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Able Greenspan's Bookshelf
AI and Ada: Artificial Translation and Creation of Literature
Mark Seligman
First Hill Books
c/o Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839994371, $110.00, HC, 236pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/AI-Ada-Artificial-Translation-Literature/dp/1839994371
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ai-and-ada-mark-seligman/1146966831
Synopsis: Of special note is the Preface in "AI and Ada: Artificial Translation and Creation of Literature" that places the current AI explosion in the context of other technological cataclysms and recounts author Mark Seligman's personal (and not always deadly serious) AI journey.
Chapter One ("Extracting the Essence") assesses the potential of machine translation of literature, exploiting Vladimir Nabokov's hyperconscious literary art as a reference point.
Chapter Two ("Toward an Artificial Nabokov") goes on to speculate on possibilities for actual artificial creation of literature.
Chapter Three ("Large Literary Models? Intelligence and Language in the LLM Era") explains recent spectacular progress in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), as exemplified by Large Language Models like ChatGPT. On the way, the chapter ventures to tackle perennial questions ("What is intelligence?" "What is language?") and culminates in an assortment of striking demos.
Sendoff considers whether machines, while now arguably intelligent, can ever also gain sufficient sensation and emotion to create language art with other than borrowed depth - and, while viewing this development as likely all too soon, declines to despair on that account.
Critique: Exceptionally informative, impressively well written, organized and presented, "AI and Ada: Artificial Translation and Creation of Literature" by Mark Seligman will prove a fascinating and inherently interesting study that is as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking. Of special and particular noteworthy to readers with an interest in artificial intelligence and its growing impact on social communication, human creativity, the language arts. While a unique, timely, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and college/university library Artificial Intelligence, Creative Writing, Language and Semantics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "AI and Ada: Artificial Translation and Creation of Literature" from First Hill Books is also available in paperback (9781839994388, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.68, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Mark Seligman, PhD, is Founder, President, and CEO of Spoken Translation, Inc. In 1998, he organized the first speech translation system demonstrating broad coverage with acceptable quality. Mark also publishes on speech translation and cognitive science topics. (https://www.taus.net/resources/blog/author/mark-seligman)
Able Greenspan
Reviewer
Diane Donovan's Bookshelf
Bodaciously True & Totally Awesome Episode 1: Bad Boy
Chris Orcutt
Have Pen Will Travel
9781965999028, $19.99 Paperback/$35.99 Hardcover, $7.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bodaciously-True-Totally-Awesome-American-ebook/dp/B0G1LD717Q
Bodaciously True & Totally Awesome Episode 1: Bad Boy introduces a 9-book epic novel about American teens in the 1980s, setting the stage for future episodes that explore coming of age amongst the social and political climate of modern times. The first episode will be published in January 2026, with a new episode following about every 12 weeks.
Readers of coming-of-age stories will find this exploration quite different from the norm, which makes it a standout. Its hero, Avery "Ace" Craig, aims to capture the nuances of suburban teen life in the 80s in a fresh, original manner. Chris Orcutt succeeds in this goal by injecting elements of suspense, adventure, action, romance, and growth into the plot that dovetail nicely to flush out Ace's personality and times.
Another note about why this novel comes across so startlingly realistic is the mixtape culture and musical notes that invite readers to set their own stages for the story by playing the 1980s music referenced throughout as a way of turning printed word into a quasi-musical.
Indeed, the feel of a show is displayed through scene-setting devices that open with atmospheric notes:
Fade in. A blizzard rages, shrouding the landscape in a gray haze... Far in the distance, a shape approaches and Van Halen's "Eruption" begins to play, the otherworldly guitar solo rising in volume and drowning out the storm...It's February 1986, and as we zoom in on our hero, he's exulting in the bitter cold and the malevolent wind...
As Avery's personality and adventures unfold, the rich nature of these dramatic scenes introduces many unexpected moments. He's no ordinary teen, but hobnobs with political personalities, the rich, and forces beyond his generation's years and interests.
These intersect in a satisfying series of encounters in which Avery not just observes, but interacts with his world in a playful, often wryly humorous manner:
"Hello, Miss Shapely. You look terrific. You must do aerobics."
The corners of her lips form a faint smile. "Now, Mr. Craig. I've told you - it's Miss Shipley, not 'Miss Shapely.'"
Replete with student assemblies, trysts and field trips, musical notes and footnotes, and the return of Halley's Comet, the 1980s comes to life in a way few other novels could achieve as Avery propels readers on a journey packed with close encounters and revelations.
Libraries looking for coming-of-age stories that bring the 1980s to life, adopt literary devices atypical of the traditional Catcher in the Rye style of social inspection, and are filled with "you are here" moments that will spark those growing up during those years to relive the past will find Bodaciously True & Totally Awesome Episode 1: Bad Boy an outstanding choice.
Highly recommended for its "you are here" inspections and vivid encounters with all levels of society and propriety, Bodaciously True & Totally Awesome Episode 1: Bad Boy is a different coming-of-age novel that simmers with discovery.
Going to Zossen, or the Capitulation of Vasily Mikhailovich
A.V. Pankov
The 122 Home
9781919168463, $17.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FXYDPYVH
Going to Zossen, or the Capitulation of Vasily Mikhailovich is set in 1993, where an unemployed Soviet Navy veteran becomes the warden of a juvenile prison colony in a remote Arctic locale. For Vasily, the move from being a commander to entering prison service is a big move downward - but better than nothing. His stipend is for "getting the colony in working order," not caring about its young residents. And yet, care he does.
That's the crux upon which Going to Zossen evolves as Vasily seeks to improve the lives around him but discovers there is little support, either internally or externally, for his endeavors:
Vasily quickly allayed the train of negativity running through his head. They will respond and they will help, he thought. Just give them some time. Then you'll get your provisions. Then you'll get your paycheck. Everything will be fine.
Readers anticipating an action-packed adventure or a foray into Russian politics receive both, tempered by the moral, ethical, and social conundrums revealed as Soviet lives come under scrutiny:
The doctor had now left Vasily's scope of knowledge. And this was precisely his game; to engage in the woolly language that had already debased his hardworking countryfolk, deracinated them, made them invisible in their own country. It was language, above all, that had formed the frontier in the war happening around them, a vessel for the disruptive ideas that spread around their country like an untamed parasite. Heretofore-unheard lexicon acquiring such potency. Repression, independence, identity.
More so than most novels about Soviet experience, Going to Zossen uses personal conundrums and reflections to propel readers through the choices, sadness, and turmoil that permeates all levels of Russian society. These elements come to reflect Vasily's consciousness as he seeks to reinvent not only his career and future, but new possibilities for his wife and others around him.
College-level classrooms interested in Soviet literature and experience will find that A.V. Pankov captures, in a nutshell, the experience of an ordinary worker who finds himself injected into an extraordinary situation of responsibility and angst. They will especially appreciate how Pankov offers many opportunities to understand this nation and its people.
Hard-hitting connections between the character and other social impacts of political perception evolve in unexpected directions as one boy caught up in the mechanisms of rehoming and imprisonment forces Vasily to reconsider his loyalties and political connections:
'These snot-nosed bureaucrats. The amount of scat I've wiped up for them. If my batya could see what's come of this place ... They used to douse him with cold water in fifty-degree colds in those camps and he never mouthed a single unkind word about this country! I used to think it was a strange nobility the old generation possessed. Now I realise it was because they had a meaning - for their suffering, for everything. What do we have now? "Loans for shares", "market corrections", "The Plan". No loyalty, no respect. My dad was lucky not to live to seventy, he would have ended up like those pensioners in Krasnoyarsk: conned into signing away their apartments and then dumped down a well after having their throats slit. Fucking "democrats" ...'
The novel's passion, perception, and conundrums will reach out to embrace even readers who hold little familiarity and interest in Soviet affairs. No prior expertise is needed in order to walk alongside Vasily as he makes hard decisions, seeking to change a future which may prove immovable.
Libraries looking for hard-hitting literary examinations of politics, power, and individual strength will find it easy to highly recommend Going to Zossen for its consideration of democracy, the price of freedom, and the cost of choice.
Replete with thought-provoking moves and consequences throughout, Going to Zossen is the kind of story that will provoke avid book club discussions about the roots of complacency and responsibility. This will prove especially significant, given the challenging political landscapes of modern times.
Threads of Light
Leena Rentz
Riderentz LLC
9798999911384, $26.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Threads-Light-Leena-Rentz/dp/B0FN718FVJ
Threads of Light is a contemporary Christian novel that blends elements of romance and mystery for a thought-provoking foray. It probes life of Alexandria-Maria ("Alex") Ricci, whose faith follows her from Italy to the strange new world of New York and beyond.
Alex's involvement with a faith-based app draws her into alien worlds that ultimately test her mettle and convictions as she engages in a relationship with Rhys while fielding increasing concerns about the future:
This dinner was only the beginning. There were deeper currents at play here and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Storms brew when father Weston shows up, re-entering Rhys's life after a twenty-one-year absence, questioning Alex's relationship with his son and her intentions:
"You think a few months of dating means anything? I've seen women like you come and go. I'm telling you now, if you're not in this for the long haul, walk away."
Alex isn't just signing up for love. She's set to become involved in a family whose stormy connections are just starting to emerge.
Leena Rentz creates an outstanding story of challenge, discovery, and reconciling family threads and difficult personalities. As Alex becomes cognizant of just what kind of situation she's fallen into, the story spins an attractive, appealing set of subplots that revolve around catching a criminal and falling in love.
By juxtaposing the different personalities and characters with events that buffet their ideals and morals, Rentz produces a novel replete with psychological, social, and religious strengths that are all tested in novel ways.
Librarians and readers seeking clean stories that excel in their depictions of individuals who seek both connection and answers from life will find Threads of Light the perfect mix of intrigue, revelation, and insight. The story will keep them engrossed with characters whose lives are determined and strong individually as well as together:
She had known him as steady, protective, and quietly brilliant, but this was something else entirely. The intensity with which he moved between groups, aligning each part of the plan, was startling. He listened and redirected, made fast decisions, and when needed, he was ruthless. It was in these long hours that she understood how he had built so much from nothing. It wasn't luck. It was clarity, vision, and a refusal to let anything stand in his way.
Raining Robots Book One: A Boy and His D.O.G.
Jordan Hines with Jerri Hines
Hines Publishing
https://aboyandhisdog.blog
9798988668251, $18.00 Hardcover/$12.00 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Raining-Robots-Boy-D-G/dp/B0DFLN15GB
Raining Robots Book One: A Boy and His D.O.G. reaches middle grade to young adult sci-fi readers with an exciting plot that stems from imaginative games and creative storytelling sessions between Jordan Hines and his grandmother, Jerri Hines. This produces an ongoing saga about a boy and his unusual dog which opens with a familiar observation:
Every boy wants a dog. It has been a scientific fact since the beginning of time. Sure, I might not have ever read that in a book, but trust me, it's as true as the sky is blue because, well, I'm a boy, and I want a dog.
Raining Robots Book One: A Boy and His D.O.G. is anything but your typical boy-meets-dog story. Cyborgs, a Chief Councilor of the Luminal Vanguard, the resistance against the Consortium, and confrontations with malicious code, attacks, and enemies supercharge the boy/dog scenario to the point where the action and animal connections are thoroughly entwined and satisfyingly unpredictable.
Jordan Hines and his grandmother Jerri Hines produce a winning combination of science, aliens, action, and relationship-building confrontations. The young first-person narrator is engaging, the plot ripe with twists readers won't see coming, and the lure of a boy and his extraordinary D.O.G. is not only unpredictable, but often funny:
My mind raced with all sorts of wild scenarios before D.O.G. appeared for our training session. I imagined D.O.G. with sunglasses and a leather jacket. He would be known as Dog-nator, chewing bubblegum and kicking butt. Then, I pictured myself in the same outfit next to him. Boy, did we look cool.
