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California Bookwatch

Volume 19, Number 12 December 2024 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Christmas Shelf Education Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Biography/Memoir Shelf General Fiction Shelf
Historical Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf California Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Kingston Imperial
www.kingstonimperial.com

Three new books from Kingston Imperial provide readers with engrossing subjects that makes each a special recommendation for general-interest lending libraries.

https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Nanny-White-Witch-Rosehall/dp/1954220642

Bobby Spears Jr.'s Queen Nanny & The White Witch of Rose Hall (9781954220645, $29.99) is a novel set in Jamaica. It tells of a sorceress and mystery surrounding the White Witch, who threatens Queen Nanny's home. As leader of a community of Maroons, Queen Nanny has long provided stability and leadership to her people. But, are her powers enough to thwart the White Witch's influence over the people themselves? Fans of Jamaican cultural history will relish this vivid story of the arrogance of enemies and the fears of many: There was no saving anyone. Not anymore. Not in this horror-infested new island world.

https://www.amazon.com/Trap-Kitchen-Gwaan-Jamaican-Cookbook/dp/1954220626

Trap Kitchen: Wah Gwaan Jamaican Cookbook by Malachi Jenkins and Roberto Smith (9781954220621, $29.99) holds over sixty Jamaican recipes that delve into the heart of the culture, bringing the dishes to the attention and tastes of those interested in a broader interpretation of Jamaican cuisine than the usual Jerk Chicken (though this is included). Of special note are dishes such as an Angostura Bitters-infused June Plum Juice, a spicy Fricasseed Chicken, and a Ginger Beer Punch. The recipes are packed with flavor and nicely supplement any collection already featuring Caribbean cookbooks and culture.

https://www.amazon.com/Model-Citizen-autobiography-Jeremy-Meeks/dp/1954220669

Model Citizen: The Autobiography of Jeremy Meeks (9781954220669, $29.99) is the story of a man who became a prison icon when behind bars, whose fame expanded once he left prison on a mission to turn his life around. From his childhood journeys and poverty to an adolescence marked by gang involvements and crime, Model Citizen is as much about the process of transformation as it is a foray into a former prisoner's journey to hone a life that leads him away from anything he had grown up knowing or doing before.

These three diverse titles will appeal to wide audiences, offering compelling subjects and approaches.


The Christmas Shelf

The Dog Who Came for Christmas
Jody Sharpe
Independently Published
9780988562059, $8.99, PB, 127pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Who-Came-Christmas/dp/0988562057

Bill The Dog Who Came for Christmas as a fantasy, a novel of magical realism, or a warm holiday story with dogs and paranormal themes as you will, but the definition of this story definitely embraces the term 'cozy.' Audiences attracted to canines and Christmas will find the opportunity to enjoy both under one cover in a thoroughly engrossing read.

It begins with a first-person prologue which introduces not just the small California town of Mystic Bay, but the narrator, Earth-living Angel Ken, who keeps on eye on human and animal lives under his wings and reviews the special holiday circumstances where "...intuition and love's triumphs changed lives, but furry and human."

Christmas is traditionally a time of miracles. This is only one of the focuses in The Dog Who Came for Christmas, where angels co-exist alongside other gifts to make the town an exceptional locale of warmth, tradition, and new opportunities.

Gayle Force Knight's psychic intuition leads her to rescue a dog. What it doesn't portend is whether this effort will be first and last, or if it will open the door to more animal rescues and a revised lifestyle.

This sixth book in the Mystic Bay series stands nicely alone, yet neatly dovetails with the prior stories to invite newcomers and old fans with a special flavors of community dilemmas, individual choices, and holiday spirit.

Jody Sharpe's employment of the first person lends strength and immediacy to her story, which unfolds with many delightful touches, from a store called Heaven Can't Wait to something only Gayle can see: "...little floating angel dusty light that he seems to send to those in need of comfort."

Light-hearted yet thought-provoking and engrossing, Sharpe's story represents yet another holiday saga that reveals additional nuances of this special town's psyche, psychics, and perspectives. Libraries seeking unusual and exceptional Christmas stories steeped in the warmth of giving and the holiday season will welcome the opportunity to include The Dog Who Came for Christmas in their collections. Its ability to attract on both spiritual and storytelling levels will make it attractive to a wide audience of holiday celebrants.


The Education Shelf

Productivity is Power
Hillary Rettig
Infinite Art Press
9798989638710, $24.95 PB, $4.95 Kindle, 314pp

https://www.amazon.com/Productivity-Power-Liberating-Practices-Students/dp/0989944050

Productivity is Power: 5 Liberating Practices for College Students offers college students a synthesis of time management and study skills and insights on test-taking and personal growth. The surprising broader assessments indicate that this book is actually about much more than a program for better studying.

Among the topics Hillary Rettig addresses are disempowerment processes, understanding procrastination's roots, the detriments of perfectionist thinking and actions, and how to set high standards without falling into the perfectionist trap that too often leads to ennui and feeling stuck. As chapters review underlying assumptions about work and productivity that are embedded in cultural and social lessons, they offer students deeper-level thinking about study and achievement.

This approach expands the topic beyond better study habits and into realms of social, psychological, and philosophical thought. This, in turn, creates an uplifting atmosphere that promotes different mindsets, linking them to solid achievement processes. Take joy, for example. Readers won't expect this subject to appear in a study analysis, but its discussion both enlightens and promises an attractive alternative approach to achievement: ...the Joyful Dance will maximize your odds of not just an easy and effective work process, but a good outcome.

When you work nonlinearly, you're like a surfer on a beach with some great waves, each wave being a bit of inspiration comin' atcha. You see one, rush over to it, grab it, and ride it. Then, when it peters out, you look around and see another great wave, rush over, grab and ride it. Then another and another. You keep doing that throughout your whole work session. What fun! And look how much you're getting done! Meanwhile, your poor Slogger friend is standing forlornly with their surfboard on the section of the beach where they think the next great wave is supposed to hit, just waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and...

As Rettig moves beyond successful study habits, students will follow her into perhaps uncharted waters that link bigger views of life, achievement, and success with activities that support kindness. Readers will be prompted to reconsider their impact on the world, taking into account psychological forces that can affect not just study habits, but productivity definitions and life objectives. All these facets are why, ideally, Productivity is Power's audience will expand beyond college students and into arenas of business and psychology readers.

Libraries that choose Productivity is Power for all these audiences will find its uplifting analysis also lends to book club and reader group discussions, whether among college students seeking keys to success or individuals looking for growth opportunities that revise traditional lines of thought and limiting, disempowering assumptions.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Something More: Living Well in a Broken World
Daryl Potter
www.darylpotter.com
Paper Stone Press
9781990388132, $4.99 eBook; $14.49 Paperback; $39.99 Hardcover; $16.95 Audiobook

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHC6J1YR

Something More: Living Well in a Broken World combines a memoir with a specific religious inspection of the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. It employs a special form of examination that pairs modern-day personal experience with the foundations of Christian belief.

Daryl Potter's approach lends a far more compelling countenance to his book than either memoir or spiritual consideration alone, linking God's word to modern living in a manner that's essential for Christians to understand. The journey opens with a very basic question a son asks of his father:

"Dad, why am I here?" Potter's consideration of not only his son's intention in asking the question, but the family's circumstances of having a non-verbal disabled child that grows up alongside his son, immediately links autobiography to parenting reflections in a way parents will appreciate: "Why are you at this store?" I asked. He knew why we were in the store. His tone carried a searching quality. "Or why are you here on this earth, in this life?"

"Yeah, what am I alive for?" he responded. "What's the purpose of me being born?"

If you're thinking, No, that is not a conversation a nine year old boy starts with his dad, well, you'll have to take my word for it. It was not unusual for Jackson to ask me a philosophical question, and learning how to answer him has been a joy to practice over the years. However, Something More is neither a parenting guide nor a survey of how to answer difficult questions. It's a journey through life that probes answers and encourages bigger-picture thinking.

For added value, there's something more in this account, which evolves in chapters that blend life experience into the messages delivered in Ecclesiastes. More so than most spiritual reflections, Potter offers many personal insights, from the psychology of grief and better understanding communication snafus within and outside of marriage to contrasts in Biblical presentations which directly relate to issues of money and wealth, choice, coping, and making the most of life.

Passages include Scripture references throughout so that Christian readers can consult their Bibles for source material references. They also translate these sometimes-difficult Biblical insights into modern language that readers can readily understand. This provides additional value, linking Biblical intention to everyday life in a way that readers will find thought provoking and accessible: This isn't exactly the mai tais on a beach or black tie soiree image we usually associate with the super wealthy. Solomon instead gives us a scatter shot collage of unexpectedly negative outcomes. A bad business deal erases wealth (5:14). Then, even if the wealth is kept or lost, the wealthy still depart life as naked and penniless as they entered it (5:15). Even if they hold on to their wealth in life, they don't gain any lasting benefit from it (5:15 - 16). A life of striving just leads to a life of darkness and aggravation. Solomon emphasizes his point by calling it a life of "much aggravation, grief, and anger" (5:17). Notice here that these wealthy people don't just experience "darkness, with much aggravation, grief, and anger" once or twice, but they eat in this state.

Potter's ability to create special associations between Scripture and modern living makes the Bible and its foundations accessible to a much wider audience. This is why Christian libraries seeking out-of-the-box explorations that hold the ability to make the Bible relevant to modern readers will want to include Something More: Living Well in a Broken World in their collections. Recommending Something More: Living Well in a Broken World to book clubs and reading groups, especially in Christian circles, will further its message and its ability to spark dialogue and discussion among all kinds of readers.


The Biography/Memoir Shelf

Braveing the Way
Laurel C. Fox
Independently Published
9798990498198, $29.99 Hardcover/$19.99 Paperback

https://www.amazon.com/braveing-way-Laurel-C-Fox/dp/B0D7FTCMJH

Braveing the Way documents a mother's journey through her teen daughter Taylor's life-changing event. It's an emotional, personal story of tragedy, adaptation, and transformation that will especially appeal to parents facing their own family health challenges. The impact of tragedy often rests on how it emerges instantly to challenge all assumptions, life trajectories, and possibilities. Angst and recovery is especially well captured in passages that depict immediacy and pain.

