 |
Book
Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers |
| Home / California Bookwatch |
California Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Sky Ranch
Linda M. Lockwood
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647426347, $17.99 Paperback/$12.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Ranch-Reared-High-Country/dp/1647426340
Sky Ranch: Reared in High Country at first appears a memoir of the ranching life - but to limit its audience to would-be ranchers or armchair farmers alone would be to do it a disservice. In fact, it's a family portrait of mental illness, workloads and choices, and difficult decisions which synthesizes the experiences and impact of schizophrenia on a family.
Linda M. Lockwood is forthright about her memoir from the start: My childhood was a wild and thrilling and sometimes terrifying series of adventures that included roaming isolated hills, taking on a bucking horse and deadly rattlesnakes, and navigating the mysteries of Mother Nature and human nature with very little guidance and almost no supervision. I'll share many of those tales in these pages, but much of my life has found me engaged in a search for truth, and this story won't be the whole truth if I don't include an exploration of the schizophrenia that plagued my mother's mind and perplexed those who loved her.
Thus, there are two reader draws to her story: the lasting impact of mental illness, and a life spent in the ranching milieu, experiencing its dual connections to nature and human endeavors and lessons about both which dovetail nicely with the mental illness reflections.
Those who choose Sky Ranch for its promise of ranching life explorations and experiences won't be disappointed. Lockwood attends to bringing to life the rancher's world - complete with a love of the outdoors that it introduced into her life: Around that age, I began to discover my love of the outdoors. I was happy playing in the woods and along the creek that adjoined our backyard, watching bumble bees, hearing birdsong, picking flowers, making bouquets for Mommy, and braiding grasses or leaves to make wreaths and belts.
Her memoir thus evolves on a dual platform, moving from the outside world to the inner as she explores horseback riding and ranching jobs alongside riding the shockwaves of mental changes and challenges that rocked her family. Of special interest is how her mother's mental illness forced Lockwood to confront her own mental perceptions and condition as she grew to maturity and faced similar circumstances. Her mother's love of the ranching life transmitted to daughter (and, here, to her readers) as the pivot points of their lives and values intersect.
Libraries seeking memoirs about family mental illness thus will find Sky Ranch much more multifaceted than the usual account. It serves up portions of life experience and connections to nature and wellness that will also do well as powerful discussion points for book clubs. Vivid, all-encompassing, passionate and thought-provoking, Sky Ranch deserves a place in general-interest libraries, highly recommended for any individual or group interested in considering the impact of mental illness on the family.
The Cookbook Shelf
Coffee Creations
Celeste Wong
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784729615, $22.99 HC, $10.99 Kindle, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Creations-delicious-recipes-perfect/dp/1784729612
Coffee Creations serves up an appealing formula for brewing the best cuppa joe. It comes from a top barista and coffee expert who provides some 90 recipes for both hot and cold beverages. From advice on special equipment and how to choose beans and roasting styles to creating seasonal favorites, the recipes include many specialties from traditional barista brews, from latte and macchiato to coffee cocktails. The result is a 'must' for any avid coffee drinker and drink mixer.
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
These new publications from Kyle are highly recommended picks for libraries seeking lasting, inviting acquisitions.
https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Sanctuary-Quick-Easy-Delicious/dp/1804191000
Kitchen Sanctuary Quick & Easy: Delicious 30-Minute Dinners by Nicky Corbishley (9781804191002, $26.99) pairs slimming recipes that involve swapping everyday ingredients with a focus on family-friendly fare that can be produced with a minimum of time and effort. This belays any thought that producing slimming, attractive homemade dinners is either time-consuming or confusing. As for the dishes themselves, each come with a facing page color photo that induces mouth-watering reactions and interest in cooks looking at such recipes as BBQ Chicken Pasta, Penne Arrabbiata with Mozzarella & Chorizo, or a Chicken & Chilli sauce Trayback. The attractive multi-use of this cookbook (quick, slimming, and family-friendly) makes it a winning acquisition libraries and busy cooks will want to select.
https://www.amazon.com/Korean-Made-Easy-Recipes-Midnight/dp/1804191809
Also inviting is Seji Hong's Korean Made Easy: Simple Recipes to Make from Morning to Midnight, which comes from the founder of Bombom. From a simple Fluffy Steamed Egg made with fish sauce, sesame oil, beaten eggs and spring onion to an unusual Spam/ground beef/sausage Spicy 'Army Base' Stew, these dishes arrive with facing pages of colorful, inviting photos and an unexpected ease that packs flavorful surprises into fusion recipes not to be found elsewhere. The whole book is perfect for newcomers to Korean food who don't want to stock a pantry with all kinds of specialty items in order to appreciate the country's cuisine.
https://www.amazon.com/Monday-Pasta-Club-recipes-occasion/dp/1804191981
The Monday Pasta Club by Ed Barrow (9781804191989, $26.99) originated with a club's weekly posting of new recipes for its followers. These dishes were designed to creatively expand a cook's perception of pasta dishes, and so offer many unusual twists, from Balsamic Roasted Tomato Spaghetti to A Salmon, Tenderstem Broccoli and Chilli Orzo Traybake. Readers anticipating a traditional pasta recipe collection should look elsewhere. The Monday Pasta Club's exceptional gathering of pasta-redefining dishes is a delight for cooks already well versed in the basics, who seek novel approaches to pasta flavors and presentation.
