a social backdrop which is eerily similar to modern scenarios, yet alien at the same time.

Through Julianna's changing life, the pivot point reflecting the clashing values of Theites and proles, readers receive a powerful intersection and examination of values that offer engaging, thought-provoking considerations of the kind of human society and the image of perfection that humans are striving for today.

In a world where showing grief is cause for treatment and striving for bigger things outside the norm borders on revolution, where can Julianna find a revised sense of peace that has been unstable since her father's demise?

Joel E Lorentzen's story asks hard questions about values, control, freedom, and smoothing out differences between people in society. It leads readers to consider their own answers as technology and culture clash in this futuristic story.

Proles: A Novel About 2084 is highly recommended not just for sci-fi readers, but literature and social issues classes looking for discussion material about managed societies and the outcome of a controlled search for human perfection.

Born in Salt
T. C. Weber
https://www.tcweber.com
Freedom Thorn Press
9781736901717, $16.95 paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Born-Salt-T-C-Weber-ebook/dp/B091G53X58

Born in Salt is an alternate American history story about a nation vastly changed after a coup replaces President Franklin Roosevelt with a fascist dictatorship. Born into this milieu decades later, Illinois young adult Ben just wants to fish, hunt, and live a quiet life. But when his military brother Jake is murdered, Ben and his brother's fiancee Rachel become caught up in a rebellion neither had planned on being a part of when they begin to piece together the truth of why Jake died: "Did you get a letter about a mission he said he couldn't get out of his head?" I asked. "Mine was half censored." She searched the box. "Yeah. Mine had a lot of redactions too, and I've wondered why." She pulled out an envelope. "Here it is."

There's more--Rachel is convinced that Jake is communicating with her from beyond the grave, seeking redress for his murder. Jake appears to Ben too, and they decide to rally people against the war. The two fall in the clutches of the dreaded Internal Security Service, and are threatened with lobotomies and imprisonment for life. Their only way out, the agent in charge tells them, is to turn in others--including their friends.

Meanwhile, the bank is intent on seizing the family farm. Ben's attempts to save Rachel, his family, and his friends appear futile in the face of an all-powerful government, and he falls into drug addiction. Yet despite all this, he perseveres, searching desperately for a hidden way out. Surrounded by informers and pursued by police, private detectives, and fellow rebels, Ben must navigate a maze of factions and treachery, and find a way to save the people he cares about, while avenging his brother and bringing down his enemies.

T. C. Weber cements the story with two strong characters whose interactions with the outside world clash with their own best interests. His vision of a future in which repression and ingrained belief systems are put to the test is realistic, engrossing, and fueled by astute social and political interactions throughout the story.

The moral and ethical quandaries Ben faces (is he willing to sacrifice Rachel for a greater good?) power a fine tale that embraces drug abuse, changing political alliances, and social issues alike.

Readers who enjoy strong alternate history stories where protagonists are challenged to rise above personal concerns to affect the world around them in new ways will find Born in Salt involving and thought-provoking as Ben searches for an elusive solution to impossible personal and political issues alike.

The Prologue
Alexander V. Mirtchev
Post Hill Press
www.posthillpress.com
9781642935530, $35.00 Hardcover/$9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Prologue-Alternative-Energy-Megatrend-Competition/dp/1642935530

Policymakers, scholars, and students of international business and energy management will find The Prologue: The Alternative Energy Megatrend in the Age of Great Power Competition an in-depth survey of alternative energy's role in what Alexander V. Mirtchev identifies here as The Grand Energy Game. This is highly recommended reading for anyone who would better understand the trends that lead to political, social, economic, and scientific change.

Alternative energy's rise in the past, its impact on current affairs, and its projected future role is analyzed in far more detail than the usual alternative energy discussion. Added value to the insights are provided by reviews of international security concerns, surveys of the impact and definition of a 'megatrend', and the evolving geopolitical power changes affected by the drive to create and distribute alternative sources of energy.

From different variables that influence megatrends in general and alternative energy in particular to understanding changing power structures in the face of these developments around the world, The Alternative Energy Megatrend in the Age of Great Power Competition creates and encourages discussion points that go beyond the usual approach to the historic developments of trends around the world.

As balances change and science intersects with political structures to project and manage power usage, the broadening scope of energy security concerns, management, and development process portend a ripple effect across societies and between different cultures and countries.

Understanding these influences is no mean feat. It requires a better understanding of not just alternative energy's promises and pitfalls, but the social and political actions and reactions to megatrends, in general.

The many possibilities are reviewed and analyzed in a survey that especially lends to college-level classroom discussions: "...the megatrend could encourage the creation of new forms of economic cooperation with our allies and partners that alleviate economic instability. Alternative energy developments fuel a growing perception that renewables could help revamp the energy consumers-suppliers equation, resulting in the disappearance of old markets and the formation of new ones. This would mirror the transformational effects of information technologies and add a new impetus for geo-economic cooperation. Thus, the growth of alternative energy as part of the energy portfolio and new grid and distributed storage technologies will prompt changes to the electric utility business model and creation of the new types of energy markets."

No collection strong in alternative energy discussions will be complete without the broader view taken by and presented in

The Alternative Energy Megatrend in the Age of Great Power Competition's consideration of the changing power structures within and between nations.

Little Mouse Adventures: Yoga at the Museum
Teresa Anne Power
Stafford House Books
www.staffordhousebooks.com
9781734478655, $16.95 hardcover/$6.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Museum-Little-Mouse-Adventures/dp/1734478659

Little Mouse Adventures: Yoga at the Museum is the third title in a picture book series of adventures of a little mouse who likes to draw and daydream.

As the story opens, he's stuck doing math homework and is doodling when his wise mother finds him and suggests doing some mindful breathing to help him relax and focus. This allows him to finish a difficult task, and to visit his best cat friend Mr. Opus and his human family.

A visit to the local art museum is being planned by the humans, so Little Mouse and Mr. Opus decide to join them. They view splendid artwork, which serves as an inspiration for Little Mouse to connect his yoga experiences with the pieces on display.

Young readers receive an inviting introduction to both art and yoga principles as the story evolves, embracing both in a delightful presentation that illustrates different yoga poses and their names through Little Mouse's demonstrations.

At home, he finds himself once again stuck on math homework. This time, he has a different option for success.

Emma Allen's inviting, whimsical drawings are wonderful embellishments to a story line parents will chose to help the very young begin to understand the poses and principles of yoga.

More so than most other titles on the subject of yoga for this age group (and, they are rare indeed), Little Mouse Adventures: Yoga at the Museum gives a fine opportunity to teach balance, methods for achieving calmness, and creative problem-solving skills for a younger age than is usually given yoga teachings.

The blend of mindfulness training and artistic appreciation offers many opportunities for parent/child read-aloud enjoyment and enlightenment in a picture book story that is also whimsically fun.

Parents seeking to impart the basics of yoga and art appreciation alike will find Little Mouse Adventures: Yoga at the Museum an exceptionally accessible and attractive presentation.

Badass Pix with a Cheap-Ass Camera
Annie Mack
Cresting Wave Publishing
https://gocwpub.com
9781735413525, $22.95 Paperback, $19.95 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Badass-Cheap-Ass-Camera-Annie-Mack/dp/1735413526

There are many, many photography guides for all levels of aspiring picture-taker, but few adopt the candid tone and perspective of Badass Pix with a Cheap-Ass Camera, which cuts to the chase with a specific discussion of how to produce superior photos on a beer budget.

The focus of this book is not just on taking pictures; but producing 'badass pix'. In order to understand what this is, it's important to know what it is not. Annie Mack defines these boundaries in a fine introduction: "Photography can be a lot of things. The things it usually is, without splitting the entire discipline down to the molecular level, are photojournalism, scenic photography, and portraiture...Photojournalism is freezing a real moment in time that is a piece of a larger story...Scenic photography means going to an exceptionally gorgeous place with unbelievable natural features or architecture and recording the image to bring it back to the unlucky people who aren't there...Portraiture is making an image of a person or people who likely has/have paid the camera operator to make him/her/them look handsome or pretty, even if it involves manipulation to the point of being unrecognizable...Then, there are Badass Pix."

This introduction compels aspiring photographers to continue reading.

The term is not only defined, but heavily illustrated in a book that takes the time to define what makes a badass photographer an artist rather than a mere picture-taker.

Readers used to a more staid approach to photography will find the language either challenging or refreshing as the chapters unfold. This reviewer finds it a breath of fresh air in the world of one-dimensional photo how-to guides as Annie Mack cultivates a sassy, bright tone to match her goal of teaching the basics of producing badass art: "Badass can be photojournalism, scenery, portraits. It is fun to screw around with all of those and add twists that baffle viewers. Badass is futzing around outside the boundaries of technology, good taste, or conventional artistic theory. Badass uses your tools, skills, and heart to make Art - not just 'nice' photos. Badass Pix are squinted at, disqualified from contests, or vaguely labeled "mixed media," "digital graphics," or "weird shit."

The proof of the pudding of success lies not just in taking outstanding photos, but the choices in interpreting and presenting them. This covers subjects most other photography books omit, such as doing a badass picture justice by displaying it in an attention-getting, supportive manner: "Whether it's printing, matting, mounting, dangling, projecting, cyber sharing, or putting your work on coffee cups. Presentation can be the difference between enchanting the audience or turning them off with shoddy appearances. Again, you don't need to buy overpriced genuine-wood-look frames, but maybe you want to respect your work more than to tack a crumpled sheet of posterboard to the bathroom door. Just sayin'."

The proof of the power photo also lies in its artistry, and Mack uses her own self-defined badass pics as examples throughout to illustrate all the concepts she presents. And, exceptional they truly are.

From selfies to reflective landscapes and images that push standard boundaries, this guide is simply packed with examples of how to take the generic and standard approach and give it not just a gentle push, but a shove into the extraordinary.

Plenty of how-to guides teach how to produce acceptable, predictable photos. Many rely on expensive equipment and standard techniques. By introducing the idea that an inexpensive camera and minimum of expertise and equipment can create eye-catching images that pop with creative originality, Mack succeeds in teaching the most important photography lesson of all: that creativity does not need a hefty bank account to prove successful.

Want to produce images that are outside the box and amazing? All that's needed is a cheap camera and the boundary-busting examples in Badass Pix with a Cheap-Ass Camera, which should be on the radars of any college student or aspiring art photographer.

Carolina Road
Dee L. Evans
Independently Published
9781736179505, $13.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Road-Dee-L-Evans/dp/1736179500

Rachel Harris never imagined that she'd be a polygamist. She's just trying to survive the Civil War, which literally leads the two sides to march up the Carolina Road into her own Virginia home.

But circumstances lead her to discover she's become married to two men on opposite sides of the war. Both are alive. Both love her. And she loves both of them.

More so than most Civil War stories, the injection of romance and a moral dilemma into this character's life brings alive the divide and issues of battle like few other stories can achieve.

Dee L. Evans uses the first person to illuminate Rachel's world. Even more importantly, she adds many physical and mental challenges to the battle scenarios and alternates perspectives between Rachel, Caleb, and other major characters to expand the reader's perception of the Civil War's impact on every facet of life. The book can be rated 'PG' for its straightforward narration and lack of profanity.

Caleb reflects on this physical and mental challenge both on the battlefield and at home as he interacts with Rachel: "Watching that scene between mother and child more than knocked the wind out of me. I felt the pain all over again that enveloped me on the Shiloh battlefield when I was hit by a shell and thrown under my horse and nearly trampled to death. I'll always remember the awful despair that overcame me before everything went black."

And Rachel hits him with her impossible situation, as well: "You two are forcing me to make an impossible decision - someone is going to get hurt no matter who I choose. You're putting me squarely in the middle of your brotherly competition. Who's the better man? Who can win the hand of the fair damsel? Well I'm not going to play your little game any longer. I've got to think of myself and the welfare of my son."

Very different brothers "dropped into the same family" who hold surprising bonds as well as big differences lends to a Civil War story like few others. As further controversies and trials evolve against this backdrop, the characters come alive, and readers will find themselves with reasons to like each person despite the impossible conundrum that places them at odds with one another.

Readers looking for a Civil War book that brings the people of the times to life will find Carolina Road a powerfully compelling saga that's nearly impossible to put down, providing a very thoroughly researched, accurate portrayal of the Civil War in Virginia.

Free Will, Do You Have It?
Albertus Kral
Tellwell Talent
www.tellwell.ca
9780228837114, $24.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

Modern philosophy readers interested in the ongoing debate over free will and determinism receive not only much food for thought, but much fodder for debate in Free Will, Do You Have It?

Philosophy-minded readers who anticipate the usual discussion will find the first surprise in the introduction, which defines parameters for this consideration which are much broader than the traditional debate over free will and choice. It's about human behavior patterns and influencers; good and bad choices and what drives them; and the rationales used to justify each of these choices.

Albertus Kral maintains: "No choice is made without a reason, influence or other stimuli, whether it is known or unknown to us, whether it takes place at the conscious or subconscious level." This thought, in turn, ties directly into the free will question by then addressing those influencers which shape choice and the idea of free will. Thus, readers receive a good degree of added psychological insight to flavor their philosophical reflection, which will satisfy those interested in exploring and revealing all the roots of free will.

This book holds its origins in a simple experience in which the author, having engaged in a lively conversation, had to leave to buy groceries: "Right after I said I had to leave, someone asked whether I knew why. Of course I know that, I thought, Otherwise I would not have said that I had to leave. So I responded, "Yeah, I have to buy some groceries and finish some work at home." ...He said, "You have to leave because there is nothing else you can do. Do you believe that you have free will?" Ah, I thought, that is too easy and I am not falling for this. So I replied, "OK, I will not leave but stay." Looking back, I realize now that my reaction was one of ignorance as I had helped prove a point that I will use often in my concept. After I left, that question would not leave me alone. Every time I decided to do something, it would pop up. I began asking myself whether I did have free will. I almost felt embarrassed because it was not imaginable that I couldn't choose whatever I wanted. For days on end I asked myself, Why do I do what I do? Why do I make the choices I make?"

Free Will, Do You Have It? considers this question and more, examining the links between choices and reasons, the logic and progression of producing rationales supporting each, and whether or not behavior is a choice or a process, among other questions. It posits a third option in the free will debate, "Procirclism," which embraces the science of human behavior.

From ego, awareness, and how stimulus is processed and manifested to neuroscience's brain research and its impact on the concept of free will (which may be an impossibility to define or defend), Free Will, Do You Have It? offers modern thinkers an exciting science-based blend of philosophy and psychology that is perfect for classroom discussion: "If we agree that we are subject to influences and agree that we are not always aware of all the factors that influence us, then we understand that we relinquish some control over the consequences. If we agree that those influences - as part of the brain processes - play a role in our brain, then we may also conclude that unless we have control over the working of our brain, we have little control over the outcomes of the processes. Most of us have looked at the pros and cons before making a decision. At that time, we did not feel that we were not in control. We felt we could make any decision we wanted to. No argument here. But that does not mean it happens like that just because it feels that way to us."

It's rare to find such a mix philosophy and science-based study that intersects on many different levels, yet remains accessible to philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Those interested in the discipline in general and the basic tenants of free will, will find Free Will, Do You Have It? a lively blend of self-inspection and science-based analysis that will spark many a discussion in philosophy circles and other disciplines.

Free Will, Do You Have It? is very highly recommended for its special attention to making science and philosophy easily accessible to all, relating both to daily experiences and events in a way that is fresh, original, and inviting.

Business Basics for Authors
Hank Quense
http://hankquense.org
Strange Worlds Publishing
9780985779153, $4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Business-Basics-Authors-Self-publishing-Guides-ebook/dp/B00HVDU2FM

Business Basics for Authors emphasizes to authors that they aren't just creative spirits by being writers - they are actually running a business that requires the business sense provided in this how-to guide.

The purpose of this book is to review the basics in a user-friendly manner that will appeal to writers who have little economic or business backgrounds.

Hank Quense cultivates a non-technical, almost chatty tone as he explains why so many authors fail to see their books get attention: "I believe a major reason that authors fail to sell books is because they don't think like a business owner. Businesses use highly developed marketing plans to introduce a new product to the public. These businesses do that because it has been proven to work. Many inexperienced authors use a shotgun approach to marketing (when they do any marketing!). Their efforts are without a focus and are piecemeal instead of continuous. In other words, the marketing proceeds without a plan to direct the activities. Most often, the author business, too, will be without a plan."

The focus is on the business of making a book accessible, gaining publicity for it, and handling the basics of keeping track of business income, expenses, and goals.

Chapters do more than generalize about these facets. They provide specific references to computer programs, organizational techniques, marketing strategies, and methods of business promotion and management which offer the nuts and bolts of success.

From identifying customers and competitors and handling both to assessing business resources and even starting one's own publishing company, all the basics are provided for marketing both author and book.

Another added benefit to this discourse is that it doesn't just stem from Hank Quense's own experiences. Other authors were consulted on how they managed their book business, what were the most important challenges they faced during the process, and their successes and failures at being an author.

Their answers, combined with Quense's advice, makes for a how-to guide that will help budding authors navigate the process of turning a book into a business pursuit, avoiding many common pitfalls along the way.