This may prove triggering to some, but is ultimately the crux of a story replete with eye-opening scenes of stark discovery: I was pleading, crying, gasping for air, and having a breakdown -- and yes, that's exactly what was happening to me. I felt it deep down in my chest. Even though I was attempting to cry quietly, it wasn't working. I sat on the floor of the shower and let it out. I was scared. I was mad, and I needed something to finally give. It had been so many days of doing the same thing, and I desperately wanted to go home. All I kept thinking was, I need some kind of sign or something that I can hold on to because I'm starting to lose my grip. Something had to change or I wasn't sure I'd be able to hang in there. The more I thought of Taylor and what she used to be like, the harder I would sob.

There are many instances of such raw, candid reflections as Laurel C. Fox navigates unfamiliar territory she'd never thought possible, alongside a much-changed daughter. Her journal of these experiences provides immediacy and further intimacy as the timeline unfolds from initial event through an adaptation process that embraces not just much-changed psyche and abilities, but love.

Fox's special strength and allure in documenting her daughter's story lies as much in her exploration of changing love under health challenges as it does in the physical realities of handling a traumatic brain injury.

Psychological consultations and advice pepper the journey, adding a professional overlay of insight that further expands upon Fox's growth as a mother and caregiver: Taylor acting out physically was the most difficult thing for a while. She would throw punches or grab things that were on the table and throw them at us. We made a deal that when I saw her start to get frustrated inside herself, she would have to go into her room and take a five-minute time-out. Luckily for us, her long-term memory knew exactly what a time-out was, and it worked like a charm. Not being able to do things like she used to, was becoming extremely frustrating for Taylor, and these outbursts were happening more frequently at home.

Therapists explained that her limitations, as she was slowly coming back into her brain and body, would become challenging in more ways than one.

Braveing the Way is highly recommended for any family member or caregiver coping with the sudden effects of traumatic brain injury. Libraries looking for a memoir that nails specific stepping stones of recovery will find Braveing the Way exceptionally precise in its outline of moments which challenge mother, daughter, and everyone around them to adapt and grow into new lives and expectations.

The tension, developments, and discoveries are exquisitely and delicately wound into a compelling story that proves not just enlightening enough to be essential for healthcare library collections and individuals navigating their own experiences of sudden brain trauma, but book club discussion groups.

Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search
Amanda LaPera
Adamo Press
www.adamopress.com
9780986247170, $32.00 Hardcover/$20.00 Paperback/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK4XGNSB

Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search should ideally be read after pursuing Amanda LaPera's original Finding Dad, which recounted the family's experience of a father's mental illness.

This sequel opens with LaPera's wondering if her father's body has finally been located. Then comes a surprising revelation that changes the course of her assumptions and experience. Knowing her father's fate is only half the battle. Enough tantalizing detail is offered to confirm matters without giving her information which would give her closure.

Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search is about putting the pieces together to achieve this finality. It surveys the legal and investigative efforts LaPera engaged in, the snafus and barriers of a system designed to protect privacy at the cost of putting up barriers to a family's inquiry, and the lasting impact of this search and discovery mission.

As COVID raises additional fears and impacts, LaPera is forced to consider reality from different angles. These illustrate how perception in the mentally ill differs heavily from that of those living outside of, but adjacent to, one with a mental condition.

From issues of legal and psychological control to false narratives that emerge from COVID and interpersonal conflicts and clashes, LaPera's story is replete with insights and progressive discoveries. These will especially resonate with readers struggling with their own family member's mental condition.

The result fills in many gaps in the first book, moving the saga into arenas of new developments that further send LaPera into unfamiliar territory. How she narrates this journey, these contrasting perceptions and experiences, and the specter of mental health amidst the backdrop of COVID's threat makes for a compelling memoir especially highly recommended for readers facing their own impossible family journeys.

Libraries that choose Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search will find it easy to recommend to psychology and book club reading groups interested in schizophrenia, from altered perception and family interactions to the disparate incarnations of suffering and connection which rise from mental illness.

My Boston Marathon
Steven Clark
Independently Published
9798334262379, $18.25 Paperback/$6.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/My-Boston-Marathon-Running-Dream/dp/B0DBG5Y41K

My Boston Marathon: Running to Live a Dream is the third in Steven Clark's memoir series. It covers his life from 1985-1994, when he became steeped in Boston's culture and pursued his dream to become a writer. A series of black and white photos of Clark accompanies his reflection that he stands on Boston's streets as a "...serious thinker, a Nathaniel Hawthorne plopped into modern times but in a city not quite giving up its past."

In reality, Boston is impervious to both his dreams and his personal race to achievement, and so he has trouble even getting a stranger to stop, step out of their own hectic rat race, and take his photo. After the photos, the opening chapter depicts not a writer's studio, but Clark's entry into a security office where he works.

His flare for literary description and cultural observation emerges within just a few lines: Being a veteran boozer himself, Joe was the Einstein of watering holes. Donohue admitted his roistering into the wee hours made him pretty chummy with the milkman, prowling cats, and, when he conked out on lawns, garden gnomes. I should have disliked Donohue, but he was colorful and talkative, like a lot of Boston Irish I worked with. And, we're off. Entering the portals of Clark's life is like embarking on a cultural journey through Boston's ethnic groups and interests.

From his stint in the National Guard and his ongoing involvement in peacekeeping to his spicy relationships, which reflect Boston's many undercurrents and residents, readers receive a lively, engrossing probe into Clark's background. This experience encourages readers to consider revised insights about Boston's history and culture.

From his move back to Missouri to literary reading which gives him added reflections and insights about his life trajectory, Clark exhibits an ongoing talent for atmospheric description. These not only allow readers to walk in his shoes, but to see through his literary eyes: On a trip to Hartford, I visited the Mark Twain house, where, the guide assured us, all of his great works were written here. I found the house gloomy and sad, too large, but probably what Twain thought was his reward for literary fame. No chateau or villa in Italy. Twain settled for Yankee Hartford and the status of this mansion. Alas, his daughters died here. He went bankrupt, and had to sell this literary nest to survive. But peeking at the windows, shades, the shadows reminded me of my family's Faber House. All sadness, old wood, the view through windows of yards, stripes and hands of light touching summer grass that swayed from New England breezes...

Now, those who choose this memoir because of a title that leads them to think its contents will be solely about preparing for and running the Boston marathon race may be disappointed. The race under consideration is, indeed, far broader and more personal than a singular footrace. It thus holds far more value, both to prior readers of Clark's prior memoirs and newcomers to his life.

Libraries that choose My Boston Marathon for these literary qualities and cultural insights will find it a top recommendation for patrons interested in links between literary history and modern-day inspiration. Any book club or reading group harboring a special affinity for evocative, reflective memoirs that hold additional value in a Boston-centric examination will find the humor, serious life inspections, and literary connections in My Boston Marathon hold fine examples of powerful writing.


The General Fiction Shelf

The Smile of Medusa: And Other Tales
Vardges Davtyan
Precocity Press
https://www.precocitypress.com
9798990946002, $27.95 Hardcover/$17.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D9B1DK1H

It's rare that biography, humor, fiction, and cultural reflection blend so seamlessly as to attract a wide audience initially interested in only one of these facets -- but such is The Smile of Medusa: And Other Tales. The incorporation of flash fiction into autobiographical reflection and semi-serious inspection creates a strange attraction that proves both hard to define and ultimately compelling.

Take the opening piece, 'Overcoming Grief, the American Way'. Its first-person inspection of the power and meaning of a beard covers a move from Armenia to America and the psychiatrist narrator's struggle to come to terms with his father's accidental, sudden death: There was a conviction among us psychiatrists that when a man begins to grow a beard, the first fit of schizophrenia has started in him. But if he shaves it a while later, the second fit has started. This way, so I wouldn't seem too weird, I quietly came to terms with my beard, and so much the better, because it didn't even cross my mind then that it would become the only inheritance from my father when I moved to America from Armenia. When the narrator finally shaves, he lets in a new world of appreciation, revised purposes in his new country, and observations that celebrate the day.

Contrast this introduction with 'Five Minutes to Twelve: How I Learned to Write a Short Story in America.' Here, a crowd of down-and-out attendees at a lecture about creative writing receive an ironic illustration of the power of description that creatively reflects the audience's underlying interests: Watching the audience in the lecture hall, my first thought, rather my first hesitation, made me wonder why this homeless crowd had paid $35 and come here. You could, after all, buy ten hamburgers with that much money. My English wasn't good enough to understand all the words the professor said, but when he began to unveil the "graphic method" to explain the structure of the short story, the growling sound of empty stomachs filled the room. It would end in one stomach and begin in another one.

Equally hilarious black and white drawings peppered throughout illustrate the irony and atmosphere of these vignettes, which weave their way through an immigrant's life, varied jobs in Los Angeles, and the impact of encounters that sometimes thwart his efforts to assimilate and forge a new life. Deem the result what you will (flash fiction, memoir, immigrant experience, humor) but one thing is certain. The Smile of Medusa: And Other Tales's ability to attract with succinct, hard-hitting description makes it highly recommended for libraries seeking novel works that capture the Hollywood milieu and the experiences of an Armenian immigrant navigating its mean streets with humor, appreciation, and ironic conclusions about life.

One Shining Soul
Wayne L. Wilson
https://www.wlwilson.com
Independently Published
9798350961256, $22.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook

https://www.wlwilson.com/one-shining-soul

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/one-shining-soul

One Shining Soul is a novel about miracles. Joseph Timmerman has long known that his daughter Olisa was unusually blessed with extraordinary abilities. But the world also comes to see this when a confrontation between street gangs on the 4th of July leaves a dying man cradled in her arms as people flee the violence that surrounds her. Olisa's compassion pairs with her ability to spark an event that a reporter captures on film for the world to see. Nothing is the same, afterwards -- for either Olisa or the rest of humanity.