All three of these 'kitchen cook friendly' titles are culinary treasures and exceptional, highly recommended picks for discriminating cookbook libraries.
The Pets Shelf
Summersdale Publishers
www.summersdale.com
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Two excellent animal story collections are top picks for libraries seeking uplifting short stories.
https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Tales-Uplifting-Stories-Companionship/dp/1837992843
Dog lovers will appreciate Ben Holt's Dog Tales (9781837992843, $11.99), which captures incredible dogs and puppies that have enhanced their owners' lives in different ways. Themes of loyalty and love run through tales such as 'Jade: The Keen-Eared Hero', which follows a nine-year-old German Shepard's discovery of an abandoned newborn baby in a park; or 'Fleur: the 1 Percent Collie,' whose story of hope moves from Romania to England. These succinct pieces (most about a page and a half) are especially attractive to animal lovers short on time or attention, but satisfied by vignettes of canine courage.
https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Tales-Comforting-Stories-Faithful/dp/1837992827
Ashley Morgan achieves the same for feline fans in Cat Tales (9781837992829, $11.99). Here, cats serve as loyal and uplifting companions in many different ways. From 'Luigi: The Long Journey Home' in which a Scottish Fold kitten helps a couple re-evaluate their lives to 'Henry IX: Title Fit for a King' in which a palace cat becomes a fine companion to the royal, these diverse tales are whimsical, delightful, heart-warming, and fun.
Both of these titles are top picks for either gifting or libraries seeking uplifting animal stories.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Women of Shah's Place
Yolanda Randolph
https://yolandarandolph.com
Yolanda Randolph Publications
9781734385373, $27.70 Hardcover/$7.49 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Shahs-Place-Yolanda-Randolph/dp/1734385375
The Women of Shah's Place hosts four women: Andra, River, Genesis and Karla - each of whom struggles not just with the usual themes of secrets and change, but the impact of happiness and success, which also hold transformative moments and challenges. Alternating viewpoints and lives are clearly marked by chapter headings.
Author Yolanda Randolph takes time and care to build each woman's background, family connections, and personal perspectives on life and spirituality. These components create an engrossing story in which the women field seemingly disparate (but surprisingly interconnected) goals and, despite their different backgrounds, come together in efforts which are ultimately healing, as well as revealing.
This melding of minds and hearts, set against the backdrop of lives brought together by chance and circumstance, create a winning formula for an enlightening, engrossing story in The Women of Shah's Place. Randolph points out the disparities in these lives, which become conjoined by the place they reside in: The families living in the apartments were very different from one another, but the one similarity they all shared was their views about children being home before the streetlights came on. North Carolina had lots of cities and junctions that held spots on the National Crime lists, but the town of Shah was not one of them. That wasn't a factor for the women, though. It was just the way it was - a generational thing - as everybody's mama and grandmama forced the rule.
The sense of place and altered minds coalesce to contrast different generations, training, family experiences, and connections to God. This, in turn, enhances the overall plot as the women grow in unexpected ways, choosing new paths, both as individuals and as a group. The sense of connection and evolution that drive the plot also will motivate readers to dig deeper into their own pasts and present-day influences, lending especially well to book club discussion groups interested in women's writings and lives that transcend both upbringing and economic status.
Libraries interested in works that outline sticky situations (and questions), deliver lessons both from life encounters and the backdrop of influence, experience, and perception, and cover flawed (but likeable) women's lives packed with high drama and unexpected twists and turns will find The Women of Shah's Place a winning contrast between lessons and life.
The Matter of Honor
A.S. White
Three Towers Press
c/o HenschelHAUS Publishing, Inc.
www.henschelHAUSbooks.com
9798990820357, $26.95 Hardcover/$18.95 Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Matter-Honor-HC-S-White/dp/B0DBXK8CYZ
Author N. Scott Momaday wrote, about honor: It's a matter of honor, death. It's your white page, do you see? Or your shame. Either you're worthy of it or you ain't. To accept it, to face it with honor and respect and goodwill, to earn it, that is to be brave.
The Matter of Honor is a novel that revolves around life as much as death... the life of ordinary attorney Alan Gold, who is bored with his job and subconsciously seeking something more meaningful. Be careful what you wish for, because in The Matter of Honor, he who is drifting "...along the shore of placid Lake Mediocrity, floating nowhere" is actually in the process of courting (pun intended) the biggest change of his life. Now, avid poker players and attorneys are well used to beating the odds by employing clever side-stepping and thinking.
