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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Silver Charm
M.J. Evans
Dancing Horse Press
www.dancinghorsepress.com
9781737361893, $12.95 PB, $0.99 Kindle, 202pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Charm-Friends-Save-Thoroughbreds/dp/1737361892
Silver Charm - And the Old Friends Who Save the Thoroughbreds is a biography of the (currently) oldest living thoroughbred Kentucky Derby winner. It recounts the horse's life, achievements, and mystique in a biography intended not just for horse-crazy teens, but readers of any age who love horses and horse history. This expanded age range accessibility gives adults many insights into the horse racing world in general, the Derby's environment and history, and Silver Charm in particular.
By adding a subtitle about horse rescue and elder care, the story also expands its attraction from the racing community into horse rescue processes and issues. Many people are working to save such old racers from slaughter. Silver Charm weaves together the experiences of not just one horse, but those whose lives are affected by him and his future.
From its opening lines, Silver Charm adopts a "you are here" feel of fiction while adding nonfiction facts about horses to educate those who may have only lightly considered a horse's life: "On February 22, 1994, a mare named Bonnie's Poker paced in a large stall, well-padded with a deep layer of straw bedding. She, being a bit ornery, waited for the people to leave. Most mares, ornery or not, prefer to deliver their foals alone. Eighty-six percent of mares, in fact, wait until after the midnight hour to give birth."
This atmospheric approach allows young and old to absorb the entire milieu of the horse community from human and horse vantage points. The story unfolds to show how racing winners emerge, do their jobs, then (hopefully) retire to such a refuge as is outlined in these pages: "At the time of our interview, CRR was home to sixty-nine horses, eighty percent of which are Thoroughbreds. Five of the Thoroughbreds are products of her own breeding program, and the rest have been sent to her by their owners.
Since CRR's founding, upwards of two thousand horses have passed through the ranch or been permanently retired there." M.J. Evans goes above and beyond the typical "horse story" to explain different challenges in managing horses not just for their profitable younger years, but their entire lives. This transmits much important information about horse care to readers who may have known only a portion of what is involved in the horse racing or shelter environments.
Of special interest are insights that contrast an aging horse's options in the past with the new opportunities of modern times: "For many years, the story of a racehorse's life was a sad one. Most of them were viewed as a commodity whose sole purpose was to make money for their owners. If they couldn't make money on the racetrack, they were of little value for breeding. Therefore, they had to be disposed of. The lucky ones found new homes with loving families which used them for riding horses. Or they found new jobs as trail horses, jumpers, or dressage horses. A few even became therapy horses... most horses are done racing by the age of five. That means they can have up to twenty-five years of life left during which they can bring love and joy to a new human family. But for many horses, the slaughterhouse was the last thing they would see."
All these approaches create a compelling story which stands out from the usual focus, making Silver Charm a top recommendation for general-interest libraries seeking approaches to horses that are truly unique. Packed with memorable moments, black and white photos, and vignettes, Silver Charm is wonderful blend of the first-person author's voice, an assessment of the horse industry, and reflections on the past and future treatment of horses which has radically changed (and, for the better) over the years.
The Parenting Shelf
Keep Talking
Jen Shoemaker Davidson
https://www.jenshoemakerdavidson.com
Sole Publishing
9798998627002, $15.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Talking-Conversations-Kids-Least/dp/B0FNGMTBNZ
Keep Talking: Conversations with Our Kids When They Want Us Least but Need Us Most outlines strategies parents can employ to keep dialogues flowing between the generations, pinpointing the style and subjects of conversations that embrace real connection. Topics for these dialogues include such wide-ranging considerations as "finding your people" and "it's okay to be alone and unplug."
Research studies on happiness, love, connection, and life's meaning support Jen Shoemaker Davidson's contention that talks between adults and children of all ages often prove the pivot point for better relationships as well as improved lives. Davidson points out a Harvard study's findings on happiness: "Close, supportive relationships with family, friends, and community are the most significant predictor of long term happiness and health. Quality relationships are more important than wealth, fame, or work success."
Many a book posits the same theory, but few hold the nuts-and-bolts conversation examples featured in Keep Talking, nor the clues to opening meaningful dialogues between generations that encourage connection and understanding on many different levels.
Chapters also examine such topics as the importance of family time, shared experiences and insights, the complexities of navigating friendships and family dynamics, and the likelihood that the decisions parents make will not always be good ones: "Making parenting mistakes - and dealing with the mistakes our kids make - is all part of the wild and beautiful process. So throw caution to the wind. Know that parent is a verb and we need to actively do it, planned or not. Give yourself grace and roll up your sleeves."
The result is a different form of parenting guide that leads by example, embeds research studies into its suggestions, offers concrete examples from real-life situations, and helps define and tailor the kinds of conversations which lend to deeper relationships and better understanding.