Wayne L. Wilson creates a powerful novel of hope, opportunity, and spiritual reflection that resonates with unusual power, given that the miracle deliverer is neither white nor male, but a Black woman with special abilities.

Questions are presented about the countenance of a bringer of miracles and what the modern world would do with this knowledge. Specters of violence may be anticipated, but the real irony in the story lies in the equal threat of commercialization and profit which threaten to diminish and dilute Olisa's gift's impact and possibilities.

Narrated in the first person by Olisa's father, the tale assumes an immediacy and intimacy that is particularly moving and thought-provoking as various levels of society, from news media to inner city relationships, are explored.

Wilson crafts a psychological and social inspection that is especially vivid: "Olisa is the balm we all need during these trying times. Narcissistic leaders have transformed lying into the new normal. Their agenda is masked as a cause in order to attain power and control. They ply folks with uplifting and regurgitated sayings that their constituents and followers want to hear to garner votes. Bottomline is, men have fucked it up for centuries with their testosterone-induced warring. Time's up! We need female energy. Society needs to be mothered, and Olisa is the chosen one."

"I'm all for female empowerment. But you're going to push Olisa out there as the sacrificial lamb? Let me ask you this: will you make any money from this venture?" The dovetailing of miracles with profit concerns, the background and contrasts of her brother Noel, and the family's inclination to protect her create events replete with food for thought that will prove particularly attractive to book clubs and reading groups.

The ability to wrap a miracle in a broader context of social, psychological, and racial inspection gives One Shining Soul an edge over any similar-sounding story of miracles and humanity's reaction to them, making it exceptionally highly recommended for its depth and insights.

Libraries and readers seeking a different kind of miracle story which embraces issues of Black experience, racial profiling, profit-making opportunities and visions, and the underlying definition and impact of a true miracle-giver will relish all the events and accompanying revelations that One Shining Soul delivers.

Counterculture Blues: A Fable
Danielle de Valera
Old Tiger Books
9780648609803, $19.25 Paperback/$4.08 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Counterculture-Blues-fable-Danielle-Valera/dp/0648609804

Counterculture Blues: A Fable is a genre-defying novel that represents a diversion for Danielle de Valera, who is best known for her short stories and her coming-of-age novel, Those Brisbane Romantics. It's based on her prior success with Magnificat, an episodic novel that features both animal community members and underlying lessons on poverty and interconnected lives.

The roots of the novel that's reincarnated here require no prior familiarity from newcomers. Counterculture Blues I is every bit as whimsical and compelling as any other animal parable of life, supercharged by Danielle de Valera's evocative prose, which brings the fictional world of Tuckaburra to life: "In a cottage on the edge of Tuckaburra, a marmalade tomcat dressed in striped pyjamas was looking out of his bedroom window. Behind him, his lady cat rolled over on their double bed and flung out one blue paw. It wasn't really blue, not sky blue - it was a bluish grey, for she was a half-Siamese, half-Blue Burmese. Her ears and tail and all four paws up to the elbow were this same shade of mysterious blue-grey, like the sky sometimes is before the rain."

This enchanting milieu, tempered by Australian allusions and culture, comes to life in a manner designed to attract all ages to its evolving story of poverty and enlightenment as de Valera spins an evocative yarn. Claude, Mao, and other characters raise to the occasion of their life challenges amidst the backdrop of a whimsical world that is simply and unexpectedly evocative: "Since Shelley Shire had seceded from New South Wales to avert development, nary a car nor any other form of internal combustion engine could be seen within its borders. The small steam trains that ran all day between Murwillumbah and Casino were fuelled by coal. The citizens rode bikes, drove carriages pulled by dogs bred especially for the purpose, while crisis carriages such as ambulance and fire brigade were pulled by miniature horses."

Social issues evolve, from drug use to rescuing individuals in need and understanding the undercurrents of those who reside on the "lunatic fringe of town." From banana-farming calico cats to the underlying motivation and philosophy of getting drunk, the story tackles bigger-picture social issues within a different framework of experience and perceptions, blending philosophical concerns into social inspections: "While you were drinking you were sure you tasted a little immortality. Next day you were even more mortal than before. What a dump, what a downer. Yet at the time you were certain you were immortal. Vistas stretched before you, full of promise. Your work didn't seem hard any more. It was something you were grateful to have. And your friends, your friends... all of you caught in the whorls of time, all of you being whirled on to oblivion. Yet here, for a moment, you could touch them, feel close to them, put out your paw. You weren't alone."

The result may at first appear to be a children's fantasy, with its animal-dominated world; but in fact is a parable for modern times that should be embraced and celebrated by adults. Counterculture Blues I is a feel-good novel rich in the unexpected, revealing in its psychological and social probes, and easy on the eyes (while remaining, at times, hard on the heart, despite its happy ending).

Counterculture Blues I deserves widespread recommendation not only for libraries seeking interest in animal-rooted fiction for all ages, but for book club discussion groups. These audiences will find its characters, evolution, and social examination lend well to debates and thought-provoking revelations as a colorful romp through villains, heroes, and high and low society receives an animal-centric makeover.


The Historical Fiction Shelf

Ring of Lapis
M.D. Hall
Independent Publishing Network
9781836541561, $12.50 Paperback/$2.99 eBook/20.95 Audiobook

https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Lapis-M-D-Hall/dp/1836541562

Ring of Lapis takes place between AD197 and AD211. It covers the invasion by Septimius Severus of what is now Scotland, with events presented from both perspectives through the eyes of a Britannia-born Roman tribune.

At this point, it should be mentioned that readers needn't have any prior familiarity with this history in order to appreciate the story and characters that unfold in this vibrant story. M.D. Hall takes the time to capture the sights, smells, and atmosphere of Scotland, creating vivid descriptions that give readers a 'you are here' feel: "The smell of fresh bread drifted out of the kitchen and mingled with rank sweat and acrid smoke from the hearth. Three ancients huddled around the feeble fire, and a dozen retired legionaries sat at rough-hewn tables in a room illuminated by flickering candles."

Robertus Tullius Aetius, first spear of the first cohort of the Sixth Victrix Legion, has been betrayed by two of his closest friends. He expected victory from the slaughter and battles he participated in, but the long-term result seems to be failure on many levels. As Tullius traverses the dangerous countryside, journeying to Coria and beyond and making his mark on a land fallen into chaos, a host of characters both support and defy him in different and sometimes unexpected ways.

Hall presents events from the viewpoints of many of these different characters, who are constantly called upon to make choices in their reactions, alliances, and lives: "Girom opened his mouth, but Lutrin shook his head before placing a finger against his lips. He again felt the ground. 'They are moving away; there are no stragglers.' 'They were our people. Why did you stop me hailing them?' asked Girom. 'What could they have done? They are fleeing; if you join them, you will fare no better. Why give up the safety of this place to run with a band too afraid to fight? Whoever chases them is dangerous.'"

Tullius navigates both familiar and unfamiliar territory in a dangerous dance with death. Charged with being Severus's eyes and ears, he faces quandaries over his role in events that threaten to bring relentless destruction to his land and people. A ring gifted to him by the emperor and another from the son of the Caledonian chieftain bring danger and promise. The dilemma of a warrior caught at cross-purposes is nicely portrayed, while the era's history comes to life in a satisfying, impressive discussion of social and political confrontations.

Readers of historical fiction who look for dramatic drama and action against a backdrop of real events will applaud Ring of Lapis for its ability to capture the changing lives of ordinary people fielding extraordinary revolutionary times.

Seven
M. MacKinnon
DartFrog Plus
www.DartFrogBooks.com
9781965253168, $16.99 PB, $3.99 Kindle, 428pp

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Echoes-Time-M-MacKinnon/dp/1965253164

Seven is the third volume in the Echoes in Time series which takes place in Scotland. It moves back and forth between 1600s Scotland, Canada, and present-day events surrounding the action and struggle of a Scottish clan under siege.

A prologue documents one such battle, which then segues neatly into a story of warfare, fighting, and survival tactics which have long been a part of the Scottish experience in general and fifteen-year-old Kenna's life in particular. Romance blooms as thick and attractive as Kenna's impulse to join in battle despite her gender, creating interesting interplays of emotion and purpose between characters whose lives are steeped in all kinds of struggles.

M. MacKinnon's ability to wield history, Scottish culture, psychology, romance, and battle lends to a strong story that, like its character's perspective, proves "...glorious, exhilarating, and frightening at the same time."

Readers seeking novels that simmer with questions about exploring unfamiliar worlds, introduce odd time-traveling experiences and historical revelations that challenge a cast of characters from different times to step out of their preconceived notions, and arrive steeped in the psychology of connection will find Seven a fine, supportive addition to the Echoes in Time series.

As high school math teacher Brian McLean steps back into these early Scottish experiences to consider his impact on both past and present, readers receive a fine interplay of eras and objectives that ultimately joins seemingly disparate histories and psyches in a thoroughly compelling manner.

The result may prove difficult for libraries to easily define. Part time-travel journey and tempered by history, love, and struggle, Seven represents both a satisfying expansion of the Scottish milieu from previous stories and another step to linking past and present worlds. Readers seeking time travel stories with an edgy attention to marrying history with interpersonal developments and perspectives won't be disappointed.

Uninvited Valor
John C. Kiyonaga
Dartfrog Books
www.DartFrogBooks.com
9781965253199, $25.99, HC, 222pp
9781965253205, $15.99 PB, $4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Uninvited-Valor-Forsaken-Soldiers-WWII/dp/1965253199

Uninvited Valor: The Forsaken Soldiers of WWII: Based on the Epic True Story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team fictionalizes a true story. It adds dramatic attractions to expand this story's audience from nonfiction students of World War II history to general-interest leisure readers interested in combat and intrigue. A dedication and black and white photo of 442nd Regiment First Lieutenant Joseph Yoshio Kiyonaga acknowledges the backdrop for this story, but the captivating dramatization of events that stem from Pearl Harbor's bombing offer unparalleled 'you are here' experiences that is one of the hallmarks of the plot:

"Why are they here?" Harry Masayoshi asked. "Their bombing range is off on the other side of the North Shore."

