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Reviewer's Choice
The Quantum and the Dream
Douglas Grunther
www.douglasgrunther.com
Epigraph Publishing
9781960090560, $19.95 PB, $9.99 Kindle, 290pp
https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Dream-Visionary-Consciousness-Renaissance/dp/1960090569
The Quantum and the Dream: Visionary Consciousness, AI, and the New Renaissance will appeal to new age, philosophy, and psychology readers alike. It features a wide-ranging survey of consciousness shifts, illustrating how imaginative thinkers have not only forged new pathways for human perception, but cultivated myths, faith, and perceptions that redefine the nature of visionary approaches to life.
From media studies and thought experiments to new approaches to language, communication, and protocols leading into the New Millennium, Douglas Grunther's wide-ranging exploration considers the messages and impact of various influencers from Marshall McLuhan to Einstein, female researcher Elisabet Sahtouris, and others honing formulas for novel ways of considering consciousness and the future.
This may sound like ethereal postulating -- but it's not. Embedded within these reflections are important associations between philosophical and scientific advancement and daily life incarnations and choices which embrace collaborative efforts, vulnerability, and emotional connection. Historic shifts between information-building, recognition, assimilation of new paradigms, and different values and approaches to life dovetail in an intriguing manner. This will especially interest classrooms and reading groups, from science and philosophy debaters to students of media history.
While The Quantum and the Dream will prove weighty and challenging to some, the importance of its message lies in its connections and approaches to better understanding technology's lasting impact on human development. Its powerful "new Renaissance" formula for global understanding is very highly recommended for libraries and readers that would consider and analyze the culture, biology, and shared connections of visionaries who provoke audiences to move beyond personal transformation into ideals of collective growth.
The Education Shelf
Homeschooling Quick Start
Susanne Gibbs
Carus Books
www.carusbooks.com
9781637700532, $24.95 PB, $14.99 Kindle, 316pp
https://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Quick-Start-What-Need/dp/1637700539
Homeschooling Quick Start: What You Need to Know should be the first book consulted by any parent considering homeschooling as a viable alternative to traditional education options.
It helps parents consider such issues as their teaching philosophy and objectives, understanding the order in which science and other subjects are taught, handling foreign languages and enrichment studies, and more.
Each of these topics is intrinsic to both a well-rounded education and building an attractive atmosphere for parent/teacher and child/student, offering concrete tips and tools for success that encourage parents to take the leap into home education.
These approaches make Homeschooling Quick Start a highly recommended 'must' for novices looking to enter into and quickly get up and running with the homeschooling option.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Onward Forward: My Journey With ALS
Brian Jeansonne
DartFrog Blue
www.DartFrogBooks.com
9781961624887, $25.99 Hardcover, 284pp
9781961624894, $15.99 Paperback, $5.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Onward-Forward-Journey-ALS/dp/1961624885
It's unusual to find a memoir that opens with a foreword from a famous musician (in this case, Alanis Morissette), but Onward Forward: My Journey With ALS does so in order to firmly root Brian Jeansonne's experience with Morissette's inspirational song, which led him to solidify his journey.
She reveals: Right out of the gate, Brian shared with me that he was attempting to chase and find the ultimate word to describe life and God and light... "I didn't know what to call it for a minute," he told me. "And then I saw that you used the word Oneness in your song "Ablaze" - 'keep your core connected to the Oneness.'" He said it just felt like the most appropriate word to use to describe something indescribable. Ah, I had just met a brother. A lover of music, people, philosophy, life, and God - in all its "everythingness."
This is the perfect introduction to a journey that proves to be as much a spiritual saga as it is an account of living with ALS. Readers can anticipate the usual account of the disease's progression and the adaptation process it demands from those who struggle with it. What they may not foresee is Jeansonne's ability to dovetail these physical challenges with evolving mental and spiritual pivot points.
Vivid focuses review the process of identifying and being present for some of the major events in his life: Wheelchair me was overwhelmed with a sense of immense gratitude that I get to be here for it, and I was reminded that this is why I am still here. I also realized I had been distracted lately as to my purpose. At present, I am working on a book as well as meeting with people in person and talking with so many online, and yet when the kids come around me, I allow myself to remain enmeshed in my computer instead of giving them my undivided attention. And honestly, there is nothing worse than being preoccupied, for when one is preoccupied, they are no longer present in body or soul, and I will not live another day not present. Especially to my reasons for being here. So, if the book doesn't get finished or I don't ever inspire another person, oh well. As long as my kids and my wife get all of me, then my life is lived exactly as I desire it to be. Ultimately what I came to realize is that this might be the most difficult way to exist in the world, and yet I am the richest man in the world.
These personal revelations (and how Jeansonne incorporates them into the process of living with ALS and constantly reinventing his life's focus) translate to an attractive and inspirational guide for others in the same position. As Jeansonne addresses topics ranging from how to best and most fully live the one life he gets, including everything good and bad that this embraces, he provides examples for readers living not just with ALS, but with other chronic or progressive conditions who are seeking direction and insights on how to make the most of their lives.
Readers who anticipate a collection of tips on how to navigate ALS's restrictions receive a more joyful, thought-provoking consideration that serves as a teaching tool and inspirational reflective piece for virtually anyone looking for better insights on how to construct and navigate life.
Libraries that choose Onward Forward: My Journey With ALS will thus want to recommend it for group and individual discussion beyond ALS audiences. It's a fine example of making lemonade from life's lemons - and of learning how to find, recognize, and make the most of real love and uplifting circumstances in life: Love is when you get sick with a terminal disease and people rally around your family and cook meals. Love is when a friend offers to pay your mortgage for a few years, or when your buddy says he'll get a few people to maintain your house so your wife doesn't have to worry about it...
Stories of love abound. They have the power to transform us if we allow them to.