Elementary-level libraries seeking a sci-fi tale that is vivid, creative, and thoroughly absorbing will want to highly recommend Raining Robots Book One: A Boy and His D.O.G. to young audiences. It's a standout, both for its creative plot and its down-to-earth characters and their evolving relationships.
Where the Heart Meets the Sea
Kimbra Drake
Bleecker Street Books
9798999354402, $5.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Where-Heart-Meets-Sea-Novel-ebook/dp/B0FTKHZHJD
Where the Heart Meets the Sea is a novel of Norwegian heritage, following the journey undertaken by Ella Nilsen in her late twenties to find her heritage and the parents she never knew.
The grandmother who raised her has never wanted to talk about them. When Hilda dies, Ella's inheritance from her includes a distant cottage on a remote Norwegian island. Her decision to pursue clues about her heritage clashes with townsman Leif Arnesen, who harbors his own grief about his family.
As Lief and Ella find themselves on similar paths of discovery, their lives entwine in unexpected ways that lead them into the past and contemplating a far different future than either anticipated.
As questions about drowning, death, and what really happened to their parents emerges, the community and family ties that have alienated each from the truth appears to shake them once again - this time from building connections that portend new possibilities.
Kimbra Drake's story may be predictable in building romantic connections, but is satisfyingly unpredictable in how they emerge. Both individuals become stranded in literal and metaphysical ways as each struggles differently to accept what they can and cannot change.
Attention is given to building each character, which adds a deep level of realistic events and reactions to the tale.
Libraries seeking a powerful story of heritage, the influence of past decisions on future generations, and what two individuals do when the truth emerges to change and challenge their lives will find Where the Heart Meets the Sea compelling. It's easy to recommend to women, in particular, who look for heartfelt stories of transformation and discovery.
The Truest Son of France
Patti Flinn
Gilded Orange Books
https://gildedorangebooks.com
9798986060095, $16.99 Print/$1.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Truest-France-Last-Favorites-Trilogy/dp/B0FTTP6R19
The Truest Son of France is the third book in the Last Favorite's Page series, and takes place as the French Revolution is coming to an end and the Reign of Terror is beginning. It concludes a trilogy dedicated to Louis-Benoit Zamor, opening in February of 1820 with a prologue where he lies on his deathbed reflecting on his life and the political events which buffeted it:
I've become a cautionary tale. A life lived - wrongly.
Destined to live alone and die in poverty, Louis-Benoit thinks he is "hell-bound" from at least one big mistake. These reflections lead to a history that dovetails nicely with the prior books in the series, expanding the events, circumstances, and choices that have led up to this point.
Patti Flinn creates a historical novel rich in insights on the times, from revolution and counter-revolutionary decisions and moves, to Zamor's sadness over losing one woman and his reflection on not just his choices, but value to others:
I have nothing to offer, and I don't like to fall short of expectation.
Zamor's search to find his family, the consequences of his actions, and questions of loyalty under changing regimes juxtapose personal endeavors and values with bigger-picture confrontations about these changing times.
Flinn writes with a hand heavy to incorporating emotional reactions to these historical events. This approach gives her story a compelling atmosphere that will attract even readers not normally interested in historical fiction or 1700s French affairs.
While The Truest Son of France can serve as a standalone novel, its strength lies in how it supports and expands the prior series titles. Ideally, it will be purchased and presented in light of its predecessors.
Librarians will want to highly recommend The Truest Son of France for its tone of struggle, change, and hope - a compelling message for modern times that book clubs, too, will find revealing.
The Artificial Elephant
Eric J. Hull
www.erichull.com
Independently Published
9798993235608, $4.99 (eBook), $15.99 (trade paperback)
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Elephant-stories-loss-magic/dp/B0G2GN32S4
The Artificial Elephant - Stories of Loss, Magic, and Hope collects stories of magic and struggle that excel in presenting diverse scenarios of the unexpected.
Take the opening story, "Deep Enough." Here Sarah has fought off a predator that is destined to regenerate when daylight arrives. Eric J. Hull's description of this dark realization and encounter embraces thought-provoking insights:
She stared at him, her head and heart aching. A hollow masculine echo, wooden form breathed with not-life and twisted into the shape of her desire. Was she so lonely then, out here with only her daughters and her craft, that she would risk it all? For this? For the company of a homunculus, grown from mandrake and witchweed? Clearly, she had been that lonely, that stupid.
As element of grief, rage, survival tactics, and dark magic move through Sarah's encounter and choices, readers are treated to a powerful juxtaposition between the dark side of magic and good intentions.
Can demon spirits be changed for the better? Sarah attempts to find out, and as readers follow her into the rabbit hole of difficult choices, issues of pride, power, and consequence emerge in an inviting consideration of mixed-up feelings and a surprising triumph.
Compare this with "Duet." Here, Sarah lives in a world that ice has covered, separating her from love and forcing her to revisit a frozen lake in hopes that life will somehow be different.
Dances begin and dances end.
As she finds unexpected ways to survive, a new safe haven emerges from the darkness.
These stories contrast with others such as "Gleaners" by C.M. Stultz and Eric J. Hull, which offers different viewpoints and perspectives.
The result is a commanding dance between survival tactics, revelations, magical realism, and shifting emotional and physical seasons and worldviews.
Libraries and readers seeking short stories filled with magic and life adaptations will love this intersection between fantasy and psychological realms. It sizzles with insight and survival tactics - perfect reading for modern times.
I (Think) I Want Out
Becky Whetstone, PhD
Health Communications, Inc.
https://hcibooks.com
9780757325397, $15.73 Paperback/$45.20 Audio/$12.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Think-Want-Out-Wants-Marriage/dp/0757325394
I (Think) I Want Out: What to Do When One of You Wants to End Your Marriage addresses marital crises, decision-making processes, and how to dissolve a connection financially, emotionally, and socially. This is the item of choice for anyone contemplating ending their marriage.
More so than most books about couples in crisis, it addresses the nuts and bolts of dissolution, from the basic question of "should I stay or should I leave" to how to make either happen.
Dr. Whetstone tackles common issues and challenges in a manner that encourages self-help and insights, requiring readers to be willing to address their own prejudices, assumptions, and personalities in the process of making decisions:
The question the Leaning-In partner should ask is "Knowing what I do now and that what I may learn in the future may affect the outcome of this marriage crisis, am I willing to be proactive in my self-care and address the issues I have not yet addressed in my life?" This question and the answer will weigh heavily in the days and months to come. My advice to you is to get to work, and don't ever stop.
This places the onus as much on the decision-making person as the partner facing the consequences of behaviors and choices.
Exercises and worksheets reinforce this guide's self-help component, creating opportunities for self-analysis, reflection, and insight that help readers understand the roots of marital discord, what can be fixed and what is perhaps unfixable, and how to separate peacefully (if that is the ultimate conclusion).
Librarians and readers seeking books about martial assessment, dissolution, and self-help receive an important key to better understanding the progression of a marriage over its rockiest moments. Filled with important insights on how families can function in healthier ways, both together and apart, I (Think) I Want Out ideally should become part of psychology and reader discussion groups, to be referenced by married couples no matter their status long before the question of exiting arises.
Emma Madison, Master Meddler
Patricia Michener
CML Publishing
www.emmamadison.ca
9781738198702, $19.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Madison-Master-Meddler-McDermott-Michener/dp/1738198707
Emma Madison, Master Meddler is a novel driven by powerful characters and interesting dilemmas that centers on widow Emma Madison and the small town shaken by the return of her scandalous niece, Jasmine Holmes.
Patricia Michener involves readers in Emma's previously-charmed life from the novel's opening lines:
It seemed for a long time her life had been blessedly peaceful and trouble-free. In view of her advanced age, though, Emma Madison slowly became suspicious of such good luck. Some sixth sense was warning her, telling her to prepare for a bump in the road. Nothing too serious, she hoped. She guessed it might be an illness, or an accident.
Historic houses, intrigue, and lovely descriptions permeate the story to bring Emma, Jasmine, and a host of characters to life:
Jasmine could see how such a house might sink into your bones. When this happened over successive generations, she thought, the distinction between the owner and what was owned would fade. Soon the house might possess you, its needs fashion yours, and to a greater or lesser extent, it could devour you.
Romance blends into the history as Emma advises Jasmine that "love will find a way" even though Jasmine's experience tells her that "fairy tales don't come true." Who is right? As the story unfolds, it turns out that both of them are correct.
Michener's attention to building powerful female protagonists whose interests and growth dovetail and contrast with one another creates a wonderful story that is involving, thought-provoking, and adventurous, all in one.
As families grow and information is absorbed, the happiness, struggles, and discoveries made about fate, happenstance, and the normal twists and turns of life evolve into a rich tale of explorations of love, discovery, and connection.
Readers are hungry for the type of engagement this book offers.
Libraries seeking an epic historical romance novel couched in the experiences of already-strong women who take charge of their lives, decisions, and trajectories will find much to highly recommend in Emma Madison, Master Meddler. It's a tale replete with twists, changes, and revelations that will move readers to contemplate the impact of the past on present-day affairs and new possibilities.
Deadly Gold Rush
Landis Wade
www.landiswade.com
Lystra Books
9798992136357, $18.95 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTNX22GY
Deadly Gold Rush, An Indie Retirement Mystery depicts a wild ride through Charlotte's gold rush history, but opens with a murder and odd phone instructions on how to dispose of a body. This sets the stage for the second chapter, which opens with lawyer Craig Travail's receipt of an odd email message threatening his friends.
It's the anniversary of three years since he lost his love Rachel, and despite filling his days with the crimes, court cases, and historic mysteries Harriet, Yeager, and he have navigated since he arrived at the Indie, Travail feels empty. Perhaps the latest conundrum will provide more connections for him. The email threatening his loved ones pulls him from his grief to enter a new mystery in which old threats and new situations coalesce to provide yet another intriguing scenario.
Landis Wade takes North Carolina history and uses it as a powerful backdrop for present-day discovery as Craig navigates new worlds, from murder to making landscaping choices for his new residence.
Yeager, Harriet, and Craig join forces in a brutal examination of their homes, community, and the forces that lead to murder as forged coins, court proceedings, and the future of the Independence Retirement Community introduce new challenges to life.
The promise of treasure that emerges, and then vanishes, blends with the promise of redemption and healing that does the same as three disparate sleuths find their futures entwined with the past in their deadly search for truth and justice. As possible appraisal fraud and other accusations emerge from the fray, readers receive a cat-and-mouse game of special interests and dangerous decisions that keeps the action swift, the characters realistic, and the tension ever-rising.
Libraries and readers seeking a blend of legal thriller and historical murder mystery delivered with a firm sense of a North Carolina community and people whose lives teeter on the edge of vast changes will find Deadly Gold Rush a compelling story that keeps readers guessing to the end.
Filled with unexpected twists and challenges of heart, ethics, and soul, Deadly Gold Rush is a satisfyingly complex entwining of events and personalities that proves hard to put down.
What It All Means: Book 1
Ralph Riccie
Independently Published
https://www.whatitallmeansbooks.com
9798999002105, $14/.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/What-Means-Book-Ralph-Riccie/dp/B0FKN9B9DB
After a person falls asleep, they are only aware of having fallen asleep when they wake up.
"Damn, it's the same shit when you die," was Millie's first thought.
The first book in a planned trilogy, What It All Means should have opened with this hard-hitting passage, because though Ralph Riccie builds a fine introduction of a selfish mother, unhappy wife, and adulteress sending her son Robbie to school before succumbing to the lure of wine, a bottle of pills, and a bath, the power of this introduction commands readers to want to learn more.
Millie becomes a ghost observing the aftermath of her last choice. This leads to various reflections about what people do with their lives, how to reach her son Robbie through dreams, and the revelation that the dead do talk to the living in various ways.