Librarians will want to not only add Keep Talking to their collections, but should highly regard and recommend it to parents seeking specific keys to opening and fostering dialogues with their kids. Packed with insights and savvy, Keep Talking features the kinds of diverse approaches that can grow beyond family circles, where it is grounded, and into society as a whole. This makes for a top pick and important recommendation for a wide audience that can blossom to include readers who are not parents themselves, but who seek better relationships and connections from life.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Never Really Left
Wendy Jordan Saffel
GFB
c/o Girl Friday Productions
www.girlfridayproductions.com
9781967510146, $18.95 Paper/$9.99 eBook, 240pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Never-Really-Left-Unexpected-Relationship-ebook/dp/B0FSNRD7QL
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-really-left-wendy-jordan-saffel/1148420828
Never Really Left: Grief, Healing, and a Mother's Unexpected Relationship with Her Departed Son tells of a mother who loses her 20-year-old son. It is written two years after his death and chronicles an unexpected journey in which Wendy Jordan Saffel shows how her son never really departed her life (in the traditional sense of the word).
Her memoir embraces the work of mediums that connect her to her son in ongoing sessions. This may give pause for thought to some readers, while encouraging others with alternative considerations of grief, loss, and revised connections that can move between life and death.
One plus in this journey is that Saffel was a skeptic about such matters who did not easily come to her present-day beliefs about afterlife communication. As the daughter of pragmatic, scientific minded parents, Saffel's inclination was to question, not accept. And so her story of moving past her son's death from fentanyl poisoning into a murkier realm of afterlife encounters will resonate with others who may not entirely believe in such possibilities.
Her journey in exploring mediumship also does not acknowledge an expertise because of these encounters, but humbly admits that this is a personal journey meant as important food for thought for those who grieve -- not as an authoritative interpretation and explanation of the subject: "I must first declare that I'm not an expert at anything. Nothing other than my own lived experience. There might be mediums or some of my teachers that read this book and think I've gotten some things wrong. That said, this is what mediumship is for me."
Readers who would follow in her footsteps will appreciate her insights on processes, the introduction to new possibilities, and the ways in which Saffel came to terms not just with grief, but new ideas about life and its aftermath. Sensitive readers may be advised, at this point, that there are also vivid moments of suffering and realization that could prove trigger points, as discussed from a quote by Mirabai Starr's reflective experience in the chapter on "Grief Bombs": "Even as I rocked on my knees, howling, I detected soft breathing behind the roaring. I leaned in, listened. It was the murmuring of ten million mothers, backward and forward in time and right now, who had also lost children."
Never Really Left is a vivid memoir of discovery, recovery, and re-connection which deserves a special spot not just in libraries strong in metaphysical encounters and considerations, but in reading circles where grief and spirituality intersect. There is a growing body of reputable research on the science of the afterlife, and Never Really Left joins the literature exploring this research as it relates to loss and healing.
Packed with insights, the journey of a mother who is afforded unusual opportunities to experience her son in a different way, and healing insights, Never Really Left is a powerful saga. It deserves widespread attention and delivers thought-provoking moments of realization and recovery for readers, libraries, and book clubs alike.
The General Fiction Shelf
Good Grief
Sara Goodman Confino
Lake Union Publishing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662527531, $16.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Grief-Sara-Goodman-Confino/dp/1662527535
Good Grief is a novel opening in 1963 about a newly-bereaved, now-single mother who is raising two kids alone. It's been two years since her husband's death, and Barbara Feldman is just beginning to form some semblance of a life and recovery when her mother-in-law shows up at the door, ready to move in.
Purportedly it's to help her with the children, but in reality Ruth is also alone, grieving, and wants to be part of something. Yet, she's got to go. There's only one way to get a prickly, obstinate woman to move on. Set her up with a man.
So evolves a comedy of errors in which Barbara's own wishes, dreams, and loneliness collide with those of her mother-in-law to produce angst, clashes, and many a surprise. Sara Goodman Confino is especially skilled at dovetailing the ironic scenarios, fun encounters, and slowly-simmering realizations each woman holds about the other and her own future. Hilarious encounters aren't limited to the two, but embrace outside people and forces as well.
Dialogues reveal the meat of matters relating to disagreements and new possibilities: "I looked down at the meat counter. "Well, I suppose I'm not buying a brisket. Although if I were smart, I would, just for when Ruth destroys the one she bought."
Eddie shook his head. "Unless you're planning to go cook for this man every night, he's going to have to learn to love her, bad cooking and all."
"Think her sparkling personality will be enough?"
Eddie shrugged good-naturedly. "As long as he likes dogs, you've got a shot." Especially notable is the manner in which Confino builds her characters and their interconnected lives despite the seeming disparity of their personalities and objectives. Tongue-in-cheek humor permeates these encounters to provide a rich form of life inspection that readers will appreciate: "We're either going to need to buy more vases or get rid of the older flowers," I said, sounding cheerful though feeling far from it.
"Hmm," Ruth said, taking the vase from me and crossing to the kitchen sink to fill it with water. "We should bring whatever still looks nice to the hospital. Not everyone gets visitors."
I looked at her back as she arranged the flowers in the vase. It was a lovely idea.
"Maybe not the funeral spray though," she said as she turned around, looking for a spot to put the vase. "That could send the wrong message." The result is a light-hearted, heart-warming exploration of two women whose lives are connected by circumstances beyond their control, resulting in many surprises and moments of conflict tempered by enlightenment.
Libraries looking for women's fiction that is astute, involving, and fun will find Good Grief just the ticket for a delightful foray into the issues of mothers, daughters, children, and lovers.
Filled with delightful realization and thought-provoking reflections, Good Grief builds a fine story of family connections and uncertain but growing love between a young widow and her feisty mother-in-law. It is thoroughly compelling and ultimately uplifting.