"Why are they so low?" asked Franny Fukuhara.

The four of them stopped walking. The planes appeared to be flying directly at them, their buzz becoming a drone, becoming a roar. Suddenly, they were there, a thousand yards out and impossibly low. streaking over the adjacent sugarcane fields and closing the distance to the boys in an instant. No one said a word as the planes flashed overhead at fifty feet, but the red circles under the wings were unmistakable.

The pilot of the last leaned out over his fuselage and looked directly down at them. He was Japanese. No one spoke for a moment. Joe considered the imminent demise of his lunch plans and immediately felt ashamed.

As the prologue explains, the characters may be fictitious, but the unit and campaigns of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team are not. The juxtaposition of fiction and nonfiction cements a delightful atmosphere of understanding and action in the story as readers absorb events that place them directly in combat situations: The LT and the RTO had each taken a knee when they suddenly disappeared in a tight eruption of black smoke. Joe heard the muffled report of the explosion an instant later and recognized it as the same made by his own mortar. Everyone dove for the dirt. Joe opened his chin on the grit but kept his eyes on the spot where his lieutenant had been, staring dully at the dissipating smoke and the corona of body parts across the blackened ground. The next blast jarred him back to awareness.

This is a good place to point out that such vivid depictions may well prove triggering to veterans and those who arrive steeped in their own combat history. However, the events and interactions of the unit and the politics and influences of these times will prove captivating to a wide audience of readers who may know little about combat, war, or the events that required sacrifice and courage in the forty months after Pearl Harbor.

John C. Kiyonaga acknowledges many facets of the times, from prejudice against Japanese-Americans to combat challenges, as Joe races through Europe with his unit and experiences both camaraderie, special challenges, and even an unexpected romance which is also impacted by the war.

Kiyonaga is especially adept at capturing the nuances of fighting and interludes of peace and discovery, juxtaposing them in ways that illustrate the pulse and people of the 1940s. Libraries and readers seeking Word War II fiction that sizzles with action, strong characters, and the perspectives of combatants will find Joe's story and journey compelling.

Uninvited Valor holds the rare ability to reach beyond military history readers into general interest audiences seeking personal connections to history, outcomes, and acts of valor.

A Wolff in the Family
Francine Falk-Allen
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647428020, $18.99 PB, $12.99 Kindle, 392pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wolff-Family-Novel-Francine-Falk-Allen/dp/1647428025

Fans of historical fiction set in early 20th century America who are interested in following a family's evolution from generation to generation will find A Wolff in the Family a powerful exploration. It deserves not just leisure reading pursuit, but book club discussion.

A Wolff in the Family follows the impact of a family secret on generations of individuals who face hardship and questions as a result. Readers should anticipate many underlying subplots in the story, from issues of gender inequality and evolving women's empowerment (or, at times, disempowerment) to the Wolff family's journey to a new life and world in the West.

Francine Falk-Allen explores these events through the eyes and experiences of a wide cast of characters. These different viewpoints dovetail in a story replete with satisfying social, political, and psychological insights.

It's narrated in a compelling manner designed to attract, educate, and entertain, all in one: Another baby. Frances wondered how long her mother could keep this up. What could women do if they didn't want so many children but still wanted to get married and have a family? Anita looked tired. She's getting to see what it was like to be me in this house, thought Frances. I'm never going to have this many children. I don't know how you keep from it, but I'm not going to do it. Not like this.

From affairs and custody battles to families divided and conflicted, and the love and connections that bind them, Falk-Allen presents a multifaceted arena of encounters firmly cemented in the vernacular, politics, and social values of the times. This will prove especially alluring to historical fiction readers who seek works immersed in a 'you are here' atmosphere that brings not just experiences, but their underlying motivations and impact to life.

A Wolff in the Family presents a heady mix of history, social inspection, women's issues, and family interactions. It covers vivid, absorbing situations and psychological insights that blend nicely into a deepening sense of discovery and growth. Libraries that choose A Wolff in the Family for its historical allure will find it easy to highly recommend to book clubs seeking evocative historical material perfect for group discussion and debate.

Killing Gilda
Yahya Gharagozlou
Armin Lear Press
https://arminlear.com
9781963271409, $22.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Gilda-Yahya-Gharagozlou/dp/1963271408

Killing Gilda is a love story of intrigue, Persian culture and politics, and a doomed young woman who has a ringside seat to the fall of the Persian Empire as well as her own downfall. It captures the land, culture, and peoples of Persia, yet opens in an unexpected setting -- a nursing home, where Sam struggles with Alzheimer's, considering the ebb and flow of his life and the amazing events he can still recall.

Yahya Gharagozlou charts his progress with a hand steeped in metaphor, atmosphere, and unexpected descriptions: Pain has an upside: It comes with short-term lucidity. It works like a pencil sharpener. Whets the brain. I start the touristic hopscotch. Memory and perception intermingle. Not an older man's failings yet, though I admit I can no longer control my recall at will. The magical butterfly that once flew from flower to flower, gathering the good things in life and reporting back its findings, now flies with clipped wings. Now, it's more like flower to no flower.

This poetic series of insights draws readers with a candid tone that embeds nostalgia with the "you are here" feel of a Proust production, immediate and hard-hitting in its reflections, whether they be of a non-practicing Muslim or the politics of the Shah and Iranian forces that embroil all the characters in situations Westerners may hold little prior familiarity with. The manner in which Gharagozlou crafts a foundation of knowledge for understanding these events proves surprisingly evocative, easily accessible, and educational and enlightening as the story progresses.

A wealth of detail is embedded in the first-person narrator's observations of the changing social and political milieu of Iran: The Shah appointed my uncle as court minister in the winter of 1966, a private thank you. He had saved the monarchy. My uncle laid down the law: "Never call me uncle at Court, or I'll crack your head. Keep your eye on two groups: the Prime Minister and his friends, and the Queen and her sycophants. Don't underestimate the last lot. Their crackpot ideas will show up later in disguise. Always remember, they watch you because you are related to me."

He and the new prime minister, Hoveyda, stayed in power for the next thirteen years, an achieved balance. Hard to believe, but before him, we burned most of the incoming mail. We didn't have the personnel to answer the correspondence. He redesigned the Court's communication system. This contributes a deeper understanding of the motivations and circumstances of love, betrayal, political intrigue and subterfuge, and shifting influences between political regimes as Iran changes and its key players struggle.

Also at the heart of this saga is the love story between the protagonist and Gilda, which ultimately transforms the narrator, releasing him from childhood limitations while placing him in a unique position to observe, research, and comment on Gilda's world. As a few stormy weeks in Gilda's life prove the pivot point of her survival and death, readers absorb a love affair that blossoms and grows in unexpected directions.

From encounters with the Shah to G.'s evolving life and the international influences which come to play key roles in Iranian affairs, Gharagozlou steeps political outcomes in personal observation and experience to create a full-bodied, compelling flavor to the unfolding encounters. Libraries seeking a beautifully woven blend of social and political Iranian life will find few to match the strength and evolutionary process that is Killing Gilda.

At once a story of love, culture, politics, and a changing world, its rare ability to entertain and educate on a deeper level than most Persian fiction makes it highly recommendable to a wide audience, from thriller and international intrigue readers to those seeking an involving story of Iranian affairs and the real-world Gilda who inspired this story, an intersection of historical fact and reinvented lives that proves utterly compelling and hard to put down as it follows Iran's entry into modern times.

The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia
Ettore Farrattini Pojani
https://www.ettorefarrattinipojani.com
Bayou City Press
www.bayoucitypress.com
9781951331108, $2.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Lives-Tito-dAmelia/dp/1951331109

The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia may initially attract cat enthusiasts, between its title and cover picture of a cat, but it's actually historical fiction. It follows the history and culture of a small Italian town and a family through the ages, beginning in 1134 BC. The ninth chapter starts with the birth of the baby in 2023 and ends when the main character, Luca/Tito, who was elected as "mayor" at 24, has served in that position for seven years.

Here, a beloved cat's involvement in human affairs and subsequent demise involves a prophecy that offers opportunity for an observer of events over the ages: "Tito, you were in this land before us; you welcomed us here to share the richness of your valley. Now that you have left your mortal life, your soul will remain among us forever in this valley to protect it and lead it toward a glorious future. We ask for your protection and your intercession with the gods, while awaiting your return to us. Protect our King Ameroe, your Hephaestus, and all his progeny for the centuries to come. Protect our city, Amer."

Employing a unique focus to survey the evolution of this town and the Farrattini family, Ettore Farrattini Pojani reviews how Italy and one family and town in particular are transformed. Tito's cameo appearances lend a continuity and interest to the tale, giving it a rich blend of involvement and connection: As soon as he caressed the cat, Giovanni felt calmer. It did not take long before he started to talk to him. "Why do you run here so quickly when I arrive so agitated? Are you a guardian angel sent by my brother?"

Tito answered with a soft "meow," which, of course, meant "Maybe!" Tito would have liked to tell Giovanni it was not Bartolomeo who had sent him, but someone long before. This creates a dual focus on social and political as well as intergenerational evolution, crafting a series of inviting historical insights. Tito the cat is a tertiary adjunct to this focus, adding humor and a sense of creative continuity to human affairs.

Sometimes centuries pass between Tito's returns. This lends to particularly interesting observations about vast changes which have impacted the family over time, even as it considers Tito's challenges for a "new mission" to help the humans each time he is reincarnated. Of special note are the changing lives of women as the town and its culture adjusts.

Readers become absorbed in the trials of Nofria, whose husband is lost while battle rages around Ameria; and in the life of Clementina, whose search for an eligible bride for her brother-in-law takes over her life. Other women (and men) experience pivot points as moral and political legacies impact daily lives.