Advised to become "the best version of her earthly self" before attempting to contact or help her son, Millie undergoes a sea change in attitude with the help of, in effect, a guidance counselor who leads her to consider her choices and emotions in a new light.
Libraries and readers interested in novels about suicide and its aftermath will find What It All Means: Book 1 insightful, potentially triggering (for those with trauma over a loved one's demise), and thoroughly engrossing as Millie begins a process of self-discovery that can lead to new things even when all seems lost and done.
The story's ability to raise further questions about choice and consequence makes for a powerful account of new beginnings, new attitudes, and the ability of one special boy to make a difference. As Robbie grows up with newfound knowledge and abilities, so he, too, holds the power to change the world by his choices.
Astute, hard-hitting, and holding the power to provoke book club discussions and debates, What It All Means: Book 1 is a winning story of redemption, new beginnings, and changing old patterns that winds a tale of the afterlife into something greater than ghosts.
Tee Ball: Myths & Solutions
Marty Schupak
MartySchupak.com
Schupak Sports
9798993541501, $14.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Myths-Solutions-Marty-Schupak/dp/B0G1L8ZP28
Tee Ball: Myths & Solutions is a guide that tee ball coaches will want to pick up and run with. It reflects author Marty Schupak's thirty years of coaching experience, providing specific insights about the sport that don't involve rigid schedules, mindsets, or approaches. Indeed, one of the refreshingly unique aspects of this coach's guide is that it invites innovation from its opening lines:
If this is your first step into the world of tee ball - or even your third season - you'll walk away from this book a better coach. That, I guarantee. You might not agree with every word. Good. Think, challenge, invent. Carve your own coaching path.
Schupak begins with ten myths that plague tee ball coaches, dispelling them with realities and alternative thinking that lend to not just better coaching, but better playing. He infuses these guidelines and insights with the kind of joy he urges coaches to pass on to their kids. This, too, sets Tee Ball: Myths & Solutions apart from the usual coaching guide that focuses on strategizing and winning alone (though these goals are, of course, a part of the learning process and game, and are also covered in depth here).
That joy is reflected even in the instructions on how coaches can build a foundation of achievement in their young charges:
I love this drill and begin with the fielders using only their bare hands. Afterward, we transition to gloves. This is a one-skill drill, focusing solely on catching. After making the catch, the player simply flips the ball aside without throwing it.
As chapters progress, parents and novice coaches receive a wealth of ideas on how to capture and impart the joy of tee ball to all ages. Diagrams and comments compliment the advice, discussing teaching options that typical coaches may not consider:
Remember what I said earlier: if you continue to coach baseball or softball, practice baserunning. Most coaches won't, and this is your chance to get a competitive edge.
Libraries and readers interested in books about not just coaching kids and teams, but building opportunities for finding joy and achievement in tee ball, will welcome how enthusiastically and specifically Tee Ball: Myths & Solutions approaches its subject.
Filled with examples, illustrations, and uplifting success stories, Marty Schupak doesn't just incorporate, but embraces the standards and approaches that build teams and joy into the sport. These attributes make Tee Ball: Myths & Solutions a fervent winner in a playing field replete with less passionate coverages.
Without a Shadow of a Doubt
Kathleen Bailey
www.kathleenbaileyauthor.com
Rhino Publishing
9781956270181, $31.99 Hardcover/$19.99 Paperback/$6.99eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Without-Shadow-Doubt-Olivia-Mystery/dp/1956270183
Without a Shadow of a Doubt is an Olivia Penn mystery that opens with the specter of two brutish men squaring off for a midday duel with ax, claymore, and shield in the small town of Apple Station. The Highland Games are here! But they introduce an unexpected side dish of murder, pulling advice columnist Olivia Penn away from her quiet small-town world and into an investigation that leads her to consider motives of historic proportions.
As the mystery unfolds, so does history and family secrets, making the plot fast-paced and satisfyingly unpredictable. Olivia navigates town personalities, secrets, and clues that hit too close to home as she once again falls into a quandary that becomes too personal for comfort, as in the previous four mysteries she tackled in the past.
As an ex-beat reporter, Olivia has the skills to probe deeply into a given situation, but in her new job as an advice columnist, she'd hoped to remove herself from danger and deadly confrontations. Instead, her openness to doing something completely different professionally dovetails with her nose for trouble as family tartans, the Highland Games that opened the saga, and further entanglements lead her straight into the kind of danger she was hoping to avoid for the rest of her life.
Kathleen Bailey creates an intriguing mystery that moves among small-town residents with a quick step, yet leaves no reader behind as the clues unfold and the puzzle deepens. She builds Olivia's past, present, and possible future in a way that keeps readers engaged in not just the mystery, but the outcome of Olivia's changes, adding delightful possibilities that engage readers in Olivia's thought processes as she speculates on possible perps, motivations, and outcomes:
What if the shots, the missing gun, and the wreck were all part of an elaborate setup? She imagined the sequence of events: Mack went to Fiona's house late at night, then supposedly found himself on the wrong side of a gun. Later, he wrecked his car, perhaps to make it look like he'd been injured. But then, where was he? Could he be hiding? Was he covering up a crime, buying himself time?
This approach will delight mystery fans who will enjoy the blend of Scottish connections, small town attitudes and actions, and a murder that raises further questions about a wide range of characters - including the protagonist.
Libraries and readers seeking mysteries that include cozy small-town settings, horses, cats, and other animals, evolving family connections, and historical backdrops will find Without a Shadow of a Doubt a powerful draw. It promises and delivers an outstanding consideration of not just motives for murder, but the impact of treasure and family secrets on the greater community.
Hypocrisy
A.J. Thibault
Independently Published
9798268900415, $13.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Hypocrisy-J-Thibault/dp/B0FV94VYP7
Hypocrisy is a sci-fi thriller about deception, a trio of unlikely investigators, and an experience that blends alien technology with a deeper consideration of whether or not humanity is worth saving. More so than most books, it doesn't just cross genres, but breaks boundaries and forges new territory to attract a wide audience, from readers of thrillers and espionage sagas to sci-fi enthusiasts of near-future scenarios who appreciate cat-and-mouse intrigue in their plots.
The story opens in the first person with counterintelligence agent Che Anaconda discussing the "big lie" that dominates his world, and how it evolved. The truth involves individuals with remarkable, seemingly magical powers, a portal, and the realization that those in power who have buried knowledge and an impossible truth can no longer keep the lid on the presence of ultradimensional beings.
This is a world of directed energy weaponry, laundry robots, and futuristic daily life that has managed to evade some important revelations and truths. Much like our own, this future scenario is managed by those who have a vested interest in lies. Their motivations are elusive and important as the truth unfolds.
Scientist Alen Innocent takes center stage as his world dissolves. His intimate impression of what unfolds before him in various ways is transmitted through reflections vividly attached to emotional response:
It was haunting. Beautiful. Terrifying.
This keeps readers thoroughly engaged in not just events and conundrums, but atmospheric and cultural impacts as Alen navigates strange new worlds and relationships changed by his sudden appearance and newfound knowledge:
"I need to take her back home."
"Home. Where exactly is that Alen?" Charisma asked, her voice low and sharp. "Where is home now? You vanish for sixteen years. No calls. No email. Call yourself her uncle and guardian, and now you think you can just waltz in and whisk her away?"
"She can't stay here," Alen said. "It's too dangerous. For her. For you. For everyone."
As issues of humanity's amnesia, denial, and motivations emerge, readers will appreciate reviewing new interpretations of humanity's origins and future through Alen and CIA asset Charisma's eyes as they struggle to effect change and find places for themselves in a dangerous new environment.
A.J. Thibault blends futuristic sci-fi and intrigue so delightfully that readers of either genre will be drawn into a thoroughly unpredictable plot. Hypocrisy simmers with tension, unexpected confrontations, and new realizations that add satisfying twists just when an outcome seems inevitable.
Librarians and readers seeking crossover blends of thriller and sci-fi which do an extraordinarily good job of incorporating elements of both genres will delight in Hypocrisy's ability to dovetail all this with bigger-picture thinking about social denial and humanity's future choices. What is real and what is illusion? The truth sometimes evades even the most astute investigator. The result is a story hard to put down or predict - thoroughly engrossing.
Crimson Mirage
Babujee
Independently Published
9798262852826, $14.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Mirage-Red-Road-Romance/dp/B0FP97MPW7
Readers of Indian literature will find Crimson Mirage: A Red Road to Romance an engrossing story of small town young man Manush's journey to college in hectic big-city Calcutta, where he finds himself a stranger in a world both familiar and alien.
The story opens with a mountain meditation experience in which Manush has a vision of murder and his involvement in another's death, and is forced to confront his role in the outcome of these tragic events:
"Stop fooling yourself. Open your eyes. All your life, you've been deceiving even yourself. See where it has taken you. You've just killed somebody."
Invited by his (dead) friend to "wash away the darkness," Manush's vivid nightmare of the first blood he's seen spilled in a growing battle invades his waking life in Chapter 2, reviewing a scenario where he went from initial dreams of changing the world to confronting the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a federal counter-insurgency paramilitary force, with deadly results.
The mandate to create destruction and chaos to grow a better world has failed, leading Manush into alluring but terrifying undercurrents in Calcutta which twist his beliefs and passion while enticing him with love and revised possibilities for his future and society as a whole.
Although Crimson Mirage's cultural and political milieu will be new to most American readers, the story touches on the universal human emotions and experiences that makes it understandable and touches the heart. Thus, American readers will find Manush's experiences and trajectory understandable even if they have little prior familiarity with India's social and political history. Babujee crafts the story with an emotional draw that requires little of readers other than the ability to absorb and understand how a boy from a smaller town with the best of intentions becomes involved in dangerous undercurrents of violence and revolution in the big city.
The emotional turmoil and ultimate spiritual disintegration of the protagonist is another prominent theme in the story.
Political ideals struggle against the reality of death:
"When India is liberated, everyone will know of the brave fight these comrades put up against the landowners. They'll be the beacon of revolutions for centuries to come."
Babujee also holds an extraordinary ability to pinpoint some of the undercurrents of social angst that buffet his character above and beyond political clashes:
INSURANCE AGENTS HAVE THE COMBINED STALKING POWER of lice and leeches. No matter how much one tries, one cannot shake them off. They nourish and fatten themselves on clients' premiums no matter what.
From trying new things to acting on his passion, Manush grows to maturity amidst a stormy backdrop of revolution and inner change. His readers grow with him, coming to better understand both the sentiments and influences of society and a young man's coming of age to find his place within it as he buries secrets and enters a new life, only to find the past rising to confront him from unexpected places.
Librarians and readers that choose Crimson Mirage will appreciate how Indian society, politics, and individual pursuits come to life under Babujee's hand. The novel is replete with insights that will also lend nicely to book club discussion, making it a top recommendation for libraries seeking a multifaceted story of transformation and confrontation:
He did not know where he was heading or how long it would take him to get there. Still, he could not get out of the deadly cloud that had cocooned him.
Bad Americans: Part II
Tejas Desai
http://tejas-desai.com
The New Wei, LLC
9781734727869, $19.99
Bad Americans: Part II, the second in a two-part anthology novel of stories and the third volume of the Human Tragedy series, returns to the scene of the summer of 2020 when the Covid pandemic raged and a reclusive billionaire calls twelve diverse people to his mansion, each tasked with telling one story per night. This second volume presents the next six of these tales as, by the end of the first collection, six nights have passed.
The setting of Bad Americans: Part II is reminiscent of the Middle Eastern classic the One Thousand and One Nights, albeit with a contemporary twist on storytelling. It depicts a human experience that centers around a shut-in situation and the despair and diversity of individuals placed in impossible situations in more ways than one.
Love, secrets, and mishaps permeate experiences which open with Lisa, who struggles with issues of individual and group failure, revenge, justice, and the aftermath of an assault.