The Spirit Reader
Bob Albo
Independently Published
B0F8GN4QV2, $12.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Reader-Robert-Albo-ebook/dp/B0F8GN4QV2
"What if the power to see into people's souls came with the responsibility to save them...or destroy them?" In The Spirit Reader, accountant George finds himself far from his paperwork expertise when he finds a mysterious crystal in the creek during a family outing and discovers that it gives him the ability to read the spiritual auras of everyone around him. His kids can see colors within it, too - but not his wife Ruby.
Thus begins a foray into a shifting world as his marriage crumbles along with his career. He unexpectedly falls under the eye of the Makuta tribe, who view him as a spiritual leader, facing analytical forces which consider his potential and power to be desirable and perhaps dangerous. Native American spirituality blends nicely into the supercharged story a man who must come to terms not only with new abilities and life purpose, but the disparate influences that consider his strengths from vastly different perspectives: "The Makuta say I was chosen. A scientist might hypothesize about unique neurological configurations or quantum consciousness interfaces. A priest might call it a gift from God." George grinned. "Maybe they're all right, in their own ways."
Readers may not expect the moral, ethical, spiritual, and philosophical blends these experiences embrace, but this is one of the novel's many strengths. George confronts not only a revised life trajectory, but its impacts on others around him in both private and professional circles: "Your spirit shows who you were meant to be, Evan," George said softly. "A leader who built things to last. But there are shadows now - each compromise, each corner cut, has left its mark. The darkest stains come from knowing the harm you're causing but continuing anyway."
Evan's face went pale. "It's not that simple. There are jobs at stake, contracts..."
"There's also hope," George continued. "Your core still shines. The man who mentored me, who taught me to take pride in my work - he's still there. But the darkness is spreading, Evan. Soon it will consume everything you once were."
From Humka ceremonies and betrayals to different views of what a happy conclusion constitutes, George's life inspections and journey will delight anyone interested in how people grow, change, and transform the world around them. The Black Hills backdrop supports George's journey with atmosphere and insights into what it truly means to "read spirits" and translate spiritual findings into the world.
Librarians interested in a novel that takes a multifaceted approach to change and reaches into circles of research, realization, confrontation, and life impact will find it easy to highly recommend The Spirit Reader to patrons and book clubs interested in not just the possibility of extra abilities, but what they ultimately portend.
Readers seeking a thought-provoking, action-filled novel that operates on spiritual, psychological, and suspense levels will welcome how The Spirit Reader builds many surprises and insights into its plot.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
This Leavened Land
Thomas Mauser
Munn Avenue Press
www.munnavenuepress.com
9781960299864, $21.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/THIS-LEAVENED-LAND-Novel-Tennessee/dp/1960299867
This Leavened Land: A Novel of the Civil War in East Tennessee introduces seventeen-year-old farm boy James Meecham, who senses the winds of war are arriving to buffet his family's farm before the soldiers set foot on their property. His first-person observations of their fifty-acre homestead and the people who become caught up in the war creates an especially gripping Civil War account that is as much about battles of the heart and mind as it is about military engagement.
Many of the boy's observations and assessments will resonate with modern readers interested in situations where social and political conflicts arise: "The crowd cheered. Men tossed their hats in the air and women waved their handkerchiefs.
"God bless the Confederacy!" someone cried out.
The crowd kept cheering as my brothers and I made our way to our wagon and went home. A fearsome storm is coming across this land, I thought." Also notable is how James chooses to treat those around him as he grows up, navigates new situations and ideas, and confronts dangerous situations that arise from a journey and the clash of the Confederates and Yankees who are fellow Americans. Thomas Mauser employs realistic scenarios and local dialogue to cement the experiences of his characters, which brings the story to life: "'I've heard Kansas jayhawkers scalp every Confederate they kill,'" the soldier named Tad said.
'You Tennessee fellers scalp dead rebels?' the tobacco-chewing soldier asked.
'Every rebel we've killed so far has been bald-headed,' Jedediah said." From how the Union army occupies large swaths of private lands and changes the nature of the countryside to what it takes to remain "real decent" in a milieu of inhumanity and cruelty, Mauser explores a range of issues related to the Civil War and its impact not just on families and communities, but moral and ethical values.
Libraries interested in a Civil War novel packed with inspections that go beyond political confrontation to probe the choices made by ordinary people in a whirlwind of conflict will find This Leavened Land a powerful saga that brings history to life. Replete with reflections that will also give rise to strong book club discussions and history reading group insights, This Leavened Land creates a winning chronicle of discovery that is worthy of wide recommendation - even to those not normally interested in Civil War stories or historical novels.
It's that powerful.
The Missing Pages
Alyson Richman
Union Square & Co.
www.unionsquareandco.com
9781454953210, $18.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Pages-Alyson-Richman/dp/1454953217
The Missing Pages is a stirring and evocative novel that explores love, loss and the power of legacy inspired by the true-life story of Harry Elkins Widener, a young and passionate book collector who perished on The Titanic. In the aftermath of the tragedy, his mother builds a library as a memorial to her son. Harry Widener went down with the Titanic, going back to his cabin to rescue a precious book that winds up lost, along with his life.
Decades later, library researcher Violet Hutchins encounters some strange phenomenon in the library that forces her to reluctantly believe that a ghost is trying to gain her attention - possibly the ghost of the library's namesake, Harry Widener. He wants to not only correct a misconception, but accurately represent the pages of his life.