Readers interested in Italian history and culture will delight in the shifting focuses on families and events which capture the politics, atmosphere, and challenges of the Italian nation through the lens of one small town's growth. The novel's special aura of discovery, combined with a "you are here" atmosphere, makes The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia a highly recommendable pick for anyone interested in a tale of Italian and family history and growth.

Tito's final change sums up many lives of experiences and the Italian town's evolutionary process over a vast period of time, while maps and photographs, concluding author notes, a note on source references for further reading, and a list of foreign words and special terms all emphasize the novel's historical foundations and information.

The maps and photos, in particular, are fine reinforcements of the book's roots in Italian affairs. Libraries that choose The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia will find it a multifaceted draw that will draw patrons and book clubs alike... especially anyone holding a special interest in Italian culture, politics, and affairs.

Imperfect: A Story about Loss, Courage, and Perseverance
Katy Motiey
Manuscripts Press
9798889260547, $38.99 Hardcover/$19.99 Paperback/$8.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-Story-about-Courage-Perseverance/dp/B0D3X1BMHR

Imperfect: A Story about Loss, Courage, and Perseverance moves from Tehran to New York to London, crisscrossing the world as the novel's characters cope with the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath. An author's note explains that although the story is fictionalized, its roots lie in her family's heritage and experience, and is written from her mother's perspective -- thus, the vividness of its descriptions. This translates to a powerful story packed with real-world atmosphere and observations.

The narrative is introduced by a prologue set in 1979 Tehran, in which Vida's family experiences yet another power outage that demonstrates her daughter is adjusting to potentially dangerous situations that once would have made her little girl afraid of the dark. However, she can't protect her daughter against other deadly events, from poisoning to revolution.

This section concludes with an astute reflection that she "must get my daughter out of this country" before the story moves to the past of 1971 Westchester County, New York. Here, Vida leads a very different life. Her family has already visited Iran, gone to London for her husband's cancer treatments, then back to Iran so that Vida's baby can be born there, before finally returning to their life in the US. Kamran is a liberal husband, even though steeped in the traditions and religion of his Muslim homeland.

Vida appreciates him even as she fears his older brother Doktor, who holds Kamran's power of attorney, along with strong beliefs about women's places being in the home and not as equal financial partners. Kamran's family ties and their different perspectives affect her life as his brother makes decisions from afar that impact her connection to her husband's affairs: Is this what it means to be married? Secrets and lies? Vida is honest with Kamran about her feelings: "I don't want to ever live in Iran. I don't like the culture, and I don't want to raise my children there."

He is less so with her, divided by his love for her and his loyalty to his family and country. When he informs her he wants them to move back to Iran, a series of events follows which is reminiscent of a fictionalized form of the classic memoir Not Without My Daughter. Vida faces the terrible choice of moving to Iran with him or splitting up her family. She finds herself in a contest over who will control her and her children, landing in the middle of a festering and volatile political revolution and atmosphere.

Legal struggles address Iran's legal and personal injustices during a particularly turbulent time in Iranian history -- during the Shah's regime, the rise of Khomeini, and the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

Katy Motiey's story is vivid, pairing strong characterization and astute examinations of belief systems and social turmoil with one woman's struggle to maintain control over her life and children. Driven by this powerful struggle, Vida's shifting circumstances and life is the nexus of a thought-provoking, thoroughly engrossing experience that explores the world of Iranian women both in Iran and in the Iranian-American community.

Iranian customs and culture come to life through the drama and perspective of Vida's struggles. This gives the novel a flavor of activism and understanding that few fictionalized stories about Middle East women can match.

Libraries and readers that choose Imperfect: A Story about Loss, Courage, and Perseverance will find it a delight, whether they pick it for its themes of women's empowerment, disempowerment, and struggles, or for its many insights into Iranian culture and society. Libraries will a;sp find it especially easy to recommend Imperfect for a variety of book clubs and reading groups, from those considering women's issues in general to others with a specific focus on or interest in Iranian and Iranian-American affairs.

American Jukebox
Len Joy
https://www.lenjoybooks.com
Hark! New Era Publishing
9798335742535, $10.99 PB, $2.99 Kindle, 326pp

https://www.amazon.com/American-Jukebox-Len-Joy/dp/B0DF5B3QV4

As a sequel to Len Joy's small-town novel American Past Time, American Jukebox is both a dovetailing of themes and represents a departure in the story's structure. Action and experiences are condensed in a manner that delivers their impact with even more succinct growth experiences than the 20-year unfolding story that Joy presented before.

1950s America was a milieu in which baseball, family relationships, and outdoor playing grounds were under construction (or, at times, deconstruction, as the case might be). This comes alive as young Clayton and his baseball-playing father experience physical and psychological changes in their factory town that impact and alter their lives. Tonka trucks, cartoons, school... all these and more flavor the days of childhood as Joy delves into relationships that swirl around legal challenges, minor league snafus, and a child's growing realization of who his parents really are beyond their identities of 'mother and father.' Expectations and disappointments emerge along with political and psychological impacts throughout the story.

Joy follows Clayton's personal growth as well as concurrent threads of American culture: "It occurs to me that I may be the first used car salesman to ever deliver a commencement address." The crowd laughed. "I've thought a lot about what I should say here today. I asked my family for advice because I figured if the speech is really bad, I can blame them." The small-town atmosphere grows as much as Clayton and his father 'Dancer,' following new road developments and emotional journeys alike. Joy's blend of small town and internal atmospheres is a powerful presentation steeped with emerging politics and confrontations that represent many undercurrents of small-town America's transformation.

These elements (and baseball) power a story that stands both nicely alone and as a satisfying adjunct to American Past Time, expanding on many of the threads begun in the first book to add new dimensions of understanding for fiction readers interested in American history and culture.

It should be noted, however, that readers need not have prior familiarity with American Past Time to understand and thoroughly enjoy American Jukebox. This is why libraries will find American Jukebox a satisfying acquisition. Its mix of leisure interests and community evolution, topped with a dash of political developments, keep readers involved and guessing at outcomes.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Poetic Justice
Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays
Pumpjack Press
https://www.pumpjackpress.com
9798988297413, $16.95 Paperback/$6.00 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Justice-Restaurantland-Kathleen-McFall-ebook/dp/B0DDDQ5JW2

Poetic Justice: A Restaurantland Romance is reminiscent of the hit TV show Friends, with its constantly evolving romances and relationships, but takes place in a restaurant filled with quirky staff harboring affection for food and one another.

The opening scene is indicative of the surprises which permeate this romance story because handcuffs, not kissing, have just bound together two struggling individuals whose hot romance has turned cold. Chef Hudson has just made a move that threatens Roz's determination to have him remain her ex-boyfriend. Hudson, however, believes he's made the only move that can keep them together, forcing her to listen instead of fleeing.

What does this choice have to do with Roz's determination to be an eco-warrior despite Hudson's injecting his personal life into her mandate to honor her sister via a political protest statement? Plenty. The timeline shifts to the past and the Rose and Thorn Restaurant as explanations and relationships build background and insights into these events.

Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays employ these shifts throughout the story to craft a compelling plot that juxtaposes love, adversity, and history. Surprising developments introduced to readers thus become logical and understandable in a way that embraces and fills out the characters of Roz, Hudson, and those who surround them, both within and outside of the restaurant milieu.

Like Friends, characters swirl in and out of their lives with personal discovery and reflection proving the building blocks of a relationship that once blossomed: Whenever they were together, she felt safe and confident, sure nothing would ever go wrong for her again. At first, she didn't trust this feeling and was even a little scared of it, but being around him continued to erode the negativity in her life, mostly due to his almost bedrock certainty about them. The always-widening joy between them was now slowly erasing all traces of the emotional scars of her past.

The political protest which permeates their lives and choices also receives good coverage, adding an extra dimension of discovery to the novel's character-building focus. Tension is well developed, the evolving and changing romance is logical and appealing, and Poetic Justice's embrace of major events that affect the couple makes the tale more than one of interpersonal relationship evolution alone.

This is why libraries that choose Poetic Justice for its romance will find it much more than the usual falling-in-love story. It embraces the process of growth, falling out of love, and finding new and healthier connections.

Poetic Justice is very highly recommended for its full-bodied review of life within and outside of the restaurant world, depicting the changing hearts and minds of characters that make the most of their relationships... and occasionally stumble in the effort to reach their goals.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Black Ye'ii (The Evil One)
Joseph Lewis
www.jrlewisauthor.com
Black Rose Writing
https://www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685135379, $24.99 Paperback/ebook $TBA

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Y%C3%A9%CA%BCii-Evil-Joseph-Lewis/dp/1685135374

Black Ye'ii (The Evil One) combines several disparate elements into a blend of Native American cultural exploration, police procedural, and coming-of-age saga firmly rooted in all three attractions. This gives readers added depth and dimension as the story surveys psychological growth and challenges, cultural norms and changes, and a mystery that revolves around the puzzle of why and how four members of MS-13 died.

In many ways, the action and plot mirror modern yin/yang contrasts in life. Joseph Lewis captures family conflict and the impact of four young men in a small Wisconsin town whose recovery affects their community, detailing how evil re-emerges to plague the survivors of this trauma. While the backdrop creates classic good/evil confrontations, in reality the character motivations, reactions, and choices offer far more conflict than a simple juxtaposition of or clash between bad and good alone.

The Navajo culture and spirituality embedded into the story is one example of unusual depth and detail that belays any pat categorization of "good versus evil." The mythos surrounding the concept of 'Black Ye'ii' receives a succinct introductory explanation that not only defines evil's parameters, but allows readers to keep this thought in mind as thriller elements emerge to create a cat-and-mouse atmosphere.

Also replete in the story are growth opportunities stemming from the surprises of two cases that immerse George and his friends in a secret they were never supposed to uncover. MS-13 is back and seeks revenge. In addition to the youths, Detectives Graff, O'Connor, and Eiselmann also have a vested interest in gaining answers.