Khassan, the latest chosen storyteller despite Lisa's perception of all the storms he has created within the group, enters the fray with controversy as group dynamics among animals and humans are contemplated and the group divides over various conflicts and issues.
Ideally, readers will have prior familiarity with Bad Americans: Part I, because these books evolve in lockstep, building upon a foundation of relationships, social inspections, and currents of understanding between characters. They expand here to explore new territory as the characters and their stories change.
Each story is wildly diverse, from reformed prostitutes and killers of women to tales that trigger listeners and participants in various ways. These microcosms of humanity pose threats to one another in different ways, reinforced by the stories which emerge from their experiences, attractions, and the sordid lives of a struggling humanity.
While each story links to the other, its storyteller, and the group in a different way, it also reflects aspects of the human condition pre-Covid that lead to greater understanding of the psychological trials endured by those locked down in more than one way.
Tejas Desai's contemporary masterpiece of social inspection and literary achievement is highly recommended for readers of the prior volume, and for libraries looking for exceptional collections of short experiences that encourage book club or group discussion. Poems are injected into the dialogue and stories to add interesting contrasts.
Each character's story, life, and their perspective dovetails nicely with the rich events and past experience that has influenced how they came to be in this mansion today. Each tale provides a jumping-off point for greater reflections on the human condition and choices that drive struggle, change, and adaptation. These include reflections that the stories may be taking the form of real life in unexpected ways:
She hoped reality wouldn't mirror her story, but she wasn't sure. Was it inevitable?
Suitable for group discussion, library acquisition, and prompting discourses on social issues, Bad Americans: Part II is a strong study in violence, redemption, and repression that lingers in the mind long after the stories unfold.
Bloom Again
Marybeth Holleman
www.marybethholleman.com
University of Alaska Press
https://upcolorado.com/university-of-alaska-press
University Press of Colorado, dist.
9781646427062, $84.05 Hardcover/$21.95 Paperback/$17.95 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bloom-Again-Novel-Alaska-Literary/dp/1646427068
Bloom Again opens with Elyse unloading her cart in the grocery store. An art show is coming up that she's ill-prepared for, her adult children are set to visit, and Elyse is struggling with dire environmental news that portends the end of polar bears.
Her connections to nature and the dreams she's embraced are part of her life in Alaska.
Her distant friend Astrid, now a paleobotany professor in North Carolina, holds similar connections to nature and the world - but from a different vantage point and in a different state.
When both find their worlds shaken by evolving new situations, each recall their childhood connections to nature and each other. They take different leaps of faith and change to confront the forces that threaten the world of their past, which they'd taken for granted would always be around them.
Marybeth Holleman's ethereal story of challenge, rejuvenation, and shifting purposes juxtaposes the lives of these two women with the nature surrounding them. Descriptions of these worlds and connections are evocative: "...the boundaries between her, the pine, and the sky dissolve like wisps of a magician's smoke."
As an artist, Elyse finds new purpose in depicting this loss of nature and connection in her work:
"This," she says after a long but not uncomfortable silence, "this is what I want to reveal with my paintings...the place, but what's beneath that, what it means. This unnatural death. It is so hidden, so abstract, to the rest of the world. If I could make it more tangible, then the world might wake up and do something."
As she surveys the wellsprings of power in nature (which humans are destroying) and comes up with a way of addressing and reflecting these events to add meaning to her art, Elyse discovers that she has effectively changed her own world in the pursuit of changing others.
Astrid, too, finds herself involved with polar bears and environmental issues that include the requirement for her to step up and change in different ways.
Holleman's contrast between these two women, their childhood and adult connections, and the blossoming climate change issues that embrace and redirect their lives makes for a thought-provoking, suggestive novel of transformation and renewed purposes. Bloom Again deserves attention not just from individual readers, but book clubs and discussion groups interested in literary fiction that embraces environmental issues and personal responsibility.
Librarians and readers seeking stories that offer bigger picture revelations about the effect of climate and habitat on their everyday lives and choices will find Bloom Again's special brand of literary presentation and social inspection to be a potent blend of idealism and practical approaches to making a difference in the world.
Its special brand of wonder, transformation, and life-changing adaptations and actions makes for an encouraging story of hope:
The tusks, their lines, reminders of all the life that has lived on this planet, all the beautiful things gone. And all the beauty that remains.
Playgrounds & Battlegrounds: 4 Novellas
Robert Scott Leyse
https://robertscottleyse.com
ShatterColors Press
9780982171080, $15.95
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Playgrounds-Battlegrounds-Robert-Scott-Leyse/dp/0982171080
Playgrounds & Battlegrounds: 4 Novellas appears, along with a bonus story ("Why Waste English Setters on Dog Shows?"), to present urban adventure and unrest that evolve on disparate playing fields. Characters facing altered situations based on seemingly simple decisions or reactions come to life in these inspections of place, circumstance, and action.
Take the first novella, "Nighttime Euphoria and the Field of Reeds, or One Can Get Away with What One Dares." Here, law-abiding homeowner and working citizen Perry is out on the town in late July in Manhattan, intent on having the time of his life with new friend Akila. They're building a sense of adventure together, when his wild evening out turns into a series of reflections on love and danger.
Dialogues between the two embrace visions, dreams, and different forms of frolic in New York as sexually charged experiences move into workplace efforts where the protagonist "has no intention of sacrificing freedom on the altar of promotion."
Contrast this escapade with the second novella, "Playgrounds & Battlegrounds," in which Steve wanders the streets of Manhattan at night after a Puerto Rican adventure, searching for something similarly invigorating. He's enamored of the contrast between these vastly different worlds:
Manhattan's streets juxtaposed with the sea and tropics - Puerto Rico's uncaring calm giving way to wariness, stress, strife.
Each novella captures a moment in time where life shifts, contrasting New York with Puerto Rico, work and play, love and death, and new possibilities that emerge from adventures domestic and foreign. Each builds contrast and interest upon a foundation of experience which leads Steve, Perry, and others around them into shenanigans and realizations involving the ad industry, life, and risky connections.
The novellas are replete with social and psychological inspections that will especially attract and interest readers interested in thought-provoking considerations of responsibility, social expectation, and living life to its fullest - crazy or not.
The result is a collection that librarians interested in literary works of social contrast will find especially easy to highly recommend to novella readers interested in stories about identity and risk.
Filled with enlightening and fiery moments of contemplation and discovery, Playgrounds & Battlegrounds demonstrates how thin the line is between work, play, and revolutionary life changes - and how characters who dance between these worlds wind up in circumstances that alter their life trajectories.
Humphrey's Hum
Sophie Hyndman
Barleyfrog Books
https://barleyfrogbooks.com
9781068781100, $10.50 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Humphreys-Hum-Sophie-Hyndman/dp/1068781106
Humphrey's Hum envisions what happens when Humphrey is happy and hums, offering picture book readers a fine connection between musical output and activity.
Humphrey is always busy, and he's always humming as his day unfolds. One day he finds himself frustrated with his many ambitious projects. He is frustrated until he identifies the block to his creative talent - he has no hum.
What develops next is a lovely musical note that links activity, achievement, and rituals that reinforce and support creative output.
Sophie Hyndman's lively, appealing story will attract a wide audience of young readers who will find Humphrey's dilemma unusual, appealing, and filled with insights about supporting one's creative process.
The colorful pictures throughout offer many considerations of humming, searching for one's lost muse, and growing into one's talents. This will prove delightful for adults reading Humphrey's Hum to the very young, as well as new readers pursuing stories about inspirational output.
Elementary-level libraries that choose Humphrey's Hum will find the tale colorful, revealing, and suitable for individual pursuit, family time, or group listening.
Vold Book's Oceans of Curtains
John T. Trautman
Vold Book
https://www.oceansofcurtains.com
9798999752208, $18.99 Paperback/$2.99 ebook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-T.-Trautman/author/B0FVJFJ6DH
Vold Book's Oceans of Curtains is a multimedia blend of book and accompanying music to be enjoyed as the book is read, and features original compositions by John T. Trautman which are excellent garnishes to a novel set to music. In effect, the result is an audiobook that tantalizes the eye with print and the ear with compositions written and performed by the author.
Set the ethereal music to play in the background, then pursue reading the chapters.
"I am all that hath been, and is, and shall be..." The story opens with an echoing, commanding audio statement that follows an instrumental introduction.
Drama is built into the music, heightening the listening experience of a story which opens with lovers Pandara and Koravo's discovery of a book which depicts their present and portends the future.
The audio's narrator is as vivid and ethereal as the music that creates the background. At times, the music volume threatens to overcome the narrator's clarity - but that's only because voice and music prove equal in strength. Were the music a tad lower, the voice might be a bit clearer, but the end result is a high-impact listen.
As the book is written, Pandora and Koravo are "pulled into the book for a lifetime" - as are readers who will quickly become enchanted by its audio descriptions.
The story itself adopts the tone of magical realism with a science fictional backdrop as it pursues bigger picture events surrounding leadership, servitude, and a mystery over a great explorer and philosopher.
The wisdom the characters uncover through their journey, a mysterious book, and events which push them into new realizations and discoveries about the world and each other makes for thought-provoking reading, especially when enhanced by narrator and emphasized by musical drama:
"Here I am, on the precipice of discovery. I don't know what I will find at the top of this mountain, but I know that I am on the right and noble path. The question that has driven me: how to free the universe of suffering, has led me to this juncture. I stand humbled and amazed that all who came before me helped me in the ways that they did. I feel as though a spectator, watching myself make the choices that have resulted in this eve of finality."
Ignited with the flame of musical embellishment and emphasis, Vold Book's Oceans of Curtains is best enjoyed in its audio format, though the book itself can be a standalone read sans audio support. The passion of events, characters, and philosophical inspections of moral and political threats to ways of life is captured by the narrator and music so seamlessly that the slower pace set by audio listening (versus, perhaps, a speed reading ability by a reader) becomes almost a requirement for the complete appreciation of the story's premise.
Libraries interested in engaging audio books will find Vold Book's Oceans of Curtains not only a fine acquisition, but a surprisingly powerful recommendation for book clubs that may be open to considering audio books.
If only one example of a superior audio book were to be chosen for illustration of its special strengths, it should be Vold Book's Oceans of Curtains.
More so than most, Vold Book's Oceans of Curtains is a fine example of the power of audio, when properly paired with appropriate music and narrator, to not just enhance, but supercharge the experience of understanding the book's important narrative.
In the Wrath of Legends
David Buzan
www.davidbuzan.com
Black Rose Writing
www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685137199, $24.95 Hardcover/$18.95 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Wrath-Legends-David-Buzan/dp/1685137199
In the Wrath of Legends is Book 2 in The Winterhawk Saga series, a historical crime thriller that excels in a fast-paced story. It follows Chenoa Winterhawk, a member of Oregon's U.S. Army Indian Scouts charged with protecting travelers on their journey through the wilderness.
Chenoa is bound to two very different worlds. As the daughter of an Indian Chief, she is well aware of the injustices brought upon the Nez Perce even as she is charged with protecting a white military leader carrying a mining map of an underground river hidden deep inside the Blue Mountains. When the group is ambushed by a rogue Army led by a traitor from her past who is determined to destroy her, Chenoa discovers that what she is fighting against may include truth, legends, and matters of her own heart and alliances.
As the story unfolds, other characters step up to introduce their own conflicts over special interests and the status quo:
"Must I remind you, that this same government of yours has already threatened to deport your own halfbreed daughter? Your people care very much about themselves, but very little of those who might be shaded differently."
"The entire Civil War contradicts that statement."
"Yet, the genocide against my own people affirms it."
"Are you referring to the same tribe that you're now planning on murdering? Is drowning innocent people how you make restitutions for their past treatment?"
"I have my reasons," Akando answered coldly.