So begins a foray into literary love that involves keeping spirits alive, correcting the past, confronting the future, and filling in too many blanks. This leads Violet in unexpected emotional and literary directions.
From the start, Alyson Richman adopts a tone of mystery and discovery that leads readers to want to learn more about Harry, Violet, and these circumstances: "I didn't go back for the book . . .I didn't go back for the book, despite how many Harvard tour guides have suggested otherwise over the years. They will stretch the romanticism of my death at only twenty-seven years of age, saying that according to the lore, I went back to my cabin to retrieve one of my most treasured books, never to be seen again. As with any good story, there is both truth to what they say and there is fiction. And somewhere in between are the pages of my life."
As the story of Ada Lippodlt, Harry, Violet and others comes together, it brings with it an interlaced series of perspectives that also embrace ghost Harry's reflections on past and present associations: "...when I myself saw Ada's name there again in print, it made my old ghostly soul ache in a way that not only pained me with longing, but also made me feel exquisitely alive. Ada. You will not find my other letters to her in my memorial library."
Librarians who enjoy stories of intrigue and discovery that center on filling in the missing blanks of characters' lives will relish how literature, love, and past and present events coalesce in The Missing Pages. Packed with exciting revelations and rare book collecting, research, and historical detail surrounding the Titanic, The Missing Pages reveals a fascinating tale about a Gilded Age book collector who perished on the doomed ship. Richman probes the braiding of life and its sacrifices, the power of love to transform grief, and a mother's quest to honor her son, creating a gripping page-turner that amplifies the permanent fingerprint books make on our soul.
The Harvey Girls
Juliette Fay
Gallery Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com
9781668095065, $40.95 Library Binding/$18.99 Paperback/$14.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Harvey-Girls-Juliette-Fay/dp/1668095068
The Harvey Girls takes place in the 1920s, but begins in 1893, when Fred Harvey emigrates from London to New York City with only a few dollars in his pocket, there to achieve success by hiring women for his new business ("Harvey Girls") at a time when working women were akin to prostitutes. The novel's introduction is important because it sets the stage in historical reality to cement the experiences and choices of these two 1920s women - ex-Boston society woman Charlotte Crowninshield, who is escaping a brutal husband; and Nebraskan Billie MacTavish, who struggles to keep her large immigrant family afloat. Both become Harvey Girls, bringing with them very different experiences and social perceptions to build a story rich in insights about women of those times. From the start, The Harvey Girls introduces the employment milieu of the 1920s working waitress, providing a "you are here" feel to the experiences.
The diversity of the characters and their intersecting perspectives results in a story packed with insights, filled with predicaments and connections, and astute in its historical examination as well as its social and political challenges. Readers won't anticipate the myriad of issues which arise from the fact that Charlotte and Billie don't stay in one place, but journey to unfamiliar milieus that test their insights and perceptions. Dialogues between characters during these encounters present thought-provoking moments of bigger-picture realization: "'I'm a Harvey Girl in the dining room at El Tovar, and I'm impressed at your ability to answer the same questions over and over as if it were the first time you've heard them. I wish I had your talent for it!"
Ruth's customer-bright smile downgraded a watt or two, and she glanced around to see if anyone else was in earshot. "I tell myself that customers are trying to understand the Hopi way, even if their questions seem silly or even rude at times.'" Charlotte saw the wisdom in this: acknowledging that people could be ignorant while simultaneously assuming they had good intentions. She wished she could do more of the latter and a bit less of the former." Between evolving friendships among women with vastly different backgrounds and experiences and encounters that explore issues of independence and empowerment against the backdrop of the Harvey Hotels, The Harvey Girls is a thoroughly enlightening adventure all readers will find engrossing.
Libraries interested in historical fiction about women's' experiences that capture a sense of time and place, as well as psyche and purpose, will find The Harvey Girls a fine acquisition that is especially recommendable to women's reading groups and book clubs. This audience will relish how Juliette Fay captures not only the purposes and unique opportunities of the Harvey environment, but documents its impact on the lives of very different women who grow from their experiences, refuges, and discoveries.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
Chronicles of Four Estates
Benjamin Kwakye
Cissus World Press
9798988974550, $20.00
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Estates-Novel-Benjamin-Kwakye/dp/B0FLB5K3TN
Chronicles of Four Estates is a novel that deserves profile and recommendation to any library or reader interested in African fiction and politics. It reveals the shock and dismay of the nation of Ghana when popular TV host Erin Boadu is found brutally murdered on a beach, probing the underlying relationships that led up to this moment and its impact on the political future of the nation. Boadu's secret investigation of Project Dotbug seems to have something to do with her demise -- but so does her interview with former Ghanaian President Yaw Tano and her impact on Tano's personal life and the trajectory of his career.
Readers might anticipate that a basic familiarity with Ghanaian politics and culture will be a prerequisite for enjoying this story -- but they'd be wrong. Benjamin Kwakye injects references and backdrops that assume no prior knowledge base, builds characters steeped in Ghanaian society that stand out for their disparate objectives and approaches to life, and crafts a powerful saga that rests on the shoulders of personal and political connection. Fears, revelations, and discoveries entwine as events unfold on different levels, making the novel at once a murder mystery and a probe into Ghana's delicate political interactions and influences.