Lewis builds a powerful plot that moves through various Wisconsin towns like a house afire. Diverging elements of intrigue and psychological confrontation keep the narrative fast-paced - and yet, the action is not so frantic as to lose characterization strength along the way. Clues and memories merge in a satisfyingly unpredictable manner to keep the story multifaceted and on track for discovery and revelation.

Libraries seeking stories that are not easy to define as either thriller, mystery, police procedural or coming of age genres will find the inclusion of all these elements and more will attract a wide audience. This includes those already familiar with Wisconsin, who will appreciate the injections of history and lore that pepper the drama with unexpected insights.

Call Me Carmela
Ellen Kirschman
www.ellenkirschman.com
Open Road
www.openroadmedia.com
9781504095754, $21.99 Paperback/$14.99 eBook

https://openroadmedia.com/ebook/call-me-carmela/9781504095709

Call Me Carmela adds to Ellen Kirschman's previous Dot Meyerhoff mysteries, but requires no prior familiarity from newcomers. All readers will appreciate the powerful character of a psychologist who typically works with cops, but finds herself pulled into the dilemma of an adopted teen searching for her birth parents.

The last thing Dot expected was to find this pursuit replete with intrigue that demands police involvement, but as she delves into the world of illegal adoptions and their lasting impact, Dot comes to realize that her friend's goddaughter Ava Marie is in trouble -- not just curious about her origins. Dot has no experience with teenagers. Perhaps this gives her an edge, because her approach to Ava Marie is different than those harboring such knowledge. She presents a refreshingly direct, honest form of interaction that prompts revelations in return. Under another hand, the mystery might center largely on illicit operations.

Kirschman's focus on exploring the emotional costs and challenges of families impacted by illegal actions sets this mystery apart from any other focus on illegal adoption rings. Kirschman adds personal revelations to the intrigue, cementing the story with elements of discovery and impact that draw readers from the start. This approach helps them understand the real issues involved not only in such operations, but crime-busting attempts. These, in turn, impart a deeper understanding to the police procedural side of investigations, prompting food for thought and discussion which will prove especially alluring to book clubs.

From issues of identity and handling or delivering devastating news to earth-shaking revelations that keep not only the disparate characters, but Dot herself on her toes, Call Me Carmela crafts a story replete with the impact of secrets, good intentions gone awry, and those who would profit from others' misfortune or misdirection.

Libraries and readers interested in mysteries that present a healthy dose of police investigative action, but temper these scenes with emotional connections and growth, will welcome Call Me Carmela's attention to strong characters placed in challenging positions.

Cops Gone Bad
Donald E. McInnis
www.donaldmcinnis.com
J&E Publications
9798986551661, $18.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Cops-Gone-Bad-J-Thriller/dp/B0DJGPBKHV

Cops Gone Bad is an A.J. Hawke thriller. It focuses on another legal system dilemma which drags the young lawyer into a conundrum that challenges his legal and ethical prowess. The police are supposed to be part of the justice system's peacekeepers, but here their unwritten code of honor and support for one another spills over into a murder case in which they hide a fellow officer's actions. Even police officers aren't immune to forces that become criminal in nature.

The mandate to support one another becomes one of entering the criminal realm when the bond between policemen is tested to its breaking point. How fair is the legal system? Only as fair as its supporters and protectors. When that fine line is crossed, A.J. and others find themselves making difficult choices about which side of it they should be on. Despite seeming cut-and-dry justice system rules, the gray area of possibility and interpretation turns out to be murky, alluring, and confusing.

Readers who choose this legal thriller will find its cat-and-mouse moves offer windows into corruption and law enforcement quandaries. A.J.'s mandates and values are challenged as the case and investigation unfold, drawing readers into changing standards of prosecuting cases, gathering evidence, and acknowledging underlying motivations and rules of engagement. As secrets, surveillance, and scary moments evolve, A.J. finds additional tests to his legal and ethical prowess that both educate him and move him into threatening new directions in his career and life.

McInnis builds a close inspection of how justice can be thwarted and warped. The tension and characterization are well done, but especially notable are themes that run through the plot to provide food for thought to individuals and discussion groups interested in legal processes and precedents. A.J. is forced to move away from his training, expectations, and comfort zone in his effort to track down the truth and make the right assessments and decisions, as do many supporting characters in his latest dilemma.

Cops Gone Bad is a legal thriller that libraries will find highly accessible, filled with action and insight, and perfect for patrons interested in more than courtroom proceedings, but bigger-picture thinking about social issues, justice, and criminal definitions.

The Evil to Come
Thomas Holland
Independently Published
9798393835637, $14.99 PB, $2.99 Kindle, 404pp

https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Come-Big-Elmore-Novel/dp/B0DC57VNN8

The Evil to Come returns Big Ray Elmore to historical mystery fans in another action-packed novel that further reveals his abilities and actions as he faces a new dilemma. Here, the small-town police chief tackles the aftermath of a shooting spree that leaves the little town of Split Tree, Arkansas in emotional turmoil. In 1954, such events were not only uncommon, but extraordinary. This makes Big Ray's job uniquely challenging as he confronts an evil that has its roots (and prologue) in 1945 Japan, and then moves forward in time and place to evolve in one of the most theoretically 'safe' places in the U.S.

Thomas Holland does a masterful job of capturing the town's nature and atmosphere from Big Ray's first-person viewpoint, from the start: I was looking out the window of my office. The weather had taken a turn over the last couple of weeks; it wasn't cold, at least compared to how those people up north measure it, but it was cool enough that the few trees we have in our county were starting to anticipate the winter, and now the yards needed some raking. Hank Jensen's two teenaged boys were working on the courthouse lawn, though neither of them showed much enthusiasm for their job, and I reckon I spent more energy watching them than they spent in getting anything accomplished.

While his town isn't anything to really talk about, the fact that violence places it on the map to challenge his leadership and problem-solving abilities makes for an intriguing opening to a mystery that just gets bigger the more the story evolves. Holland's ability to build Big Ray's character for newcomers while maintaining a sense of discovery and growth for prior fans of Elmore conundrums gives this story an impressive position as both an addition to and expander of a series, and a fine stand-alone tale.

From searches for evidence to community connections and surprises, Holland moves the plot along with the combined power of a police procedural and community psychological insights. These elements create a satisfyingly realistic backdrop in which Big Ray comes to realize new truths about historical events and impacts, dangerous plots, and unspeakable truths.

Libraries and readers seeking either another Big Ray detective probe or a new collection addition that juxtaposes small-town politics and nature with bigger-picture problems will find The Evil to Come notable not only for its appealing characters, but for dilemmas that fit together like puzzle pieces at the end, complete with satisfyingly unexpected twists.

Fatal Farming
Bonnie Oldre
www.bonnieoldre.com
Gatekeeper Press
9781662951404, Paperback/$16.99; eBook/$4.99

https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Farming-Beth-Evie-Mystery/dp/166295140X

Fatal Farming is the third book in the Beth Williams and Evie Hanson cozy mystery series. It is set in the 1960s, where they are working to help reopen a theater into which Logan Rusk has poured his heart, soul, and money when Vern Cedar steps into the scene and gets into a heated argument with Logan.

Cedar is a farmer who also hosts a little radio show that excels in belittling people who call in, at his encouragement. That makes him obnoxious, in Evie's book: "Farmer and insult disc jockey. That's quite the combo. I wonder if he insults his livestock." But, does his attitude also translate to a killer's personality? A perhaps-predictable tragedy sends Beth and Evie into another investigative mode. This involves them in former classmate Vernon Cedar's life and relationships, where they uncover more small-town secrets and connections.

As in her previous books, Bonnie Oldre builds a story of this librarian and her friend and fellow investigator with a solid foundation of local color, relationships, and probes of motivations and hidden secrets. Her ability to juxtapose Beth and Evie's lives with bigger picture thinking about the world around them translates to not just intriguing revelations and unexpected twists, but a sense of community. This approach embraces connections tested by loss and love alike.

Add the colorful conundrums posed by a hippie commune, new possibilities derived from lifestyle differences and challenges, and a sense of discovery that places The Library Lady in dangerous situations for a sense of how attractive and unexpected many of the events prove to be.

Libraries looking for cozy stand-alone mysteries that also operate well as a series will relish the tone and attraction of Fatal Farming, which draws together disparate special interests in ways mystery genre enthusiasts won't see coming.

The Gulf
Owen Garratt
Runding Pelham Publishing
https://OwenGarratt.com
9781068943805, $24.99 Hardcover; $17.99 Paperback; $4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Gulf-Apocalyptic-Action-Thriller-Three/dp/1068943815

The Gulf is the third book in the apocalyptic thriller series that opened with The Pulse, depicting a world changed by a cataclysmic EMP. Jack Broderick continues to face challenges to survival long after a solar flare changes the world. Day 10 after the event, Jack's Florida refuge has turned into a nightmare in which he and his traveling companion Skinny find themselves seeking refuge on an abandoned yacht during a hurricane -- only to discover it really isn't abandoned.

Their encounter with the winds and ravages of the Florida gulf, fellow evacuees, and uncertain healing processes is delineated in passages which reinforce a 'you are here' feel via first person reflections on the costs and process of survival: Much wincing at the stiffness from the fight with the toughs outside the bike shop. Ginger cleaning of the crescent-shaped pattern of punctures left by a bull shark on my torso. And calf. Did you really think your mind would be unscathed?

As wounds heal, ambushes are thwarted, and objectives evolve beyond surviving each day, readers who walk this revised world in Jack's footsteps receive a gripping set of confrontations with death, the military, and forces that would either redirect or end their lives. Owen Garratt's ability to delve into the atmosphere of Florida past and present, dovetailing these impressions with a growing group of fellow survivors who also harbor new skills and challenges, creates a particularly moving story powered as much by psychological discovery as physical changes and conflicts: "There's inside monsters that need beating before the outside monsters," she said.