Business Basics for Authors is highly recommended reading for any writer new to the business, or who faces a wall of problems getting their work into print and on the public's radar.

The Cat in the Window Murders
Frank L. Gertcher
Cardinal Publishers Group
www.cardinalpub.com
9781735145938, $29.95

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Window-Murders-Frank-Gertcher/dp/1735145939

The Cat in the Window Murders is the third in a murder-mystery series and opens with the first-person diary of Caroline Case Jones, a wealthy woman who made her money in the 1920s as 'Madame Caroline' running houses of ill repute in Wabash Valley.

In this book, Caroline moves from her former world to becoming a sleuth working alongside Hannibal Jones, her business and romantic partner. Their latest adventure involves a trip to Europe in 1929-30, where they encounter further intrigue in a war-torn milieu where murder is the norm, not the exception. Their arrival at the scene of the murder of an American heiress on the luxury ship SS Isle de France leads to a series of dangerous encounters that tests them in many new ways.

Caroline runs in more expensive circles than the usual P.I. From being a guest of Coco Chanel at an exclusive model session to a broadening case that involves a search for gangsters Paul Carbone, Francois Spirito and their contacts in the Prefet de Police, this romp through 1930s Europe comes to life through first-person observations.

As she solves cases big and small, the investigative questioning and cases are supplemented by humor that brings not just the mysteries but the European countryside to life: "Hannibal turned to me, grinned and said: "Pierre said the cow's death will be ruled a suicide. Shall we continue our journey?" "Good idea," I replied. "Case closed. Would you like to drive?"

Frank L. Gertcher is adept at capturing the atmosphere of both P.I. work and Europe of the times. He also injects moral and ethical conundrums into his story for more than just a methodical investigative mystery: "I have skirted the fringes of gang warfare most of my adult life," my thoughts continued. "Sometimes justice is served outside the law," I finally rationalized. I could see no downside to such an outcome." The conscious reflections on choice, consequence and their ultimate impact both on the investigation process and its outcome spices the story and gives it a three-dimensional feel too often lacking in P.I. procedurals.

This, combined with a winning attention to capturing the social, political, and cultural milieu of Europe as seen from the eyes of two American investigators, creates a warm and compelling story that attracts on many levels. The Cat in the Window Murders will reach newcomers and prior readers alike with a mystery that isn't just a singular production, but a multifaceted journey through bygone times.

Eleonora and Joseph
Julieta Almeida Rodrigues
https://www.julietaalmeidarodriguesauthor.com
New Academia Publishing
9781734865912, $24.00

https://www.amazon.com/ELEONORA-JOSEPH-Passion-Revolution-Enlightenment-ebook/dp/B08K3HGZYX

Eleonora and Joseph: Passion, Tragedy, and Revolution in the Age of Enlightenment is a novel set in 18th century Naples and the fledgling United States, and uses three real-world historical figures to explore a doomed relationship between two of them.

Julieta Almeida Rodrigues brings these colorful historical figures to life and marries their worlds in a narrative that is vividly written, capturing not just their lives, but an era on the cusp of unprecedented social, political, and cultural change.

Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel envisioned and fought for a Republic inspired by the French Revolution. Joseph Correia de Serra, the love of her adolescence, became an acclaimed naturalist and diplomat later in life. When imprisoned, Eleonora writes a journal which includes descriptions of her lost love - a journal Joseph discovers in Monticello as a guest of Thomas Jefferson.

As Thomas Jefferson plays a key role in creating the circumstances which bring Eleonora's journal - and its revelations - to new life years after its creation, readers receive a satisfying contrast of European and American environments that embraces and explores moral, ethical, and social conundrums alike.

Readers of 18th century history will be particularly attracted to not just the fictional premise but the attention to authentic historical detail that Rodrigues adds into the story to give it a solid foundation in fact.

Rodrigues is especially adept at juxtaposing personal decision-making with insights on the social and political pressures that influenced them. Joseph says about his lack of involvement in saving Eleonora's life:"I regret that I didn't. Banks and the British ambassador Lord Hamilton were both naturalists and good friends. They were forever exchanging letters on Mount Vesuvius. Had I asked, they might have intervened. But I was only thinking of myself. I was seeking a position at the Portuguese embassy in London and didn't want to jeopardize my chances." "Silences are, sometimes, golden. In this case, you wanted to protect yourself," Jefferson said. I was struck hard by his words. They showed understanding, compassion, and friendship. My heart stirred with gratitude and reverence. As during my previous visit, I had the feeling that Jefferson agreed with my silences because they mirrored his own. "It was a hard choice." I said. "I feared repercussions if I interfered with Portuguese affairs. As a royal subject in London, I would gain nothing by trying to rescue an insurgent. I might even be considered one, too."

While many historical novels require some prior knowledge in the era and environment under discussion, there's no need for such, here. Rodrigues provides all the background information for a seamless read. Readers will find themselves absorbing 18th century history and characters without any confusion over their backgrounds, motivations, or times.

From issues of slavery in America to contrasts between lower social strata in Europe, Rodrigues brings the themes to life in a manner that history buffs, in particular, will find refreshingly thought-provoking. Eleonora says about her contribution in Il Monitore Napoletano, "I addressed the people directly in my work. I said: "I hope that the plebe (the lowest of the low, the lazzaroni) might, with the help of the people (popolo), get to the cultural and instructional level of the latter." I knew that the lazzaroni were vulgar and brutish. I knew that they didn't trust us, the republican literati. I despaired at their wretchedness; ignorant, knowing no better, they worshipped the monarchy and wanted it back. Nevertheless, I remained at their side to the very end. I admired their strength, their vitality, even if misguided. I wrote: "Justice demands that the lazzaroni be educated, more than condemned, and it is never too late to instruct them." I exercised the most balanced position in page after page. In the last few issues, I addressed the people as Majestas Populi, the people as sovereign. I called for unity: "I have appealed to the courage of all. Because liberty cannot be loved in half...and cannot produce its effects until everyone is free." Yes, I repeat to this day, liberty is not only for the entitled. The lazzaroni of Naples needed education to understand this."

The result is a novel that is heavily grounded by and laced with historical fact: a piece that will be welcomed by readers interested in 18th century on both sides of the pond.

Cliffhanger
Michael R. French
Moot Point Publications
9781732511750, $14.95 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Cliffhanger-Jump-Before-You-Pushed/dp/1732511756

Cliffhanger: Jump Before You Get Pushed is a futuristic genre-busting blend of romance, intrigue, mystery, and sci-fi set in 2030, a near-future world that feels both familiar and frighteningly alien. Self-billed by Michael R. French as an 'existential thriller', Cliffhanger has been rewritten from a young adult story French began three years ago into one for adults, who will find its social and political messages especially powerful in these pandemic times.

The story opens twenty-nine years in the past, when an under-thirty Senate staffer on break witnesses the attack on the World Trade Center. Stuart moves from D.C. determined to avoid big cities and disillusioned about his pursuit of a political career, as a result. He randomly chooses to make his new home in Hawthorn, Indiana, which he deems "quiet and out of the way, and insulated from the dreams of unpredictable fanatics."

But Indiana holds its own political ambitions, contestants, and challenges. Fast forward to high school political candidates Matthew and his novice opponent Britain as they run for office. While their campaign would seem to affect little outside of the school, one history teacher believes that the winner is destined to change America.

As Brit and Matthew struggle both with each other and the future of their high school and nation, the town of Hawthorn becomes a microcosm representing political approaches, ambitions, and threats.

Michael R. French is adept at capturing the nuances of this process as the candidates cultivate different approaches to the ultimate goal of winning: "Someone can call himself a winner, but does that make him a winner? How much do you really know about my chief competitor? Read his Wiki page carefully. Demand transparency from Team Matthew, because that's what I'm giving you - the whole truth and nothing but. I've just been called a sorcerer. I can prove otherwise. If I were really a sorcerer, I would have made my opponent disappear. Instead, I'll give him another chance to come clean and reveal who he really is."

Brit faces intimidation, scare tactics, hackers, and the lure of breaking rules herself, and thus the race to win becomes a mirror image of America's failing moral and ethical systems as the goal becomes more important than the methods used to achieve it.

Brit's evolutionary process is nicely detailed in a story that follows her influences, decisions, and growth. French is especially astute at depicting the give-and-take of a no-holds-barred competition: "What were the odds of a ceasefire holding? The spoils of winning seemed too grand for anyone to gamble on peace for very long."

As Team Matthew's mentors, followers, and campaign ramp up, Brit assesses the price tag of buying loyalty and the deep rifts created in the community by a run for student body president that becomes replete with corruption and moral and ethical challenges.

Manipulation and covert operations permeate the election and influence Brit's growth as she searches for a way to reign in the greed and ruthlessness that threaten future endeavors and the underlying meaning of PTE (Prosperity Through Education, a nonprofit corporation registered for political fundraising which appears to hold powers beyond its stated intentions).

Realistic, engrossing, and politically intriguing, Cliffhanger is about the kinds of social, political, and interpersonal abysses faced not just by individuals, but institutions and society as a whole.

Cliffhanger will delight political thriller readers who will find its social and political commentary shrewdly thought-provoking.

Gray Is the New Black
Dorothy Rice
https://www.dorothyriceauthor.com
Otis Books
9789980243027, $12.95

https://www.amazon.com/Gray-New-Black-Dorothy-Rice/dp/9980243023

Gray Is the New Black is a memoir drawn from Dorothy Rice's memory of events that took place during her coming of age in the 1960s. It reflects on these events from the vantage point of experience and maturity as it considers her changing relationships with sisters, friends, and other women who influenced her life from youth onwards.

From changing body image and the perceptions of youth and aging as the years unfold to dealing with a mother's Alzheimer's and her cultivation of a 'heroic resistance' to remain strong in the face of life's adversities and challenges, Rice offers readers a journey through changing life rituals. This process is cemented by a woman's attempts to move through critical self-inspection to self-acceptance and a better appreciation of her strengths.

Through struggles with aging to realizing dreams and embracing new visions of what makes for an effective, fulfilling life, Rice blends a sense of humor into her examinations of family, friends, and social pressures.

Her self-consideration pulls no punches: "Mom nailed it, as mothers often do. I hated myself. Sometimes I still do...My parents didn't put the self loathing in me. No man put the hate in men, though most didn't do me any favors, either. 63 might be kind of late in life to go searching for a better way to be, to cope, but better late than never. Half a century of shame is a lot to shed."

By reviewing the processes, influences, and, most of all, the inner messages that directed her life choices, Rice offers other women of all ages a blueprint of life's ups, downs, and the underlying perceptions that directed it.

Ultimately, Gray Is the New Black is about finding the life lessons that influence us, then reconsidering and re-envisioning them to more powerful approaches to living.

For Rice, there's always a new plan. For readers who choose her book, there are many insights into the pitfalls and promises which lead to close relationships that hopefully move beyond shared history and into better levels of acceptance on all sides.

Gray Is the New Black charts this course. Its review of Rice's life and attitudes towards aging, growth, and change moves from the 1960s generation into modern times. It's a read that ideally will be chosen by all ages; especially women seeking to understand the underlying messages affecting their own identities and growth. Ultimately, it's about learning a new language.

Love in a Suitcase
Thomas Schwendler
revtomschwendler.com
Independently Published
9781736813003, $8.95-print, $1.99 e-book

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Suitcase-Relationship-Analog-Digital/dp/1736813021

Love in a Suitcase: Relationship Notes from an Analog Time for Our Digital World is a discourse about faith, family, and relationship-building in modern times. It comes from a reverend whose rediscovery of hundreds of his uncle's love letters in an old suitcase led to better understand his Uncle Bill and Aunt Anne's three-year courtship and wedding.

The insights unpacked from this suitcase helped Schwendler in his premarital consults with young folk on their own journeys to marriage and, ultimately, led to writing this book, which offers the same nuggets of wisdom to its readers.

These revolve around the spiritual and cathartic act of using writing to form connections, clarify points, and ultimately reinforce growing relationships. Modern readers who question the old-fashioned art of putting pen to paper receive clear advice on why and how this differs from Tweets or email: "There's some kind of alchemy going on when your thoughts move from your mind to your hands to a piece of paper. Because it's slower than a keystroke and takes more effort, your thoughts can be deeper than those expressed in a text message or a social media post."

The alchemy of relationship-building thus is created by the time and care taken to formulate the right words, revising, editing, and ultimately sending a series of gifts that, when properly done, can serve as reflective guideposts not just for that moment of love, but for the rest of a couple's life.

Rev. Schwendler didn't expect to uncover the best marriage advice he'd ever heard in that abandoned suitcase. But as he took the time (sparked by Covid's isolation) to read through all these letters, he discovered a treasure trove of practical insights on everything from handling in-laws and conflicts to cultivating honest exchanges replete with not just interpersonal connections, but self-examination: "if all I was thinking of was getting you as a husband, I could tell you all that confusion and what have you didn't bother me in the least, that I could like to live in the Ross home - just to get you and then after we are married turn the tables with a lot of arguing and fault finding with your family which would eventually lead to a feud. I believe in reasonably talking things over and trying to smooth things out before we get married."

He's published pieces of this sage advice and added his own insights and reflections to create a book that should be not only an engagement gift for any would-be couple, but a road map for any couple seeking a deeper, more harmonious relationship. Replete in life insights usually gained mostly from the School of Hard Knocks, Love in a Suitcase is filled with riches the author chose to share with the world. It deserves a place in any Christian or general-interest collection strong in life lessons.

Blindsided
Dawn Downey
Pathless Land Press
9780996324076, $14.00 Paper/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Essays-Only-Black-Woman/dp/0996324070

Blindsided: Essays from the Only Black Woman in the Room is a highly recommended memoir that uses the essay format to its best advantage. It tackles issues of women's lives and racial divide during the course of Dawn Downey's life, from childhood to adulthood.

Most of Dawn's friends were white. She subconsciously assumed a mantle of privilege and accessibility from these early relationships that lead black classmates to identify her as "high yellow," and not of their group.

From a move from Des Moines to Pasadena and a white stepmother, Downey was labeled by classmates and identified as a "a high-potential/low-achiever" by her school, which deemed she needed extra help, and was faced with changes not of her choosing.

A series of moves led to her being identified as "stuck up" (among other names), while various moves, from changing her hairstyle to both learning about and hiding from the world around her, led her through counterculture worlds of white and black folk that each challenged her path to self-realization and empowerment.

As her journey evolves, readers receive a fine discussion of privilege, oppression, and the kinds of interactions between whites and blacks at all levels of society, from arts and theater groups to school and new age circles.

It's rare to receive a memoir that crosses so many social and cultural boundaries; much less one that takes the time to explore how these relationships and perceptions ultimately affect a sense of racial awareness and self.

Downey takes the time to explore this process and the accompanying stereotypes that permeate both her life and the world that affects it: "A white woman was going to clean my house. Mon and Mama chuckled at the notion. Their white ladies chuckled too, because I had hired help - just as they had. My yoga classmates would chuckle in bemusement that help was anything other than a solution to a problem. What's the fuss? Dirty house? Call Sarah."

Downey's story gives readers insights that will lead to self-examination of underlying prejudices, assumptions, stereotypes, and the process of self-realization that can often be sent off course by attitudes inherent in class, race, and economic status.

Blindsided is more than just one woman's life experiences. It follows the steps of a dance black people face in their lives every day. (White people, too, would face the music if they could recognize the dance is being enacted on racial and social lines.)

Blindsided offers the first step towards this awareness with a powerful series of snapshots of one woman's journey through racist attitudes on all sides. It is highly recommended reading for anyone concerned about the evolution and processes of racism in America.

As Breaks the Wave Upon the Sea
Robert Wallace
www.robertwallaceauthor.com
Main Street Rag Publishing Company
https://www.mainstreetrag.com
9781599488561, $16.95

https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/as-breaks-the-wave-upon-the-sea-robert-wallace

As Breaks the Wave Upon the Sea gives literary readers short stories featuring characters whose pivot points revolve around moments of heightened self-awareness, exploring relationships, transformation, and the processes which affect both.

The opening story, 'The Science of Air', outlines a relationship between Adriane and her aging father. She is his best friend...and maybe his only friend. Family ties come to life as she reflects on the two most important relationships in her life and how vastly they differ: "There is a question I often ask myself. How often do I think of my father? I think of him all the time. He moves in my mind and memory like a permanent apology. But where am I in his thoughts? I think my father's thoughts are not empty. He thinks of brush, apples, plums, cherries, sun, and rain. He thinks of earth. He thinks of enzymes, mold, beetles, worms, diesel fuel. Tractors, tires, sprayers. He thinks of birds, fleeting and raucous, large nests in crooks of trees. Little birds' nests on the ends of branches. My father's head is full of these things. It is my mother's head that I can't fathom. I don't know what is in there. Sometimes she just goes missing."

As the bond between Adriane and her orchard farmer father is explored through vignettes of their interactions, the rest of the family injects their own perspectives: "Where's my father?" I ask Aunt Mary. "Out in the orchard somewhere I imagine Adriane. You know your father; he communicates with those trees better than he does his own family." "He talks to me," I say. "Yes, he talks. Communication isn't just talk."