Libraries seeking a solid work of African literary prowess which operates as both a leisure read and as an engrossing measure of the nation's pulse of change and confrontation will want to welcome Chronicles of Four Estates into their collections for its thought-provoking reflections on rules of law, morals and values, and shifting foundations of political strength: "...those law school people sitting in armchairs and writing, studying, or explaining treatises and whatnot on the law and on democratic principles, how close had any of them ever come to such decision making? How many of them had experienced a coup attempt directed at them with the probability that they might be killed, shot like a beast, or that their family members might be put in danger? They were not the ones who would have to preside over the burials of many of their fellow citizens solely because someone, or a bunch of people, had decided to usurp the very rule of law they would like afforded them."
Chronicles of Four Estates is a vivid, reflective story that is especially highly recommended for readers with a basic interest in either African literature and politics or stories that come embedded with social reflection.
Smell the Bright Cold
Robert Wallace
https://www.robertwallaceauthor.com
Mint Hill Books
9781964277424, $18.95
Mint Hill Books
https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/smell-the-bright-cold-robert-wallace
Literary audiences will ideally hold a recent familiarity with William Faulkner's classic The Sound and the Fury in order to fully appreciate how Robert Wallace dovetails his story with that novel in Smell the Bright Cold, which captures adventures from original side character Caddy Compson's experiences.
The story opens in 1919 Mississippi, where a prodigal child returns home to Mississippi after a long time away from home and state to confront "old-fashioned notions" from the past in a different milieu of the present. Caddy's first-person reflections about the South's values system and her place in it emerge in the story's opening paragraphs: "What has honor gotten anyone? Trouble, that's what. The only thing that the world really honors is money. And perhaps glory. But it is the former that keeps a person alive, and sometimes you have to earn it any way you can."
Now gray-haired and having shrugged off the impact of her wandering ways and what she left behind (or gave up to support them), Caddy is about to tackle the longest journey of all - that of coming back to a family from which she's long been absent. In adopting the first person to capture Caddy's story, Robert Wallace brings readers right into the sights, sounds, smells, and dilemmas of her life and times.
The story doesn't settle down in one place, but moves ever forward into 1930s Miami (among other locales), train and psychic journeys, and philosophical reflections on life's meaning that emerge from unexpected confrontations with death: "Progress, I thought to myself, was an illusion because it was tied with time. Was in a brawl with time. I thought about the body that lay on the track; its inertness. The fact that it was no more. Time had stopped for him. Time was no longer real. For the rest of us, the living, it continued in some way, wresting itself from our control. Time has a way of floating in on itself, so that it doesn't seem real. No amount of trying to wrestle control of it, neither through a wristwatch like Father tried to do and his father before him or Quentin who tried to stop time - none of it has any validity. Time was unconcerned with any human notions about it."
The literary allusions that dovetail with The Sound and the Fury will especially satisfy Faulkner enthusiasts and scholars, yet most contemporary readers will be able to thoroughly appreciate Caddy's journey even without these references (which might, admittedly, prompt them to go back for a long-overdue read or reread of Sound for maximum impact). The result is a story that swings between characters, times, places, and family revelations and connections in a manner that brings Caddy's journey and perspective to life for new audiences and those already well grounded in Faulkner's literary devices.
Librarians will find Caddy's adventures compelling, her growth and perspective timeless, and the opportunity to recommend this novel as either a standalone or a companion read to The Sound and the Fury give it added value to make for a standout. With its astute survey of life spanning richly-portrayed years through World War II, Smell the Bright Cold is thoroughly evocative, thought-provoking, and packed with the dreams and connections between divided families who somehow find their way back to one another again.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
On the Eradication of Smallpox and the Intractability of Raccoons
Jamey Gittings
Attila Press LLC
www.attilapress.com
9781792357596, $28.43 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Eradication-Smallpox-Intractability-Raccoons/dp/1792357605
On the Eradication of Smallpox and the Intractability of Raccoons is a mystery suspense story that also embraces elements of social justice issues, blending these seemingly disparate subjects and genres into a novel that adds a healthy dash of satirical observation into its plot for good measure.
New Harvard journalism school grad Ned Alexander is big on education and low on experience when he accepts a coveted newspaper job in Tucson, Arizona. His ideal of being a reporter is tempered by events surrounding the death penalty. This propels him beyond merely reporting facts to personally delve into the bigger question of why too many who favor the death penalty are succumbing to odd, seemingly purposeful deaths themselves.
As he works with Detective Escobar, hones his fledgling skills as a reporter and an investigator, and becomes personally involved in his own story, Ned finds himself in a maelstrom of threats and political involvements far beyond his Harvard training.
Journalist risks over confidentiality or exposure, a governor's secrets, a scientist's lofty ambition to reduce mankind's suffering, and more coalesce in a gripping, surprisingly fun examination that will leave readers thinking, wondering, laughing, and thoroughly engaged.
Moral and ethical concerns also come to light in the course of Ned's probe: "Cures were built literally on the dead bodies of researchers, and although it was sad, it was the way it was in the early years, and it was mostly all right. Those researchers died for something that was ultimately good. And that made their deaths sad but tolerable."