The Silent Tree
Carol Slayden Arnold with Cheryl Russell Morrow
Goldfinch Press
9798811674565, $17.86 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Tree-Family-Slavery-Reparations/dp/B0BMGBVCVP
The Silent Tree: Our Family From Slavery To Reparations builds a trans-generational story of slavery and reparation to engross and inform readers who harbor an ongoing interest in slavery's lasting impact on American families. It also documents Carol Slayden Arnold's personal journey into her past -- but goes well beyond most memoirs about family slavery history, delving into the previously-unrevealed stories of others impacted by family actions and decisions.
Then The Silent Tree takes another giant step by considering personal accountability in the present, following how Arnold made her own decisions to reveal these impacts on other lives, acknowledging the ongoing impact of silence on not only historical legacy, but modern connections. These stories accompany a chronological history of slavery that places each of these people and experiences in period settings. This gives a high degree of personalization to history and personal lives, again standing out from accounts which choose either one approach or the other.
Nothing is sketchy or presumed, here. Arnold connects dots, fills in blanks, and personalizes social and political events in a manner designed to, in itself, serve as a form of reparation. It's no easy fete to reveal family shameful moments in writing, much less publish it for the world to see.
Arnold's choice to do so results in a vigorous, candid book that pulls no punches as it continually melds footnoted historical facts with social and personal insights: In 1880 Oscar Slaton sat in jail in Autauga County. I don't know why Oscar was sentenced or for how long or even if he committed a crime at all. But he was likely the victim of a new version of slavery created by Alabama's so-called penal "justice" system.
Readers anticipating a self-depreciating story of choices that today would be considered poor will be surprised to find a positive, uplifting atmosphere supported by stories of courage, promises made (as well as broken), and perseverance.
Perhaps the most important facet of all lies in the impact of family experience and lessons handed down through generations that resonate in all kind of social circles, as well: The resiliency of the Slaton family created a lasting legacy in Meriwether County. Today Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church (the church where the Slatons worshipped) is located in Woodbury at 146 Tulip Road, a short walk from the intersection of Jones Mill and Woodbury Roads.
In February 2021, the Reverend J. D. Walker, the pastor, delivered a sermon entitled "The Principle of Perseverance." "Don't give up," advised Reverend Walker. "Keep on trying."A century and a half ago, Si and Anna Slaton planted deep roots in Meriwether County. Over the years, the family never gave up, even in the face of segregation, discrimination, and racial violence. They persevered.
Turbulent, transforming decades unfold with a rare eye to considering unspoken truths, lives, and realities.
Libraries strong in African-American studies, memoirs, history, and accounts of family legacies of slavery and redemption will find The Silent Tree an important lesson in how (and why) to break the silence of past experience. It is very highly recommended for book clubs, study and reading groups, and classrooms, as well as individual pursuit, offering many important subjects for consideration, debate, and discussion.
Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work
Pat Camalliere
www.patcamallierebooks.com
CAMPAT Publications
c/o Eckhartz Press
https://eckhartzpress.com
ASIN: BODGHWHCBX $5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Staying-Alive-Lot-Work-Cancer-ebook/dp/B0DGHWHCBX
Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work: Me and My Cancer documents a survival process that differs from many other personal stories of cancer.
Pat Camalliere focuses on her life experiences before and after her diagnosis of advanced tongue cancer. The fact that Camalliere is a singer makes her diagnosis even more ironic and challenging, as she reveals in a memoir packed with thought-provoking insights on the cancer survival process's many requirements.
A fast-growing lump in her jaw led Camalliere to first her dentist, then her doctors, where a cancer diagnosis was made. Before readers embark on her healthcare journey, Camalliere digresses into her childhood and growth to make sure they receive a full-bodied report of her entire life -- not just her cancer. This offers a fine opportunity to appreciate her personality and pursuits before her life-changing diagnosis.
As chapters move through her diagnosis, surgery, radiation and chemo treatments, they also probe various interesting facets of navigating not one doctor, but a medical team consisting of multiple specialties and individuals. These provide readers with additional insights that few other cancer stories reveal: Some patients are annoyed when they have multiple doctors. They have already told their story to their personal doctor, and then repeated the story to a nurse, and then again to another person whose role they don't clearly understand, and they have yet to see their surgeon. I, however, was used to having students and residents involved in my care. I enjoyed talking with them and usually asked questions about their future plans.
From staging to various procedures and cancer-fighting options, Camalliere invites readers on a struggle to not only battle cancer, but regain her life. Her in-the-moment descriptions are key to understanding both the immediacy of daily challenges and the bigger picture of fighting for survival: I knew that my infusion would have me sitting in a chair with a line running medicine into my arm. Anything could happen, and it could be nasty. My treatment had begun. I felt like I was on a fast train to the vast unknown.
Special notes about the impact of cancer treatments lend understanding and realization to those facing their own cancer diagnosis and the choices it introduces: Radiation would kill not just my tumor but also much of what it passed through. Also, some radiation is absorbed by the tissue through which it travels and can then spread from that central point to damage nearby tissues and organs. Clearly, much more tissue was involved than the tumor in my tongue. We take simple, automatic functions, like swallowing, for granted. Like everyone else, I never thought of the structures in my body individually before their existence was jeopardized. They just worked. Until they didn't.
Libraries familiar with the plethora of cancer memoirs already on the market will find Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work a different, worthy acquisition for several reasons. It incorporates the challenging results of having detailed knowledge of both people and cancer; it provides candid assessments of the rigors of surviving not just cancer, but the treatments; and it offers an ultimately uplifting account of promise and the potential for returning to a revised life grateful for just staying alive.
Suddenly Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother
Joan Moran
https://joanfrancesmoran.com
Independently Published
9780985437565, $16.99 Paperback/$7.99 ebook, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Suddenly-Jewish-Life-Times-Mother/dp/0985437561
Suddenly Jewish: The Life and Times of My Jewish Mother blends Joan Moran's historical review of her mother's life with insights on changing trends and culture affecting Jewish people across America.
The juxtaposition of memoir and broader social inspection creates an inviting, moving discourse of Jewish Identity that exposes the changing world over three generations of Jewish family experience: matriarch Rose, rebellious daughter Esther, and Esther's daughter Joan. Close-held family secrets emerge as the undercurrents of anti-Semitism affect these three lives, but one of the main threads of the title is how Jewish identity and Catholic culture intersect in surprising ways as this Jewish family evolves.