When the truth emerges about why her mother feels so mentally and physically distant, readers begin to understand the forces affecting her closeness with her father as Adriane almost instinctively learns how to reach her distant mother.

Each short story embraces a very different viewpoint and life with insights that keep readers emotionally engaged in the characters and their perceptions of change. Each comes embedded in a sense of place, whether it is on a farm, in Ohio, or paddling on an eleven-mile journey in North Carolina.

Bound by the water and the rhythms of often-spontaneous decisions as routines of life and death change each character, these stories are satisfyingly diverse slices of life that capture the hidden purposes, passions, and personas of those who move through it.

Each character brings the reader into his world. Robert Wallace opens up moments that transform with words that ebb, flow, and pull like the tides: "Some people felt a pull for the water. Any water would do. The sea especially had its converts. Winsome had never felt that mystery. Except for walking unfamiliar streets, mystery had never mattered to him, and he wondered if that was a failing in him. Kayaking had changed everything he felt about water."

As Breaks the Wave Upon the Sea is highly recommended reading for literature readers who enjoy psychological inspection thoroughly grounded in the elements and routines of daily living.

Kwansabas and Other Poems
Steven C. Thedford
New World Press, Inc.
9780975973059, $14.99 Hardcover; $9.99 Paper; $2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Kwansabas-Other-Poems-Steven-Thedford/dp/B08P63KLT9

The Kwansaba style is a fairly new and strict poetry form that uses the number seven to create a poem of seven lines, with seven words in each line, written with no word exceeding seven letters. It was originally created in 1995 by Eugene B. Redmond, East St. Louis Poet Laureate and professor of English at Southern Illinois-East St. Louis, to celebrate Kwanzaa and African-American life.

Kwansabas and Other Poems represents Steven C. Thedford's interpretation of this seldom-used form and uses its structure to capture and interpret African-American culture, experience, and challenges. Some pieces adhere to the praise piece of Redmond's creation, while others diverge from it to follow the structural rules sans the praise portion.

The collection is divided into sections that begin with 'Black Girl Magic' and the poem 'Asya Danielle Branch: Miss Mississippi', one of seven women selected for poetic celebration.

This poem encourages courage and self-reflection: "Embrace your past, you have no say,/even if your parents are locked away/and your home was quickly deemed gray./Be strong, faithful, humble, and don't delay."

The diversity of options within this structure is illustrated as each poem unfolds very differently, as in the later poem in this section, 'Kaliegh Garris: Miss Teen USA': "We are people 1st: young and old./We are people 1st: black and white."

As different sections continue to celebrate individuals, events, and perceptions intrinsic to African-American history and community, the collection comes into its own through works that capture lives, as in 'Aniah Blanchard: "Shades of Blue"': "On your day azul filled the sky,/Blue, your rescue dog, did not cry./You choose to fight on, not die."

From 'Driving While Black' to 'We Did Not Come Through Ellis Island', these works transcend their heptastich forms to achieve a sense of history, connection, and black power that is especially highly recommended for literary readers in the black community.

The pieces are powerful, revealing, celebratory, angry, and uplifting, all at once. They include notes of hope that should be on the radars of all African American readers seeking works of literary empowerment: "I desire little command,/Only a sound destiny/To travel to an unknown land/Ruled by my love and me./We will rule this land as one/Over all the lovers there/Who have likewise come/To this land with us to share."

Bobos Babes Adventures: The Case of the Giggles
Karen M. Bobos
PlayPen Publishing
www.PlayPenPublishing.com
9781734361094, $17.99 Hardcover; $12.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/Bobos-Babes-Adventures-Case-Giggles/dp/1734361093

Bobos Babes Adventures: The Case of the Giggles introduces picture book readers and their read-aloud parents to the magical world of the Bobos Babes: sisters who live in a magical land and share a closeness of love and loyalty despite their differences. Scarlett is a delicate angel; Cora is an enchanted fairy; and middle child Daphne is a beautiful princess.

They enjoy each others' company and have fun until a sudden and unwelcome case of the giggles plagues Princess Daphne and just won't stop.

What begins with a sneeze leads to a quest to find a way to stop these unrelenting giggles as the trio journey through the kingdom seeking wisdom and solutions to a problem that won't go away.

Brittany Roberson's bright, engaging illustrations throughout bring the story to life and capture the colorful kingdom and its inhabitants.

The two-line rhymes throughout are lilting, fun, and feel fresh and flowing; not forced, like too many rhyming stories that present up to seven rhyming pieces per page.

As a host of kingdom characters try to help the sisters resolve their problem, a fun tale evolves that parents will find perfect for read-aloud and entertainment. Its original, unexpected dilemma will leave youngsters listening and laughing, as well as learning about relationships, problem-solving approaches, and the best ways of enjoying life to its fullest.

Bobos Babes Adventures: The Missing Egg
Karen M. Bobos
PlayPen Publishing
www.PlayPenPublishing.com
9781954529076, $17.99

https://www.amazon.com/Bobos-Babes-Adventures-Missing-Egg/dp/1954529074

Bobos Babes Adventures: The Missing Egg is a colorful picture book adventure story illustrated by Emily Hercock, who provides engaging drawings to attract young readers to the story of three lovely sisters (an angel, a princess, and a fairy) who lived on a charmed island.

A kind, helpful swan has a dilemma, and the Bobos Babes want to help despite his protests that nothing can be done. His need for a rest from his egg-sitting duties has resulted in a quandary; especially since a passion for chocolate cake was involved.

Now the precious egg is missing. How can the Bobos Babes help?

Two-line rhyming verse captures the problem and lends especially well to read-aloud. Parents who choose this adventure story for the very young will find its colorful drawings a major draw as the feisty young problem-solvers tackle a real mystery and try to help their friend.

The result is a magical journey that embraces animal friends, people, perplexities, and insights on life, from 'guy codes' of communication to well-meaning guests who would visit the busy parents of newborns.

The Missing Egg's mystery, lesson in problem-solving, insights into interpersonal relationships, and just plain fun will appeal to read-aloud parents and young readers alike.

Fatal Infraction
Kevin G. Chapman
www.KevinGChapman.com
Independently Published
B091PNQRQ8, $2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Infraction-Mike-Stoneman-Thriller-ebook/dp/B091PNQRQ8

Readers of police procedurals and crime stories will find Fatal Infraction just the ticket for an engrossing whodunit read. It returns NYPD homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson to center stage as they investigate the strange death of a football quarterback found naked on a park carousel.

Jimmy Rydell was as controversial in life as he is mysterious in the nature of his death. He was missing for two days before his body was found. And it was well known that he'd crossed the line in sleeping with teammate Nate Bedford's girlfriend before his murder.

It seems obvious that Nate is the perp; but as Mike and Jason investigate, too many questions and possibilities emerge that lead them into an ever-more convoluted probe of Jimmy's life and the forces working against him.

The action is swift and the police investigation nicely done, but it's the reader with an interest in football, team politics and processes, and the sport's interplay with other influencers who will find this story particularly compelling.

Did a racist football fan kill him? Is an unidentified bald giant the killer? Was Jimmy connected to a larger crime operation? Is there a second killer? And does another murder suggest that a bigger picture is involved? The more information they receive, the less the list of suspects narrows. While some facts about a scheme mesh, other questions are unresolved, leading Mike and Jason to realize that they only know a small piece of the puzzle, even after they have a suspect in jail.

As questions mount, the action is fast-paced, the investigative logic impeccable, and the unexpected twists and turns of story are nicely done. All this brings readers on a roller coaster ride of possibilities and emotions that form the controversies and ultimate outcome of Jimmy's life and death. Along the way, Mike learns some lessons about racism from his Black partner.

Kevin G. Chapman is adept at creating a fast-paced story that keeps readers thinking, wondering, and on their toes. Sports fans, in particular, will find this murder mystery a special blend of intrigue, sports politics and associations, and unexpected social inspections of the roots of and connections between prejudice, sports, and political involvements.

Who Do You Think You Are?
Joseph Torra
www.joetorra.com
PFP Publishing
9781736720226, $20.00

Who Do You Think You Are? Reflections of a Writer's Life... reviews Joseph Torra's thirty-some years as a writer and teacher, examining his life and literary challenges. It's a memoir that shares personal stories about his youth, coming of age, and artistic influences; but most of all, it's a story of perseverance and an evolving dream that will strike a chord with anyone who has aspired towards success.

The title comes from an encounter with a peer who challenged such a dream coming from a young man who was somewhat of a drifter through life: "One day I told an old corner friend that I wanted to be a writer. He looked at me as if I'd grown a third eye and asked, Who the fuck do you think you are?"

It's always an extraordinary effort to harbor dreams that are not part of either one's upbringing or support system. Torra went on to publish sixteen books, including works of fiction and poetry, and to become an editor; but this book is about the process of discovering and nurturing a creative spirit against all odds.

It nicely juxtaposes these growth processes as he taps his job as a waiter in Boston to interact with writers, musicians, and creative folk in "the perfect work environment for me" and hones his craft and vision.

His experiences of and comments on mentors and their lasting impact is only one critical piece to a story that ultimately outlines not just an individual pathway to literary success, but how kids from disparate environments can follow their own aspirations to achievement, no matter how impossible or far-fetched the dream.

Within this writer's life are nuggets of wisdom on how to navigate life's obstacles to envision, refine, and reach for something different.

Who Do You Think You Are? is an inspiring, lively read that not only reveals Torra's world, but invites readers to consider their own processes and goals in the art world, no matter what their origins and experiences seem to dictate as a logical course.

Young Blood and Old Paint
William M. Frank
Terra Nova Books
https://www.terranovabooks.com
9781948749817, $19.95

https://www.amazon.com/Young-Blood-Paint-William-Frank/dp/1948749815

Young Blood and Old Paint is a mystery revolving around Tommy McNaul, an FBI agent on the Art Crime Team who has an idyllic life until a sting operation gone awry under his watch results in the shooting of a congressman's son.

His entire life, from family to career, ends that day in Boston; and he leaves the bureau to join his brother in Santa Fe, working in his PI business. Ironically, once again, Tommy finds himself investigating the art world. This time, it's a forgery and a murder that hit too close to his prior experience and failures.

As Tom and his brother Willie investigate, the forgery, gallery owner, and events back in Boston become frighteningly entwined as bullets fly once again and new facts come to light not only about this case, but the events that destroyed his life.

From the story's opening lines, William M. Frank captivates: "A wail like a keening banshee pulled Tom McNaul back to consciousness. As the howl of the Boston police cruiser faded into the urban din, he reached across the bed. The tangled sheets were damp, but Colleen was gone."

His ability to capture events, emotions, and atmosphere using succinct, powerful language with a minimum of wasted words drives a story line packed with twists and turns - satisfyingly more so than the usual mystery.

The intrigue is nicely done, the thriller component is elevated through relationship and life encounters between perps, good guys, and those who operate in the gray area in-between, and the story line feels compellingly realistic.

From death threats Willie deems lame to how the brothers work together to formulate intention and identify the true culprits operating behind the scenes, readers remain riveted both by the art world and the evolving probe.

Powered by atmospheric and realistic moments of contemplation and discovery, the story line crafts a magnetic draw: "Something didn't add up. Tom's subconscious had battled the whiskey all through the short night, leaving him groggy and unenlightened. He stared out the window at the only visible frame - the neighborhood fire hydrant, splendidly lit within the cone of a streetlight. Erratic snowflakes spiraled down through the beam of light. The scene lacked only a couple of dogs wearing fedoras and drinking coffee."

Young Blood and Old Paint will especially delight those with an affection for the art world and the possibilities of criminal activity revolving around and within it. It's a gripping tale that keeps readers guessing and involved to the end.

Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life Changing Stories of Young Heroes
Marianne Larned
Stone Soup Leadership Institute, Inc.
http://stonesoupleadership.org
9780578893808, $29.95 Book/$2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092Z6LF1M

Reading the average news coverage of sustainability, it's evident that a number of people are working to change attitudes about the environment and influence its preservation; but too often the individual stories of these successes become buried in overviews of the issues.

That's why Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life Changing Stories of Young Heroes is so important for young people concerned about the environment and its preservation. It returns the human factor to the cause and effect picture by profiling the efforts of young people who are actively making a difference, serving as an inspiration and role model for others who would take up the reins of enacting positive change in the world.

This collection of 100 stories demonstrates that young people from around the world are taking action...and are being successful. Each story offers a glimpse into the process of changing lives, minds, and taking action. Each profiles a climate change trailblazer.

Examples include Seattle's Jamie Margolin, who became a climate justice activist when she observed a beach sign about seal pups and realized she'd never seen a seal pup on that beach; then saw another sign about whales and porpoises...another group of creatures she'd never observed there. Why put up a sign for animals that weren't around?

As Jamie investigated further, she uncovered a disconnect between what used to be and what exists now. At age 14 she was prompted to research the dilemma, and after the 2016 elections, she decided to become politically active, joining the climate change advocacy group Plant-for-the-Planet and growing her political savvy and mission of promoting environmental justice.

Growing up in Mumbai, India, Aadya Joshi walked by a garbage dump every day on her way to school. She asked local police if she could organize a drive to plant an urban garden in its place, and in doing so, she learned about the importance of native plants for local wildlife. She realized that most of the trees she saw were non-native and therefore didn't support local biodiversity. She founded an organization called The Right Green, started educational workshops in a local nature park, and has built a database of local plant species and the insects and birds they support.

Particular attention is given to telling the stories of marginalized people and their concerns and efforts. This will show young people from a variety of backgrounds that advocacy need not be limited or linked to privileged groups.

These stories also incorporate advice for fellow would-be environmental activists: "For youth who want to get further involved in a community, Jamie's message is kind, and encouraging. "Growing up is hard," she says. "Sometimes it's hard to know your place in the world. So take something you are passionate about - whether that is art, performing, cooking, or robotics - and apply that same passion to a movement."

These young people are working at all levels of organizations and communities, organizing workshops, creating databases of information, working with bridge-building groups and mentors, and learning a variety of approaches, techniques, and tools for effecting positive change: Some of the most valuable lessons Vincent Kimura of SmartYields learned along his own journey he learned by getting involved with local civic groups."Right out of college, I went into Rotary Youth Leadership training. There, I learned how to manage insecurities and ego. Every journey can be fraught with mental health challenges. Burnout. Depression. Countless other things. Entrepreneurs need to understand this early on. When they see the signs of these things, they should take a step back," he says. "We need to be taught about these things to be able to recognize them."

This is one of the most important books that a children's library or environmental leader can pass on to future generations. Stone Soup for a Sustainable World provides a tool kit of inspiration that uses the positive, effective experiences of ordinary young people to provide a message of how making a difference is important, and shows the steps along the way to actually achieving these goals.

A Time to Forget in East Berlin
C.G. Fewston
https://cgfewston.me
Independently Published
9798731925242, $8.99 Print/$1.99 Kindle

https://cgfewston.me/a-time-to-forget-in-east-berlin

A Time to Forget in East Berlin is the second book in three novels of interrelated characters and themes and focuses on ex-CIA officer John Lockwood, who is living a new life under an assumed name in 1970s East Berlin, when the Ministry for State Security recruits him for another job.

From this plot outline, newcomers might expect a thriller or political inspection holding the usual outlines of an adventure or intrigue piece, but one of C.G. Fewston's talents is an ability to employ the first person usage and lively inspections to bring the story to life: "Beyond a birch tree in a courtyard, the sun rose in the east to a young woman at a window facing the Wall. When I imagine her there by the window in the morning, it's as though I conjure her from a dream I once had as a child. Her name is Nina, and her love had a strange Germanic power that held the fulness of hope, as swift and as fair as time. And in that dream, she was my Brunhilda and I her Sigurd. She was my air and I her fire."

Readers who enjoy poetic prose and descriptions that go beyond an action-oriented or political inspection focus will relish this story - which means that it will reach beyond the usual audience of war fiction epic readers to tug at the hearts of those who may not have anticipated such a compelling blend of descriptive prose and psychological inspection.

When John opens his story, he's on the cusp of giving up his focus on the Heads of Leonidas - the covert organization he's been tracking since his last mission in Tehran. His life in East Berlin has led him to feel isolated and alone in his pursuits and double life, and he has become stuck in an approach he once felt comfortable in, which analyzes everyone around him as a possible threat or person of interest.

Nina changes all that. His relationship with her begins with an unexpected connection that he thought long gone from his life: "When she spoke, I saw her. I mean I could see her and all that she was worth. I felt myself stretching into forever. The ice floes of my soul melting beneath the blazing sun of Her. My arms, my legs, my face spread thin across the decades, centuries, millennia. I was gone but not forgotten. I sensed my essence, as thin as a cloud, over all history and time."

And then everything changes, once more. How can he reconcile the love and life that Nina has introduced to his new persona Jacob, while accepting a job that will draw him back into the situations that had alienated him from that life?

Nina teaches him more than love. She holds a special key to survival that holds intense ramifications for his dual identities and approaches to life and missions: "'If you stay in a place long enough, everything changes anyway.' I knew then, right there among the dead and lost and forgotten - all those anachronisms - that if I ever lost Nina it would be like small deaths for every day without her."