Libraries will find the multifaceted approach of On the Eradication of Smallpox and the Intractability of Raccoons results in a story that is hard to predict. It covers many possibilities and topics, but ultimately proves a compelling literary examination that proves hard to put down. Readers seeking a refreshingly original work of fiction that imparts many twists in the course of a murder investigation that often brings it far from the atmosphere of a traditional genre murder mystery alone will welcome the opportunity to become involved in Ned's conundrums.
Alaska Bloodlust
J.L. Askew
Atmosphere Press
9798891327702, $22.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Bloodlust-J-L-Askew/dp/B0FKKRLDFL
In 2023, J.L. Askew's "Alaska Deadly" was published, introducing P.I. Race Warren to readers by steeping staccato action with the story of Race's efforts to locate a police officer who is in Alaska searching for his daughter, leading to Race's involvement in a deadly scheme.
Now Warren is back in "Alaska Bloodlust", a follow-up tale that evolves from the first book's events. Several murder attempts force Warren to return to Alaska, where unsolved business awaits.
Newcomers will find a prologue fills in all gaps and background, allowing for a smooth transition into Warren's latest challenges while building excellent tension with new events that will prove as compelling to prior fans as in the previous book: "If anyone had known about what happened in Alaska, they might have called it an adventure, but Warren would have never thought that way. He was largely a realist, if not a pessimist. For him, it had all been an excess and he wanted to forget. But it was certain that Alaska had changed him."
The ongoing connections between Tennessee and Alaska build a thriller that features action as fast-paced as in the first book. Car chases, fights, hospital confrontations, and even Russian involvements make for a series of unexpected, delightfully involving events.
Another plus to "Alaska Bloodlust" is its inclusion of Alaskan Native culture and clues that point Warren in directions of discovery that embrace Alaska's people and culture. Readers who have seen novels set in Alaska that mention only its geography will relish Askew's inclusive focus, which adds different dimensions of understanding and discovery to the thriller's evolution.
Dialogue is nicely done, "aha" moments of revelation are embedded throughout to keep readers on their toes, and even though the conclusion may be somewhat predictable (for seasoned genre readers) as events point in an inevitable direction, the proof of a good story lies as much in its detailed journey as in its final destination.
Libraries seeking thrillers that excel in a sense of place and action will find "Alaska Bloodlust" a good choice whether or not patrons are familiar with Askew's prior book, while those who enjoy riveting, action-packed scenes will relish this story's nicely-developed tension. Steeped in a sense of place, shifting circumstances, and intriguing Inuit references, "Alaska Bloodlust" is just the ticket for thoroughly engrossing thriller reading.
Danger No Problem
Cindy Fazzi
Thomas & Mercer
9781662528521, $16.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Danger-No-Problem-Domingo-Bounty/dp/1662528523
Danger No Problem introduces bounty hunter Domingo Laban (aka Sunday Fight), whose area of expertise is tracking fugitives. Only one person has ever evaded capture and that is Monica Reed, who is on the lam for the second time after already evading him once. Third time's the charm, because Domingo finds himself confronting more than Monica's proclivity for escape as he begins to know her on a deeper level than ever before.
More so than most thrillers, this story hones atmosphere and language which is especially thought-provoking and vivid as Domingo reflects on his changing approaches and values: "Two decades of hunting down undocumented immigrants had taught him how to deduce the truth even from the scantest of facts. His previous experience snooping on Christian Price, his mistress, and his family also helped. Cutter might be right. Mr. GQ appeared to have a good reason for making Monica Reed disappear. Every fiber of his being was alert. Every subject or suspect was a jigsaw puzzle to be assembled and completed. He lived for the moments when serendipity and logic crossed paths. Every case exhilarated him more than the last."
Readers first consider his motivations and qualifications for the job, then are presented with bigger-picture thinking about ethical behavior and immigrant experience. This will prompt many a book club debate and consideration about not just bounty hunting, but modern-day issues such as birthright citizenship.
At each juncture in the action, Cindy Fazzi draws important connections to support not just a sense of adventure and discovery, but thought-provoking, realistic concerns on all sides as Domingo fulfills his duty yet finds himself questioning assumptions and attitudes. Italics centralize these modern issues, as in "Dreams and DACA," reviewing their connections not just to this story but to American experiences in contemporary times: "My beloved readers, a good Filipino woman died in the subway a few days ago, just a few hours after joining a protest supporting DACA. I'm not saying her death is related to the rally. The case remains unsolved. What I'm saying is, I admire her courage. Hats off to my fellow immigrants who fight to be heard in this day and age of deafening intolerance and hatred."
The result is a cross between fictional narrative and nonfiction examination of the values, morals, and purposes of immigration laws and immigrant experience. Libraries seeking a thriller that operates on unexpected levels will find that Danger No Problem's unusual approach makes it recommendable to both leisure reading audiences and book clubs interested in immigration issues.
Written by a former Associated Press journalist, this fast-paced, "ripped from the headlines" story, featuring the unlikeliest of heroes, is a thought-provoking page-turner about our nation's broken immigration system.
Fire Diamond
C.B. Wilson
www.cbwilsonauthor.com
DogTales Furever
9781964056074, $13.99 Print/$4.99 eBook
Fire Diamond is a mystery that marries C.B. Wilson's expertise as a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America with her penchant for producing murder mysteries, and represents a departure from her previous dog breed/gem combinations to venture into uncharted waters of heists and their participants.