The questions that arise in the course of determining or cementing alliances provides thought-provoking historical insights to readers as the characters face torture, courage, confrontations, and bigger-picture thinking about the status and future of Indians in the U.S.
David Buzan crafts an evocative story that rests on the shoulders of a female warrior whose enemies are not as straightforward as she'd initially presumed. The injection of supernatural forces as well as life-changing influences from the past creates a novel rich in battles that also inject historical precedent complexities into evolving events:
Two years after the Nez Perce War had ended, the Sheepeaters began embarking on violent raids across ranches and settlements throughout eastern Oregon and southern Idaho. They were also responsible for dozens of murders of American and Chinese miners. Then, the group had become hunted by the military.
Libraries that recommend In the Wrath of Legends to their audiences will find that it stands nicely alone, but also compliments its predecessor, In the Lair of Legends. The outstanding saga is highly recommended reading for historical fiction audiences who like their characters challenged by the issues of their times, the psychology of torturers and leaders, and the demands of stepping step up to their roles, only to find that their destinies are entwined with forces beyond their ken.
Zen and the Art of Dog Training
Adam Halleck
Pure Ink Press
9798987586648, $17.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FY26DWXM
Zen and the Art of Dog Training: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Ourselves explores the connections between animals, humans, training, and Zen ideals. It is highly recommended for canine lovers interested in wider-ranging philosophical examinations.
Readers might not believe that dog training has much to do with Zen concepts, but Adam Halleck draws important connections between the structure of dog training and the kinds of impulse control, understanding consistency and reactivity, and addressing expectations that is part of a trainer and Zen follower's model for better choices.
Chapters are dog-centric in their discussions of bad habits, traumas, and other influences on behavior, but add the value of bigger-picture Zen concepts and perceptions into the mix:
There is no endpoint in dog training, which is the same for our path of growth. There is never a point where the relationship will stand on its own without putting in the work. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh gives us this wisdom when he writes, "You follow the North Star, but your goal is to get back home; it's not to arrive at the North Star." We can have a vision of our perfect life with our dogs, but it is equally important to realize that our goal is not to arrive at perfection; it is to create balance.
The movement from individual habit, action, and "seeing the whole situation for what it is" offers trainers and philosophical readers important insights into applying Zen concepts far beyond their original focus, creating important insights into human and animal conditions.
The result is, yes, a dog training guide; but it's also a formula for better living that incorporates applied Zen concepts into not just training, but viewpoints about life and its progression.
Libraries interested in books about dogs will want to encourage dual interest in this book about Zen and habit management because Zen and the Art of Dog Training is far more than another dog training guide, but a blueprint for better living.
With its insights into animal and human behavior, Zen and the Art of Dog Training offers many ideas and options that neither competing dog training nor other Zen philosophical guides consider. It stands out with a balanced focus on behavioral change and revised expectations that will hold meaning for dog owners and everyone else.
Bend, Don't Break
Matt A. West
GFB
www.girlfridayproductions.com
9781967510269, $19.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bend-Dont-Break-Adapt-World/dp/1967510261
More so than most workplace or business books about getting ahead or surviving one's job, Bend, Don't Break: How to Adapt in the New World of Work is especially essential reading for workers who face changes from AI, restructuring, and revised demands on their time and energy. Readers expecting the usual admonitions about flexibility in the face of change may be surprised at the perspective presented in this book, which advocates creating a system (The Adaptability System) that reinforces changing response patterns that keep employees stuck in old paradigms during new times.
Matt A. West's system considers the realities and illusions of forward thinking and movement in business circles. He includes plenty of real-world examples and accompanying exercises designed to not just pinpoint fallacies in thinking, but continually analyze situations for upgrades in thinking or approaches that actually rest on the foundations of old habits.
Chapters pay close attention to the strategies and perceptions of bending and breaking, giving team leaders, workers, and business people at all levels new tools for adopting strategic thinking and understanding what it means to become "stuck" in a mindset or position.
Particular care is taken to identify many common fallacies of achievement. One of these is keeping busy, but equating busyness with upward momentum - which isn't always the case:
Safely Busy is the loop where activity becomes its own reward. You're not avoiding work. You're drowning in it. And the busier you stay, the harder it becomes to notice that you're no longer growing. You're just surviving. This isn't the kind of busy driven by chaos or external pressure. That's Urgently Drifting, when shifting priorities, market demands, or company changes send you scrambling without clear direction. Safely Busy is something else entirely. There is no urgent demand to adapt. No burning platform. No external shakeup.
Packed with eye-opening examinations of workplace challenges, shifting priorities and approaches to the job, and growth opportunities which extend from better applications and knowledge of adaptability strategies, Bend, Don't Break is essential reading for managers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and everyday workers. It's for anyone wants to not just get ahead, but assure their jobs and life perspectives remain relevant, dynamic, and inspired.
Libraries seeking business books that advocate systems of change and adaptation will want to place Bend, Don't Break at the top of recommendations to business readers and, especially, book clubs. This audience will find its inspiring suggestions and actionable strategies might well translate to the difference between staying employed or standing in the unemployment line wondering what happened.
With Love
Shari Hofer and Shabnam Kazmi
Namari Press
www.girlfridayproductions.com
9798993208909, $9.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Practical-Caring-Parents-Through/dp/B0G54F84C9
With Love: A Practical Guide to Caring for Aging Parents Through the End of Life is an end-of-life discussion for the children of aging parents that addresses many hard topics of preparing for a parent's demise. These include estate planning, legal decisions, creating care teams and choices that work for parent and loved ones alike, and other situations which can become obstacles to communication and love at the end of life.
Shari Hofer and Shabnam Kazmi provide important insights on not just healthcare concerns, but legal and financial paperwork and decision-making particular to life's end, which can be sticky barriers to discussion between parents and their adult children.
Chapters address the realities of such modern-day discussions:
The truth is that preparing for caregiving is no longer a should-do but a must-do.
Insights are accompanied by practical suggestions for all income levels and situations, which encourage understanding and are reinforced by author experience. This shows readers they are not alone in being caught between their own life obligations and caregiving demands:
I was in budget season at work, on deadline for creating all kinds of financial projections about how resources should be allocated for the year ahead. It was a competitive process within the company, and one that stressed everyone out. And suddenly the reality hit - I was going to have to drop everything and fly to Malaysia to manage the crisis there.
This approach offers invaluable insights into balance and building support systems that go beyond identifying caregiving professionals and needs, delving into how to juggle more than one life simultaneously.
The book also tackles underlying presumptions beyond family history and caregiving needs that affect how, why, and when help is provided, as well as the effectiveness and acceptability of that help:
When we enter caregiving, we bring a variety of assumptions, expectations, and biases to the task. The way we were raised, the religious and cultural norms that have shaped our worldview, our socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as our place of origin are all significant. All this background shapes how we think about caregiving and how we go about the task itself. This matters because all these various factors can be at odds with the perspectives of our parents and the other stakeholders in our caregiving journey.
Libraries and readers interested in a positive approach to opening new dialogues between aging parents and their adult children will find that With Love stands out from the crowd, offering insights, dialogues, and approaches designed to not just foster understanding, but create new pathways of support systems - and love - between parents and children.
This opportunity is as invaluable as the explorations of how to maintain love via better understanding.
The Fire on Slate Fell (The Lakeland Mysteries, Book 1)
Warren Cabral
Wilton Books Ltd.
www.wiltonbooks.com
9781068604300, $12.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook/$9.99 Audiobook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Slate-Fell-Lakeland-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0FHKHFKWJ
The Fire on Slate Fell is a middle grade adventure illustrated by Corryn Webb that features primary school detectives and sisters Mae and Isla Donaldson. An exceptionally vivid, fiery cover attracts attention, good-size maps introduce the story with geographic visuals, and an attention to detail represents the tale's England setting:
It was very annoying. Twelve perfectly good eggs lay
smashed on the tarmac, just behind the car. Somebody had not put the shopping bags in the boot properly. And that somebody was definitely not Mae Donaldson.
A mysterious hooded stranger who seems to be a spy has captured mischievous sister Isla's attention. Even as the eggs are being cleaned up, a mystery cooks. Thundering, brilliantly painted motorcycles enter the tale a few paragraphs later to add further intrigue and atmosphere. Readers are attracted by puzzles that involve several mysterious strangers and an exceptionally long supermarket receipt filled with strange purchases. How are all these connected?
As readers ages 9 and older pursue several threads of inquiry, the mystery deepens with action, compelling characters, and the efforts of two sisters who become involved with the "Fells Angels" gang - who are not what they first appear.
Isla's drawing talent proves invaluable as the sisters are drawn ever deeper into the mystery surrounding a hooded stranger, possible buried treasure, vanished people, and a case of fraud.
Complementing the intrigue is the emotional attraction of two very different siblings whose approaches to life serve to solve problems neither could tackle alone. Bound by the ability to share their thoughts and the fact that their differences result in a solid investigative force, the adventure stems as much from their interactions and growing abilities as it does from the results of fell walking, discoveries, and an eventual threat that separates the sisters and portends disaster.
Warren Cabral creates a powerful, uncommon story of siblings and a family whose interactions and insights make for a compelling story. The Fire on Slate Fell reaches out on an emotional level that most children's mysteries can't touch.
Libraries and young readers will appreciate how family dynamics develop as strongly as the intrigue component of the tale, as well as how the two sisters interact and grow as they tackle a mystery that winds up hitting too close to home.
Attention-grabbing illustrations throughout contribute to an overall sense of discovery and achievement that makes The Fire on Slate Fell an involving read.
The Wolf of Ennerdale (The Lakeland Mysteries, Book 2)
Warren Cabral
Wilton Books Ltd.
www.wiltonbooks.com
9781068604317, $12.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook/$9.99 Audiobook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Ennerdale-Author/dp/106860431X
The second book in the middle grade Lakeland Mysteries series, The Wolf of Ennerdale, enjoys the same vivid color illustrations by artist Corryn Webb as it explores the conundrums and new intrigue posed by the arrival of Uncle Bill, whose presence introduces a mercenary and diamond smuggling into the lives of siblings Mae and Isla.
Once again, their ESP and family connections prove the key to tackling a wide-ranging issue that tests their problem-solving ability and tenacity.
The story is not limited to diamonds and thieves. The circle of intrigue and impact widens to embrace an international terrorist plot and a strange device that could lead to a nuclear catastrophe - heady problems for a young person to confront and equally challenging for them to solve. But Mae and Isla are up to the task, given their extraordinary detective abilities and interpersonal connections.
Young readers receive an adventure that does not "talk down" to them but presents complex, yet thoroughly engrossing, understandable scenarios that keep readers engaged and guessing.
Slightly crazy Uncle Bill adds color and high drama to the adventure. Ordinary daily life, including cauliflower curry, is depicted alongside the hair-raising encounters. Warren Cabral again takes the time to fully develop not just the situation and the problem solving savvy it demands of these young characters, but the supportive family background and involvement of parents who assume secondary but important roles, and are present in the lives of their kids. These are reinforced by dramatic dialogues:
"I really don't know what happened in the store and I can't get any sense out of the girls. They seem to think she was kidnapped. In Cockermouth! More like she went back in to get something. Anyway, we rowed about it all the way home. And you know the rest!"
"We know what we saw, Daddy," said the girls, their arms crossed and brows furrowed.
Another strength to The Wolf of Ennerdale lies in how Volkov the Wolf, the "monster man of the marina," threatens them all, yet proves to be the key to recognizing a form of sabotage which is high-tech and only resolvable by a pair of exceptionally clever young detectives.
Librarians and young readers will appreciate the complexity of these encounters, which asks a certain degree of problem-solving acuity from young readers as they grow to understand the bigger threat that the Wolf represents to Sellafield, his connection to the Congo and overseas concerns, and his various involvements.