Another plus is that Moran depicts evolving events with the drama and flair of fictional description, bringing not only her family but the milieu of early San Francisco to vivid life: In late June, Estelle entered the office of The San Francisco Examiner on California Street at ten o'clock in the morning. Like a professional, she held her head up and her back straight. She was dressed, as Rose would say, to beat the band, with a matching dress and coat in a nutty brown color, complete with a scarf, an old remodeled hat, and a fold-over leather case that held her Lindbergh story.
From the San Francisco Bay area to Las Vegas, events unfold with an attention to psychological, cultural, and political detail that places Jewish history in sync with social changes and difficult decisions that evolve from these pivot points in life. Vivid scenes, such as a description of an abortion, might trigger sensitive readers, but lend authenticity and insight into the saga overall that creates a "no punches pulled" atmosphere.
Estelle's journey embraces (almost as an aside) many of the issues affecting not just Jewish people, but women: Estelle was disappointed to discover that her new salary was not noticeably more than her job at Canada Dry. It seemed that salaries in San Francisco were comparable across the board, unless you owned a company or were a president or a top manager. Certainly women did not command salary increases. These all contribute an immediacy to unfolding events as Estelle and John live their lives and face challenges that then trickle down to author Moran's decisions: Four months later, I realized that Jerry and I needed to clear the air. "It's time to talk about the elephant in the room."
"What's that? I thought we're doing pretty good. In fact, I think I'm in love with you."
"Hold that thought. You're Jewish, and I'm Catholic. I still go Mass when I can, and I'm sure you've got some religious obligations. And if we decide marriage is for us, then what?"
"The elephant in the room looks like this: I drink bourbon, and you drink scotch."
"Same thing: I'm Catholic, and you're Jewish."
Readers interested in intergenerational explorations, stories that fully embrace San Francisco Bay Area culture and history, and presentations that read with the drama of fiction while revealing important social and historical experiences will relish the focus and feel that is Suddenly Jewish. Its personalities come to life; but most of all, different facets of Jewish culture and identity create a wide range of important insights suitable for discussion and reflection; whether they be about family legacies and secrets, changing times, Jewish and Catholic identity, or the special challenges involved in making peace with Jewish roots and identity.
Libraries that choose Suddenly Jewish for their collections will want to make sure that it moves from the memoir section to the attentions of patrons and book clubs interested in lively and thought-provoking discourses about Jewish identity and choices. Its special opportunities to contrast four generations of personal family history and the resourceful attention to social and psychological survival that various family members cultivate in different ways makes the memoir a winner that stands apart from many memoirs about Jewish lives and culture.
A Tree with My Name On It: Finding a Way Home
Victress Hitchcock
Bold Story Press
https://www.boldstorypress.com
9781954805903, $19.99 Paperback/$9.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Tree-My-Name-Finding-Home/dp/195480590X
Stories about urban dwellers that move to the country to homestead on acreage are nothing new, but A Tree with My Name On It: Finding a Way Home is as much a story of a phoenix-like rebirth as it is about making a radical move between disparate environments. More so than most such accounts, it documents the process of transformative change and reinventing one's life -- and these aspects set A Tree with My Name On It apart from other accounts of uprooting and adaptation. From the start, the remote location of this historic Colorado ranch and its seesawing, shifting effects on marriage dovetail environment with emotional impact and change.
Victress Hitchcock embeds these two elements with vivid descriptions and insights designed to outline personal habits and pivot points, dovetailing these with the ranch's requirements to step away from the familiar, employing an unfamiliar mindfulness: Over the years, I had become less explosive, but I would still, in the face of what I perceived as control, shut down, going dead inside for as long as I could. For most of my life, I had held my breath out for long stretches of time, not breathing back in. It was only when I began riding that I became aware of my habit of keeping my throat closed, sealing off my head from my body. Every time I rode, I would remind myself to breathe past the cut-off point and into my belly. It was gradually becoming easier.
This gives readers a foundation of emotional support through which they can absorb the music, passions, and changes Hitchcock experiences as her life shifts: After another long moment, Richard turned and walked to the door. In my memory, it is all happening in slow motion. He paused in the open door, turned around, looked at me, and said, "Are you coming?" Of course I was. How could I not have gone with him at that moment, loaded with so many fantasies fulfilled. If I hadn't gone I would have betrayed every lyric in every song I had ever heard. Such evocative moments lend her memoir an immediacy with a moving series of connections that flow between past and present, family ties and breakups, and marital distress.
These lead Hitchcock into more unfamiliar territory as she hones her identity and future. It's rare to find a memoir that entwines elements of Buddhist wisdom with psychological insights sparked by loss and grief, and a sense of home and place that keeps Hitchcock reassessing her values and what she can count on as 'home': I wasn't ready to leave the ranch. It was no longer a place in the mountains where I had inexplicably found myself living; the ranch was my home. It was the place where I had found a way to crack open my heart.
A Tree with My Name On It imparts all these elements with the grace and metaphorical prowess of an author who wields poetic description and psychological reflection with equal strength. It deserves a prominent place in libraries, recommendable as a book club or women's reading group choice.
Its many themes of transformation, independence, growth, and how to grow an identity rooted in a sense of place and self describe the process of engaging and opening to a path of lifelong change: Over time, everything changes. How many seasons has my tree weathered, dying each winter and being reborn each spring? How many lifetimes does it take to transform confusion into wisdom?
The General Fiction Shelf
The Boy with Six Fingers
Barry Vitcov
Finishing Line Press
https://www.finishinglinepress.com
9798888387771, $23.99
https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-boy-with-six-fingers-by-barry-vitcov
The Boy with Six Fingers is a novella that revolves around Seymour S. Seymour, who has "rehomed himself" at the Visions of Eden Home for Active Seniors for the final years of his life. He likes to spend time sitting and observing in a medical office's waiting room between walks and other life interactions. That's where he encounters a young boy sporting six fingers on his hand, who walks in with his parents. From that moment on, both Seymour's and the boy's lives become forever intertwined.