Taylor Hunter opens the story with first-person reflections on her gem thief father, her own involvement in the world of jewels (albeit legally, as a diamond detective charged with hunting down perps like her dad), and her latest case, which involves an unmatched gem recovery track record and a case which hits too close to home.
As in Wilson's other books, dogs are on prominent display as the story unfolds, yet they assume a minor role as Taylor confronts break-ins that aren't about turning quick bucks, gambling rings, diamond mines, and an ongoing mess with her father which never seems resolvable even with all of her skills.
The mystery ebbs and flows with discovery, revelation, and the unexpected, probing the world of diamond discovery, mining, and diamond detection technology while sending Taylor's relationships and world careening in unexpected directions.
Readers receive more than a whodunit, but a full-bodied examination of diamond technology and valuation that adds powerful dimensions of complexity and realization to the underlying mystery that grows more puzzling in each chapter.
Libraries seeking a story that probes deeply into the world of gems and jewels will relish how authentically and grippingly Fire Diamond explores the structure of gems, lives captivated by them, and decisions that revolve around elaborate schemes that eventually implode with unintended consequences for all.
Mystery readers seeking a story that is involving and unexpected on many levels will welcome how Fire Diamond sparkles.
Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Facade
Deven Greene
Panthera Publishing
9781964620091, $5.95 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Sun-Farm-Behind-Facade-ebook/dp/B0FGKQ2HSL
Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Facade follows a daughter's return to the family farm in the wake of her father's death. Barry is prepared to assume the reins of running the family business. Her newfound degree in agricultural business makes her the perfect match to inherit the burden, but what she doesn't anticipate adding to the plan is a peck of problems caused by not farming modernization, but the invasion of Happy Sun Farm, a foreign-owned agribusiness that's taking over all the local small family farms.
Was her father murdered for resisting them?
Barry hadn't planned on being drawn into a murder investigation, nor fighting to save not just the family farm, but her family's lives. But she is, and the foundations of Happy Sun Farm become rooted in a conflict that has little to do with growing and much to do with profiting.
From the start, Deven Greene injects the story with dramatic scenarios of realization and a daughter's love of the farming that she'd hoped to make part of her future. The first person narrative style is employed to bring Barry's musings and experiences to life, observations of differences between small-scale farming and big agribusiness is specific and enlightening, and the story both entertains and educates as the bodies pile up alongside farming insights: "I went to the strawberry fields, hoping to scavenge more of the unpicked fruit as I lay between rows of strawberry plants. To my horror, every last one of the plants had been removed. Yet more evidence of their ridiculous, nonsensical farming practices. These strawberries were not only delicious, they were certified organic and non-GMO. They would have been good for a whole other season and would bring in top dollar."
The blend of farming insights, thriller, and murder mystery builds intrigue and political confrontation to create a satisfyingly absorbing story that's hard to put down. The story also delves into disease, international special influences, and topics that expand both Barry's perspectives and those of her readers.
Libraries seeking a farming thriller which couples the practices and special interests of family farming and big business with a thriller edge that personalizes these confrontations will find Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Facade a powerful recommendation suitable for any reader attracted to stories rooted in real-life circumstances.
LD100: Kill Them All
John E. Espy
Open Books
9781948598873, $21.95
Open Books
https://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/ld100/about-book.html
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/LD100-Kill-Them-John-Espy/dp/1948598876
LD100: Kill Them All follows the impact of a lethal virus that erupts in Africa, prompting virologist Dr. Isabella Kitchen to risk her own life in journeying there to study its roots. What she finds is much more than another virus outbreak, for the bodies that are mounting are not all from an outbreak of virus 666. The last thing she expects is to confront the horror of a conspiracy and political entanglements that emerge from the spread of the virus, or to face forces that may be purposely pushing a worldwide Armageddon.
Isabella teams up with Dr. Aniru Conteh to delve into answers, but what they find leads to more questions about the murky intersection between human purposes and nature's snafus. They can perhaps corner and defeat the former, but if this new virus is truly something outside the scope of the lab, humanity may be doomed.
Other books have been written about virus outbreaks in this Robin Cook-style fashion, but what makes LD100: Kill Them All a standout is its attention to both individual struggle and higher-level political interactions and thinking.
John E. Espy elevates the drama through different players and perspectives, embedding his story with fast-paced action and unexpected confrontations: "'Jesus Christ, what have you people done, what have you done! I thought the 666 was frozen and all testing had ceased, what have you fucking people done! My God, if it is loose, My God... what have you done.'" Tears began to run down Dr. Foege's cheeks. He knew the implications. If the 666 was loose, as the President was saying, and on a runaway, there would be millions of deaths. This was the doomsday virus."
Equally powerful is the carefully cultivated approach to issues ranging from manufactured viruses and governmental research control to bigger-picture thinking about moral and ethical conflict and responsibility on both individual and political levels.
Libraries seeking powerful stories of confrontation, survival, viruses, and survivors will find LD100: Kill Them All an especially thought-provoking recommendation for a wide audience. This will include book clubs seeking thriller plots that rest on the firm foundations of dramatic topics suitable for debate and discussion.
Replete with twists readers won't see coming and satisfying social, cultural, and ethical inspections, LD100: Kill Them All is a supercharged, suspenseful story that delivers the one-two punch of feeling too close to home to be fiction.