Through John and Nina's interactions and perspectives, the history and conundrums of East and West Berlin during the 1970s comes to life in a way that few thriller or political explorations can match: "West Berlin was gradually turning into a retirement colony with nearly thirty percent of its citizens being over sixty-five. West Berlin, more a provincial city than what it had been in the fifties and sixties, seemed to Nina to be going backwards because of the city's growing number of elderly pensioners. Meanwhile, in East Germany, especially in East Berlin, a stunted but determined form of hope - a hope, nonetheless - had swelled and filled the hearts and minds of the younger generation with a firm resolution of upward mobility."

There is no better way for readers interested in Germany's history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals' love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.

As Italian Silvio Amedeo Modigliani observes to John: 'The world don't matter when the two of you are together. Politics don't matter. Culture don't matter. Borders don't matter. Even the past don't matter so much when she looks at you.'

John is supposed to be retired. But he can't retire from love, and he can't turn his back on the storm which rises to embrace them both.

Fewston injects literary, philosophical, psychological, political, and social inspections into the story to add further depth; from references to Faust and Proust to concerns about the Stasi who might quell the one light he's been able to follow in this dark time.

The story is replete with the phrases and flavors of European culture, which are nicely mixed with the self-inspection John undertakes in the course of his changing relationship with Nina and Germany: "Shame stinks, and the stench is a signal to the world to remind everyone what you've done and of who you are. No, you cannot burn memories as easily as burning books. No, you cannot forget because shame won't allow it. No, you have to accept the shame as part of your own troubling history and pray to the high heavens that one day people will forgive you. But no, people don't forget. They forgive, sometimes, yes. Other times, they don't, they cannot. Accountability can be as light as a kiss or as heavy as a guillotine. Shame wasn't so much a curse as it was a stigmata."

Readers who seek multifaceted, compelling stories steeped in social and political inspection and grounded by personal growth will find there is no need to have a prior familiarity with either John's experience in his Tehran book or with Germany's history. This stand-alone story is both a powerful compliment to its predecessor and a testimony to the strength of a writer who allows the personal and the political to intersect along the road of life in delightful, refreshingly evocative ways recommended for literary, historical fiction and novel readers alike.

First Cut
J. T. Bishop
www.jtbishopauthor.com
Eudoran Press, LLC
9781732553125, $4.99 (Kindle)/$14.95 (paperback)

https://www.amazon.com/First-Cut-Suspense-Detectives-Daniels/dp/1732553122

First Cut is Book One in the 'Family or Foe' series and provides thriller and mystery readers with a psychic adventure that revolves around former Seattle detective Jill Jacobs, who has failed to catch a serial killer despite her best efforts.

Jill is on a drinking binge in San Diego, far from the scene of a crime she was ultimately unable to solve, when the serial killer turns up in her new life and town to strike once again.

Why should she become re-involved? Because her hidden ability involves a psychic link to the killer that forces her to view events from his eyes. Her special ability may prove the only key to stopping his relentless bloodbath.

And so she joins forces with two local detectives, Daniels and Remalla, to augment their probe on quite a different level. There's only one problem. The killer is not only aware of her presence in his mind, but he craves her attention, which may be leading him to kill for a psychic thrill she unwittingly is fostering within him.

J.T. Bishop excels in providing an inspection that compellingly skirts the boundaries of madness, sanity, and the privacy of thoughts and actions. One especially effective device she employs is a thorough consideration of the psyches of all involved, from the damaged psychic investigator Jill to a detective who has a wife and forthcoming new baby to consider, and a partner willing to risk his personal safety to protect the one witness who may be able to stop the killings.

It's ironic that the woman who harbors this special skill to see into minds can't reconcile her ability with her own future and heart: "They were quiet for a moment as Elmer chased Bugs through the woods before he spoke. "You ever think about the future?" She tensed, staring at the pillow and playing with its frayed edges. "Not in a long time." "Why not?"

"What's to think about?" He shifted to face her. "Oh, I don't know. Marriage. Kids. You want that?" Her stomach knotted. "I thought I did." "Not anymore?" "Before the Artist, things were different. Now...well, now I don't know if I'll live long enough. It's hard to see beyond the next day, never mind the next year."

As the fates of investigators and killer begin to coalesce, all involved are charged with seeing the world in a different way, which includes futures that once seemed set in stone.

There is a fair degree of violence, but always in keeping with the story line's progression as Jill becomes threatened.

From intrigue and cat-and-mouse games to interactions that become increasingly dangerous on more than one level, Bishop's story is a fine story of intrigue and survival that introduces the first spark of romance and leaves the door well open for more books in the series.

Haunted River
J. T. Bishop
www.jtbishopauthor.com
Eudoran Press, LLC
9781732553163, $4.99 (Kindle)/$14.95 (paperback)

https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-River-Suspense-Detectives-Daniels/dp/1732553165

Haunted River, Book One in the 'Detectives Daniels and Remalla' series, is about an unsolved murder, a ghost, and a mystery that rekindles when Detective Gordon Daniels inherits his grandmother's home and a decades-old puzzle.

His partner, Detective Aaron Remalla, is invited not to open up a new investigation but to clean out the house in preparation for its sale; but what they unearth will spark renewed interest in the outcome and real impact of events that affected not just the house, but the nearby town.

As Daniels' own family history becomes entwined in a story that embraces too many odd characters and nefarious possibilities, the fate of the murdered nineteen-year-old Scarlet Hokans becomes tied to local residents and events that won't stay buried, arising again to affect present-day people.

The whole town thinks they know the story - and the perp, identified as Scarlet's boyfriend Big Billy. Also suspect is Daniels' grandfather.

Can a crystal ball's look into the past revolve the mystery? No; but two savvy detectives can possibly employ unusual devices to get at the heart of this decades-old conundrum.

From accusations over local drug trade to the real events surrounding now-three dead women (Scarlet, Chelsea, and Annie), the story expands with perp possibilities and a deadly threat.

Having a phantom be an active part of the problem-solving effort sets this mystery thriller apart from many others. And yet, the detectives must rely not just on supernatural influences, but their own evolving savvy to find a solution to a problem which has eluded every investigator before them.

A host of characters are created who are realistic, logical, and interesting, with the mystery itself taking several twists and turns readers won't see coming.

The result is a satisfying blend of investigative procedure and ghost story that provides a haunting tale of detectives who inherit more than a few surprises. Mystery readers who also like a good ghost story will be intrigued by the whodunit and the added spice of a haunting figure.

These Americans
Jyotsna Sreenivasan
Minerva Rising Press
www.minervarising.com
9781950811069, $17.00

https://www.amazon.com/These-Americans-Jyotsna-Sreenivasan/dp/1950811069

Readers looking for accessible short stories capturing immigrant experiences and women's' lives will find These Americans a study in contrasting cultures. It exposes the rich vein of differences between Americans and those who arrive here from other countries. Most of the stories take place in the Midwest.

Take the opening story 'Mirror', for one example. Here, Prema Sridhar is giving birth in an American hospital. She reflects on different experiences since she's come to America from India - how Americans "show teeth every time I appear," which causes her to believe they are laughing at her Indian dress and ways; and how her concepts of wealth and poverty and her position in society are turned upside down by the surprising revelation that her doctor husband is not rich in America: "Before I arrived I thought, my husband is a doctor, and we will be going to the richest country in the world. I will live like a queen. I didn't know the hospital did not pay residents well. I didn't know we would have to live in a basement apartment with paint and everything falling off the ceiling. I didn't know we would not be able to find basic Indian groceries, not even dal or ghee or yogurt. At home we have a cook and I never learned to make my own ghee or yogurt. Here I somehow make something or other using split peas and corn oil and sour cream. My mother sends me spices every so often, sambar powder and rasam powder, but I cannot find fresh chillies or coriander leaves. The only coconut in the store here is dried and sweetened, so I cannot use it. Imagine, eating South Indian food without coriander leaves or coconut!"

The delivery reflects not only Prema's revised role in her new home, but the fact that she's giving birth to an American.

The only novella in the collection, 'Hawk', is about a mother and daughter coming to terms with prejudice.

Daughter Manisha lives in a typical American home, has a family herself, and has become a sixth grade teacher - much to her mother's disappointment, who thinks she should be teaching higher grades or living on her husband's benefits.

Her mother has honed this vision of her daughter's future since Manisha was a child, reinforcing it in writings and teachings designed to craft her child into all she could be: "I want you to do even better than we have done," her mother had written. "You must stand on our shoulders and reach higher. You do not have to be bound by tradition. You can do anything you choose. The whole world is open to you. Thomas Jefferson said, 'Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.' You will have the right mental attitude. You were born in the land of freedom. No outdated traditions will stand in your way."

Despite her vision, Manisha has made her own, different choices in life.

As the novella unfolds, readers receive an inkling of how disparate forces have affected and shaped an immigrant mother and her daughter's experiences in America, and the future each has created from these influences.

Thought-provoking, diverse, yet interconnected by Indian heritage, American experience, and women's' lives and concerns, These Americans offers a rich set of insights especially recommended for women's literature collections in general and Indian immigrant readers in particular.

The Frontline: Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot Episode
Michael Santino
Independently Published
9781737063612, $6.99 Paper/$.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Frontline-Episode-emerging-domestic-terrorism/dp/1737063611

The Frontline: Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot Episode represents a modern take on the relatively lost art of serial novel writing, and will appeal to thriller readers who usually don't receive this form of novelette in such a digestible, succinct style.

In the 1800s and early to mid-1900s, serialization was an immensely popular form of publishing. Publishing works in serialized form gave authors a much wider readership because even poorer readers could afford to buy short volumes, and even busy individuals could afford to read them.

Today, this form has largely gone by the wayside, but Michael Santino's revival of it in this book demonstrates that its usefulness may be even more appropriate for modern audience attention spans and budgets than in the past.

The serial is designed to be read in order, and in short, two-hour segments. There are seven episodes in this series, so readers should be prepared to enjoy them all in the order given.

The Kole County series begins with an FBI investigation into domestic terrorism and the group American Dawn. Agent Christopher Odacio and State Police Senior Investigator.
Kole County's experiences mirror events across America and prove the frontline in an emerging threat that challenges the face of what it means to be a patriot as the two investigators draw closer to a truth that challenges their personal lives.

American Dawn's organization and logic are explained by organizer Keith Brown to Odacio: "American Dawn is a peaceful organization, Odacio, but we're also preparing for what we know is coming. We'll be on the frontlines when it happens, and we need trained military men to run our operations when the time comes. We're operating within the bounds of the law, and well within our rights, that is, if we still have any rights."

How does an American's initial charge to defend liberty and freedom result in a ragtag army of recruits who represent "...a toxic mix of nationalists, racists, and QANON followers"?

This and other social and political quandaries are explored as the fundamental beliefs and connections within the terrorist group come to light.

Michael Santino intersects a host of characters to create a compelling story depicted from both sides of the struggle. He spices the fast pace of the tale with believable characters and supports this with dialogue designed to intrigue and captivate, adding depth to a blend of mystery and political and social inspection.

Those interested in stories that reflect modern American concerns, who do not have the time or attention span for a full-length thriller, will find this serial format sacrifices nothing in its choice of form and, indeed, will appeal to those who like their action hot, their characters three-dimensional, and their dilemmas firmly rooted in modern questions and times.

Their Feet Run to Evil
Thomas D. Holland
Independently Published
9798687756235, $14.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Their-Feet-Run-Evil-Elmore/dp/B08N9P8Z16

Their Feet Run to Evil introduces a new series powered by the figure of Arkansas police chief Big Ray Elmore. It is set in 1957, but contains flashback scenes to a crime committed in the 1930s which seems to be linked to the murder Big Ray is investigating now.

Historical truths wind into the story to provide realistic, thought-provoking suspense and action, creating a discourse that embraces intrigue while exploring issues of Southern culture, prejudice, and justice.

The story opens with teen Opal Alice Turner's departure from her uncle's farmhouse. She had left the family's Chicago home in the 1930s to spend the summer with her uncle on his Arkansas delta farm, and her mother warned her at the time about the South's very different culture and her vulnerable place in it.

But Opal didn't listen to sage advice when she encountered a teenage white boy in the South; and for this, she paid with her life: "She'd made eye contact with him when he surfaced and locked onto her gaze, not averting her amber-colored eyes the way she should have; the way the other Colored girls from the area would have. She was city-bred and anxious to prove it to her cousins and all their country-mouse friends. She didn't miss an opportunity to remind them that she was from the broad-shouldered city of Chicago."

Fast forward to 1957, where a rainmaker with a secret to hide uses his knowledge of the Mississippi River to get rid of a bundle of evidence that could land him in big trouble. He feels no regrets because he, after all, is righteous man: "It wasn't that he had any remorse. Remorse was too much akin to guilt, and he had none of that. What did he have to feel guilty about? He knew that he was a religious man." It's a perception that will come back to haunt him as Big Ray probes events that bring up a lynching and stir up memories that some have repressed even as others have hidden behind them.

As Big Ray probes the rainmaker's actions and past, he draws closer to a dangerous truth that holds implications not just for one murder, but the entire town.

Thomas D. Holland excels in crafting not just a mystery, but the Southern culture and milieu backing it. Under his hand, Big Ray becomes a realistic, likeable, engrossing character whose upbringing and Southern roots come to life as much as his investigation: "When I was young and stupid, I made a wrong turn and got myself and another person into a bad place. It didn't end well. Ended about as bad as something can end. It did scandalize the town. In some ways, what I did, the wrong turn I took all those years ago, was more natural, but it was every bit as much a taboo as the path that Little Dub stumbled upon a few years back. What I know is that my daddy hardly said a word to me about what I did. He never let me shirk my responsibility for what happened, not for a minute, but he didn't remind me or lecture me or strive to punish me. He raised me to understand that we each accumulate our own individual pattern of scars, taught me that you can read the smooth hardened tissue like a blind man reads Braille, and that those scars will tell the story of your character. The way my father handled that time in my life changed me probably more than anything short of the war, and I know it sounds funny, me being a policeman and all, but it tempered my willingness to intrude upon people's lives unnecessarily."

Readers who look for nonstop action will find plenty to like; but Holland also takes the time to weave solid character development into this story, as well as social and political inspection.

This sets the police procedural apart from other murder stories, lending it added value with its close inspection of Southern roots and secrets that grow within the context of family relationships, upbringing, and attitudes towards life and other people. The Arkansas backdrop comes to life particularly strongly - perhaps because Holland was born and raised there.

To call Their Feet Run to Evil a murder mystery alone would be to do the story a grave injustice. Its special blend of social inspection and focus on prejudice and interpersonal interactions sets it in a class of its own. It holds the ability to reach outside the usual genre read to those who like their stories firmly grounded in social dilemmas and changing community perspectives.

The View from My Window
Patricia J. Gallegos
Atmosphere Press
https://atmospherepress.com
9781637529669, $21.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/View-My-Window-Patricia-Gallegos/dp/163752966X

Shaman Willow is only twenty years old, but the world around her has changed in The View from My Window. Her nomadic clan is broken and scattered, threats and violence limit trade and travel, and her focus on healing and daily dreams has undergone a radical transformation during the summer.

Patricia J. Gallegos describes this in moving detail in the first few paragraphs of the story: "As a nomad, the view from my window changed daily. My life was governed by my apprenticeship as a shaman. While others in my clan recalled particular villages and hamlets because of the trading they had done and the friends they had made, I remembered the villages for the medicinal plants that grew nearby, the illnesses I had treated and the babies I had helped to deliver."

The threat to their nomadic existence comes from the fact that their tribe's moving caravan places them in jeopardy as traveling targets of violence and hate. And so, one by one, they either are killed or find villages to settle in - places where they can blend in, feel safer, and weather the storm of prejudice and conflict overtaking their world.

Willow is tired of loss and change, but as the story progresses and she strikes a root that leads her to become a healer to the Queen in a bargain to save her remaining loved ones, she becomes part of a life that successfully misses all the key pivot points of her growth: "I wept silently. The waves of grief that swept through me shook my body. My breathing was ragged as though someone had torn my chest open and left a jagged wound. I had not realized that I had graduated. I had not realized that I was emancipated. How had I missed it? Did the whole rest of the world see this and I was the only soul who had not? How could I be so bright and miss the thing in front of me? Life had changed for me the night I injured my foot. It was as if when I struck that root, a giant wheel began to turn, setting others in motion."

Perhaps The View from My Window could have been published at no better time, because readers affected by Covid and overnight changes will readily relate to Willow's too-sudden transformation from a comfortable, familiar lifestyle to one in which the future is frightening, uncertain, and misses the touchstones of life's celebratory moments.

Thrust into the position of being both a lead healer and the savior of her people, Willow grieves for her lost past and faces an uncertain future. The story's surprises include a romance that also will threaten any hopes of the life she once called her own.

Patricia J. Gallegos provides a moving first-person saga of a young woman facing not just personal transformation, but vast changes to the fabric of life and her perceived role in it. From her healing abilities to the possibility of love, her choices hold consequences that will further affect everything around her.

Covid readers who have experienced these world-changing paradigms themselves will even more readily relate to Willow's thoughts and feelings than in the pre-Covid environment this book was likely written in.