Seven-year-old Wink was raised by wise parents who taught him to accept and celebrate his difference, rather than worrying about it. Perhaps this is why he immediately recognizes the elderly Seymour, dressed in a red beret and sporting red tennis shoes, as a kindred spirit: "Dad was good about reminding me to not worry about things. He had a way of describing anything that was unusual or unique as being a gift. He always told me that the extra finger on my left hand made me special and that being different was a blessing. It took me well into my adulthood before I understood what he meant. I looked at Mr. Seymour and saw someone who was different, too."
As Wink and Sy get to know one another, differences are acknowledged and appreciated in a story that grows inter-generational relationships based on strangers that learn to view one another as a 'rare treat'. Barry Vitcov creates a warm narrative of empathy and discovery that evolves as the years pass. Wink becomes a twelve-year-old with a special friend that gives him new perspectives on himself, life, and the value of growing older and wiser. "Mr. Seymour had described Wink as a boy gifted with the skill to absorb wisdom as his own without subsequent pretentiousness or arrogance. 'He always amazes me with his ability to listen, to listen with genuine openness. It's been a privilege to have such a young friend at the end of my life.' She remembered that Mr. Seymour had lost an infant grandchild during the time she was teaching one of his grandchildren, and how his endearing kindness to his living grandchildren was present every time he and his wife came to school events. 'We give them love with no expectations. Some call that unconditional love. We're not so technical.'"
The ramifications of and lessons in this relationship unfold to affect the wider world and other people that come into contact with Wink to confront life cycles in a world that appears to be falling apart. Vitcov builds a host of characters from this initial encounter who find their lives changed and challenged by gifts of perception as new generations absorb the impact initially created from the ripples of friendship between Wink and Sy.
As the retirement home morphs into the entity Visions Luxury Condominiums with new possibilities that emerge from its revised incarnation, readers gain a tremendous boost from absorbing the impact and gifts of time that resonate from Wink's life into the worlds of his descendants. Is there life beyond death?
Mr. Seymour's associations and lessons proves such in an unusual way, inviting readers into a discourse that is evocative, thought-provoking, and gently celebratory of love and legacy alike. Libraries and readers seeking novellas that juxtapose discovery, mystery, and transformation will find The Boy with Six Fingers filled with "profound surprises" about intergenerational relationships. These encourage positive reflections about the importance of being different and open to change and new ideas.
Russian Nonsensical
Edward D. Webster
www.edwardwebster.com
Dream House Press
9780997032079, $24.95 Hardcover/$14.95 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Nonsensical-Edward-D-Webster/dp/0997032073
Fans of satirical fiction and social and political thrillers delivered with a humorous edge may well recall the broad cast of characters and conundrums in American Nonsensical.
Now Russian Nonsensical arrives to continue the worldly romp of Edward D. Webster's signature whimsy, which delivers its first powerful punch in its opening lines: Clem Dudas learned the hard way that any of God's glorious days can explode into a shit storm. The good pastor holds many faces: a snake-wielding church leader, an astute businessman, and a scammer whose Russian ties represent trouble and big money.
Bud employs a company called Russian Brides Unlimited to arrange to meet Russian women. Perhaps he's the perfect man to investigate the sudden disappearance of Pastor Clem's wife and his two favorite snakes (it's hard to tell which he values more).
A rollicking mystery and romp evolves which stomps through international waters and Russian romance as investigative efforts prove challenging and revealing on more than one level for both Bud and Clem.
In addition to its quirkiness, and mystery, the book brings up serious issues involving the nature of truth in a society galloping toward a future shaped and threatened by Artificial Intelligence. Sveti and Bud have serious discussions about American and Russian deceptions, and AI is a big part of Clem's tool bag.
Prior fans will welcome Bud's return and the familiar feel of a zany series of encounters which demand from him extraordinary responses to both love and unfolding political struggles. All are iced with a taste of mystery and intrigue to keep readers alert and engaged as they navigate a series of unexpected twists and turns.
Throughout the story, Webster cultivates a breezy and compelling series of events that brings characters and colorful, unexpected personalities and scenarios to life: The plain cardboard box divulged no secrets. It contained an inner carton with a ghoulish picture and the words: Realistic Human Skeleton, Female. Sitting on his bed with the skeleton staring at him from the open box and granny's real bones close beside, Bud visualized a deep conversation between cadavers. They had to be confused, but all would become clear if Bud's crazy-crap idea succeeded.
Amidst the real backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine and a woman's involvement in protests in a nightmare nation, Russian Nonsensical demonstrates the same attention to edgy humor and ironic situations (as well as romance) as Webster's previous American Nonsensical. Even more importantly, the political subterfuge and commentary winds so neatly into the evolving characters' special interests that even readers with relatively little background in Russian politics or affairs, much less Webster's prior story, will find plenty of guideposts for easy enjoyment. Webster's character development is built as much upon the intersection of Russian and American cultures as it is on individuals whose differing objectives meet and clash.
Dialogue emphasizes these cultural connections: "Snakes, we have snakes in Russia (Roos ee a) also. When I little girl, my parents have dacha-house in country. We go two week in summer. Father pay me two ruble, every snake I kill. Three ruble for poison snake. Big spider, one ruble."
"Rattlesnakes?" Bud asked.
"What is rattle snake?"
"The kind that makes a noise like this to warn you before he strikes." He tried to make a rattle by clucking his tongue several times fast.
She laughed. "Snakes in Russia not warn you. Politicians same way. I can not say which politicians on telephone."
She didn't have to say. She hated Putin. The result is another frolic through romance, nonsensical situations, and evolving relationships which will immerse newcomers and prior fans in the exploits and wonder of lives joined in adversity and sleuthing dilemmas. Libraries and readers seeking a story that doesn't neatly fit into the boxes of mystery, satire, or political thriller, but deftly marries all three into a novel and compellingly fun read, will find Russian Nonsensical's atmosphere translates to witty and reflective reading.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
Nawleens
Frank Muskeni
Independently Published
B07VRW7YJD, $4.99 Kindle, 324pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nawleens-Frank-Muskeni-ebook/dp/B07VRW7YJD
It's hard to out-Puzo Godfather author Mario Puzo, but if any such claim can be made, it would be Frank Muskeni's authentic Nawleens, which embeds its story with local color, complex subplots and characters, and an authentic flavor of the famous city and its underworld.