Sunday or the Highway
Cindy Fazzi
Thomas & Mercer
9781662528545, $16.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Sunday-Highway-Domingo-Bounty-Hunter/dp/166252854X
Sunday or the Highway presents the second installment in the Domingo the Bounty Hunter series, providing thriller and PI suspense readers with a new case involving a young heiress in love. Matters at first seem fairly straightforward to Domingo, especially compared with the complexities of his past investigations.
But a series of twists and turns demonstrates that the quest for undocumented parents may not turn out to be easy money, like he'd thought. Tessa has hired him to find Julian's missing family, but what Domingo uncovers instead is a series of white lies, a group of scumbags, confrontations with ICE, and encounters such as a wild chase through a fruit market. Cindy Fazzi adds subtle, wry humor to these encounters to keep the pace fast and the action surprising: "Because Hawaiian Shirt kept glancing back at Domingo, he stumbled into a line of fruit vendors. The bastard fell face first, knocking down the vendors' makeshift tables. Bananas, pineapples, oranges, and papayas rolled on the ground. Curses in Spanish exploded."
From dangerous border crossings by teens to the present-day prospect of journeys which are even deadlier, Fazzi keeps the characters' realization and appealing, the action fast-paced, and the encounters unpredictable, adding elements of social and political inspection into the evolving intrigue. Libraries interested in fiction from AAPI authors should consider Fazzi's Domingo the Bounty Hunter series, featuring a Filipino American bounty hunter who catches fugitive undocumented immigrants. The series is also for crime fiction readers who want to understand the human factor behind the news headlines about immigration.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Baen Books
www.baen.com
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Furies-Elfhome-Wen-Spencer/dp/1668072823
Wen Spencer's Storm Furies (9781668072820, $9.99) returns readers to the Elfhome world, where the oni have invaded Pittsburgh on Elfhome and seem to be fulfilling the prophecy to win the city. Tinker and her friends must defend it against all odds, but the war is taking down civilians and the innocent. How far can Tinker go to save everyone from a raging storm? Spencer once again adds to the Tinker universe with a gripping saga of not just confrontation, elves, and humans, but impossible goals and outcomes which are rich in tension and strong in characterization.
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Tie-Tails-Wolves-Boston/dp/166807284X
Spencer's Black Tie and Tails (9781668072844, $28.00) tells of Joshua's life challenges: he's turned into a werewolf, lives with an old vampire and a kitten, and has far more challenges than graduating from his new high school. Especially since the school is owned by a werewolf pack and caters with kids like Joshua who have special abilities and problems. Teens interested in vivid stories of adaptation, struggle, and power plays will find these features in droves in a story where disparate groups vie for strength and where a host of characters, including long-time vampire Silas's latest problems, Elsie's dating choice challenges her parents, and Seth seeks to step into his role as the Prince of Boston.
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Down-Deep-Dust-Knights/dp/1668072866
Catherine Asaro's The Down Deep (9781668072868, $18.00) is a Dust Knights novel set on a dying world where privileged members of the Royal class lead very different lives from the Undercity members. Bhaaj and the Dust Kngihts are recruited to help mend these disparities, but they are drawn into the underground world to the Down Deep where they stumble upon an enemy that is deadly and elusive. A power struggle emerges which pairs fantasy with strong social inspections for a delightful foray into two very different worlds.
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Veil-3-TransDimensional-Hunter/dp/1668072785
John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer's Behind the Veil (9781668072783, $30.00) presents a TransDimensional Hunter novel about an augmented reality game that becomes all too dangerously real. The more Lynn Raven plays, the closer she comes to either a big win or unprecedented disaster. Subterfuge, game contenders and problems with fans, and high-stakes adventure evolves a compelling story
The Poetry Shelf
Whaling Town: Poems
David Parker Allen
www.davidparkerallen.com
Graphonica
9798999378903, $14.95 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP6X4XCV
Whaling Town: Poems weaves history and American experience as it explores, via prose poems, the culture and patterns of such diverse locales as the Mississippi Delta, a whaling town that could be Melville, New Bedford, and musical tones of past and present, from the roaring 20s to modern times.
Readers anticipating a treatise on whaling history or New England experience alone will find that much more evolves from these writings. David Parker Allen grapples with subjects ranging from the shame of Selma and ironies of the human condition to what differentiates us from animals:
"Beasts have edges. Beasts have gait./Beasts are made for stalking with fangs not made for hate."
The powerful poems draw connections between places, people, and situations which prove delightfully unexpected, as in the poem "Daughter":
"I need to go for a walk, and paint a self-portrait,/of a rain-soaked fisherman with wrinkled eyes/in a navy-blue oilskin hat,/ walking in the door,/dripping in droplets,/about to say,/Daughter, I miss you."
As the poems probe daily life scenarios and concerns, they draw together seemingly disparate subjects under the umbrella of an appreciation for life, affection for others, and inspections of history and personal perspective. The result is a potent blend of human condition, nature, and history that outlines not one, but a myriad of stories that take readers on journeys of personal connection.
Libraries seeking a bend of free verse, rhyme, prose poem, and modern social inspection will find Whaling Town: Poems's diversity of subject and thought processes makes for an appealing review of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and connection. Its writings are thought-provoking and evocative, inspired by music and featuring interludes of passion and reflection that carry readers into other lives.
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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