Young readers step into the mystery through the family interactions and involvements that Cabral cultivates, along with the peppering of colorful drawings by Webb. They will appreciate how the exquisite tension and strong characters not only spins a fine yarn, but invites kids to join Mae and Isla in better understanding the world and their place in it.
The Lad in the Lane (The Lakeland Mysteries, Book 3)
Warren Cabral
Wilton Books Ltd.
www.wiltonbooks.com
9781068604324, $12.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook/$9.99 Audiobook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/The-Lad-in-the-Lane/dp/1068604328
The Lad in the Lane, Book 3 in the Lakeland Mysteries series for young readers, involves sibling detectives Isla and Mae in yet another conundrum. The English family confronts a new mystery in the form of a boy that apparently only the clairvoyant Isla and Mae can see. What does this specter have to do with the threat to their grandmother's home?
Corryn Webb again provides eye-catching color drawings throughout that depict family members as they go camping and interact on different levels. Isla and Mae's special ESP abilities occasionally challenge even their own parents:
Sometimes his daughters seemed to be having utterly different conversations from the one he thought he was having with one or other or both of them.
Nana Parton's sorrow and fear over losing her beloved home draws her family into the situation of a strange boy, a cold case, and a hot dilemma. A developer bent on acquiring Nana's property and those around her, to turn her street into a business center, coincides with the appearance of this boy, posing not one but several mysteries.
Warren Cabral illustrates his story with realistic problem-solving efforts that reveal not just the girls' strengths, but their unique ways of building upon their skills for additional support and power:
Mae keened her head sideways so she could read what was written on it, committing as much of it to memory as possible. Or, rather, she converted what she read to verse, which was her way of remembering complicated things.
This not only enhances the story's realistic development of girls who step into their abilities while honing new skills, but offers interesting possibilities to young readers developing their own coping skills.
While the language and descriptions are British, kids will find that the differences between Americans and the British are easy to understand and the descriptions thought-provoking:
It was a brisk day for brisk people to do brisk work at Blelham Bog. Jim and the Volunteers for the Lake District National Parks were hard at work repairing the paths around the tarn.
Another plus is how the entire family becomes involved in solving dilemmas together, joining their strengths in different ways to achieve solutions, look at the world with diverse eyes and talents, and create cooperative paths of discovery and interaction.
As for the mystery itself: what young person wouldn't appreciate a story that involves ESP, detective work, family feuds and stolen deeds, and the possibility of a ghost?
Librarians and young readers that choose The Lad in the Lane as either a standalone mystery or part of the series will find the story as fresh, original, and as compelling as Isla and Mae's previous adventures.
The Mystery of the Chemic Tavern (The Lakeland Mysteries, Book 4)
Warren Cabral
Wilton Books Ltd.
www.wiltonbooks.com
9781068604331, $12.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook/$9.99 Audiobook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Chemic-Tavern-Lakeland-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0FHJWPRL5
Young readers ages 9 and older who have imbibed of Warren Cabral and illustrator Corryn Webb's engaging detective stories will find yet another attraction in the ongoing adventures, continued in Book 4 of the Lakeland Mysteries series, The Mystery of the Chemic Tavern.
Here, clairvoyant siblings Isla and Mae confront their mother's artistic cousin, the formidable "Aunt Mary," whose arrival coincides with much of the town falling ill with a mysterious ailment. As the siblings follow clues that stem from their aunt's drawing and lead to unexpected plots involving a famous local family, they become embroiled in a situation that involves seemingly disparate clues. These involve a tattoo, the mysterious Rudd family (that should have been chased out of town years ago), and suspicions that stem from Mary's drawings.
As art from the Jennings collection sparks a memory that connects Mary to the rich people, Isla's sharp artist's eye provides the clues to not just the source of stomach troubles, but the broader origins and implications of long-held family secrets.
Cabral once again creates a fine mystery whose strength lies in the developing relationships of young Mae, Isla, other family members, and their newfound connections to the world around them, as well as discoveries about their own strengths and problem-solving abilities. The interactions within and outside of this family reinforce its differences, connections, and involvements in a satisfying manner that will prove engrossing to young readers.
Librarians and young readers can choose The Mystery of the Chemic Tavern as either a standalone read or as a supportive addition to the series. Its ability to reach out and embrace not just all of its characters but fans of young detective sleuths makes for vivid attraction that marries colorful drawings by Webb with clues that lead to revelations most young mystery enthusiasts won't see coming.
All this translates to a thoroughly engrossing read.
The Vanishing Young of Rydal Cave (The Lakeland Mysteries, Book 5)
Warren Cabral
Wilton Books Ltd.
www.wiltonbooks.com
9781068604348, $12.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook/$9.99 Audiobook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Young-Rydal-Lakeland-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0FHKKNHPG
What elementary-level mystery fan wouldn't be attracted to The Vanishing Young of Rydal Cave, with its promise of intrigue and cave exploration built right into its title, alongside colorful cover art by Corryn Webb?
The tale opens with a compelling question:
"Do you believe in Unidentified Flying Objects?''
Isla's query to her sister Mae opens the door for a clash between practical and creative thinking as the oscillating lights outside their window prove that practicality can run headlong into scientific explanation and improbability. The sisters investigate the strange phenomenon, only to discover that possible shape-shifters and aliens may be involved in local disappearances.
That's only the tip of the investigative iceberg as the siblings confront not only the impossible, but their own perceptions of UFOs, newcomers to town, and secret codes that could provide clues to the disappearances that took place when others tried to investigate.
England's Lake District once again is the backdrop for adventure and discovery as Isla's acceptance of the natural world and its puzzles clashes with practical Mae's proclivity for doubt. The contrasts between Isla's inclination to find oddities beautiful and Mae's determination that they could pose threatening new possibilities makes for particularly rich, insightful reading as the young detectives square off over what's impossible.
Equally thought-provoking is how Isa and Mae work with the adults around them to consider and identify ghosts and real problems, confronting the adults' tendency to calm the kids' fears without really addressing the problem.
As a mysterious building with a modern appearance proves to have a basement that appears ancient and reeks of fish, presenting the girls with dangerous possibilities, kids will appreciate how the mysteries accumulate to provide involving, tense revelations.
Adults will appreciate the inclusion and interactions of parents and characters whose age, guidance, and maturity contribute to the action in unexpected ways.
Librarians and young readers alike will be drawn to The Vanishing Young of Rydal Cave's special abilities to explore the unexpected, create connections between different mindsets, and evolve a mystery that enters supernatural realms as a pair of clairvoyant young detectives pursues answers.
Lost Founder Finds Herself
Harriet Rossetto
AuthorHouse
https://authorwebservices-gem2.net/AuthorHouse/868176
9798823051606, $16.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/FOUNDER-FINDS-HERSELF-Harriet-Rossetto-ebook/dp/B0FM2XYGT1
Lost Founder Finds Herself is the memoir of a woman who became known as a Jewish savior of souls and lived through several rejuvenating processes as she continually reinvented herself, confronted her fears, and unexpectedly became a beacon of hope for those around her.
Harriet Rossetto's memoir stands out from the start, embedding a stark self-assessment into its opening lines:
For a person like me, diagnosed in Social Work School with unresolved adolescent authority conflicts, whose psychological survival is dependent on a sense of terminal uniqueness, Del Webb Sun City, when I first moved here, was hell... We used to refer to this leisure world as a seizure world. It took me almost half my life to find myself, and now I felt lost again, wandering in the desert. How did I become a cliche? Living in a community of over fifty-five year olds.
This immersive, personal reflective tone continues throughout the book as Rossetto considers evolving relationships and their influence, assesses her life goals and strengths, and involves her readers in new choices that direct her life work and paths:
Would we be able to balance and borrow each other's energy, or would we fall into the blame trap, our differences becoming right, wrong. Worse? Why is it so difficult for humans to accept differences? Why do we compare and compete so compulsively?
Especially intriguing are the inspections of core life values and how these are developed and fine-tuned. At each juncture of her life and growth, Rossetto shares the motivations and changes she experiences with family, friends, and others.
The special nature of these inspections is revealed via a confiding, analytical tone that will not only resonate with her readers, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, but offers all readers important opportunities to incorporate such dialogues into their own encounters and experiences:
I heard those words as a passive-aggressive condemnation of me for not finding my fulfillment in her. But maybe she was just revealing herself to me, and I heard judgment. I think there's an unusual auditory system between mothers and daughters, a high-pitched alert waiting to be hurt.
Lost Founder Finds Herself is the kind of memoir that inspects life changes with an eye to better understanding the forces that cumulatively result in a sense of wholeness, harmony, and positive impact in the world. It inspires through example, often considering some of the ways people not only connect, but inadvertently disconnect from others.
Lost Founder Finds Herself is not the usual quick-read memoir, but a life inspection that deserves slow, methodical consideration that, ideally, encourage family or group discussions. Thus, it lends particularly well to book clubs interested in Jewish memoirs in general and inspections of life-changing decisions that can lead to becoming a force in one's world even if this goal was not originally envisioned.
Libraries and readers that choose Lost Founder Finds Herself should be prepared for a story of "piercing wisdom" that takes the Jewish social and spiritual experience a step further in examining the passion and purpose a life well lived:
Harnessing the power of our shadow in service of the good. Accepting brokenness as an integral part of life. Understanding opposites doesn't negate; they need one another. Faith and reason, science and spirit are complementary, not adversarial. The paradigm shift from either/or to both/and is the secret to emotional and spiritual sobriety.
All these features place Lost Founder Finds Herself in a special category that makes it a highly recommended read for Jewish, philosophy, and life-inspecting enthusiasts alike.
You Matter Too! The Teachings
Rabbi Mark Borovitz
AuthorHouse
https://authorwebservices-gem2.net/AuthorHouse/868176
9798823051576, $16.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/YOU-MATTER-Rabbi-Mark-Borovitz-ebook/dp/B0FNW7MXZ5
You Matter Too! The Teachings is about how to live a purposeful life. Though it comes from a Rabbi, and thus will be of special interest to Jewish audiences, its message ideally won't be limited to this group alone, but will attract a larger readership of thinkers looking for spiritual and social guidance.
The book opens with a revelation:
Too many of us are unaware of the joy of living. We are spiritually bankrupt and go to therapists for what a member of the clergy would be better able to help us solve.
While there is no quick fix, and God will not strike all the pestilence and negativity from outside of us -- or within us - - spiritual counseling will help us rekindle and raise up our souls.
It then mixes Rabbi Mark Borovitz's personal life experiences and pivot points of revelation with the bigger-picture thinking that led him to teachings that not only transformed his life, but those around him. These lessons form the foundation of this book, which takes Biblical stories and translates them into thought-provoking insights about how God's message and works in daily life:
We learn that God admonished Cain by not accepting his offering. We don't learn in religious school that this is God teaching us that when we do something, we must do the best we can at that moment, not resort to tricks.
You Matter Too! The Teachings incorporates these life-changing observations as a series of vignettes and examples linking Borovitz's work with self and others to bigger-picture thinking. This gives the reader access to loftier ideas though ordinary daily experience and encounters, opening the door to understanding.
Thus, self-help ideals arrive via the experiences of ordinary folk, tempered by the blend of 12-step recovery principles and Jewish spiritual wisdom to create an unusually accessible, understandable inspection of the process of transformation and change.
Whether readers are considering the difference between response and reaction or honing new life paths that embrace forms of interaction that encourage better encounters for everyone, You Matter Too! The Teachings delves into the nuts and bolts of how to achieve more and live better through revised understanding and adjusting one's engagements with the world.
The result is a blend of Jewish spiritualism, recovery, religious inspection, and psychological self-inspection that will prove especially fruitful for reading groups of all kinds as well as individuals seeking examples of exactly how changes are made from deeper considerations of impact and choice.
Libraries and readers interested in Jewish teachings, spiritual connections to personal growth, and the process of not succumbing to indifference and inhumanity will find You Matter Too! The Teachings an outstanding key to making a difference in the world.