Readers with an affection for or connection to New Orleans will readily recognize this book's title reflects the local pronunciation of the city's name. This indicates that the customs, atmosphere, and flavors of the city come to life in a historical novel set in the 1920s that follows the lives of Cajuns, Creoles, and crime families whose colorful lives represented much of the city's culture during these times.
This is evident in the opening lines of Frank Muskeni's novel: The cortege left the Labat-Ray funeral home and headed through the French Quarter, in its odd and meandering way, toward the cemetery. Those musicians leading the procession played music that was an eccentric homogenization of Beguine funeral dirges. To quote historical reports, these demonstrations often recounted that: "these mostly Negro communities had evolved these unique methods of saying goodbye to their dead and that these displays sprang from similar rituals, centuries old, preceding their pre-slavery African traditions.
Muskeni's focus on contrasting two Mafia crime families and their personalities, evolutionary process, and politics through the experiences of a female doctor and her companion, the as-yet-unknown writer William Faulkner, makes for a rollicking ride through nearly New Orleans that embraces its unique musical and social heritage. A host of characters, from Jacques DuLieri (who heads a powerful French family that considers Nawleens their territory) to Jean-Marie DuLieri (who commands Legionnaires overseas and contributes his special experience to the family's ambitions) and Missy Montgomery (a 'floozy' involved with the local Sheriff) live their lives, absorbing and representing the various factions and vivid countenance of New Orleans.
History comes alive, both through these characters' perceptions and experiences and through vibrant descriptions of the 1920s milieu: The long holiday period of New Orleans' Mardi Gras season starts about two weeks before Shrove Tuesday, which according to Catholic tradition is the day before Ash Wednesday and the official kick-off of the time of fasting and abstinence know to the faithful as Lent. So, it had been traditionally incumbent upon that Christian community to get in as much fun before Lent as possible. And, man oh man did they do that.... big time! Les Bon Temps Roule! Let the good times roll! And they really knew how to roll in Nawleens in the Roaring Twenties! They still do. Who controls Nawleens?
While it seems to boil down to powerful families, in fact the city's effervescent culture receives its special allure from a wide range of artists, musician, and cultures; all of which are explored in a novel that excels in depicting both families and individuals and their contributions to building the New Orleans allure. Libraries and readers interested in historical fiction that simmers with action, insight, and a New Orleans-centric expose of growth and evolution will relish the blend of historical fact and fictional characters that all contribute to a series of battles and struggles that ultimately define the city's unique countenance. Libraries and Book Clubs, too, will find Nawleens's contrasts especially invigorating and worthy picks.
The LGBTQ Fiction Shelf
Lovers in Arms
T.Q. Sims
Mars + Pan Books
9798218515263, $24.99 Paperback/$4.99 ebook
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?l72qwxDeJlyFdkp73OwnD7hIYPjwaTSoGPqcxcS0xGM
Lovers in Arms is the second book in the LGBTQ+ sci-fi Lovers Universe series, returning many of the prior characters to a new rollicking, ribald adventure. Supernaturally-empowered world protector Casey is back, but he's never lost his connection to Oscar.
The StarTemple's power binds them: The temple, a timeless source of the energy within all heartstars, is why I have been able to still feel him. Though we've been worlds apart, Oscar is in my heart. Literally. It's why I still hear his heartsong. Why I still have faith. As in the previous tale, transformative power blends with existential struggle and love to create a curious and compelling plot that defies pat categorization on many levels.
Prior readers of Godspeed, Lovers will absorb Casey's continuing saga as he embarks on new ventures, yet remains rooted in affections, passions, and connections to the StarTemple, Oscar, and other characters and networks which further challenge him.
These include The Shadow MaalenKun, Sage Milo Lim, Skylar, and a race against the Crimson Chain, a deadly cult. Zinwara's desire for revenge, the impact of previous life choices, and the unexpected opportunities for growth and transformation emerge from adversity to affect not just Casey, but other characters: "...it was the people I had hurt who helped me get away. It's the people I had hurt who've given me shelter and a part in something that is undeniably good. The people I had hurt not only forgave me, but they gave me place amongst them and showed me what happiness is." She looks back at Sahil. "I don't usually answer for my Captain Commander, but to answer your question, Sahil, yes, she believes the Chains can change. We all do."
Science fiction fans will appreciate the high-tech encounters and struggles that challenge each character in a different way, while those primarily interested in Casey's ongoing incarnations and sexual encounters will be entranced by his involvements with the sexy Harjaz and others who buffet his body and soul. As in his previous story, Sims develops a stellar presentation of psychic, physical, and psychologically entwined lives that keeps readers engaged and immersed in the story's unexpected twists and turns.
Powered by male love, new bonds, and old connections, Lovers in Arms carries the Lover's Universe into new dimensions of discovery and adversity as Oscar, Harjaz, Zinwara, and others celebrate love while finding new paths to survival, growth, and collective connections.
Libraries seeking a blend of sci-fi material and sometimes-explicit homosexual love entanglements, especially those who have seen prior patron attraction to the first Lover's Universe story, will find Lovers in Arms an excellent continuation which expands this universe while propelling its characters (and their readers) into new experiences, relationships, and polyamorous love.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Asteroid 6 and Other Tales of Cosmic Horror
R. David Fulcher
Gravelight Press
c/o Current Words Publishing LLC
www.gravelightpress.com
9781957224398, $9.99 PB, $3.99 Kindle, 90pp
https://www.amazon.com/Asteroid-Other-Tales-Cosmic-Horror/dp/1957224398
Asteroid 6 and Other Tales of Cosmic Horror is a companion collection to R. David Fulcher's The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror. Its further explorations of horror fiction will delight both newcomers to Fulcher's writing and prior fans of his special brand of intrigue and horror.