Willow's process of experiencing broken connections, then re-connecting to her powers and new relationships is cemented by an attention to detail and description that is a particularly powerful comment on women's' strengths: "We all sat back and admired the quilt we had just completed together. Every stitch made the quilt stronger. Every story bound us together more securely as a family. Stitch by stitch, we sewed our way through lifetimes of love and relationships."

The View from My Window's message of coming of age in a fantasy world where instability becomes the norm and new relationships are forged both for survival and under duress makes for a story that is hard-hitting, involving, and hard to put down.

Gaslighting Recovery Workbook
Tara Wilson
Vox Publishing House
https://www.facebook.com/voxpublishinghouse
9798730697584, $11.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Gaslighting-Recovery-Workbook-Actionable-Manipulation-ebook/dp/B091D1VVP5

The term 'gaslighting' has only relatively recently made its way into modern language and onto the radars of everyday people, but has quickly evolved to become a better-known facet of emotional trauma in interpersonal relationships.

Still, most books on the subject either embrace this in a larger context of abuse, or focus on defining circumstances of gaslighting without providing the keys to not just identifying, but overcoming it. Because those adept at gaslighting often impart ideas and subtle messages that might not be picked up by those around them, it's especially critical that everyone receive the message in this book about what constitutes gaslighting and, more importantly, how to cultivate a 'gaslight-proof' approach to life, to avoid toxic relationships.

That's why Gaslighting Recovery Workbook is such an essential publication, highly recommended for any authoritative collection on mental health and self-help.
It opens with a definition of gaslighting, a review of the type of personality who employs it, and a survey of different strategies that gaslighters use. Many will likely recognize someone in their lives who does these things.

Next, chapters get to the heart of the matter - what to do about gaslighting. From setting boundaries and rebuilding self-esteem to acknowledging responsibility and being pro-active in the process, Tara Wilson goes beyond 'victim mentality' to explain how those being gaslighted can take charge of their lives and relationships: "You have had your self-confidence and self-esteem shattered and then controlled by your abuser. Those are delicate things for anyone, but they are so important if you are going to be successful in recovery. You have to own who you are, what you are, and what you want moving forward."

Because this is presented in workbook form, readers need to be prepared to not just absorb new concepts, but review the questions and answers that will help them identify and adjust their own attitudes and relationship approaches.

Exercises cover the basics of building self-identity and using the day's end to review all relationship interactions for a better, healthier approach. Why? Wilson advises: "Put your ideas into action because it will show those around you that you are assertive and in control of what goes on in your life, especially in your emotions."

Gaslighting Recovery Workbook isn't just a guide for victims. It's a tool for creating self-empowerment, and should be a part of any self-help, psychology, or general lending collection where self improvement is of interest. It's designed to be a toolkit for everyday life that can be carried not just into a love relationship, but all kinds of social situations.

Platformed
Kelsey Josund
www.kelseyjosund.com
All She Wrote Publications
9780996899338, $28.00 Hardcover
9780996899345, $9.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Platformed-Novel-Kelsey-Josund-ebook/dp/B08ZLJTS35

California's Silicon Valley in 2030 is still home to business dreams and wildfire nightmares: not very different from today. In this milieu, Sara loses both her startup company (which has failed) and her home (to the fires that have become a yearly California threat).

It seemed a solid option to retreat to a utopian community surrounded by water in the now-ocean-drowned Monterey area, but as the events in the near-future story Platformed evolve, Sara finds that societal downfall (which she is supposedly protected from by corporate control in her new community) is simply being mirrored in a different way on the inside.

Has she moved to the last perfect replica of a functioning society left on Earth, or has she moved into a corporate-run nightmare?

Perhaps one reason Platformed is so hard-hitting is its element of believability. It's not a stretch of the imagination to envision Sara's world, which holds its roots in present-day real-world affairs. It's not a surprise to find that Sara grasps with both hands the only life preserver thrown to her, only to find that its guise of safety actually masks threatening sharks that attack the freedoms she has signed away for the next five years.

As Sara's perception of what makes a community livable begins to fall apart much, she embarks on a new and last-ditch attempt to find a better place in a changing world, which requires that she not be as invisible as she'd hoped, in her new life.

Whether in relationships or approaches to life, Sara and her readers discover that the omnipotent corporation has its tentacles everywhere, even in personal relationships: "It was the right thing to do, even if the conversation it started would inevitably end with them breaking up. The universe - or the company, anyway - had already decided that for them."

In many ways, this dystopian corporate-run world is a cautionary tale. It feels very real partially because young author Kelsey Josund is a software engineer well used to the approaches and thought processes of tech companies.

Sara at first accepts much about her new life: "Weekends and weekdays didn't mean much in her new life, but she was used to that: unemployment had taught her to expect a lot of sameness from every day. Perhaps she should be grateful that the disappointments in her life prepared her for this."

As she begins to perceive that utopia isn't quite what it's made out to be and that the price is too steep, Sara brings readers into a new world of choices and consequences which hold great impact not just for Sara, but for readers struggling with their own assessments of corporate control over ordinary lives.

Themes include eschewing the familiar to take a risk on something that offers comfort, only to find that comfort comes with a heavy element of control and excess that separates the fortunate from those who have much less. This creates inequities that eventually challenge and influence moral and ethical decisions on every individual's part in this world, making for thought-provoking reading.

From world hunger to gimmicks and apps designed to mitigate the effects of social injustice and climate change, Sara's social revelations are riveting: "She thought back to their gimmicky breakthrough project, delivering a single french fry to new users of their service. It was admittedly tongue in cheek, but she found it hilarious at the time. Now she found it emblematic of an excess she had once been blind to."

The language and nuances of Sara's journey towards social and self-realization are particularly evocative: "She had tried to flee that sun, chasing the night out into the waves, but the daylight was so very beautiful. Casting the landscape in a multicolored morning, making the windows of the Community's buildings glitter as if they were something to cherish rather than fear. She could keep swimming away. She could just stay where she was and let the ocean decide what to do with her."

Platformed is a very highly recommended story that will hit close to home for many sci-fi fans in a dystopian production designed to keep readers thinking and involved to the end.

Get Up & Fight
Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi & Jean Kanokogi, PhD
All She Wrote Productions
www.allshewroteproductions.com
9781736089040, $9.95 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Up-Fight-Memoir-Kanokogi-ebook/dp/B08XYVDZWR

Martial arts collections and readers who enjoy biographies of notable figures are in for a treat with Get Up & Fight: The Memoir of Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi, The Mother of Women's Judo. This sports autobiography revolves around a woman who promoted the presence of women in martial arts early on, covering the blatant discrimination and prejudice she faced while honing her abilities and making a name for herself.

Rusty's dreams went beyond individual success. She wanted women's judo to earn a place in the Olympics, and served as a role model to younger women coming up in the martial arts world.

From her coming of age in beauty school where white girls were a minority and gangs usually involved male participants to her determination to fight on many different levels and make a name for herself, Rusty alternated between "creating chaos" wherever she went and promoting empowerment and physical ability.

Vivid memories accompanied by color images throughout capture this evolving sense of strength: "My Capone image was surfacing. All the other areas of my life seemed out of my control, but when I acquired that Capone persona, I was the one with the power. One day, I was using the stapler too long for one of the boys in English class. When he came over to me to take the stapler, I got out of my chair and told him to get the hell away from me or I would staple his balls together. After I slapped his head by surprise, he meekly

walked away. I was in control, even if just for the moment. This felt surprisingly calming to me."

The story of how these early encounters led to her involvement in women's martial arts and her determination to strengthen herself by working out makes for an inspirational story that charts the huge steps forward made by women in judo.

Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi's story also embraces the specter of discrimination in women's sports. It's particularly notable for its insights into how she fought on this level, as well: "I think Miller just got caught up in this mess because he was basically a nice guy. It was a perfect example of passing the buck. With all my reading of the documents on laws, entitlements and rights, I didn't know where to turn. But not for long. I had already been to Los Angles to give testimony to the American Civil Liberties Union regarding discrimination of women's judo and would, at a later date, join several other sport groups who were organizing against the International Olympic Committee."

Get Up & Fight is a book that will appeal beyond martial arts or women's sports memoir circles, making it onto the reading lists of those interested in the history and evolution of women's competitive sports and the discrimination surrounding it.

A Mother's Tale & Other Stories
Khanh Ha
C&R Press
https://www.crpress.org
9781949540239, $18.00

https://www.crpress.org/shop/a-mothers-tale-other-stories

A Mother's Tale & Other Stories provides tales that embrace the beauty and chaos of Vietnam, and is a highly recommended literary work for those who seek fictional pieces embedded with the spirit and history of the Vietnam War and the nation.

Take the opening 'Heartbreak Grass', for example. Here, a thirty-one-year-old villager sent South to fight the Americans returns home a blind quadruple amputee. The young narrator is eighteen and about to be drafted and faces following the same fate as the "Uncle" Chung, who returns home to live out his days as a vastly crippled soul.

"What could he see now but his own memories?" the narrator wonders as he brings medicine to this survivor. He learns that the man, once a machine shop owner, is now controlled by a beautiful woman who oversees his entire life.

The survivor prompts the young man to consider his own path and life processes: "How would I carry on if I became like him? This man seemed to survive the way a creeper did, by latching on to living things nearby. He wanted to live."

From surviving pain to a toxic vine called 'heartbreak grass' that both heals and kills, the story moves into the narrator's own journey down the Ho Chí Minh Trail to fight the Americans, where the bitter lessons and message of this survivor hit home in a different way.

Each story concludes with a powerful revelation and punch after taking the time to build an atmosphere and emotional connection with its reader.

Each takes a microcosm of Vietnamese life and closely examines its foundations. Under Ha's pen, the steamy jungle world of Vietnam comes to life, in all its beauty and pain: "For days the rain came and went. During the lulls the heat beat down on the forest and the forest floor steamed. While we lay the footpaths with wooden planks, the prisoners were taken to a distant grassland to cut buffalo grass and elephant grass, bundle them and carry them back to camp to thatch the roofs. I saw them hauling back large bundles of it. It was a sweltering day and the forest vapors hazed the air."

Readers seeking atmospheric reads about Vietnam that bring the country and its peoples - survivors, healers, and villagers alike - to life will find the landscapes and culture of a world wrecked by loss and war makes for compelling reading, indeed. This juxtaposition of pain and beauty runs through every story and makes them impossible to put down and hard to forget.

Literary collections strong in Asian cultural representation should consider A Mother's Tale & Other Stories a key acquisition.

City of Schemes
Bill Garwin
Independently Published
9798503372403, $9.75 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

www.amazon.com/dp/B0952B3TWY

Thriller readers who enjoy high-octane adventure with nonstop twists and turns will find City of Schemes just the ticket for a thoroughly engrossing read.

The story is supercharged from its first paragraphs describing Megan Garrity's race through the San Francisco Bay waters at night in a blow-up boat. She's entrusted her survival and that of her shivering thirteen-year-old son Nick beside her to the Yellow Brick Road human smugglers.

Megan isn't a criminal. She's a concerned mother on a mission to save her son: "Being a mother, Megan came to believe there were two sets of rules. One governed most everything, most every day. The other required you to do whatever you must for your child, which was why she was about to break into Norcal, a place of infinite opportunity."

The "infinite opportunity" she perceives is about to become an infinite nightmare, opening doors to a breached experiment that began with the government's blessing and is now being run by a monster armed not only with the biggest technological advancements in existence, but the power of an alternate Internet-type system, the Grid.

Megan didn't go looking for trouble. YBR reached out and found her. She'd never thought of breaking the rules, before. Now she's doing nothing but breaking everything around her. The story that opens with a bang just gets fierier and more absorbing as hacker and leader Walrus assigns an anarchist detective to follow her, only to find that Boty and Bob have intercepted her, first.

Why is Megan in the crosshairs of so many forces? What does her special son Nick have to do with these plots and ploys?

Bill Garwin's story is set against the backdrop of San Francisco and embraces its streets, culture, sights, and sounds. San Francisco natives will enjoy this backdrop, which is the perfect choice for the intrigue that revolves around Megan and the disparate special forces that operate under the city's different layers of street culture.

The action is unrelenting, characterization and intrigue well done and built to attract and maintain attention, and the story line's blend of high-tech threat and human clashes on various levels keeps readers engrossed.

Most of all, the believable character of a concerned mother who is drawn into affairs far beyond her comfort zone or knowledge keeps the action personal and intriguing.

As the Norcal projects and intentions unfold, the puzzles intersect and become even more complex and satisfying. Readers are invited to absorb moral and ethical decision-making dilemmas as the line between good and bad guys blurs.

Garwin's ability to introduce a wide range of special interests and characters, with chases and action moving from San Francisco to beyond the Bay Area, keeps his story edgy and engrossing. It's just the ticket for an escape into a world laced with real places and influential rebels whose intentions to do good become diverted and sometimes corrupted in unexpected ways.

A Different Way to Die
Robert Lane
https://robertlanebooks.com
Mason Alley Publishing
9781732294530, $TBA

https://robertlanebooks.com/a-different-way-to-die

A Different Way to Die is the eighth installment in the Jake Travis series and opens with his investigation of a boat fire that presumably claimed the life of twenty-two-year-old Chris Callaghan twenty-four years earlier.

Revisiting such an old case is never easy, but Yankee Conrad, an uncle who remains uncomfortable about its unresolved issues, employs Jake to resume the investigation to find out what really happened.

What Jake uncovers awakens a hornet's nest of present-day trouble that involves close-held secrets by a small town's group of friends, who have a vested interest in never revealing the truth.

Yankee asks one more thing of Travis. "I ask you to always act in my family's best interest. To treat all information with utmost confidentiality." "You have my word." Those were easy words to say, but hard words to keep."

Although this is the eighth story in the series, it's important to note that, at this point, A Different Way to Die holds the rare ability to act as a stand-alone read for those who usually eschew series titles, and a complimentary new adventure for prior Travis fans.

Both audiences will relish the tension and mystery that surround this latest investigative process, which moves from a local mystery to international waters, politics, and foreign operations.

From relics of the Cold War to the rise of the Network which challenges Jake and those who have come to believe in him, the story embraces wild cards, risks, secret government operatives and operations, and much more.

Robert Lane's story embraces so many twists and turns that readers who anticipate a small-town local whodunit will find the thriller unusually expansive and complex as Jake follows the dots that wind through personal lives and government affairs alike.

The story's ability to move within and between such circles while keeping readers engrossed in the intrigue is exceptional, providing a powerful story of difficult choices and their consequences: "Every day is a deeper well of what I don't know. We only know the path we take."

A Different Way to Die's hard-hitting story will prove hard to put down, unexpected right up to its surprise conclusion. That Lane can create such an expansive story, yet keep the action nonstop and the logic and characterization impeccably realistic, is to his credit and lends to the exceptional read; a 'must' for any thriller and mystery enthusiast.

Meeting Anne Frank: An Anthology
Tim Whittome, editor
Xlibris
1663 South Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.xlibris.com
9781664145566, $35.99 HC, $19.99 PB, $2.99 Kindle, 402pp, Grades 7-9

https://www.amazon.com/Meeting-Anne-Frank-Anthology/dp/1664145567

"Meeting" Anne Frank: An Anthology belongs in any Holocaust or children's history collection where Anne Frank's diary is of interest. It is comprised of twenty essays by those who never actually met the girl, but found her influence on their lives to be unusually compelling and lasting. Although over seventy years have passed since Anne and her sister died in a concentration camp, the authors of these pieces have all felt her lasting impact on their lives. They explore many striking facets of this impact, which will prove engrossing and sometimes compellingly controversial.

One such example of the latter lies in this thought by Tim Whittome: "If the life of Jesus Christ for Christians across the world derives much of its unique power and meaning from his miraculous transcendence of death and subsequent appearance to his disciples, Anne Frank's life derives almost all of its transcendent power and meaning from the fact that she died in the state-sponsored grip of one of the cruelest of all ideological and genocidal dreams -- namely, that the world would be infinitely better off without there being any Jews left to envy or despise.

Did Anne have to die at Bergen-Belsen and (as far as we know) not rise again and did Jesus have to die on a cross and then rise again in accordance with Christian faith for their current martyred reputations to exist today? On one level, it might seem presumptuous to link these two historical figures and fellow Jews, but on another, we need to bear in mind that Anne's diary has become one of the most well-read and translated books in the world after the Bible."

Each writer formed a personal relationship with the deceased Anne through her writings. Some knew her father or others connected with her, as well. The impact of Anne's vivid influence is striking, as in Anne Talvaz's reflection: "Anne did indeed tell of sad events. Perhaps my previous Holocaust reading had hardened me to the cruel facts she related -- I do not know. But what stood out was the wit, the needle-sharp portraits, the flawless dialogue, and the sense of comic timing. The description of the potato peelers' thoughts, the cat peeing in the attic, the strawberry preserving, the German soldier shooting his officer for treason all had me laughing out loud. And then there was the sheer wizardry of her use of words."

Why does Anne's story continue to resonate with future generations where so many similar accounts have been consigned to the annals of history? By capturing twenty lives changed by her words and their legacy, this anthology succeeds in showing how a writer's experiences and eye for detail can translate to life-changing impacts generations later.