The death of a young new mother at the Women's Correctional Institution, however, draws Alan into a case filled with intrigue and suspense as he finds that his usual methods of deflection don't work. Challenged to move away from his comfort zone and into a more active role, Alan discovers that, despite all his training, he actually knows less about prison life than he'd thought: "Mr. Gold, you won't understand lots of things around here, but it's what we live with." The guard announced, "Time's up. LaGreaux. Let's go." Gold shook his head as he walked through the WCI parking lot. I've been coming here at least once or twice a month for years, yet I knew nothing about the Hole. What else don't I know?
Indeed. His ongoing post-mortem probe pits him against other legal counselors, an incarceration system filled with pitfalls and threats, and a dubious hand of quasi-justice which rocks his moral and ethical foundations.
Alan's character is astutely drawn as he moves from hippie-idealist to a jaded lawyer mired in routine and compromise, then an activist who immerses himself in social, political, and judicial matters far above his legal training. From the backroom politics of a mayor running for re-election to battles between attorneys and clients who become immersed not only in struggle, but new realizations of exactly how the justice and prison systems fail, readers receive a bucket load of insights.
These lend to reflections not just about the drama and action of The Matter of Honor, but the correctional system's premises and ideals, in particular: After he concluded his assault, Stone gestured his profound regret to the jury that Alan's crystal-clear evidence was, in truth, blurry, distorted, and filled with many unknowns. He sat down, his back to the jurors, and smiled to his staff, unobtrusively reveling in his performance. Millie's eyes were afire, while her heart was broken. How can he live with himself, making nothing into something? So cruel.
A.S. White embeds his story with insights on reform, mistrials, back-room legal compromises and manipulation, and psychological revelations that affect the personal morals and lives of all involved. This attention to political and personal detail lends a gripping atmosphere to the story, elevating it to the level of a prime book club selection for groups interested in discussing issues of morality, justice, and redemption.
This is why The Matter of Honor deserves a place not just on general-interest and legal library shelves, but as an active instigator of reader discussion and debates. Its attention to juxtaposing realistic detail with moral dilemmas and insights enhances its intrigue, resulting in a commandingly vivid read.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
Ain't Nuthin' Gonna Separate Us
Trisha Sugarek
Independently Published
www.writeratplay.com
9798321013212, $13.90
https://www.amazon.com/Aint-Nuthin-Gonna-Separate-Us/dp/B0DBVHG1CW
Hannah Mae stepped past the gunny sack that acted as a door to their shack and walked into the yard. A heavy-set woman in a hideous polyester suit was struggling up the dirt path. "Can I hep' y'all? Ya lost?" "I'm looking for the guardian for the children of Daisy McAllister. Name's Betty Jones. I'm from the St. Charles Home's Ladies Auxiliary, St. Vincent De Paul Society." When almost adult Hannah Mae and her younger brother are left orphaned upon their mother's death, they find themselves at the mercy of the St. Vincent De Paul Society.
With her brother young enough to be considered for adoption, Hannah Mae faces the reality that, at sixteen-nearing-seventeen, she is likely to remain under the care of the Catholic Children's Home until she comes of age to make her own way in the world. Hannah Mae clings to one mandate - remain at her brother's side against all odds.
And so Ain't Nuthin' Gonna Separate Us traverses the rocky world of older siblings raising younger ones sans any family support system, fueled by Hannah Mae's determination to not let outsiders tear them apart. Readers who anticipate that the story will revolve around this struggle alone will be pleasantly surprised to find more depth in these still waters, because Jerry is actually a musical prodigy. Hannah Mae finds herself fostering his talent as much as she reinforces his connections to her.
Despite the focus on Hannah Mae in the beginning, the limelight edges over to Jerry's talents, achievements, and the many changes they portend as the two stand against a world that would divide, repress, or misunderstand them. Trisha Sugarek cultivates the environment, feel, and culture of the South, setting her story in the small Mississippi town of Laurel in the 1950s. She reviews a lifestyle that opens with siblings threatened by separation, then grows the story to fully embrace the Southern milieu. Early descriptions cement the story with a sense of place and purpose.
This creates a compelling, thought-provoking examination of influences, both personal and cultural, that drive Hannah Mae's determination to search for remaining family roots despite the risks she takes by evading the foster care system: Hannah Mae's reluctance to give anyone their last name and her fear of the foster care system was outweighed by her deep desire to have access to all these lovely books. She whispered, "Hannah Mae and Gerald McAllister."
Jerry, too, grows in unexpected directions as he receives musical instruction on the harmonica that allows his innate genius to blossom. As the tale evolves, its focus shifts between Hannah Mae and Jerry's growth as each field both new opportunities and adversity. Whether she's navigating the foster care system or responding to racial inequalities, Hannah Mae keeps her eyes on the ultimate goal of not just survival, but family connections and growth.
Sugarek's outstanding, realistic portrait of the 1950s South and the forces that buffet two children reaching for more than rote safety creates a memorable tale. It will reach a wide audience, from those interested in Southern settings and portraits to readers of coming-of-age stories and sagas of survival, musical growth, and foster care struggles.