Becoming Felicity
Jan Stites
Mumblers Press LLC
9781963221091, $17.95 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/becoming-felicity-jan-stites/1148017369
Becoming Felicity tells of Cass Enger, who longs to feel more connected to people, but actually is much more comfortable and connected to canines. The fictional character she longs to emulate is the brave, proactive, socially connected Felicity. When Cass fearfully stops a stranger from shooting his dog in the park, she inherits Caesar, a dubious beast, and an adventure she can't wait to share with Jonas, her sixty-one-year-old librarian friend.
But he's got news for her. The mayor of the town, Loon, is threatening to shut the library, Cass's favorite place. It turns out the town also is threatened (by bankruptcy), and so Cass has a daunting opportunity to step up and save everything she loves... if only she can muster her courage, like she did with Caesar and like her hero Felicity would do in a heartbeat.
Cass's effort to dig up her courage and make a difference in not just her own life, but the lives of those around her, creates a wonderfully uplifting story of empowerment, courage, and facing seemingly impossible obstacles to enact changes that benefit not just herself, but the community as a whole.
Now, more than ever, these kinds of messages are needed; but even more compelling is how various obstacles are resolved through Cass's effort, and how the town's personalities adjust to all kinds of differences in the course of becoming more viable and vibrant:
Rebecca was flawed, of course, just like everyone else, herself included, but surely Mack would have to agree that this shirt proved people really could change.
References to the fictional Felicity's special formula for confronting and changing her world create thought-provoking insights into the options Cass considers in facing similarly unworkable situations as the town evolves:
In Passion, Felicity tells a man who continually discounts his son's problems, that anyone who chooses to keep his head in the sand, has to be careful not to bury his heart along with it. Maybe she needed to start paying more attention, to take her own head - and heart - out of the sand.
Jan Stites creates an outstanding interaction between fiction and reality, showing how mentors, heroes, and examples, however fictional, can spill over to real-world decision-making processes and personal reinvention. This adds depth and texture not just to Cass's character, but the personality and conundrums of the entire town around her as everyone grapples with tough economic choices that hold ramifications for the town's survival.
Librarians and readers seeking rural settings, stories of small-town friendships and enemies, and lives lived alongside animals will relish the dovetailing of all these personalities and perspectives, which lend a rich appeal to the town and Cass's dilemmas and fears.
Readers seeking stories about mustering one's courage and making a difference will love how Cass steps up into new opportunities for herself and others, thanks to the examples and paths posed by the fictional Felicity. It's a story that embraces the extent of rural experience, small-town survival tactics, and the values of those who live outside the big city.
No One You Know
Emma Tourtelot
https://emmatourtelot.com
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9798896360483, $18.99 Paperback/$12.99 eBook
Simon & Schuster
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/No-One-You-Know/Emma-Tourtelot/9798896360483
No One You Know depicts a mother/daughter relationship and family changed by the death of a daughter's best friend. It vividly captures the process by which each family member grieves, strives for connection with self and life - and fails.
The philosophical and psychological first-person inspections of mother Kate are powerful draws from the novel's first paragraph:
This is what it looks like when a mother loses her teen daughter. Not the way you lose a toddler, in a supermarket or at the county fair or some other place where an intercom announcement brings her back to you, the damage no more than a stranger's disapproving glance - and, seriously, fuck them for that, like they never misplaced an inquisitive child? - but lost in the world.
When a daughter searches for reasons to live, what impact does this have on her family? Plenty, because Kate joins Indie on her search for meaning, in the process disrupting the careful construction of love, marriage, and career that have been the balancing points of her own life.
Emma Tourtelot's powerful story is made especially poignant via shifting character perspectives, which are clearly presented in each chapter's header. This allows readers to juxtapose characters who each examine their hearts to explore points of confusion, angst, and the ways people mask their grief with familiar routines, such as a birthday party which mother Kate wants and her daughter Indie eschews.
An angry daughter and parents who try to be helpful interact in realistic ways, with dialogue and everyday encounters cementing their struggles:
"Do you think Maddy would understand what you're going through right now?" Dad says, I guess to prove he's one of the adults in the room, despite the laugh-burp. "What if you imagined telling her how you feel? Can you imagine what she'd say back?"
As Kate embarks on her own physical and mental journey in response to her daughter's grief, readers will especially appreciate the philosophical interludes which encourage thoughts about life, death, and meaning:
Standing at a window, you can admire the world beyond, or you can adjust your focus to examine your own reflection in the glass instead. In the same way, understanding the true nature of reality is just a matter of how you look. You don't need to stand at a window for twelve hours, waiting for the glass to offer up your reflection - you just need to change your focus.
From relationships lost and found again to young people reinventing their world, No One You Know offers poignant, thought-provoking reflections about life that encourage group discussion and individual contemplation alike. It delves into community connections and the different ways men and women experience and express grief, it promotes considerations of different generations and how they handle life changes, and it contrasts the perspectives of adults and near-adults with an astute eye to promoting understanding.
Librarians and readers seeking a powerful novel about loss, family impact, growth opportunities, and life changes will find No One You Know a saga made especially impactful for its juxtaposition of women at vastly different stages of their lives. Each finds meaning and connection in the most unlikely of circumstances:
Something happened as we faced down eighth-grade graduation. We figured out how to piece ourselves together into these legible human beings. We each became a single version of ourselves, one that made sense to our classmates. We started saying, "Oh yeah, that tracks."
Quickbooks Online Bootcamp
Alicia Katz Pollock, MAT
Royalwise Solutions Inc.
www.royalwise.com
9780989399265, $23.97 Paperback/$21.97 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/QuickBooks-Online-Bootcamp-Setup-Time/dp/0989399265
QuickBooks Online Bootcamp: From Setup to Tax Time is for anyone looking to get up to speed quickly on the QuickBooks accounting software. It features a manual of best practices that have been employed by professionals and newcomers to QuickBooks since 2015.
A read-and-watch format embeds a video tutorial within the manual, linked to the RoyalWise OWLS online site. This reinforces the manual's guidelines and processes with step-by-step visuals that display exactly how each procedure is done. Note: the "read and watch" format is optional, requiring a separate purchase of the video course.
In effect, this serves as an at-home (or at-office) classroom, pairing the best of written and visual worlds to reinforce the QuickBooks lessons. Quizzes concluding each chapter offer further reinforcement of how the QuickBooks lesson translates to real life situations, testing a user's ability to apply the nuts and bolts of QuickBooks accounting to client needs.
From terms such as equity, liability, and inventory assets to making calculations correctly, the purpose of this guide is not to rehash the QuickBooks user guide, but to teach how these routines work in the accounting and real business world. Examples link what is presented in the program with the best way to juggle the numbers so they make sense and accurately reflect financial reality.
The fun, eye-catching "Hoot tips" add clarifications that are specific to the work being done:
NEVER itemize your charges in an Expense form to make a credit card payment. Individual charges should be imported by connecting your credit card to the Bank Transactions feed.
Discussions also embrace advanced QuickBooks versions and applications as well as basic business savvy:
It costs much more to gain a new client than it does to reach out to existing clients. When a customer pays an invoice, send them a satisfaction survey. The form includes an opportunity for the client to tell you when they want you to contact them again in the future.
More so than almost any other manual on QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online Bootcamp stands head-and-shoulders over other approaches for its specific tips, visual and video reinforcement, and business and financial savvy.
Librarians and QuickBooks learners will find this approach lives up to its promise of ease and everyday applications, and will want to make QuickBooks Online Bootcamp a basic, highly recommended reference above others for all these reasons. It is geared not just to one program's abilities, but applying accounting basics to real world situations in a manner that reflects and makes the best, most accurate business sense.
Lotus in the Tide: Prose and Poems
Karan Kapoor
https://karankapoorauthor.com
Hawakal Publishers Private Limited
9789349541627, $15.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN3BHZ2D
Lotus in the Tide: Prose and Poems is a minimalist gathering of poems and prose that entreats readers to bask in the ebb and flow of life and philosophical inspection. Karan Kapoor creates an internal and external dialogue through queries that consider the impact of "hollow pursuits" ("They fill their lives with illusions until phantasm/and substance intertwine,/Surrounded by plenty, yet starving for meaning.") and connections to earth and life.
The works move between succinct prose observation and poetry that reads with the impact and brevity of haiku, yet delivers the one-two punch of quiet understanding often seen in Zen philosophy and meditative styles of poetic contemplation.
Many of these writings move from personal to philosophical and spiritual reflection. One example is "Infinity's Gaze," in which Kapoor contemplates, "As I stare into a grain of sand, infinity stares back. Am I the infinite, or just a grain of sand?"
As the poems consider constraints, patterns of joy which emerge against the "burden of being," and a sense of self in the greater landscape of a big universe, they lead readers to a special form of contemplation and understanding that is supported by the writing's minimalist structure.
Nature, science, and belief entwine in these works, which are written not by an Eastern thinker, as many would assume, but by a Boston biophysicist and poet whose work hold the uncanny and uncommon ability to bridge the rigid discipline of science with the flexibility and emotion of spiritual and psychological reflection.
These elements contribute to a collection especially highly recommended to libraries and readers interested in contemplative literary works that challenge mind and heart with the least amount of verbiage.
First Descent
Mike Pace
Foundations Book Publishing
www.FoundationsBooks.net
9781645831556, $5.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/First-Descent-Holiday-Thriller-Crevasse-ebook/dp/B0FX7QB3P6
When a diamond hunting expedition leads to disaster, a son bereft of his father grows up thinking that his parent was insane. Eighteen years later, son Nick Landowski has become a miner who has reconciled this loss and his father's intentions - until a geode left by his geologist father opens to reveal a clue about what really happened.
First Descent heats up from the start as father Virgil risks a future with his eleven-year-old son to pursue a dangerous discovery in the Canadian Arctic. The guide who has some knowledge of what he is getting into has insisted Virgil walk through a blistery storm to find answers. Instead, he walks into fate.
Billed as a "contemporary fantasy holiday adventure," First Descent is a thriller of executive status that explores father/son relationships, Siberia, an old, secret formula that could threaten Christmas, and an ancient revelation.
The injection of a touch of fantasy into this adventure gives just the right balance to a story reminiscent of Indiana Jones, but with a thriller's edgy political connections that keep the discovery and its major characters realistic and intriguing.
All the elements are present for an engaging read, from Nick's romance with Anna, who is still married and living in a castle, to mysterious fissures that open and close, expelling red curtains of light.
Diamond caves, stories of Saint Christmas, sleighs and gifts, and valuable red diamonds that represent Christmas in an unusual way contributes to a fast-paced, thoroughly unpredictable thriller made all the more compelling for its injection of fantasy.
Thriller readers will find First Descent hard to put down. It's packed with satisfying twists, characters whose interactions are sometimes mercurial and intriguing, and situations that depart from the usual predictable outcomes that many thriller sport to delve into situations most readers won't see coming.
Libraries and readers seeking an unusual form of holiday entertainment that is the first book in a trilogy (the Crevasse Trilogy), and the first that should be chosen for holiday entertainment, will find First Descent a creative winner. Its unique classic Santa who emerges from Coke ads to become a central figure makes the tale delightfully accessible to adults rather than kids who are the usual recipients of Santa tales.
Spark In the Underground City
T.L. Shane
www.tlshane.com
Independently Published
9798992940220, $2.99 ebook
Amazon
https://amazon.com/dp/B0G229NLRS
Spark In the Underground City is a dystopian sci-fi story centered around humanoid sexbot and human interactions.
Sexbots are active participants in this future world, but a vintage model like Alaska, with her vivid Mohawk and nine-foot stature, stands out too much. Narrator Drill found Alaska in a tech-industrial trash heap and restored her, adding protective weaponry to make her a lethal killing machine as well as his companion.