Readers of Anne Frank and Holocaust history will of course be the likely major audience for this book, but let it also serve as an inspiration for writers of all ages who question the lasting power of words to reach out and transform others, as well as teenagers learning about Anne and the Holocaust. It's a potent lesson, indeed.

Diane C. Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Donovan's Literary Services
www.donovansliteraryservices.com


Gary Roen's Bookshelf

Their Last Secret
Rick Mofina
www.RickMofina.com
Mira
c/o Harlequin
www.Harlequin.com
9780778309864, $9.99 pbk, $6.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Their-Last-Secret-Rick-Mofina/dp/077830986X

"Their Last Secret" once again shows why Rick Mofina is one of the best writers in the suspense field. The tale opens with a pact and a situation by three young girls that will have a much greater impact that comes back to haunt them much later in life. One in particular has tried so hard to distance herself from the dark and sinister past. To give any kind of hint as to what it is would ruin the effect of the page turning excitement. "Their Last Secret" is a guaranteed thrill ride all the way to the end. No fan of the genre should miss this one.

Magnolia Blossom
Joanne Fisher
Joannes Books
www.joannesbooks.com
9781792340031, $20.00 pkb, $3.75 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Magnolia-Blossom-Joanne-Fisher/dp/1792340036

To say "Magnolia Blossom" is just a romance story cheapens the true nature of this very well written novel. Taking place in Georgia during the Civil War, author Fisher, has written a complicated fictional tale of how people dealt with the conflict. Maggie Mae the matriarch of the plantation Magnolia Blossom, is reminiscent of the Jimmy Stewart character in the movie Shenandoah, as both refuse to get involved in the struggle. She is determined to keep the property that has been in her family for so long against all odds, including, a female cannot handle the running of a plantation, as well bucking the system on the treatment of her slave workers. Yes, there is romance in generous doses but "Magnolia Blossom is like a fine wine that gets better with age as it unfolds. Set against the historical back drop of one of the country's darkest periods it is filled with well fleshed out characters and a writing style that holds interest to the last page. Some readers may be offended by the way many of the characters speak. To not portray them in that manner would lessen the accuracy of the composition. "Magnolia Blossom" is a deceiving production that is a fantastic narrative of historical fiction that readers should devour as rapidly as I did.

Out Of Many, One Portraits Of America's Immigrants
George W. Bush
Crown Publishing Group
c/o Random House
www.crownpublishing.com
9780593136965, $39.00, $6.99 Kindle $14.99

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Many-One-Portraits-Immigrants/dp/0593136969

Former President George W. Bush once again sheds light with prose and his own artistic portraits highlighting some of the best and brightest citizens who all have one thing in common. Every one of them emigrated to this country seeking a better life. Told in each person's own words they detail their journey to reach the shores of the United States to seek an improved existence. Many are well known like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Henry Kissinger, and Madeline Albright. Then so many are not, to many of us. Their stories reveal the hardships all had to endure to come to America. "Out of Many, One Portraits Of America's Immigrants" is a beacon of hope for all immigrants that celebrates the melting pot our country really is. "Out Of Many, One Portraits Of America's Immigrants" should be required reading for all of our politicians in Washington D.C. and throughout the nation to change the policies on immigration to make this a more perfect union.

Natural Remedies for Your Home & Health DIY Essential Oil Recipes for Cleaning, Beauty and Wellness
Laura Ascher
Mango Publishing
www.mangopublishinggroup.com
9781642505481, $19.95 pbk/$8.48 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Remedies-Your-Home-Health/dp/164250548X

So often we use products that are not the best things for many reasons as evidenced with "Natural Remedies for Your Home & Health." Laura Ascher shows there are many different things that are all natural, cheaper, environmentally friendlier and safer for humans and pets. Examples are using fresh lemons, ginger, peppermint, that are just as effective but also leave a much better scent for cleaning in the bathroom, killing insects, keeping spotless floors and windows are some of the uses. "Natural Remedies for Your Home & Health is an easy-to-follow guideline to a much safer way of life in many different aspects.

Growing Flowers Everything You Need to Know About Planting, Tending, Harvesting and Arranging Beautiful Blooms
Mike Irving
Yellow Pear Press
c/o Mango Publishing
www.mangopublishinggroup.com
9781642505504, $26.95 HC/$9.89 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Flowers-Everything-Harvesting-Arranging/dp/1642505501

For those of us who deal with plants and our yards, "Growing Flowers" is packed with lots and lots of great tips on how to produce more incredible plants and flowers than ever before. Some of the aspects are starting out with seeds, a plant from the store and when to put it into the ground, when to water and how much and what to add to the over all health for each type of fern. An added bonus are all the wonderful colorful pictures that fill the pages of this glorious celebration of plants. "Growing Flowers" is an educational tool for better flowers.

Mindfulness for Warriors
Kim Colegrove
Mango Publishing
www.mangopublishinggroup.com
9781642505174, $16.95 pbk/$11.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Warriors-Empowering-Responders-Resilience/dp/1642501743

"Mindfulness for Warriors" has a lot of good things for helping first responders and their families deal with the challenges they daily face, especially with the Covid menace they see firsthand every day they are on. My complaint with the book is that shortly into it the author states she does not want to reveal very much of the situation she faced of a husband who committed suicide and how he dealt with the pain he was experiencing because she felt it would lessen peoples view of her. To me that is a mistake because it would help for others to know more of her own problems to help her relate better to others the information, she is giving them. "Mindfulness for Warriors" is still a valuable resource for those struggling with the same kind of circumstances.

Happy Snappy Wonderful Places to Go!
Ashlyn Sollinsky, author
Rob Peters, illustrator
Nico 11 Publishing
www.nico11publishing.com
9781945907647, $10.99, pbk/ No Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Snappy-Wonderful-Places-Go/dp/1945907649

"Happy Snappy Wonderful Places to Go" is a beautifully told story in two forms of prose and art that shows the power we all have to relieve boredom. Annie Rosy Rainbow is in her backyard sitting on a swing imagining all the things and places she could be instead of where she is. The best children's books always have underlying symbolism that can be followed in our lives in many distinctive ways and "Happy Snappy Wonderful Places to Go, clearly does exactly that with beautifully executed story.

Who Do You See Whan You See Me?
Debbie Truncale, author
Phillip A. D'Amore, illustrator
Nico 11 Publishing
www.nico11publishing.com
9781945907463, $9.99, pbk/ $5.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Who-Do-You-See-When/dp/1945907460

"Who Do You See When You See Me?" reveals the way many special needs people feel about the way others treat them through the eyes of a child who shows we all have the same wants and desires no matter what. "Who Do You See When You See Me" is an exceptional message to all of us to treat each person with compassion and understanding.

Keeping The City Going
Brian Floca
A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
9781534493773, $17.99 HC/ $10.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-City-Going-Brian-Floca/dp/1534493778

"Keeping The City Going" celebrates many of the unrecognized people who maintain the orderly running of our cities on a day-to-day basis. Some of them are the public transportation people like bus drivers, train engineers, cabbies, or the sanitation officials who pick up the garbage, drive the trucks, postal people and delivery ones who often are not thanked for their contribution. Not to be left out are the medical professionals, fire people and police. All contribute in their own way to the smooth process that we all take for granted. "Keeping The City Going" sheds light on an often-forgotten aspect of our cities many take for granted.

Nerdy Corn
Andew Root, author
Erin Kraan, illustrator
Beach Lane Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
9781534460058, $17.99 HC / $10.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Nerdycorn-Andrew-Root/dp/1534460055

Nerdy Corn" is a wonderful kid's book filled with beautiful artwork that helps present the timely story Fern is a special Unicorn that other animals harass while making it difficult to be around them until something changes. "Nerdy Corn" celebrates uniqueness in all animals that is an underlying message to all ages to accept people for who and what they are that will make the world a much better place to live.

Gary Roen
Senior Reviewer


Helen Dumont's Bookshelf

Playing Without a Partner
Megan Stubbs
Cleis Press
101 Hudson Street, Suite 3705, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
http://cleispress.com
9781627783040, $18.95, PB, 250pp

https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Without-Partner-Singles-Happiness/dp/1627783040

Synopsis: Whether you are single and loving it or single and loathing it, "Playing Without a Partner: A Singles' Guide to Sex, Dating, and Happiness" by Megan Stubbs can help you to erase the stigma of singledom and embrace your solo self.

"Playing Without a Partner: A Singles' Guide to Sex, Dating, and Happiness" is a complete and comprehensive guide to all the best parts about going it alone ranging from fulfilling authentic personal goals to becoming your own best friend in the bedroom. Offering expert insight on modern dating, orgasm anatomy, exploring kinks, better understanding your body, and even how best to have sex with strangers, "Playing Without a Partner: A Singles' Guide to Sex, Dating, and Happiness" is laced throughout with hilarious and illustrative anecdotes from author Megan Stubbs own experiences as a fiercely single woman.

Whether you're contentedly single or still searching for your one and only, "Playing Without a Partner: A Singles' Guide to Sex, Dating, and Happiness" will empower you to own and explore yourself, both inside and out, between the sheets and beyond.

Critique: Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Playing Without a Partner: A Singles' Guide to Sex, Dating, and Happiness" is a life-changing, life-enhancing, life-celebrating compendium of practical advice, inspirational motivating, and DIY encouragement. While especially recommended for community, college and university library Human Sexuality collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Playing Without a Partner: A Singles' Guide to Sex, Dating, and Happiness" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note: Megan Stubbs is a professional sexologist, relationships expert, and body image specialist. With her degrees in biology and human sexuality, she is able to combine two of her favorite things, science and sex, into a cohesive platform to impact her audience. She is mindful of inclusion and brings a sensitivity to ethnic diversity rooted in her own complex heritage. She believes that sex should be fun and uses her lighthearted, intelligent, and humorous delivery to make it happen. She has been featured in many popular outlets including Playboy, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Self, Men's Health, Woman's Health, and Bustle to name a few.

Layers
Shira Lankin-Sheps
The Toby Press
c/o Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
www.tobypress.com
9781592645541, $39.95, HC, 470pp

https://www.amazon.com/Layers-Personal-Narratives-Struggle-Resilience/dp/1592645542

Synopsis: "Layers: Personal Narratives of Struggle, Resilience, and Growth from Jewish Women" by Shira Lankin-Sheps is a collection of over thirty personal narratives featuring the challenges and triumphs of Jewish women living in Israel. Written in their own voices, each chapter is unique in offering a narrative full of raw emotion and universal experiences.

These women teach us how to love through suffering and how to live beyond heartache. They teach us how to be sensitive to those who are different from us and open our minds to realities we never knew. With topics such as pregnancy loss and infertility, physical and mental health, grief, conversion, disability, antisemitism, terrorism, and more, the narratives depict the diversity of background and commonality of experience that connects us together.

Each chapter features numerous full\-color images as well as reflection spaces and exercises for guided reading, contemplation, and discussion, creating an experience that is both personal and thought-provoking.

Critique: A unique and inherently fascinating compilation of intensely personal stories that are both individual and universal in themes and experiences, "Layers: Personal Narratives of Struggle, Resilience, and Growth from Jewish Women" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college and university library Biography & Memoir collections in general, and Women's Studies supplemental curriculum reading lists in particular.

Jane Austen's Best Friend
Zoe Wheddon
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526763815, $34.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Austens-Best-Friend-Influence/dp/1526763818

Synopsis: Martha Lloyd (1765 - 24 January 1843) was Jane Austen's dearest friend after Austen's sister Cassandra, and is now known also as a collector of recipes. (Wikipedia)

In the pages of "Jane Austen's Best Friend: The Life and Influence of Martha Lloyd" author and Jane Austen fan Zoe Wheedon offers a unique insight into Jane's private inner circle. Through this heartwarming examination of Martha Lloyd (an important and often overlooked person in Jane's world), we uncover the life-changing force of their friendship.

Each chapter details the fascinating facts and friendship-forming qualities that tied Jane and Martha together. Within these pages we will relive their shared interests, the hits and misses of their romantic love lives, their passion for shopping and fashion, their family histories, their lucky breaks and their girly chats. "Jane Austen's Best Friend: The Life and Influence of Martha Lloyd" offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the shared lives of a fascinating pair and the chance to deepen our own bonds in 'love and friendship' with them both.

Critique: A unique and impressively informative contribution to our understanding and appreciation of the life and times of Jane Austen, "Jane Austen's Best Friend: The Life and Influence of Martha Lloyd" is an extraordinary accomplishment and must be considered essential reading for all Jane Austen scholars and fans. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college and university library British Biography collections in general, and Jane Austen supplemental studies curriculum reading lists in particular, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Jane Austen's Best Friend: The Life and Influence of Martha Lloyd" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: A native of Jane Austen's beloved county of Hampshire, England, and a perfectly imperfect local historian and aspiring writer, as the writer of her blog Zoe writes articles and book reviews on matters relating to friendship, self-compassion and personal development at www.mrswheddon.wordpress.com

On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel
Brenda Marie Davies
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
www.eerdmans.com
9780802878533, $19.99, HC, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Her-Knees-Memoir-Prayerful-Jezebel/dp/0802878539

Synopsis: Going to a conservative Christian church when she was young, Brenda Marie Davies heard a consistent message (save yourself for marriage) that instilled in her fear and shame about sex. But after moving to Los Angeles at nineteen and finding herself suddenly exposed to a world far outside her comfort zone, she was forced to wrestle with the power and perversity of Christian purity culture.

"On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel" chronicles Brenda's spiritual journey over the course of a decade in LA, through marriage, divorce, unlikely friendship, and sexual exploration. Through it all, she began tearing down the false idol of purity while refusing to abandon her faith.

Told with raw honesty, sans obligatory shame, this is a story for anyone who wonders if it's possible to love God without fearing sex, in all its shades of grey.

Critique: A compelling and inherently thoughtful and thought-provoking read, "On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel" is an extraordinary and intensely personal memoir with a universal relevance -- especially to the Christian community. While very highly recommended for community, church, college and university library Social Issues and Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and Gender/Sexuality Religious Studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted for clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Editorial Note: Brenda Marie Davies is a podcaster and YouTuber whose channel God Is Grey (a guide to becoming an inquisitive, fearless, sex positive, free thinking Christian in the modern world") with more than 100,000 subscribers.

The Goddess Solution: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life
Lisa Marie Rankin
www.lisamarierankin.com
Collins
c/o HarperCollins Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
9781443462013, $22.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Solution-Practical-Wisdom-Everyday/dp/1443462012

Synopsis: "The Goddess Solution: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life" is practical spiritual guide in which Lisa Marie Rankin shows her readers how they can apply ancient goddess wisdom to modern-day scenarios like dating, sex, careers, divorce, conflict and more. Lisa also teaches how to reconnect with our goddess nature so we can do less, receive more, live authentically and love passionately.

"The Goddess Solution: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life" showcases goddesses from across various traditions and reveals that their wisdom is more relevant than ever. We can connect with Mary Magdalene to identify and rewrite beliefs that are limiting them. The Greek goddess Aphrodite will show how to infuse our lives and our relationships with passion. Durga, a Hindu warrior goddess, will inspire us to stand up for what we know to be right and speak your truth.

Interwoven with these stories are spiritual concepts, modern thought leadership and practical examples that will help us tap into our inner goddess and create the life of our dreams. That we have the power to birth new ideas, experience and invoke pleasure, rise above challenges and access our inner wisdom to get the most out of a truly fantastic life.

Critique: Offering a unique, effective, and inherently fascinating approach, "The Goddess Solution: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life" with its female deity metaphysical theme is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should also be noted that "The Goddess Solution: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life" is readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

Editorial Note: LISA MARIE RANKIN (who holds an MBA and an MS from Bentley University) Decided several years ago to follow the path of the goddess, leaving her job in the corporate world to pursue her passion for writing and teaching yoga, meditation and spirituality. As an advocate for women's health, happiness and spirit, she teaches women to reconnect with their bodies, prioritize pleasure and rely on their inner wisdom in order to become goddesses. Rankin maintains an informative website at www.lisamarierankin.com and can be followed on Instagram at @lisamarie.rankin

The Queer Evangelist
Cheri Dinovo
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
www.wlupress.wlu.ca
9781771124898, $24.99, HC, 250pp

https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Evangelist-Cheri-DiNovo/dp/177112489X

Synopsis: In "The Queer Evangelist: A Socialist Clergy's Radically Honest Tale ", Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo (CM) shares her origins as a young socialist activist in the 1960s, and her rise to ordained minister in the '90s and New Democratic member of provincial parliament. During her tenure representing Parkdale-High Park in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2006 to 2017, DiNovo passed more LGBTQ bills than anyone in Canadian history.

She describes the behind-the-scenes details of major changes to Canadian law, including Toby's Law: the first Transgender Rights legislation in North America. She also passed bills banning conversion therapy, proclaiming parent equality for LGBTQ parents, and for enshrining Trans Day of Remembrance into Ontario law. Every year on November 20th in the legislature, the provincial government is mandated to observe a minute of silence while Trans murders and suicides are detailed.