An introductory poem acknowledges the influence of H.P. Lovecraft before the collection presents its title story, "Asteroid Six." Here, Jones is in space on asteroid-clearing duty. It's a dangerous job, at best -- especially when one asteroid is the size of a small planet. Impact is eminent. So is the real impact of this mission and story, because Jones unexpectedly receives a direct transmission from the asteroid that forces him to investigate a strange world of crashed spaceships and alien runes.
Even more challenging is the plea of Old Ones to release them from their imprisonment. But, to what purpose? Readers will relish the fast-paced action, encounters, and dangerous situations which materialize in unexpected ways.
A fine contrast emerges between this extraterrestrial horror and the down-home atmosphere of "The Bogeyman, Part II," in which a little boy's night terror dovetails horror dreams with the reality of what actually resides in his closet.
Move away from planets and home to "The Land Spider," in which a supernatural sinkhole and the Indian legend of a great spider that walks the New Mexican mesa draws an investigator into the strangest encounter of his life.
Each story is succinct, hard-hitting, and filled with unexpected twists that will delight even seasoned horror readers well used to the devices of Lovecraft and other modern horror writers. Each posits situations which are diverse, challenging, and alluring, featuring investigator involvements that draw readers into the heart of true horror.
Asteroid 6 and Other Tales of Cosmic Horror is not only just as powerful as Fulcher's The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror, but continues to inflate the scenarios and definitions of horror and terror in a way that will delight libraries and readers seeking novel, creative approaches to expanding and exploring the genre's boundaries.
Asteroid 6 and Other Tales of Cosmic Horror should be in any definitive modern horror collection - especially libraries seeking literary works that are thoroughly compelling.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Killing Kraken
Ian Domowitz
www.iandomowitz.com
Casa Muerte Books
9798339438694, $9.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Kraken-Magical-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0DG648BLH
Killing Kraken is the fourth book in the Getz Parker Magical Mysteries series, returning Getz to the limelight with a combination of intrigue and magic that opens with a prologue set in Alexandria, Egypt in AD 1.
Here, an older women operates under a rare blend of alchemy and spiritual beliefs as she hones her skills and cultivates a philosophical perspective on her life and culture: She had skirted problems associated with husband and family to become a sage in her own mind and a builder of others' thinking. Humans can be built in the same way as copper is studied on the way to gold. Copper has two faces, in which spirit combines with the material in ways to be unbound and harnessed for other use. The philosophical thought best suited her salon, where luminaries debated the dual nature of beings and the a!nity of their principles with those governing metallurgy and all other things natural.
Apotheosis remained attractive for the intellectual set, but the real work lay in transmutation, the making of gold from base metal. What do her early experiences have to do with modern-day Getz's interests and challenges? Plenty.
Ian Domowitz crafts a story which moves from these early influences to modern-day politics and mystery that emerge from Kraken's latest campaign for president. Getz finds he's been misled in many ways by the politics and assumptions of Kraken's efforts. When murders point to Kraken's involvement, Getz finds himself drawn into a case involving an ancient artifact (The Philosopher's Stone) and circumstances which blend magic and mystery with modern political dilemmas.
Domowitz's ability to weave seemingly disparate trails of thought and experience into a compelling tale that dovetails many compelling moments and questions draws readers who may not anticipate that related questions of power, privilege, and politics could blend so neatly into a murder mystery story. But, they do. The proof of a superior mystery lies in how the action, presumptions, and events play out -- and in this arena,
Killing Kraken serves up many thoroughly compelling, action-packed moments: Who sent the Searchers? It makes little sense for four strangers to band together to look for an artifact about which nobody claims to know anything, despite the effort and blood that has gone into it. An acoustical engineer, an unemployed seller of personal data, a dilettante wannabe artist, and a recluse with no known profession or source of income walk into a bar -- a joke, right?
Except you would have to search long and hard for a punchline because nothing ties them together. Unless there is something special about the artifact, which leads to the second question. What is it?"
"Something worth three corpses," grated Getz. He was going into withdrawal, and I hoped Akuji would soon find the exit. Getz would say anything at this point to be alone with himself.
Prior readers well know that Getz is a flawed investigator as much at odds with his own addiction as the influences of those around him. He operates on the spectrum, which lends him a special form of acuity that a select few (the narrator included) appreciate as one of his strengths. These features make him more human as he considers the many ways in which "elections can be murder" and takes step to resolve a barrage of new questions about candidates, processes, and magical influences.
The connections to modern political times cannot be ignored, which makes the story of even greater interest: Kraken and Uziki tied the polls within limits of statistical discrepancy. I thought someone should flip a coin and finish things. Add the presence of AI in unexpected places and situations, a search for the Name of God, and more than a light dose of magical realism for a mystery that defies the boundaries and norms of investigators, heroes, villains, and belief systems in such a way as to keep readers engaged, guessing, and thinking outside the normal borders of a mystery.
Libraries will find Killing Kraken as exceptional as other Getz Parker mysteries, yet perfectly able to stand alone for newcomers attracted to magical ventures into politics, belief, and interpersonal psyches. This audience needs no prior introduction to the premise and people of this latest mystery.
The Fifth Seal
Robert Albo
Independently Published
9798338996263, $14.99 PB, $4.99 Kindle, 417pp
https://www.amazon.com/FIFTH-SEAL-Robert-Albo/dp/B0DJY4BZ1Q
The moment Barry Adams stepped into the Pour House, he felt the air crackle with possibility, as if the universe conspired to make this night different from all the others. Muted chatter from the after-work crowd blended with the clink of glasses and the haunting melody of "Summertime Madness." He mouthed the words, "kiss me hard before you go, summertime madness." The melancholy lyrics resonated with a part of him he usually kept buried under equations and star charts.