Sugarek's attention to probing the underlying responsibilities, choices, and consequences of not just individual action, but systems geared to provide support, is especially notable: Now a white man, unknown to all of them, was threatening to take her baby brother away from this safe home they'd made for Jerry. Hannah Mae wasn't certain she could make the right decision for anyone. Sugarek's research into blues music (Muddy Waters, in particular) lends realistic background and observation into this world as she spices her own memories of the times with intensive research. This reinforces both the atmosphere and facts about the entertainment industry which dovetail over the social issues of a changing South.
All these facets are why Ain't Nuthin' Gonna Separate Us is a thoroughly compelling read that's highly recommended not just for library collections interested in powerful portraits of young lives under siege, but book clubs. These audiences will find plenty of fodder for discussion in the many ways Hannah Mae and Jerry cement their relationships, values, and life connections.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Deadly Choice
S. Lee Manning
Encircle Publications
https://encirclepub.com
9781645995647, $19.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Choice-s-Lee-Manning/dp/1645995631
Fans of S. Lee Manning's previous Kolya Petrov thrillers will find the spin-off story introduced in Deadly Choice to be just as intriguing and immersive as the original Petrov series.
The story opens with Patricia's first-person reflection on her daughter (a "golden girl," to her mother), who has always been high maintenance. Midway into her reflections, it is evident that Patricia is writing her thoughts to one Dr. Martin who, it turns out, is literally a captive audience: "You take things for granted. Lovely home. Lovely life. A wife. A son. All the good things in life that you think you're owed. No reason to risk it, is there?" Dr. Martin "may be the first" on Patricia's radar of revenge - but he won't be the last.
Readers won't fail to discern the foundations of Patricia's choices and angst, either. The story covers the consequences of both as she plays a deadly game that dovetails the white lies of Lizzie (former assassin Lisette, turned private detective) and her business (Lizzie Vaughn Investigations). When Dr. Martin's widow contacts her for help to investigate whether her husband's death was murder or suicide (and, if a murder, by whom), Lizzie finds the case intriguing. She accepts the job even though she has other things going on in her life thanks to being monetarily comfortable; rescuing horses; and embarking on other ventures that lie well outside the realm of detective work.
A series of characters emerge to face challenges, from artist Isabella Ramirez, her young daughter Nina, and husband Wyatt Hanson. Their stories contribute to insights on the makings of a sociopath, and what that means for all involved. Deadly Choice spins an ever-thickening web of deceit, deception, and decisions. These will keep readers on their toes and guessing about possible outcomes.
Manning's ability to build exquisite tension by juxtaposing diverse lifestyles and characters creates a feel of rich discovery as deadly secrets and circumstances blossom. Patricia, too, has a vested interest in controlling the fates of others, cultivating insights on life-or-death situations which impact young and old alike. She seeks resolution on her own terms, blending psychological savvy with her own peculiar interests in others' lives: "...crazy fathers who kill their wives sometimes kill their kids as well before committing suicide."
Manning's use of the first person to more closely capture Patricia's logic and insights contrasts well with her choice of employing the third person to cover Lizzie's investigations and life. Chapter headings pinpoint these changing viewpoints, but almost aren't needed, due to the ease in which the first person and third person appear, making it crystal clear who is speaking and thinking.
From revenge and child-killing to mitigating the impact of deadly choices made by not one, but a variety of characters, Manning creates a perfect storm of creative insights. This lends her suspense story a delightful foundation of psychological depth. Personal ambition and ideals thus pair nicely with evolving threats, giving Deadly Choice a gripping countenance. Highly recommended for libraries interested in superior character development and interplays between characters that are not above deception and subterfuge, Deadly Choice is a real winner.
Once a Detective...
Larry Terhaar
Atmosphere Press
https://atmospherepress.com
9798891323247, $17.99 Paperback/$7.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Once-Detective-Larry-Terhaar/dp/B0D3WK6FZ9
In Once a Detective..., NYPD detective Dan Burnett faces retirement after failing his physical at age fifty-five. However, he is not ready to call it a day, so he takes the logical path of so many before him and becomes a private investigator. In this revised role, he may not be able to tap the camaraderie and force of the NYPD... but he does face a newfound independence that lends nicely to him being able to solve crimes unfettered by political or employment regimens.
Such is the case when Dan moves from assisting his new partner (who is teaching him about P.I. processes) to tackling his own case which the NYPD has all but abandoned: a woman who is obsessed with resolving her brother's mysterious death. The case dovetails with his vastly changed circumstances (not only has he escaped a desk job at the NYPD, but his wife has divorced him and he's moved onto his beloved sailboat) as Dan investigates a case where mounting debt and hidden secrets are exposed. None of this explains the murder - yet.
As Dan moves closer to a complex truth about relationships and financial realizations, he interacts with his adult daughter Hannah in different ways, faces moral and ethical quandaries about evolving a personal relationship with a client, and slowly comes to terms not only with the mystery, but too many unresolved elements in his own life.