Interspersed with her political work, DiNovo describes her conversion to religious life with radical intimacy, including her theological work and her ongoing struggle with the Christian Right. Cheri DiNovo's story shows how queer people can be both people of faith and critics of religion, illustrating how one can resist and change repressive systems from within.

Critique: Of special and particular attraction to readers with an interest in LGBTQ+ Biographies, Province & Local Canadian History, Censorship & Politics, "The Queer Evangelist: A Socialist Clergy's Radically Honest Tale" is an especially well written, organized and presented memoir. While very highly recommended for community, college and university library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Queer Evangelist" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Cheri DiNovo grew up in Toronto in a rooming house owned by her parents and spent time on the streets as a teenager, leading to her to social activism. Formerly a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, she is host of The Radical Reverend Show, and Minister at Trinity St. Paul's Centre for Faith Justice and the Arts. Her book "Qu(e)erying Evangelism: Growing a Community from the Outside In" won the Lambda award in 2005. She has won numerous awards for her activism and is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Helen Dumont
Reviewer


John Taylor's Bookshelf

Strictly Fantasy
Gerald Nachtwey
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476675718, $45.00, PB, 199pp

https://www.amazon.com/Strictly-Fantasy-Cultural-Tabletop-Role-Playing/dp/1476675716

Synopsis: Role-playing games emerged in the early 1970s and have been a quiet but steady presence in American culture ever since. "Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games" by Gerald Nachtwey (Associate Professor of English at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky) offers a new and informative look at the hobby searches for the historical origins of role-playing games deep in the imaginative worlds of Western culture.

"Strictly Fantasy" also looks at the earliest fantasy stories from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, at the fans (both readers and writers) who wanted to bring them to life, at the Midwestern landscape and the middle-class households that were the hobby's birthplace, and at the struggle to find meaning and identity amidst cultural conflicts that drove many people into these communities of play.

Additionally, "Strictly Fantasy" addresses race, religion, gender, fandom, and the place these games have within American capitalism. All the paths of this journey are connected by the very quality that has made fantasy role-playing so powerful: it binds the limitless imagination into a "strict" framework of rules. Far from being an accidental offshoot of marginalized fan communities, role-playing games' ability to hold contradictions in dynamic, creative tension made them a necessary and central product of the twentieth century.

Critique: A seminal work of extraordinary scholarship, "Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games" is part of the 'Studies in Gaming' series published by McFarland & Company. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Strictly Fantasy" is impressively informative and will prove to be an inherently interesting read for fans and creators of table-top role playing games. Very highly recommended for community, college and university library Fantasy Gaming collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and dedicated role play gamers that "Strictly Fantasy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $20.99).

Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Hemp
Matthew Harmon
Farmbridge, Inc.
9781735674728, $29.95, HC, 182pp

https://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Haters-Making-Billion-Dollars/dp/1735674729

Synopsis: The sale commercial and recreational sales of hemp is an emerging industry poised for incredible growth in the United States promises big benefits and bigger profits. Successful entrepreneur and documentary filmmaker Matthew Harmon (also maintains a thematically relevant and informative website at https://hempguide.com) draws upon his experience and expertise having traveled the world researching the newly legalized super crop hemp and the unlimited opportunities it holds for investors, entrepreneurs, and farmers to write "Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Hemp: The Next Disruptive Industry".

In "Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Industrial Hemp" attentative readers will discover the potential of this transformative industry and realize their ability to grow their own lucrative hemp business utilizing this compendium of fascinating facts and insider information.

"Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Hemp: The Next Disruptive Industry" goes deep into the myths, misconceptions and fascinating history of hemp and marijuana plants that taint perceptions today - and how that's an opportunity for you. It also covers innovative industries featuring hemp products, from construction materials to nutritional food, for beginner investors to consider now.

Then there are medical hemp opportunities for the science-based entrepreneur, including skincare products and pain management. The path to a more sustainable future using hemp as renewable energy to replace eco-unfriendly products. Strategies to understand hemp's value in America and help change laws regulating cannabis and weed.

Whether you're interested in permaculture, eco-friendly manufacturing, or green energy production, now is your time for business innovation success with industrial hemp. "Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Hemp: The Next Disruptive Industry" is the ideal guide for an organic ground-floor opportunity with limitless potential!

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively comprehensive, informed and informative, "Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Hemp: The Next Disruptive Industry" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, corporate, college and university library Marijuana Cultivation, Commodities Trading, and Agriculture/Horticultural Industry collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Marijuana Hater's Guide to Making a Billion Dollars from Hemp: The Next Disruptive Industry" is also available in a paperback edition (9781735674704, $19.99), and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

John Taylor
Reviewer


Laurel Johnson's Bookshelf

Night Fall (Book One of the Quantico Files)
Nancy Mehl
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse
9780764237638, $15.99, paperback, 327 pages

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Fall-Quantico-Files-Nancy/dp/0764237632

Nancy Mehl is a wordsmith who can craft a novel on any topic -- romance, mystery, terror -- without compromising her strong Christian convictions. Whether her books are humorous, comforting or scary, Ms. Mehl always gives readers a gift. This latest series is no exception. She literally drew me into Night Fall with the first paragraph of the Prologue.

Alex Donovan works as an FBI behavioral analyst and she's very good at her job. When bodies start turning up on freight trains in Missouri, Alex is pulled into a past she'd tried to suppress. The serial killer calls himself the Train Man, after an old poem used to frighten children. He leaves specific messages as graffiti at each crime scene, graffiti Alex recognizes from a haunted childhood.

Skillfully, Ms. Mehl allows readers to watch in horror as the Train Man plots his goal of killing certain people before releasing a deadly virus on the world. He thinks he's smarter than anyone, including the FBI. Despite fighting phobias she can't explain and struggling with childhood memories that leave her shaken, Alex and her partners set out to prove the Train Man wrong. Can a loving God help her survive the terror?

I don't want to give too much of the plot away. Night Fall is grittier than Ms. Mehl's previous series, but underlying the fearful Train Man's acts of terror is the kind of courage only faith in God can bring. Highly recommended to Mehl fans and readers who haven't discovered her yet.

Laurel Johnson
Senior Reviewer


Mary Cowper's Bookshelf

Death and a Crocodile
Lisa E. Betz
www.lisabetz.com
Crosslink Publishing
https://crosslinkpublishing.com
9781633573161, $16.95, PB, 321pp

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Crocodile-Lisa-Betz/dp/1633573168

Synopsis: Rome, 47 AD. Sensible women don't investigate murders, but Livia Aemilia might not have a choice. But when Livia's father dies under suspicious circumstances, she sets out to find the killer before her innocent brother is convicted of murder.

She may be an amateur when it comes to hunting dangerous criminals, but she's determined, intelligent, and not afraid to break a convention or two in pursuit of the truth. Plus, she's adopted a radical new faith that encourages her to believe a woman and a handful of servants can actually solve a murder.

Can she uncover the culprit before powerful men realize what she's up to and force her to stop? Or will her snooping land her in deadly peril?

Critique: "Death and a Crocodile" by Lisa E. Betz is a deftly crafted and inherently entertaining historical mystery set in first-century Rome, featuring a feisty amateur sleuth, a cast of eccentric characters, and an unrepentant, sausage-snatching cat. A fun read from cover to cover, this combination mystery and historical fiction will prove to be an immediately popular and enduringly appreciated addition to community library Mystery/Suspense and Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs and historical fiction fans that "Death and a Crocodile" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Meet Carey Jones
Christie Somes, author
Gerald D. Alpern, contributor
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781480887527, $35.95, HC, 244pp

https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Carey-Jones-Survivors-Childhood/dp/1480887528

Synopsis: "Meet Carey Jones: Healing and Support for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Practical Help for Parents and Educators" by Christie Somes (with contributions by Gerald D. Alpern) is the result of twelve years of therapy and support groups. What began as a healing journey for the author evolved into research and presentation of help for others. "Meet Cary Jones" is beneficial reading for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It also provides excellent information for parents, caregivers and educators helping a child to recover from sexual abuse while providing valuable guidance on the prevention of childhood sexual abuse.

Critique: Deftly handling an emotionally sensitive and traumatic subject, "Meet Carey Jones: Healing and Support for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Practical Help for Parents and Educators" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college and university library Sexual Abuse Recovery and Self-Help collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of counselors, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Meet Carey Jones" is also readily available in a paperback edition ( 9781480887510, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.33).

Editorial Note #1: Christie Somes is a survivor of childhood sexual assaults that happened when she was just four and five years old. She carried many of the effects of her abuse for decades, not understanding the debilitating emotional, mental, and physical tolls the abuse created. In order to confront these effects, she has gone through a twelve-year journey of therapy and group support to bring about understanding, learning, and healing. Her personal knowledge of the subject of childhood sexual abuse and the practical information she learned through the healing process forms the basis for "Meet Carey Jones".

Editorial Note #2: Gerald D. Alpern, PH.D.Dr. is a former full professor at Indiana University Medical School and a clinical and developmental psychologist. His "Developmental Profile" series (wpspublish.com/DP3), which evaluates children's development, has been used throughout many countries for more than thirty years. His clinical practice of more than fifty years involved working with children, families, and individuals. His writings include publications for both professionals and the lay public. His contributions to "Meet Carey Jones" reflect his extensive clinical experience dealing with childhood traumas.

The Secrets of Chocolate
Franckie Alarcon, author/illustrator
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681122786, $19.99, HC, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Chocolate-Gourmands-Through-Atelier/dp/1681122782

Synopsis: Jacques Genin is a French chef, cookery book writer, and well-known chocolate and caramel maker in Paris. He supplies chocolates, caramels and petits fours to more than 200 top French hotels and restaurants, including the Hotel de Crillon, the Plaza Athenee and Le Meurice. In 2008, he opened a shop selling to the public in the Marais neighbourhood of Paris.

Born in the port town of Brest, Brittany, Franckie Alarcon studied graphic arts in Nantes, and after a few years as a graphic artist, decided to go freelance as illustrator and comic artist, realizing various graphic novels for prominent French publishers.

Following Jacques Genin for a year, Franckie Alarcon hobnobbed with this super-talented autodidact who shared all his passion and knowledge of chocolate and his process for creating recipes.

"The Secrets of Chocolate: A Gourmand's Trip Through a Top Chef's Atelier" by Franckle Alarcon is a unique kind of graphic novel style account of an aspiring chocolatier fan, satisfying many a craving from the chef's amazing atelier above his store, and trying his hand as an apprentice, all the way to the Peruvian cocoa plantations where still another chef shows how one carefully chooses the beans from which chocolate is made.

Critique: An inherently engaging, fascinating and informative combination of illustration and storytelling, "The Secrets of Chocolate: A Gourmand's Trip Through a Top Chef's Atelier" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all chocolate loving enthusiasts that "The Secrets of Chocolate: A Gourmand's Trip Through a Top Chef's Atelier" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $10.00).

20 Women Storytellers
Pamela Burke, author/co-editor
Patricia Caso, co-editor/contributor
Women's Eye
9781735995410, $16.00, PB, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/20-Women-Storytellers-Taking-Powerful/dp/173599541X

Synopsis: As a follow-up to their "20 Women Changemakers: Taking Action Around the World with Pamela Burke", authors and co-editors Pamela Burke and Patricia Caso once again collaborate to share their interviews with fascinating documentarians, photographers, journalists, broadcasters and impacters who are driven by their passion to make a difference with their words and images with their new publication "20 Women Storytellers: Taking Action with Powerful Words and Images".

They share their own powerful stories behind their storytelling including why: International Correspondent Clarissa Ward, combat photographer Heidi Levine, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dionne Searcey chose to tell the stories from the world's most dangerous places; Documentary filmmakers, such as Betsy West and Julie Cohen (Oscar-nominated RBG), Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five), Stacey Reis (Biosphere 2) and Jessica Yu knew they just had to tell these stories; Photographers, journalists, and authors such as Lee Woodruff, Mimo Kahir, Laura Munson, Karen Shell, Carlotta Gall, Lindsey Seavert and Fernanda Santos were compelled to share powerful human stories that helped people heal; Legendary broadcasters and journalists, such as Cokie Roberts, Eleanor Clift and Elaine Weiss, passionately searched for the truth while reporting on current issues and showing the instrumental role women play in creating groundbreaking societal and legal change.

Critique: As inherently a fascinating read as it is informative and thought-provoking, "20 Women Storytellers: Taking Action with Powerful Words and Images" exceptionally well organized and presented, making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college and university library Women's Biographies and Contemporary Journalism collections.

Editorial Note #1: Pamela Burke has been a member of the broadcasting industry and print media for more than 30 years as a television executive, bureau chief, producer, and reporter. She's been an executive and/or producer of programming for NBC, LIFETIME, USA Network, USA TODAY-The TV Show, King World-CBS, A&E and DISCOVERY Planet Green. As the founder of The Women's Eye website, radio show and podcasts, she is dedicated to shining the light on people around the globe who are making a difference and changing the world in a positive way and telling their stories.

Editorial Note #2: Patricia Caso was a successful television executive producer and producer for 15 years.

Jane Jacobs's First City
Glenna Lang
https://janejacobsfirstcity.com
New Village Press
https://www.newvillagepress.org
9781613321393, $39.95, HC, 468pp

https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Jacobss-First-City-Pennsylvania/dp/1613321392

Synopsis: "Jane Jacobs's First City: Learning from Scranton, Pennsylvania " by Glenna Lang vividly reveals how this influential thinker and writer's classic works germinated in the once vibrant, mid-size city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Jane spent her initial eighteen years. In the 1920s and 1930s, Scranton was a place of enormous diversity and opportunity. Small businesses of all kinds abounded and flourished, quality public education was available to and supported by all, and even recent immigrants could save enough to buy a house. Opposing political parties joined forces to tackle problems, and citizens worked together for the public good.

Through interviews with contemporary Scrantonians and research of historic newspapers, city directories, and vital records, author Glenna Lang has uncovered Scranton as young Jane experienced it and shows us the lasting impact of her growing up in this thriving and accessible environment. Readers can follow the development of Jane's acute observational abilities from childhood through her passion in early adulthood to understand and write about what she saw.

Reflecting Jane's belief in trusting one's own direct observation above all, "Jane Jacobs's First City: Learning from Scranton, Pennsylvania" has been richly illustrated with historic and modern color images that help bring alive a lost Scranton. This inherently fascinating and informative study demonstrates why, at the end of Jacobs's life, her thoughts and conversations increasingly returned to Scranton and the potential for cohesion and inclusiveness in all cities.

Critique: A seminal study enhanced with the inclusion of an informative introduction (My Own City), sources, notes and an index, "Jane Jacobs's First City: Learning from Scranton, Pennsylvania" is an extraordinarily informed and informative work of meticulously detailed and original scholarship that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college and university library Urban & Land Use Planning and Social Activist Biography collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Jane Jacobs's First City: Learning from Scranton, Pennsylvania" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).

Editorial Note: Currently teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (now part of Tufts University), Glenna Lang is also the author of "Jane Jacobs -- Genius of Common Sense: The Story of Jane Jacobs" and "The Death and Life of Great American Cities". As an illustrator, she produced four classic poems as picture books for children with David R. Godine, Publisher. Lang wrote and illustrated Looking Out for Sarah, about a day in the life of a seeing-eye dog, which won the American Library Association's Schneider Family Award.

Love Like the French
Guy Blaise
The French Connections Publishing
9780578805931, $15.99, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Like-French-Romance-Relationships/dp/0578805936

Synopsis: The French have a different perspective on romantic relationships and love. American women settle for too little, struggle too much, and tolerate unsatisfying sex too often. It's time to travel to the most romantic country in the world and discover how to find the love you want!

In "Love Like the French: A Guide to Better Romance and Relationships", author and Francophile romance authority Guy Blaise reveals a Frenchman's perspective about American relationships, sex, and dating. If you're wondering if you're settling, this sexy guide answers questions from women like you with candid advice, offering everything you need to know for more passionate flings, sexual satisfaction, and fulfilling, balanced partnerships!

"Love Like the French: A Guide to Better Romance and Relationships" reveals: How French women turn their sexual fantasies into pleasurable reality -- and how you can too; Secrets to sync up sex drives when you and your lover have different libidos; Tips for challenges like prying in-laws, age differences, and communication beyond the bedroom; How to find the men that are worth "swiping right" on online dating sites; Signs you've found the one to marry.

In France, romance starts long before slipping beneath the covers. "Get Love Like the French" now and empower yourself to find the pleasure and love you deserve -- the French way!

Critique: Impressively informative, motivationally inspiring, impressively practical, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Love Like the French: A Guide to Better Romance and Relationships" is an inherently fascinating and potential life changing, life enhancing read. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this DIY guide to improved dating and romance is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Guy Blaise is an author and Frenchman currently living in America. He lived in Eastern France and Paris, where he witnessed the dating experiences of the strong women in his family and listened closely to the advice his grandmother routinely gave them about love. After two decades of living in America and struck by the differences between two cultures' approaches to romance and sex, Guy started writing books offering his insights and started The French Perspective blog. He also maintains an informative website at www.thefrenchperspective.com

Mary Cowper
Reviewer


Micah Andrew's Bookshelf

Dangerous God: A Defense of Transcendent Truth
Albert Norton, Jr.
New English Review Press
https://www.newenglishreview.org/New_English_Review_Press
9781943003488, $32.99, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-God-Defense-Transcendent-Truth/dp/1943003483

Synopsis: Why is the world so crazy? Why have we lost the ability to agree on fundamental truths? Everyone seems to be running toward something, but could it be that we are running away from something greater?