From the moment this story opens, readers are embraced by a heady mix of contrasts that juxtapose the capabilities of a noted astrophysicist with his flawed emotional makeup. This leads him to reflect that "in matters of the heart, he felt adrift, like a solitary pulsar sending its lonely signal into the indifferent, empty space." Maybe he just hasn't met the right person... but maybe he's actually incapable of making such a connection. In his early thirties, however, Barry is ripe for transformation. His consideration of faith versus reason allows him to open his mind to new possibilities. When he does, a virtual whirlwind of the unexpected emerges that shakes his worldview, his place in it, and his beloved politics and science, which suddenly feel more fluid and dangerous than stable.
The Fifth Seal gives thriller readers an edgy, thoroughly engrossing read that incorporates elements of sci-fi, thriller, spiritual inquiry, and political probe. These elements follow Barry into a milieu in which his scientific expertise is called into question by events beyond his comprehension.
Dreams of Gaia and God, issues of proof and truth, and fluctuating scenarios in which aliens and wives clash over bigger issues than Barry had ever imagined create a story that excels in swift twists and turns. Events propel Barry into uncharted waters, both scientifically and spiritually. His emotional growth follows as he tackles unfamiliar concepts and scenarios.
The tone of Robert Albo's creation is reminiscent of The DaVinci Code with its delicate interweavings of spiritual and scientific objectives and nonstop action. These give the story nice tension and a firm rooting in the unexpected which keeps the ground shifting under readers in satisfyingly novel ways.
Another strength to The Fifth Seal lies in its further development of intrigue from international encounters and plots, spies, CIA involvements, and more. These also contribute to Barry's spirals of discovery and confrontation to add a spellbinding atmosphere to his journey.
It's a delicate dance to weave such disparate influences into a logically-progressing plot that expands ever outward into the unexpected. Albo does so with a strong attention to maintaining the strength of rational and seemingly irrational thoughts and insights to keep Barry and his readers on their toes.
Libraries might find shelving this book a challenge. It's as much a spiritual thriller as a sci-fi story, and is as astute in its development of emotional growth components as it is in building a plot steeped with intrigue, mystery, and discovery. Put it on display and mark it as a top pick for readers interested in a rollicking journey through time, space, and experience, as it weaves new perspectives on Gaia, chaos, and the ultimate complexity and resiliency of the human spirit. Books clubs will find The Fifth Seal simply packed with many thought-provoking themes suitable for avid discussions.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Origins Progeny
Diana Fedorak
https://www.dianafedorak.com
The Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com
9781509259021, $22.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Progeny-Children-Alpheios-Fedorak/dp/1509259023
Origins Progeny is the second book in the Children of Alpheios epic science fantasy series. It's especially highly recommended for prior fans of the first book, who will experience a smooth segue into a sequel that follows Alina DeHerte's return to genetically engineered city Alpheios.
Fans may be surprised at this premise because they will recall that Alina's goal in the first book, Children of Alpheios, was to escape with her son to a place of sanctuary -- which she achieved. Why would she return?
Because the lasting impact of a supposed age-combating drug gone bad has affected her mother, and only Alpheios holds the answers -- along with other family members whom Alina has not seen for a very long time (since her flight). Her return is anything but predictable in its outcomes and encounters.
Alina works with friend Aurore, political payoffs and twists come into play, and she becomes immersed in many different situations. These range from stealing a cryopump to help return power to the people of Evesborough to facing a bone marrow transplant to help her mother survive.
Further complicating her life is a romance, a death that wounds an entire village, and a complication of 'directed evolution' that introduces further questions of lineage, loyalty, and relationship challenges.
As an author, Diana Fedorak creates a world-building epic in a story that centers on a young mother's adventures within and outside of the family fold. She crafts an intriguing blend of high-tech encounters, complex family relationships, and shifting purposes and values. These all provide readers with a powerful blend of action-packed scenarios and psychological insights, weaving revelations about birthright into bigger pictures of world-changing choices and actions in such a way that readers will be captivated by Alina's challenges and how she navigates very different environments that test her values and commitments.
Libraries seeking epic fantasies that build upon prior books in a solid, compelling manner will find Origins Progeny a delightfully complex, thoroughly engrossing acquisition. It should be as highly recommended to sci-fi and fantasy patrons and book club as Fedorak's prior Children of Alpheios. The seamless marriage of personal and family connections with social and political struggle is simply outstanding.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
The Thyroid and Hormone Solution
Amanda Hinman, AMFC
Muse Literary
https://www.museliterary.com
c/o Dart Frog Books
https://dartfrogbooks.com
9781960876706, $25.99 HC, 202pp
9781960876713, $15.99 Paperback, $0.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Thyroid-Hormone-Solution-Hormones-Naturally/dp/1960876708
The Thyroid & Hormone Solution: A 5-Step Plan to Balance Your Hormones Naturally! is a self-help guide for readers interested in how thyroid and hormone regulation affects energy levels and overall health. It's especially appropriate for aging readers who have not been diagnosed with obvious issues, yet feel their health is anything but optimal.
From understanding natural health changes and the nature of various health support approaches and systems to acknowledging connections between unconscious and unhealthy patterns of dieting and exercising and disempowerment, Amanda Hinman probes all aspects of health. Her background of over fifteen years of study and certifications in integrative nutrition, applied functional medicine, exercise science, behavioral psychology, and energy medicine mixes science with new age thinking to draw important connections between mind and body.
Readers who choose The Thyroid & Hormone Solution will appreciate Hinman's historical review of changing diagnostic procedures and healthcare concepts. These influence the perception of thyroid and hormone system function, dysfunction, and treatment options. With this foundation of knowledge, a better appreciation of the roots and differences between these and Hinman's modern-day analysis is cultivated which requires no prior medical knowledge or history in order to prove accessible.
Chapters present these concepts, employing a revealing tone which seeks not to bludgeon with statistical and medical terminology, but to invite with thought-provoking considerations of how health, social, and medical systems tie together: I believe that all women are designed with different body shapes and sizes, and there is no such thing as a perfect weight or size. However, it is important to recognize when your body is within a healthy range and when it is not. Especially when significant changes occur (either an increase or decrease in body weight, body fat percentage and skeletal muscle percentage), it is often a sign from your hormones to take a closer look at your overall health. This invites easy understanding of many previously-obtuse obstacles to healthcare choices which may have been based on perception, prejudice, or past precedent.