As an author, Larry Terhaar excels in weaving mystery with personal growth and revelations. This approach gives his story the added flavor and value of unexpected insights and conclusions that many readers won't see coming. The heady mix of interpersonal and professional growth permeates the story, building an atmosphere that relies on more than intrigue alone to cement its attraction. Also present are forces of discovery, recovery, and transformation. Each push Dan beyond his established comfort zones and into new territory. All these facets create a detective story that stands out from the crowd. Once a Detective... is especially recommended for libraries seeking rich, multifaceted stories with characters whose personalities and personal conundrums are just as much a draw as the underlying problem and its challenges in solving it.
One of You
Lorie Lewis Ham
Mystery Rat's Books
https://www.mysteryrat.com
9798325667381, $14.99, PB, $2.99 Kindle, 278pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-You-District-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/B0D47JM9QZ
One of You is the second mystery in the Tower District Mystery series, which continues to be inspired by the atmosphere and culture of the Tower District of Fresno, California; here semi-fictionalized for the purposes of this story.
Newcomer Roxi Carlucci, a transplant inland from coastal California who has moved in with her P.I. cousin Stephen Carlucci, is adjusting this new milieu. To make ends meet, she both works with him and holds other jobs. All her endeavors coalesce when she finds a dead body shortly after her move, forcing her into the roles of fellow investigator and interested party.
Unexpectedly, her involvement in the first Tower Halloween Mysteryfest has led to this series of circumstances. This tests her newfound ability to solve murders, as well as complicating her intention of blending seamlessly into Fresno's community. Suddenly, Roxi is operating above and beyond her familiar roles. She makes inquiries that could lead her to the killer of cozy mystery writers, assessing motivations and involvements in the mystery writing world that place her at odds with her goal of blending in.
The result, like a picture-in-picture, operates as a mystery-within-mystery as Roxi navigates increasingly puzzling, dangerous territory armed only with an uncommon ability to piece together puzzles that lie somewhere between motive and relationship secrets.
Author Lorie Lewis Ham excels in crafting a cozy mystery that brings to life not just Roxi's personality and family relationships, but the Fresno community. Her injection of whodunit tips, attention to shifting writer's relationships (both psychological and political), and especially her ability to build tension based upon not just evolving revelations, but astute methods of connecting the dots, gives readers a satisfying, thoroughly engrossing experience.
Libraries seeking cozy mysteries that layer events with action and inspections that prompt readers to think about many possible outcomes will find One of You an outstanding series of twists and turns. It will keep readers delighted with the plot, characters, and especially the strongly realistic setting of Fresno's Tower District.
Point of Origin
Betta Ferrendelli
Independently Published
https://www.bettaferrendellibooks.com
9798329893663, $11.99, PB, 276pp
B0D64ZN9RX, $2.99, Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Point-Origin-Samantha-Church-Mystery/dp/B0D8KQ11YV
The seventh book in Betta Ferrendelli's wildly successful Samantha Church mystery series, Point of Origin, sees dogged investigative reporter Sam hot on the trail of arsonists who have killed her daughter's best friend. Family ties aside, Sam is bound and determined to halt the trail of fire and death that these particular arsonists have in mind - even if she must sacrifice important values along the way.
At this point, it should be cautioned that readers who harbor their own traumas from fire will receive exceptionally vivid fire descriptions as the story unfolds: Thick flames climbed into the night sky. Flashing lights from emergency vehicles produced a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors, made only more vibrant by the darkness. Fire engines hummed over a collection of men's voices, who were shouting to each other in deep, hurried tones, as they pushed, pulled and pointed two-and-a-half-inch-thick hoses, fat and heavy with water everywhere, soaking everything in its path. Water cascaded from one of the fire engines, drenching the rooftop of a single-family home. Despite the deluge, flames continued to shoot out the windows. The 'you are here' feel cultivated by Ferrendelli thus may not be for everyone - but mystery fans who do not harbor such limitations are in for a treat.
At every step of her investigation, Sam is proactive, creative, determined, and headed for trouble that, at times, is completely unpredictable. Part of the reason why the Samantha Church series has been so successful long-term lies in how Ferrendelli tailors each mystery, exposing more aspects of Sam's personality and motivations. Book 7 is no exception to this approach, providing newcomers and prior fans with a fluid blend of action and insight that keep Sam's case hot and her reactions on fire.
Shadowing Sam's efforts is the equally proficient prowess of an elusive perp whose penchant for fiery destruction receives close inspection through subtly shifting viewpoints integrated into Sam's investigative footsteps: The police activity managed to briefly take the attention of everyone standing on the street away from the fire to the old man being hustled into a squad car. One man in particular. He watched with barely an imperceptible smirk on his face as the police cars left the scene. He played with a Bic lighter in his pocket. He used the blue-colored ones and the Bic brand because it was easy to light and provided a steady flame. Ah. The elemental power of fire.