These add up to a satisfyingly compelling, immersive survival experience that will prove a haunting standout in apocalyptic EMP survival novels. The Gulf and its prior companions The Pulse and The Three Sisters are all top recommendations for libraries seeking not just the physical challenges of a changed world in an engrossing series, but underlying mental motivations and mystery that embed the story with a sense of discovery, action, and transformation.

The Memory Trap
Donna Joppie
DartFrog Plus
www.DartFrogBooks.com
9781961624436, $25.99, HC, 320pp
9781961624443, $15.99 PB, $5.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Trap-Donna-Joppie/dp/1961624435

The Memory Trap is a good example of thriller and suspense writing at its best, when married with a powerful sense of place. In this case, that setting is Texas, where young lawyer Rob Chambers is conducting research for the Tolland Law Firm's latest case. Called on the carpet for appearing to question his colleague's work, Rob enters into a conundrum when firm owner Mr. Tolland's fondness for him appears to have caused an unfair decision, causing Horton to first dislike his new intern, then try to undermine Rob's position and opinion.

This isn't the crux of the story, however -- it's only the introductory salvo to a series of puzzles and encounters which place Rob in increasingly untenable positions. He pursues the truth, reconsiders his legal authority and pursuits, and becomes personally entangled in a case involving a Mexican land grant's inheritance complexity.

Rob's journey to Mexico and his encounters with situations that test even his eidetic memory and abilities are complicated by his relationship with Wanda Snow, his initial friendship with Carlos, and his determination to remain faithful not just to Wanda, but to his firm.

Tasked with concealing ten million dollars in two weeks before he's even passed the bar exam, Rob finds himself facing a series of dilemmas that ultimately test his legal commitments, integrity, and professional objectives, too. As he places the lives of loved ones in danger, Rob's changing relationship with Carlos and his organization leads him and Wanda to be hunted despite the FBI's protection program.

Donna Joppie's engrossing story proves hard to put down, is packed with unexpected twists and turns, and follows Rob's personal life and relationships as his legal background and situations place him in untenable positions of danger. Tension is well developed, the story moves between Texas and Mexico with a smooth precision that carries readers on its current of unexpected developments, and the suspense builds to a surprising conclusion that brings Rob full circle to consider what he really values from life.

Libraries seeking legal thrillers that also operate well on the stage of interpersonal growth and developments will find The Memory Trap an excellent addition to any thriller or suspense collection. Its ability to juxtapose special interests that attract, then conflict, makes it a standout.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Mongol Ascension
Andrew Varga
https://andrewvargaauthor.com
Imbrifex Books
www.Imbrifex.com
9781955307079, $20.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Mongol-Ascension-Jump-Novel-Three/dp/1955307040

The Mongol Ascension may be directed to young adult readers of time travel adventures and fairy tales, but that doesn't mean it should be limited to this audience. Many an adult reader with an affinity for both will relish this story's ability to reach from teen interests into adult themes and growth experiences, even though protagonist Dan Renfrew is seventeen.

Dan is a time jumper. He's honed this ability all his life, but he doesn't operate alone - and neither does this story, the third book in the A Jump in Time saga. Dan has joined a secret group of jumpers tasked with fixing historical glitches and preserving humanity's timeline. This latest adventure is a doozy.

He and his companion Sam journey to Mongolia in the year 1179, becoming involved in a teen boy's efforts to save his family. What does this boy have to do with timeline preservation? Apparently, a lot. At stake is the preservation and power of the Mongol Empire... and, ultimately, Dan and Sam's future.

Andrew Varga embeds the time-travel journey with elements of intrigue, history, and psychological inspection. Attention is given to dovetailing riveting action with equally engrossing revelations. These elements work nicely together, powering a story replete with not just unpredictable outcomes, but novel historical problem-solving approaches: I thought back to when I had learned this command -- right after my Celtic adventure, when Cenacus the druid had pushed a piece of paper toward Sam and me as we sat together in a coffee shop. The symbols on the page had been written clearly, but the words had been a bit messy -- especially the second word. I had always assumed that he had scribbled down a's. What if they were o's?

Another element to The Mongol Ascension that makes it a crossover from young adult to adult interests lies in its considerations of choice, impact, and ultimate outcomes. These link history in a manner that makes its events lively and attractive rather than dry or dull, resting on action-packed conundrums that keep readers guessing: A lump formed in my throat as I thought of Sam being held captive -- trapped in this time period. I could almost see the horror on her face. I had to find her. But what would I even do? She'd be surrounded by forty thousand of the most feared horsemen in history. Getting her out of their clutches would take cunning and good planning -- too bad I was short on both. An even bigger gap in any rescue plans was my lack of a horse. How could one guy with a bum leg catch up to an army moving on horseback?

These features elevate the story beyond the problem-solving "how to return home" scenario typical of time-travel scenarios. It introduces moral, ethical, and historical dilemmas that challenge characters and readers to understand the nature of paradoxes, conflicts of interest, and personal impact on outcomes. All these facets make The Mongol Ascension not just thoroughly engrossing, but highly recommended for library acquisition and book club reading groups attracted to time travel stories that hold more meat, value, and insights than an adventure-driven story alone.

2040
Robert Albo
Independently Published
9798870085470, $14.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/2040-Robert-Albo/dp/B0CP83VYJH

In 2040, the future may be embedded with high tech, but poses the same problems as in the past because social issues have not been resolved. Ask 40-year-old Michael about this issue, because he's well versed in anxiety and faces a fork in the road that has little to do with futuristic change and everything to do with furthering scientific advancement and research.

The problem emerges when said research becomes part of a personal experiment as Michael and his twin brother probe the possible applications of dark matter in human affairs - using Michael as the scientific guinea pig. Perhaps predictably, things go awry because these all-too-human subjects have not yet arrived at the truth about either dark matter or human transformation. But, this isn't the end of the story. In many ways, the event is not even its crux, but portends a new form of investigation holding the ability to change humanity in new ways that supersede any technological innovation.

Another truth emerges in the course of events: everything happens at once. With the experiment's surprising and unpredictable results, the sudden appearance of aliens, ongoing developments in AI, and a pandemic that threatens to devour human consciousness, a number of threads unfold, embedding the plot with a series of unexpected twists and turns. Under some hands, these developments would take the action-packed form of a thriller only loosely based on characterization.

The power of Robert Albo's scenario in 2040 lies in the very essence under threat from multiple sources - humanity's psyche. What makes us human? As Michael and a cast of characters find their work ultimately leads to this bigger-picture question, readers will find the action nonstop, the tension well-developed, and the characters both flawed and likeable as they attempt to navigate their world's revised possibilities.

The dialogue between Michael and other characters gives a realistic feel to the plot's developments: He stroked his chin as he recalled the experience -- gray walls closing in on and finally consuming him. He had become part of the gray fog. What did that have to do with Anni? Then he remembered, before fainting, something tugged at his consciousness, something pulled a part of him away. He saw his body fall to the ground as his spirit rose. It was an out-of-body experience. "What happened?" Albo doesn't neglect social or political undercurrents as Michael's life both expands and unravels. These enhance the story with further thought-provoking moments as Michael's self-doubt and choices prove to be humanity's salvation.

As for the AI and alien components of the story -- who's to say that either is wholly threatening, or bad? It's up to the reader to make that judgment call as surprises portend either the end of humanity or a new era of scientific revolution. While 2040 is obviously a futuristic sci-fi read, it also represents a study in philosophical, ethical, and psychological undercurrents. These serve as especially intriguing food for thought for college-level classroom and book club reading groups seeking more than an action-infused story of change alone.

Libraries considering 2040 should be aware that the story concludes with obvious elements to be continued and expanded in another book. This promise makes 2040 more than a singular consideration of the future and humankind's place in it, adding attraction to a riveting plot progression and elevating 2040 above many competing futuristic sci-fi visions.

An End to Kings
Ryan Schuette
www.RyanSchuette.com
Bedivere Press
9798988598633, $24.44 Hardcover/$18.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook

As the second book in the two-volume epic fantasy duet, An End to Kings proves a satisfying adjunct and continuation to the world introduced in A Seat for the Rabble. If it feels like this continuation actually represents the splitting in half of the original book -- that would be true. Industry printing standards may have forced this division, but that doesn't mean readers don't benefit from this choice.

One way that division is a big plus lies in the book's less weighty appearance, inviting readers who might otherwise have balked at too many pages and the specter of a daunting tale. In fact, An End to Kings, albeit epic, is anything but overwhelming. Prior readers will enjoy author Ryan Schuette's return to Odma, where bastard price Jason Warchild struggles to save his homeland from civil war. His quest for redemption and salvation dovetails with the fate of a kingdom torn asunder by family, political, and social struggles.

Issues of classism, racism, and political process emerge against an atmospheric backdrop as Schuette brings this milieu to life for new readers while reinforcing worldviews and conflicts for prior fans: Above an inn on a hill, the sky lit up blue, as brightly as if it were day. Illuminated walls of rain rolled across the forest. Thunder reverberated through the ground like the footsteps of giants. Standing in the hill's cavern entrance, Rathos watched the reflection of his torchflame in a puddle. He thought of the night he swore his oath to the Loyal Company in this cavern.

After painting compellingly dark visions of various characters, from Rathos to Jason's zealot uncle Shaddon and Princess Lorana Eddenhold (who is charged with identifying and eliminating plots to depose her half brother), Schuette injects nonstop action and encounters to keep readers on their toes and engrossed: A chair slammed into Adrias, throwing him off her. Lorana heaved for air.

"HELP, THE PRINCESS NEEDS HELP," Anyasha cried over her. Footsteps thundered toward the tent. By then, Adrias scrambled to his feet at Jason's bedside. Firelight winked along the curve of his dagger as he fixed it over Jason's chest, ready to plunge it into his heart. While psychological developments and political clashes form the foundation of a vivid story, the meat of Schuette's tale lies in how social and political influences entwine and layer further complexity into individual lives, objectives, and hopes for the future. By juxtaposing different layers of society into an overriding story of shifting character objectives and perceptions, Schuette documents and explores many world-changing experiences.