As Hinman considers supplements and other ways of boosting health, she emphasizes natural adjustments that can lead to better results, placing these admonitions in bold so they are attention-grabbing: One of the most impactful nutrients for women that I have worked with is fiber. This can be especially beneficial for someone challenged by allergies, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating.
Case history examples accompany these insights for added impact, personalizing the process of formulating personal strategies for better health. Amanda Hinman, AFMC, is the founder and CEO of Hinman Holistic Health, a health and wellness consulting company rooted in functional medicine and the creator of the Thyroid & Hormone Solution Program. These credentials support the detailed supportive healthcare advice geared to individual body types and objectives.
All these factors make The Thyroid & Hormone Solution a 'must' for women's health libraries and collections as well as readers seeking better self-help approaches to carving a unique healthcare path in life -- one that's finely tuned to individual needs.
The Genealogy Shelf
Storytelling for Genealogists
Doug Tattershall
Genealogical Publishing
www.genealogical.com
9780806321417, $18.95, PB, 90pp
https://www.amazon.com/Storytelling-Genealogists-Turning-Lineage-History/dp/0806321415
Storytelling for Genealogists: Turning Family Lineage into Family History gives answers on how a genealogist can employ basic techniques to uncover and understand not just family trees, but the stories behind them.
This short book (less than a hundred pages) shows how to begin with a good story, reinforcing it with research-supported facts gleaned from oral and written history, personal diaries, newspaper articles, and more.
The author uses his own journalism experience, in addition to profiling five fellow genealogists, to explore how family storytellers can employ the latest digital tools to bring family history, mysteries, and discoveries to life.
No genealogy collection should be without Storytelling for Genealogists. General-interest libraries will find it particularly enlightening and lively.
The Travel Shelf
Birds, Monarch Butterflies, and Short Hikes in the Santa Barbara Area
Leslie Bains, author
Danny Moore, illustrator
Mascot Kids
c/o Mascot Books
www.mascotbooks.com
9798891383531, $19.95, PB, 40pp
https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Monarch-Butterflies-Short-Barbara/dp/B0DPNJTLQ4
Synopsis: Santa Barbara is a thriving California community with many outdoor activities to enjoy. From highlighting the annual migration of 25,000 monarch butterflies, to identifying over twenty-three birds, to describing some special and diverse hikes, this paperback edition of "Birds, Monarch Butterflies, and Short Hikes in the Santa Barbara Area" by author Leslie Bains and artist/illustrator Danny Moore is the perfect travel itinerary planning resource for parents and care givers of young children ages 3-6.
Critique: Fun and informative from first page to last, this unique and 'reader friendly' paperback edition of "Birds, Monarch Butterflies, and Short Hikes in the Santa Barbara Area" is especially and unreservedly recommended for family and community library California Travel Guide collections for children and their parents.
Editorial Note #1: Leslie E. Bains is a resident of Montecito, California. An award-winning children's book author, Leslie had a distinguished fifty-year career in private banking and investments. She was the highest-ranking woman as senior executive vice president of HSBC. Leslie was also president of AFS International, the largest student exchange program in the world with offices in over fifty countries. Throughout her career, Leslie has been involved as a corporate director and trustee of many companies and nonprofits. She is currently on the boards of The Granada Theatre and the Santa Barbara Cancer Foundation. She is also on the board of Duke University Global Health and Duke University Health System.
Editorial Note #2: The is a lengthy listing of books illustrated by Danny Moore online at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2536713.Danny_Moore
A Serious Cyclists Guide to San Francisco and Beyond
Jonathan Van Coops
Regent Press
www.regentpress.net
9781587906879, $34.95, PB, 134pp
https://www.amazon.com/Serious-Cyclists-Guide-Francisco-Beyond/dp/1587906872
Synopsis: Some of the most beautiful and challenging world-class rides for a serious cyclist are to be found in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, USA.
What is a serious cyclist? Anyone who rides and loves bicycles and bicycling enough to continually and enthusiastically devote time, energy, and money towards the pursuit of cycling, in any of its facets, from racing to road and mountain biking and more. Of course, tourists and commuters qualify! A serious cyclist is anyone who rides regularly, as a necessity or for leisure and someone who revels in the cycling adventures that become their stories of athletic self-challenge and personal achievement.
"A Serious Cyclist's Guide to San Francisco and Beyond" by Jonathan Van Coops is a comprehensive and easy to use guide intended for cyclists at all levels of experience, presenting maps and detailed descriptions for 16 memorable road bike rides in the San Francisco Bay Area - covering about 900 miles and including over 59,000 feet of climbing.
Geographically, the courses are situated within San Francisco, along the Marin and San Mateo County coasts, and through the suburbs and parklands east of Berkeley, Oakland and San Jose. This set of rides complements the many familiar North Bay wine country rides found in Napa County and Sonoma County.
Critique: Unique, nicely illustrated, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, this large format (8.5 x 0.36 x 11 inches, 15.3 ounces) paperback edition of Jonathan Van Coop's "A Serious Cyclist's Guide to San Francisco and Beyond" from Regent Press is especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and college/university library California Travel & Cycling Guide collections. It should be noted for dedicated cyclists that "A Serious Cyclist's Guide to San Francisco and Beyond" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Jonathan Van Coops was employed by the California Coastal Commission as a cartographer (map maker) and began a 38-year career involved in all aspects of mapping California's Coastal Zone. In 1980, he moved across the Bay to a Sausalito houseboat in Marin County while continuing his work with Coastal Commission, becoming the Coastal Commission's Mapping Program Manager after several years. He was also taking his love of cycling to new horizons - riding longer distance routes throughout the Bay region, northern California and along the coast. Besides local jaunts, he bicycled 250 miles over several days in July of 1984 to see the cycling events of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles. He is the author of Beyond and A Cycling Life - Stories of a Serious Cyclist Approaching age 70, his daily bike rides are now typically in the one to two-hour range.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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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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