Sam also confronts the ghost of her late husband, as well as the lasting miracle that is the focal point of her world (besides her investigations): her daughter. The result is another compelling, evolving story that furthers Sam's career, experience, and ability to attract and investigate trouble even when it hits too close to home. With superbly developed tension and psychological revelations peppered throughout, Point of Origin displays the same powerful attractors as in previous Samantha Church stories.
Libraries, especially those that have seen ongoing patron interest in the prior series books, will find Point of Origin easy to recommend to individuals, and eminently suitable for mystery book clubs.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Sentinel's Daughter
Maria Ereni Dampman
Lickenpoodle Press
9781737177043, $24.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Sentinels-Daughter-Daughters-American-Revolution/dp/1737177048
The Sentinel's Daughter is the third novel in Maria Ereni Dampman's Daughters of the New American Revolution series, but this doesn't mean that it should be limited to prior series readers. In fact, it both compliments its predecessors and stands nicely alone as another cornerstone of future women's lives and challenges.
Set in 2046, the story opens with narrator Emma's experience of a blistering planetary heat that dictates protective gear and sparks the reflection that, should she die, her husband and brother will be in conflict over her choices and fate. She's a soldier on a mission, but also has recovered from past trauma in which her father conscripted her to marriage to a monster. However recovered she feels, this influence continues to resonate in present-day choices that drive her to assume different roles in life than she was raised to believe in.
From wresting control from the fists of her father to now fielding a pregnancy which portends vast changes for her people, Emma confronts a "life of fear," the transformative experiences of moving in unfamiliar directions through strange social, political, and psychological territory, and the mandate of being a figurehead of change.
Emma's perspective is not the only one cultivated in this story. Lady Consort Louise adds her insights and reflections into the bigger picture mix by confronting threats and cultivating protective responses to them. Trinity is driven by hate and a drive for redemption (There are many people I've met over the years that I've despised for one reason or another, but never have I hated someone more than I do our beloved Supreme Regent, Edward James Bellamy). Various characters involved in confrontation and rehabilitation all coalesce in a shifting world where ideals and adventures clash.
Maria Ereni Dampman includes just enough background references to assure that newcomers don't get lost and will enjoy an immediate feel of connection to this world and a kingdom's subjects. She spices the action with psychological twists and insights on past history and future motivation, giving the tale depth and rich flavors. Declan, Emma's partner in crime, who helped her expose political special interests in past adventures, also presents his perspective, enriching the tale with a sense of purpose and passion that results in thoroughly engrossing scenarios of transformation.
Equally rich are astute political insights which, for many a reader, will resonate with events unfolding in our modern, real-world times: How the people of this nation believe whatever they are told without question baffles me. I know that any form of dissension is considered treason and punishable by death, but is nobody capable of thinking for themselves? Declan and I exposed our government's lies, the Universal Church's greed, and detailed the human rights horror show that is the Purity Police, and yet few are willing to join us and fight for change. Everyone is so afraid that things will get worse that even those with nothing left to lose are reluctant to stand up against my tyrant father.
The result is a story that operates like fantasy, but embraces the feel of modern social challenges. These elements make The Sentinel's Daughter highly recommendable on many levels, and to a wide audience, whether the reader is interested in recovery from trauma, political twists, or psychological drives and connections. Libraries will also find it especially easy to recommend The Sentinel's Daughter to book clubs seeking a combination of vivid characterization, fast-paced, world-changing action, and discussions that embrace all kinds of shifting worldviews and issues, which connect to modern times and dilemmas.
Outbound: Islands in the Void
Richard M. Anderson
https://richardandersonauthor.com
Precocity Press
https://www.precocitypress.com
9798989830466, $19.95 Paperback/$9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Outbound-Islands-Void-Richard-Anderson/dp/B0D1C9H3R1
Outbound: Islands in the Void takes place in the year 2248, after climate disruptions have changed Earth. Humanity exists on both Earth and in space, including on Mars, and yet humans still grapple with basic issues and the same patterns of choice that led to the vast changes impacting Earth.
Readers needn't know rocket science in order to appreciate the hard sci-fi aspects of this journey. But they should cultivate the ability to view problems from disparate perspectives as engineers, visionaries, and reactionaries build sometimes-disparate pictures of the future, powered by adventure and options unprecedented in human history.
Readers also should cultivate an interest in interlocked characters whose individual lives, drives, and experiences influence outcomes, productivity, and personal initiative. The interconnected characters and stories neatly dovetail into a unified future in which the passion for development continues into space, impacting that environment in unpredictable ways.
From conundrums facing the newly constructed Ceres Island in space to issues of governing, building, and managing human endeavors under all kinds of environmental conditions, Richard M Anderson has put together an admirable series of scientific, political, and social interactions. Together, they form the nexus of a powerfully thought-provoking read.
Sci-fi readers who enjoy hard science juxtaposed with philosophical and social inspection, all powered by the action of individual and group choices, will find Outbound a compelling exploration. It also considers the process of accelerating growth and climate change impact. Set against scenarios of confrontation, contemplation, and action based on internal and external struggle, Outbound creates a milieu which will prompt readers to expand their personal definitions and perceptions of climate change and human impact.