Readers will find this approach particularly meaningful, given modern political struggles. Libraries interested in either the follow-up to A Seat for the Rabble, or an epic fantasy that resonates with readers also interested in challenges to democratic and social process, will appreciate the ability of An End to Kings to document, on personal and broader scales, how rulers rise, fall, and impact followers and challengers alike. And, yes: the story will forge on with the next book in the series, A Calvary of Griffins. Fans will want to watch for it.

Desulti
Ross Hightower and Deb Heim
Black Rose Writing
www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685135102, $24.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Desulti-Epic-Fantasy-Spirit-Prequel/dp/1685135102

Desulti is a prequel to the Spirit Song fantasy series, offering an epic introduction to the setting and nuances of this world that make it a 'must' for both prior series readers and newcomers alike. Desulti assassin Brie has attracted Alle'oss woman Tove's admiration, demonstrating strengths and abilities Tove never believed could be hers to wield. Diminutive Tove also never thought she could become a Desulti (a secret coven of female fighters), making Brie's offer even more astounding. Tove's background as an orphan surviving the streets of Kartok and the torture of the Inquisition has given her a strength that ultimately serves her well in this story, which centers on women's power, evolution, and the choices which come with new abilities.

Ross Hightower and Deb Heim craft an engaging story that opens not from Tove or Brie's perspective, but the historical review of a monk who immerses a young boy in a saga reflective of many vying forces. Most of all, it probes the proactive determination of one young woman to not just survive, but thrive.

From insights on fighting by wielding wealth rather than a sword to battles between realm walkers, determined women, and thieves and would-be survivors, the disparate characters are not only well-drawn, but powered by subplots and motivations that lie well beyond a singular desire for self-empowerment.

This world runs on a combination of violence, politics, and clever moves. Tove and Brie represent a union of all these forces and more. The action surrounding their efforts is steeped in thought-provoking moments and questions about their perceptions of history and their place in the world: The taciturn Alle'oss boy, Lief, surprised her. She met him briefly in Richeleau the previous winter and dismissed him as a simpleton. That he put his finger on the similarities between the goals of Oss'stera and the Desulti caught her off guard. And it unearthed troubling questions. Did the Alle'oss have less right to exploit the fruits of their own land to protect themselves than the Desulti? Did the Order owe anything to the Alle'oss? Even more enlightening and absorbing are situations each character faces as a host of special interests and plots swirl around them, both thwarting and enhancing their efforts and missions.

Hightower and Heim offer insights and solutions many epic fantasy genre readers won't see coming, always couching the action with a satisfying offset of atmospheric insights and "you are there" moments: The best thing she could do was follow the instructions she gave her sisters; protect the women of the village. She retreated to the first intersection and set off at a jog down the street. The village had descended into a nightmare. Screams drifted in the night, both male and female. No one lit the street lamps and men and women appeared out of the shadows and disappeared before she could reach them.

While libraries seeking to build their fantasy collections with strong epic series additions will find Desulti an excellent introduction and choice, readers already familiar with the milieu presented in Spirit Light and its companions will be especially attracted to Desulti's background-building saga. Begin here. The journey embraces women's empowerment and struggles, and is especially highly recommended for fantasy fans that appreciate a winning blend of sweeping world-building description, epic events, manipulation, and proactive female characters whose growth is at the heart of all experiences.

Robot Run! The Hidden Perils of Suicide
Russell Lee Baldwin
Baldwin Books
www.baldwin-books.com
9798218492274, $3.99 eBook

https://mybook.to/RobotRun

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDF5LRWX

Sci-fi readers familiar with various fears and opinions about the approaching Singularity should prepare for a wild ride in Robot Run! The Hidden Perils of Suicide. Russell Lee Baldwin's vision of the future is anything but predictable. And although it's written by a '100% human author' without AI assistance, the perspective of his AI narrator is stark and surprising. As Book 3 of Baldwin's Catapult of Singularity series, the story is an invigorating glimpse of the future. It opens with a shocker, and such impacts keep coming until the closing twist.

Adiari De Barcelona, who loves her racehorse, is about to perform a surgery which will lead to the mare's demise. Why would this woman put down a beloved, race-winning thoroughbred? But all is not as it first appears, and as the plot unfolds, Baldwin's many unique threads take their own sweet time to blossom into fascinating truths.

This novel will delight sci-fi readers who anticipate a predictable techy shooter war - it leads from a lovely country winery estate into a clown courtroom, where Adiari works her day job as a federal prosecutor. Equally rich is the futuristic environment in which plasti-metal bots, attractive humanoid bot escorts, a supreme AGI, and the emotional needs of the characters meld in unique and engrossing scenes. These events blend with a biotech promise of unlimited human rejuvenation and the legal threat of the IRS, which finds such rebirths the perfect opportunity to collect on unpaid tax debt.

Baldwin creates a mordant yet playful weave of human and AI goals, juxtaposing life-changing choices with surprises which develop from one-off moves by human and AI characters alike. This is no one-dimensional beach novel. Readers should expect challenging complexities to this world and its vastly evolved cultural and technological norms. Baldwin's world building is colorful and fun, and Robot, Run! is a full-bodied probe into the future, expressed in riveting action.

The plot receives its power from unexpected events and strangely acceptable options, plus the sometimes unpredictable human encounters. There are many fresh and original ideas at play within these pages. All these elements make Robot, Run! a 'must' read for sci-fi fans, thanks to eerily plausible outcomes of the Singularity. Baldwin's story world is as steeped in social and political oddities as it is in the power and foibles of AGI.

Libraries that choose Robot, Run! for their sci-fi holdings will find this novel a unique, winning premise and presentation.

The Waydowns
Robert Rife
Deep Portal Publishing
9798986280622, $16.95 Paperback/$4.95 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/WAYDOWNS-COOL-THING-SCIENCE-FICTION/dp/B0DDTH2VLH

She's not coming. It's too late now. Blood gushes from his empty arm socket, spattering onto the deck. He hears the pounding and tearing at the hatch cover. It wants the rest of him. The Waydowns is the third book in the Cool Thing Science Fiction series, opening with a prologue delivered with a bang. This compelling paragraph leads to the first chapter, which dives into aliens, humans, and genetic experiments gone awry. Then the tale moves to the crux of the matter. What does a new homeowner do when the fabulous old house purchase proves to harbor peculiar forms of 'ghosts' who consider the house (and its contents) theirs?

As more characters emerge, they include an antiques dealer: the love-sodden and liar Rastus Leroy, (RL) who has just taken the dangerous step of becoming engaged. Rife's story juxtaposes disparate interests and realities. This is done in such a way that readers may not immediately realize that the central characters rely as much upon alien experiences as human reactions. This situation erupts as the inhabitants of a UFO buried under said house collide with humans who once believed their new home would be their peaceful love nest. The irony these new owners discover is that: There is love in this house. A deep, all-consuming love.

Oh, there's love, all right. But it may not reside in the couple alone. As events unfold, readers learn surprising truths about what promises and secrets the house really holds: Love is real. Love is magical. And it can be as hard as a big fat anvil. Rife creates an atmosphere charged with action, unexpected developments, and a wry thread of humor which runs through the plot. Readers who think they know what they're in for with either a haunted house or UFO scenario will be in for a big surprise, because while this story embraces both, it does so in novel, unexpected ways.

Past history and present developments are entwined into the story in such a way that new arrivals to this third book won't waste any time navigating its background or milieu. The result defies the normal pegging of a story as a sci-fi piece, a paranormal story, or anything else. It enthusiastically embraces elements of classic developments in these genres, yet carries them to new territory by melding these features into a refreshingly different perspective.

Libraries and readers seeking science fiction that profiles the unexpected in a manner even seasoned readers won't see coming will appreciate the opportunity to read and recommend The Waydowns to friends, book club reading groups, and general-interest readers who normally eschew the sci-fi genre for its formula writing approaches.


The California Shelf

Roots and Resilience: California Ranchers in Their Own Words
Susan Edinger Marshall, editor
University of Nevada Press
www.unpress.nevada.edu
9781647791612, $21.95, PB, 120pp

https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Resilience-California-Ranchers-their/dp/1647791618

Synopsis: Compiled and edited by Professor Emeritus Susan Edinger Marshall (California State Polytechnic University), "Roots and Resilience: California Ranchers in Their Own Words", the contributors invite the reader to consider an intimate relationship with the California landscape and its history. Ranching in the region goes back centuries, and many of these essayists have long family lineages in the area, while other contributors are newer to the region. Through their authentic voices, these writers provide a lens through which we can better understand the language of this landscape.

The contributors have drawn together these stories, poems, and musings from ranchers across the state, calling upon real people to share their experiences, and beckoning readers to find a shared understanding concerning often divisive land-use topics. Many perspectives are considered, including those of transplanted suburbanites to seventh-generation heirs. Notably, many women's writings are including in the book, offering unique and valuable perspectives on ranching culture.

"Roots and Resilience" also gives voice to California's Indigenous, Mexican American, Basque and other European American ranchers, asking the reader to find common ground in the name of land stewardship and conservation.

Critique: Comprised of twenty-seven informative and erudite articles that are deftly organized into three major sections (Roots, Transitions, Resilience), this paperback edition of "Roots and Resilience: California Ranchers in Their Own Words" from the University of Nevada Press will be of immense relevance to readers with an interest in California ecology, agriculture, ranching, and social/cultural history. An exceptional and impressive body of insightful informative essays, "Roots and Resilience" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library California History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Roots and Resilience" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.02) as well.

Editorial Note: Susan Edinger Marshall is an emeritus professor of rangeland resources and wildland soils at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Marshall earned a BS in environmental science, an MS in range management at the University of Arizona, and a PhD in soil science at the University of California, Riverside.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
www.midwestbookreview.com

Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
12424 Mill Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net


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