In the pages of "Dangerous God: A Defense of Transcendent Truth", author and philosopher Albert Norton makes the case that confronting the reality of God in the postmodern world is a dangerous proposition. Dangerous to our most cherished notions of reality. Dangerous to our comfortable world view and how we see ourselves. To find out why this postmodern turn has come to pass, Norton insists we must ask ourselves Pilate's age-old question: What is truth?

It could be that in the postmodern age we don't merely disagree about whether something is true, but that we disagree about how truth and values are formed in the first place. To begin to understand this, we really must start with how we think and form value judgments in general. We share an orientation to objective truth, in our thinking, and we build on rational processes of binary differentiation. This should lead us to an objective and real hierarchy of ideals, rather than a subjective or socially-produced narrative.

To understand this, a history of truth formation is presented, distinguishing the medieval to modern periods, and then the modern to postmodern, highlighting the thinking of Descartes, Rousseau, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, William James, and John Dewey, among many others. This leads to a discussion of truth at the hands of post-modernists such as Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Richard Rorty. The purpose is to trace the intellectual movements shaping the determination of truth and values, from individualism to collectivism, correspondence theory to pragmatism, anxiety about meaning as expressed in existentialism, and Marxism re-worked for cultural application the woke movement.

Critique: Erudite, eloquent, challenging, illuminating, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Dangerous God: A Defense of Transcendent Truth" is a timely and timeless treatise. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college and university library Religious Philosophy collections and supplemental studies curriculums, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of philosophy students, seminary students, academia, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Dangerous God: A Defense of Transcendent Truth" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781943003495, $22.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Albert Norton Jr. is a writer and attorney working in the American South. He is author "Intuition of Significance", a 2020 work weighing the merits of theism against materialism. He is also the author of several award-winning short stories, and two novels: "Another Like Me" (2015) and "Rough Water Baptism" (2017), on themes of navigating reality in a post-Christian world.

Creating Spaces of Hope
Caroline Seymour-Jorn
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9789774169748, $35.00, HC, 230pp

https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Spaces-Hope-Artists-Imagination/dp/9774169743

Synopsis: "Creating Spaces of Hope: Young Artists and the New Imagination in Egypt" by Professor Caroline Seymour-Jorn explores some of the newest, most dynamic creativity emerging from young artists in Egypt and the way in which these artists engage, contest, and struggle with the social and political landscape of post-revolutionary Egypt.

"Creating Spaces of Hope" addresses a number of questions including: How have different types of artists (studio artists, graffiti artists, musicians and writers) responded personally and artistically to the various stages of political transformation in Egypt since the January 25 revolution? What has the political or social role of art been in these periods of transition and uncertainty? What are the aesthetic shifts and stylistic transformations present in the contemporary Egyptian art world?

Based on personal interviews with artists over many years of research in Cairo, Professor Seymour-Jorn moves beyond current understandings of creative work primarily as a form of resistance or political commentary, providing a more nuanced analysis of creative production in the Arab world. She argues that in more recent years these young artists have turned their creative focus increasingly inward, to examine issues having to do with personal relationships, belonging and inclusion, and maintaining hope in harsh social, political and economic circumstances.

Professor Seymour-Jorn also shows how Egyptian artists are constructing "spaces of hope" that emerge as their art or writing becomes a conduit for broader discussion of social, political, personal, and existential ideas, thereby forging alternative perspectives on Egyptian society, its place in the region and in the larger global context.

Critique: An exceptionally written, organized and presented study of meticulous and detailed scholarship, "Creating Spaces of Hope: Young Artists and the New Imagination in Egypt" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of fourteen illustrations, eight pages of Notes, a twelve page Bibliography, and an eleven page Index. A seminal and impressively informative study that is unreservedly recommended for Contemporary Egyptian Art & Culture collections, "Creating Spaces of Hope: Young Artists and the New Imagination in Egypt" is also readily available for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.25).

Editorial Note: Caroline Seymour-Jorn is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Arabic Translation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the author of "Cultural Criticism in Egyptian Women's Writing: Anthropological and Literary Perspectives" (2011).

Micah Andrew
Reviewer


Michael Dunford's Bookshelf

Finding Sustainability
Trent A. Romer
https://trentromer.com
O Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781789046014, $19.95, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Sustainability-Personal-Professional-Manufacturer/dp/1789046017

Synopsis: What if the foundation of your family business were threatened by something out of your control? What if the livelihood of 70 employees and their families were at stake, as the license to operate your business became called into question? What if 57 years of family history, grown through generations of hard work and sacrifice, were at risk of being lost? What if the reasons were actually one with which you fundamentally agreed?

Readers will be fascinated when reading "Finding Sustainability: The Personal and Professional Journey of a Plastic Bag Manufacturer" as author Trent Romer (who is the 3rd generation co-owner of his family's business custom plastic bag manufacturing business for over 25 years and which was founded in 1961 by his grandfather) takes them on a journey to 8 states, 3 national parks and 3 countries to experience the life-changing education and adventures that led him to finding sustainability for his plastic bag manufacturing business and for himself.

Critique: An inherently interesting read that will have special appeal for environmental activists, "Finding Sustainability: The Personal and Professional Journey of a Plastic Bag Manufacturer" is an impressively informative and exceptionally well presented account that will prove to be a welcome and timely addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college and university library Environmental and 'Green Business' collections and supplemental studies curriculum lists. It should be note that "Finding Sustainability" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Starship Therapise: Using Therapeutic Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life
Larisa A. Garski, author
Justine Mastin, author
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623175641, $19.95, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Starship-Therapise-Therapeutic-Fanfiction-Rewrite/dp/162317564X

Synopsis: Fan fiction is fictional writing written by fans, based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual properties from the original creator(s) as a basis for their writing. Fan fiction ranges from a couple of sentences to an entire novel, and fans can both keep the creator's characters and settings and/or add their own. It is a form of fan labor. Fan fiction can be based on any fictional (and sometimes non-fictional) subject. Common bases for fan fiction include novels, movies, bands, and video games. (Wikipedia)

Modern mythologies are everywhere -- from the Avengers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the dragons of Game of Thrones. Where once geek culture was niche and hidden, fandom characters and stories have blasted their way into our cineplexes, bookstores, and streaming systems. They help us make sense of our daily lives--and they can also help us heal. In "Starship Therapise: Using Therapeutic Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life", mental health therapists and Starship Therapise podcast hosts Larisa A. Garski and Justine Mastin offer a self-help guide to the mental health galaxy for those who have been left out in more traditional therapy spaces: geeks, nerds, gamers, cosplayers, introverts, and all of their friends.

"Starship Therapise" explores the ways in which narratives and play inform the shape of our lives, inviting readers to embrace radical self-care with lessons from Westworld's Maeve and Dolores, explore anxiety with Miyazaki, and understand narrative therapy with Arya Stark. Spanning fandom from Star Wars to Harry Potter, The Legend of Zelda to Steven Universe, and everywhere in between, Starship Therapise is an invitation to explore mental health and emotional wellness without conforming to mainstream social constructions.

Insights from comics like Uncanny X-Men, Black Panther, Akira, Bitch Planet, The Wicked + Divine, and Batman offer avenues to growth and self-discovery alongside explorations of the triumphs and trials of heroes, heroines, and beloved characters from Star Wars, Wuthering Heights, The Lord of the Rings, The Broken Earth trilogy, Mass Effect, Fortnite, Minecraft, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Trek. Each chapter closes with a hands-on mindfulness, meditation, or yoga exercise to inspire reflection, growth, and the mind-body-fandom connection.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking read throughout, "Starship Therapise: Using Therapeutic Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life" is a unique, extraordinary, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, counseling clinic, college and university library Mental Health and Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Starship Therapise: Using Therapeutic Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note #1: Taking a holistic approach to healing: mind, body, and fandom, Justine Mastin, LMFT, E-RYT 200, YACEP is the owner/founder of Blue Box Counseling in Minneapolis, MN. Mastin specializes in working with clients who self-identify as being outside the mainstream -- such as those in the geek, secular, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Mastin is also the creator of YogaQuest, an organization that blends geek narratives with yoga and mindfulness to reach this underserved population. Additionally Mastin serves on the board of the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Editorial Note #2: Larisa A. Garski, MA, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and the clinical director at Empowered Therapy in Chicago, IL. She specializes in working with women, families, and young adults who identify as outside the mainstream -- such as those in the geek and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Michael Dunford
Reviewer


Nancy Lorraine's Bookshelf

Sophia Saves the Earth: A Story of Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day
Curt Casetta, author
Tia Nelson, foreword
Michael Nicloy and Curt Casetta, layout
Nico 11 Publishing & Design
www.nico11publishing.com
9781945907555, $10.99 PB, $5.99 Kindle, 44pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sophia-Saves-Earth-Gaylord-founder/dp/194590755X

Sophia starts her Earth Day enlightenment journey by meeting an eagle, who has flown off the 1961 quarter she found under a park bench with a candy wrapper. Sophia started out being annoyed because her grandma wanted to plant a tree on Earth Day and she is supposed to help. After she met the eagle, he took her on a tour through earth and time to help tell her the story of "Sophia Saves the Earth." The eagle shows Sophia a city on earth choked with pollution and smoke, then he fast forwarded her to the same city scene today without the pollution and smoke, explaining that Gaylord Nelson helped pass laws that cut down on harmful smoke.

Then the eagle proceeds to show Sophia dead fish on beaches of a lake that are no longer suffering because Gaylord Nelson helped make rules to keep water cleaner. The eagle took further on Sophie to show her an oil spill on the ocean to show another pollution problem that needs constant vigilance and cleanup and protective laws to limit the occurrences. Finally the eagle showed Sophia a bunch of kids picking up trash and planting trees in a vacant field, in 1970, celebrating the first special day for the Earth, Earth Day.

Sophia finally agreed she got it, and realized the earth cleanup job was not and never would be done completely. Sophia finally asked the eagle why he cared so much, and he showed her. Eagles nests in the past were fragile and vulnerable because of chemical spills that made the baby eagle eggshells weak. If Gaylord had not gotten people to stop spreading the poisoning chemicals into the environment, American eagles would now be extinct. With a flourish, the eagle returned Sophia to her park bench, where she said to herself, "There's a lot more to be done." She picked up the candy wrapper and put it in a trash can and put the quarter back for the next kid who came along. Because Sophia realized if she was going to save the earth, she was going to need some help.

"Sophia Saves the Earth" is completed with a time line of Gaylord Nelson's life from June 4, 1916, to July 3, 2005. The time line lists the us Clean Air Act, the Wilderness Act, the National Trails System Act, the first Earth Day (April 22, 1970), and many more special acts and laws which help to preserve a clean and healthy Earth environment. Finishing the book is a copy of a letter from Gaylord Nelson to the author (then a 10 year old boy), and a cutout paper badge that shows a smiling eagle on top of the earth, with "Save the Earth" emblazoned beneath. Sophia encourages all kids to to do something to save the earth and wear the badge proudly.

Color photos and drawn images of Sophia and her eagle help make the story of "Sophia Saves the Earth" exciting and immediate to young readers. "Sophia Saves the Earth" is a great gift to any child and also the future of the Earth.

Nancy Lorraine
Senior Reviewer


Paul Vogel's Bookshelf

Dad, How Do I?
Rob Kenney
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780063074996, $24.99, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dad-How-Do-Practical-Successful/dp/0063074990

Synopsis: Rob Kenney's father left him and his seven siblings when he was fourteen years old, and the youngest had to fend for themselves. He wished that he had someone who could teach him the basics (how to tie a tie, jump-start a car, unclog a drain, use tools properly) as well as succeed in life. But he and his siblings had to figure these things out on their own.

Now a father himself, Rob decided that he would help people out by providing how-to tips as well as advice -- and even throw in some bad dad jokes. He started a YouTube channel for anyone looking for fatherly advice, and in the course of three months, gained a following of nearly 2.5 million subscribers, with millions of views for his how-to and inspirational videos.

In "Dad, How Do I?: Practical "Dadvice" for Everyday Tasks and Successful Living", Rob shares his story of overcoming a difficult childhood with the strength of faith and family, and offers inspiration and hope. In addition, he provides 50 practical DYI instructions (30 of which will be unique to the book), illustrated with helpful line drawings.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Dad, How Do I?: Practical "Dadvice" for Everyday Tasks and Successful Living" is an inherently interesting, witty and engaging read, and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended to anyone struggling with the responsibilities, obligations, and opportunities of fatherhood. While a core addition to community, college and university library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Dad, How Do I?: Practical "Dadvice" for Everyday Tasks and Successful Living" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781665077279, $29.99, CD).

Digital Identity, Virtual Borders and Social Media
Emre Eren Korkmaz, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781789909142, $109.00, HC, 168pp

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Identity-Virtual-Borders-Social/dp/1789909147

Synopsis: Knowledgeably compiled and expertly edited by Emre Eren Korkmaz (Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford, UK ), "Digital Identity, Virtual Borders and Social Media: A Panacea for Migration Governance" addresses how states deploy frontier and digital technologies to manage and control migratory movements. Assessing the development of blockchain technologies for digital identities and cash transfer; artificial intelligence for smart borders, resettlement of refugees and assessing asylum applications; social media and mobile phone applications to track and surveil migrants, it critically examines the consequences of new technological developments and evaluates their impact on the rights of migrants and refugees.

Individual chapters evaluate the technology-based public-private projects that govern migration globally and illustrate the political implications of these virtual borders. International contributors compare and contrast different forms of political expression, in both personal technologies, such as social media for refugees and smugglers, and automated decision-making algorithms used by states to enable migration governance. "Digital Identity, Virtual Borders and Social Media: A Panacea for Migration Governance" is timely in its challenges to an hegemonic approach to migration governance and provides cases demonstrating the dangers of employing frontier technologies denying basic rights, liberties and agencies of migrants and refugees.

Stepping into a contentious political climate for migrants and refugees, "Digital Identity, Virtual Borders and Social Media: A Panacea for Migration Governance" is provocative and ideal reading for scholars and researchers of political science and public policy, particularly those focusing on migration and refugee studies. It will also benefit policymakers and practitioners dealing with migration, such as humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies and local authorities.

Critique: A unique and seminal collection of seven erudite and informative contributions by experts in the field, "Digital Identity, Virtual Borders and Social Media: A Panacea for Migration Governance" must be considered a core and essential addition to college and university library collections, and essential reading for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Paul T. Vogel
Reviewer


S.A. Gorden's Bookshelf

Another Fairy Bastard: Rise of the New Arcana
Ron Randall
https://ronrandallwrites.com
Independently Published
B08LBRT18J, $3.99 ebook, 302 pages
9798699185498 paper

https://www.amazon.com/Another-Fairy-Bastard-Ron-Randall/dp/B08L8797KT

Another Fairy Bastard is a non-stop adult action fantasy. It is a fun but slightly confusing tale. The action comes first and is nearly continuous. This leaves the reader struggling, at times, to follow the storyline. Bastard is a fun weekend read.

Dalton Graham is an older college student who stumbles into the murder of his next door neighbor. The killer doesn't seem human and soon he is being chased through the college by the killers. Trapped on campus he accidently discovers he is also something more than human. A race across the country and the world ensues as Dalton struggles to survive and learn exactly who he is and what his new abilities are.

Another Fairy Bastard is a fun read without an end. It is an introduction to a series. The fantasy is solid and the action continuous but the storyline is a bit choppy. Adult fantasy readers will enjoy the tale and will want to read more in the series.

Victim of a Delusional Mind: Private Investigators Troy and Eva Winters Thriller Series Book 1
K. J. North
Independently Published
B08VFL67WD, $0.00, ebook, 275 pages
9798722958266, paper

https://www.amazon.com/Victim-Delusional-Mind-Disturbing-Investigators/dp/B08Z2NV28M

Victim of a Delusional Mind is a solid cozy mystery that takes place in and around the Oregon coast. It is good enough that the few weaknesses in the storytelling stand out. The beginning starts slow but the pacing by the second half of the story goes nearly too fast. Another weakness is the missed opportunities of delving into the minds of the characters, especially the delusional thinking of the protagonist brothers.

Jasmine is vacationing at a bed and breakfast run by part-time private investigators Troy and Eva Winters when she is notified that the criminal she testified against is being released from prison. The criminal vowed to make Jasmine pay for testifying against him.

After learning of the release, Jasmine decides it is time to break free from her old life and takes a cooking job at the bed and breakfast. The criminal and his brother, who are drug dealers, decide to use their resources for revenge.

Victim of a Delusional Mind is a cozy mystery with a great location and interesting characters. It is an easy recommendation for readers who enjoy cozies. It straddles cozy and action thriller and just misses blending the two genres. But the story is still enjoyable.

S.A. Gorden, Reviewer
www.paulbunyan.net/users/gsirvio/content.html


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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