Libraries that chose Outbound to enhance their sci-fi holdings will find these stories especially highly recommendable to book clubs of 'cli-fi' genre readers. The collection stands out from the crowd with its extraordinary settings and especially wide-ranging examination.
Time-Marked Warlock
Shami Stovall
https://sastovallauthor.com
Capital Station Books
9781957613710, $5.99, Kindle, 344pp
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Marked-Warlock-Chronos-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B0D9SW9D6L
Urban fantasy readers are in for a treat with Time-Marked Warlock, because P.I. detective work blends with magic, psychological trials, and action-packed scenarios to draw readers into a world marked by magic and mayhem.
When powerful PI warlock Adair Finch makes a grave error that results in the death of his beloved brother, he goes into hiding. Emotionally devastated and shaken, Adair is not only hiding from his PI and magical talents, but he turns his back on his place in the world to either recovery or remain in isolation for the rest of his life. Were it not for twelve-year-old witch Bree, who well knows his fame and decides she's the only one who can save her from a deadly assassin, that might have remained the case.
The issue is that Adair is now rusty and retired. Can he step back into his skills and his life enough to make a difference in hers?
Shami Stovall excels in writing that opens with a literal bang and embeds nonstop action into every experience: It was extremely important to note that Adair Finch woke at exactly 4:34 a.m. Someone was banging on his front door.
Readers receive a story spiced with the allure of wry ironic humor that emerges at unexpected moments of serious confrontation: DoorDash and Amazon had significantly cut down on his need to interact with magicless mortals. This added touch of the unexpected enhances the story from the start as Adair comes to realize that the plight of one young girl is actually connected to sinister events in the outside world that he'd missed while in his self-imposed isolation, struggling with grief.
Witch Bree, Kullthantarrick the Sneak (a fox), and others join his increasingly active investigations and participate in his life and new revelations about it, adding to the drama with strong characters that each operate outside the norms of experience and even magic. Adair serves not just as investigator and powerful mage, but as a teacher to his new charges as they all investigate the wellsprings of danger which have evolved since Adair's early retirement.
The action is solid, cemented in interplays between these characters and the shifting world around them. Readers who delight in the unexpected will appreciate the twists and turns this urban fantasy takes as it navigates Bree's challenge of becoming "the best warlock" herself, Adair's of fostering new relationships and strengths in the face of impossible challenges, and Kull's magical contribution to their efforts. As they sneak through situations that even lead them to steal from friends, the story sizzles with impact and action that draws readers into a variety of situations and scenarios that challenge each of the characters in different ways.
The overall strong characterization, intriguing portrait of this world, and contrast between the making of a new warlock and the remaking of an old one makes Time-Marked Warlock a top recommendation for libraries seeking novel urban fantasies that hold the ability to reach into general and non-fantasy-reading audiences and book club discussion groups alike.
The Poetry Shelf
Journey Bread
Ruth Thompson
Broadstone Books
https://www.broadstonebooks.com
9781956782776, $27.50
https://www.broadstonebooks.com/shop/p/journey-bread-new-selected-poems-by-ruth-thompson
Journey Bread is akin to taking a trip through time, space, and fantasy. Ruth Thompson details the spells, songs, incantations, and sometimes insanity of her life's journey. She revisits some published poems from the perspective of greater literary and psychological impact, and shares new ones. This narrative may be one reason why Journey Bread is so exciting in its scope, presentation and visions. The collection begins with the thought-provoking 'What the River Says':
Who cannot go straight will go crooked.
Who cannot stand will go bent.
Who cannot sing must speak in a whisper.
Who goes alone will hear voices.
It then delves into the past with 'In My Grandmother's Garden', where:
Under the lemon leaves I went to ground.
Headless fuchsias danced en pointe,
mad hibiscus spoke to me in tongues.
Consider this collection a presentation of 'mini-journeys' that come together to form a bigger picture. Consider Thompson's life journeys and reflections cultivated with the wisdom of hindsight to be windows into not just her life, but the moments of experience and pleasure which dovetail into a metaphysical and psychological journey replete with philosophical touches, as in 'Speaking of the Muse':
My Muse comes up behind me and says Honey
(she calls me honey)
you don't have a lot of time here.
Look! Here I am!
Dappled with oceans, furred with green and gold -
Honey, give me your full attention here!
Flavor insights and progressive experience with the overlay of family, fantasy, and nature for a sense of the powerful effect these free verses create for their readers. Libraries interested not only in modern poetry but in poetry as memoir will find Journey Bread a fine example of literary and autobiographical craft. It's more than worthy of acquisition, recommendation, and perhaps even book club attention from reading groups interested in works of deeper reflection on past, present, and future.
The Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Hollywood Remembered
Darwin Porter with Danforth Prince
Blood Moon Productions, Ltd.
www.bloodmoonproductions.com
9781936003921, $65.00, PB, 546pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Remembered-Glamour-Glitz-Triumph-Tragedy/dp/1936003929
Hollywood Remembered: Glamour, Glitz, Triumph, & Tragedy is a tribute to classic Hollywood, presenting an oversized coffee table celebration of some 500 pages of short stories inspired by Darwin Porter's long years as a Hollywood reporter.
The theme that unites them is Fame and its ironies - an art form, he argues, that's as unique as the American experience itself. Readers who enjoy classic films and previously "underground" stories about their actors will relish the revealing, candid comments and experiences described herein.
Concurrent with (once repressed) underground histories, it's an overview of Blood Moon Productions and its success as a bellwether of America's fascination with celebrities and their delightfully delicious intrigues. Its backlist of celebrity exposes (more than 50 of them) generated floods of tabloid flash worldwide during the decline of the entertainment industry's golden age.
Commentary on that adds to the poignancy of this "Deep in December" overview from a media pro. The account is packed with vintage black and white photos, movie stills, and then-headlining news inspired by Blood Moon's backlist and how its "discoveries" and points of view were replicated and reviewed within the pages of major newspapers around the world during the early Internet Age. Much of it was inspired by revelations that Porter, through Blood Moon, released (sometimes feverishly) after decades of concealment by the Hollywood "Establishment."
It also includes references to Darwin Porter's many up-close and indiscreet encounters with players within the industry. He was, for example, a decades-long acolyte of Marlene Dietrich, penning a roman-a-clef in the 1970s about her life and times that became "required reading" for aging actresses still frenziedly promoting their careers. His expose 'Raymond Burr: The Secret Life of Perry Mason' reviews the actor's achievements, his sudden fame in the Perry Mason syndicated series, and how he had to invent a fictional life as a heterosexual in order to mask his homosexuality.
As readers move through Hollywood Remembered, they will be struck by the compelling insider-ish tone of these stories, expressed with a voice which could only have come from a film historian who's been immersed - up close and personally - in the gossip genre since childhood. Much more than most Hollywood histories, biographies, or exposes, Hollywood Remembered assumes the allure of a personal diary and the heady giddiness of a gossip column.
Even the visuals (derived from hundreds of photos) illustrate how Hollywood was presented, marketed, and perceived. Throughout, it captures the passion of personalities whose efforts and achievements made Hollywood a subject of fascination for millions of 20th-century fans. Few other writers could have produced such a book. Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince have created a masterpiece of memory lane that walks readers into the lives and realities of film stars who, until now, were "undefined" even to classic film buffs.
All of this makes Hollywood Remembered a top acquisition for libraries devoted to media studies and film history. Hollywood Remembered is an overview (and celebration of) "the way we were" and an ode to once-flourishing belief systems now "Gone With the Wind." Even more, it's a tribute to the postwar concept of Fame as it thrived during the peak years of the American experience.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Your Past Can Set You Free
Karin Stettler with Maitra
Opening the Lotus Publishers
9798322639916, $23.00, PB, 326pp
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Past-Can-Set-Free/dp/B0CPDGJCGQ
Your Past Can Set You Free: How Insights From Past Lives Can Heal Current Issues translates (from German into English) the work of seer Maitra. She has the ability to not only reveal past life experiences, but to teach how to learn and grow from them, applying their lessons to present-day dilemmas.
Where other books about past life regression focus on the methods and understanding of past lives, Maitra draws important connections between her work and the healing opportunity it can represent to participants in the present. Important toolkits accompany each chapter, addressing such bigger-picture issues as tackling trauma, spiritual crisis, the experience of enslavement, and more.
Past trickles into present incarnations to affect personalities, perceptions, reactions to life, and objectives; but within these influences, healing opportunities arise that are connected to one's past life. Accompanying these revelations are in-depth examples of readings and results.
While self-help readers seeking the quick-and-dirty nitty-gritty of succinct writing may find the detail challenging to absorb, this level of analyzing readings and their progression and impact is key to fully understanding the nature of past life experiences and their lessons.
The toolkits that follow are highly effective and will especially please readers looking to apply past life experiences to their own growth: At times, Laura's mother was so controlling that her behavior verged on abusing her power. Sometimes, her behavior crossed the line into real abuse. Her daughter was in revolt and trying to find her power, without becoming like her mother. Our task, to own our power, is well defined by the dilemma of these two women: How do we take ownership of our power and exercise it, without being abusive or controlling?
These keys to applied past life knowledge are an essential part of this book's message - and why Your Past Can Set You Free is a standout above other more experiential coverages of past life regression. It's also why libraries strong in self-help, psychology, spirituality, and growth will find Your Past Can Set You Free important not just for collections covering any of these subjects, but as a recommendation to book clubs interested in lively discussion and debate material about how past experiences influences current perceptions and growth.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
www.midwestbookreview.com
Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
12424 Mill Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net
Copyright ©2001
Site design by Williams Writing, Editing &
Design