An encounter with thugs wouldn't seem to be a humorous thing, but under T.L. Shane's hand, it becomes one as Alaska uses sexual lures to attract and confront their would-be attackers.
The first note is that graphic sexual scenes (of the uncommon kind) may offend sensitive readers. An addendum to this note is that while the story involves sexbots and sexuality, shock is not its only thread of attraction.
As the two encounter Spark, who is selling a non-flying jet bike, the three join in an adventure that involves humans who are not what they seem, sexbots who have the capacity for proactive, dangerous thinking, and Mian and his sister, who try to help Spark rescue her brother Bee.
A sense of camaraderie and purpose grows between sexbot and humans as a mission embraces them all, warps their purpose, and enfolds them in a blend of sexual and emotional connection that lends vibrancy and surprise to this semi-dark dystopian future.
Shane creates a fast-paced adventure in which confrontation and sex run hand in hand. The arrival of a host of supporting characters, from Bikey to Freedom, Bee, and Bang, creates an adventure which reaches out to draw together seemingly disparate individuals and interests.
The shifting perspectives of Drill and Spark are represented by names that open each chapter, making it easy for readers to quickly identify the central narrator for that segment of the story.
The result is a warm, embracing, sexually charged tale of new connections and revelations which comes immersed in emotional moments:
"I can feel that you're anticipating a profound change. You're leaving this underground world for your home, but you're a different person now. Things that were once familiar won't mean the same thing to you anymore. You're wondering how our relationship will change."
Libraries might use caution when recommending this sci-fi adventure because of the graphic sexual encounters sprinkled within, but ultimately Spark In the Underground City is a thoroughly engrossing tale of group dynamics and developments which translate not just to survival tactics, but building new connections, whether between human or bot.
This creative, vivid, unexpected story is packed with action and twists readers won't see coming. It's a spark of light in the wealth of sci-fi writing that lends high drama and interest to the urban dystopian future.
With You in the Moment
Marcus Batterbury
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891329225, $30.99 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$8.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/You-Moment-Marcus-Batterbury/dp/B0FXBT8YYY
With You in the Moment is a family memoir about dementia and God that offers spiritual readers a soul-satisfying delve into not just loss, but the new relationships and discoveries that emerge for one family. Can a family not just survive, but actually live well with dementia? Marcus Batterbury shows how.
His memoir begins with a family moment at the airport. Events feel straightforward until his confession, as they drive away:
You see, many of the details that are being described didn't actually take place. Other than the fact that we had visitors from overseas, the circumstances, the specifics, and the surprise that both my dad and I are validating in our conversation with Mum are not true. The fact is, at the time of this journey, in September 2006, my mum is in the early stages of dementia, and to be more specific, most likely Alzheimer's disease.
What seems to be a typical encounter turns out to be somewhat extraordinary as the process of not just living in the moment, but participating in the moments of potential confusion that dementia brings, dictates the course of shifting family relationships.
From new landscapes and journeys to shared experiences that bring delight to everyday life, Batterbury explores the routines, adaptations, and insights that dementia brings to his family with an eye to showing how life can still be well-lived despite a devastating diagnosis.
Insights about how his mother copes also permeate the broader spectrum of family experience:
Mum is feeling positive about this holiday because the excitement of seeing these cherished friends far outweighs any concerns she may have about where we will stay, what we shall eat, etc. She knows she is in safe and risk-free hands with us, but I'm pretty sure that when the departure date draws closer, she will become preoccupied with the details and perceived risks.
From "nuggets of fun" to the challenging process of valuing and living in the moment, With You in the Moment is recommended not just for those struggling over a dementia diagnosis, but for general readers who would better understand how to get the most out of each day.
Librarians seeking ultimately uplifting memoirs that embrace the dementia experience and diagnosis while pointing towards better ways of interacting will find With You in the Moment is just the blueprint for positivity and adjusted values in a situation most commonly defined by loss, grief, and helplessness.
Readers won't expect the sense of empowerment that is transmitted by these lives and touchstones of change - but it's vivid, and is an important part of what makes With You in the Moment special.
Payback
Molly D. Shepard and Peter J. Dean
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891329492, $28.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$8.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Payback-Molly-D-Shepard/dp/B0FX5YRLJW
Payback explores the developments of and connections between three long-time female friends whose lives change as they pursue different careers and hone new life skills.
The story opens with a thought about what it takes to drive a person to take another's life and meticulously plot a murder, building intrigue into the story from the start.
Readers who think the tale thus will be a mystery or one of suspense will be surprised to note the developments that lead the plot in a different direction, incorporating business politics, savvy, and gender bias into a story that begins with executive Samantha fielding an assault by her superior.
The first-person perspective shifts between chapters may be difficult for some to follow, as there is no indication of who is 'speaking'. Readers will just have to connect the dots between these fluctuating characters as the story evolves.
A special strength of the plot revolves around a desire for revenge that blend into business affairs and savvy so seamlessly that readers receive real-world concerns and business wisdom that dovetail nicely with the story line.
From the perceived rights of Executive Vice President Archer Dunne to act in any way he desires, given his high-level position, to the efforts of lawyers, therapists, and others who lend their particular professional wisdom to situations, readers will enjoy how the unexpected events develop.
Samantha faces not just business conundrums and adversity, but the possibility of love with Todd, who appreciates her strength and how her focus differs from the other women he's had in his life:
She made it clear that she wasn't searching for a man to be the breadwinner; she could do that for herself. While Todd was building his business and felt secure in his ability to eventually carry the financial burden to provide for a family, it was a relief to meet a woman who wasn't so focused on his earning potential.
From well-meaning friends' advice about ambition and purpose to how different women rise above business conflicts and office politics, Payback is an involving story with many threads of understanding. It can be read in different ways: as a women's novel about friendships; as a business story of gender barriers and women's struggles to define and achieve success; and as an involving story of growth and intrigue.
Libraries will find it easy to recommend Payback to readers seeking thought-provoking, involving stories about women's lives and definitions of success.
Living to Relate
Dr. Dermot Casey
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798891329010, $29.99 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Relate-Dr-Dermot-Casey-ebook/dp/B0FX3F8RW2
Living to Relate: Cultivating a Deeper Connection with Yourself and Others in a Digitally Driven World surveys the special challenge of what Dr. Dermot Casey calls "relational living" in a wired world. It outlines the small daily interpersonal interactions that build connection (or disconnection) in life, reviewing how relating is different from a relationship, and is actually the same process as living.
Managing relationships successfully is one of the foundations of a life well lived. Dr. Casey explores not only why this should be a priority, but how to achieve the end goal of a fulfilling life.
Chapters outline common disconnections between relating to and living in the modern digital world, including misconceptions about what makes for meaningful interactions, the influence of digital devices and mindsets on relationship-building, and how rapid changes in technology and culture have negatively impacted the vital connection between life and relating effectively.
They also provide many keys to not just better understanding, but mitigating the impact of digital disconnections and absorbing the source of basic life unhappiness and frustration:
Something doesn't add up here, because if we're relating more, why are our needs not being met sufficiently? This is mainly for reasons I have already mentioned: quantity- vs. quality-focused relating, more virtual relating and less face-to-face relating. Many of us have become very much burned out relationally due to the hundreds of relationships we engage in daily, predominantly online. People today are relating so much more but getting less of their needs met.
The result provides a touchstone for better understanding and effective change. Living to Relate will ideally will be utilized in group or book club settings to facilitate discussions and connections that lead to growth and solid realizations about the social importance of relationships and more effective relating processes.
Libraries and readers seeking a self-help title that goes beyond individual understanding to delve into group connections and social impact will find Living to Relate can open up important discussions and dialogues between all kinds of people.
This makes Living to Relate of high value not just for personal growth, but to society as a whole.
In China's Crosshairs
Eli Kerr Rudine
Independently Published
www.rudineinc.com
9798218889708, $8.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Chinas-Crosshairs-Tolentino-Sanctioned-Philippines-ebook/dp/B0GCYCPF2M
In China's Crosshairs: Sanctioned Voices from Tibet (Dalai Lama), Washington (Marco Rubio), and the Philippines (Francis Tolentino) reviews the experiences of government repression in three nations, drawing together a wealth of details about sanctions, threats, and oppression that assumes different official sponsorship in diverse ways.
The highlight of China's policies might seem to limit this study and its three voices to scholars of Chinese affairs, but in reality In China's Crosshairs is a history of repressive techniques that deserves widespread attention for its guide to why such systems are in place, how they work, and the tools that can be employed to confront oppression.
The first three chapters provide extensive reviews of the Dalai Lama, Marco Rubio, and Francis Tolentino's worlds, focusing on how each found themselves in the crosshairs of Beijing, in very different ways. These aren't just overviews: each chapter offers many sections that review Beijing's propaganda machinery, admonitions and their historical and political impacts, and focus on individual actions.
This makes the book of special, important interest to all kinds of readers, from students of political science and Chinese history to those considering civil rights, justice and legal system operations, and the fine lines between formal sanction and outright bans.
This book is not meant to be a comprehensive history of Chinese affairs. It "shows how person-focused coercion functions across three theaters - exile identity, great-power politics, and regional gray-zone conflict - and what that means for people who speak, legislate, teach, and report for a living." Its approach allows for a narrower definition and lens of inspection that translates to specific analyses of seemingly singular (but connected) events, relating them to bigger-picture thinking.
Official tactics and their impacts thus receive a close eye to outlining how they ripple from individual experience into society as a whole, permeating attitudes, approaches, and ideals with an overlay of sanctioned rules and repercussions:
An entry ban can mean missing a funeral, losing a field site, or being cut off from a community. A smear can close doors you'll never see. And yet, there's the other edge: speech amplified, allies rallied, and values clarified. This book lives in that tension - between punishment and signal, between fear and resolve.
Chapters document speeches, edicts, and history, presenting in bold the key takeaways from each experience. This allows readers to quickly understand the significance of statements, policies, and approaches to official proclamations. Even more importantly, they also embrace the culture and psychology of each group (the Philippines, Tibet, China) and present the impact of these actions in context of the social milieu of its people.
Also of special note are the kinds of tools and approaches which may be employed at different levels to combat repression:
Precision also matters in preparing defenses: for instance, knowing whether a Chinese action is under the AFSL, under the blocking statute, or just an informal boycott guides how to respond (through legal challenge, WTO case, or public exposure). Keeping a clear lexicon - and educating stakeholders on it - is a subtle but important way to reduce Beijing's narrative leverage and to choose the right tool in return.
Footnoted references offer scholarly readers the source materials to research further, while close inspection of China's new rules, shifting propaganda narrative, and approaches provide specific insights on present-day trends and possible future impact:
...as China's hard tools (laws and regulations) expand, its soft tools (narratives and selective diplomacy) will operate in tandem - requiring vigilance on both fronts.
In China's Crosshairs is about China's influence and approaches, but the study takes an additional step into contrasting these with other nations and forces, showing how China is shaping the legal and political systems of other nations.
Librarians and readers interested in the intersection of political science and history, social justice and freedom, and the lessons about employing sanctions domestically and abroad that these hold for other nations will find In China's Crosshairs a rich, invaluable study that's surprisingly accessible to general-interest readers as well as scholars.
Eli Kerr Rudine's In China's Crosshairs offers sharp and compelling insights that place China on the world stage - a must-read for anyone studying the nation's policies, global influence, and social impact.
Diane C. Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Donovan's Literary Services
www.donovansliteraryservices.com
Gary Roen's Bookshelf
Back To Start
Sunshine Rodgers
https://www.sunshinerodgers.com
Rwg Publishing
9798869266453, $19.99 pbk / $3.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Start-Love-Changes-Heart/dp/B0FNSZ16VG
Sunshine Rodgers is back, with her newest foray into fiction with "Back To Start." Erin Melrose has a job with a major manufacturer of board games. So far she feels comfortable believing, she is to be considered, for an increase in title, as well as more money, especially, when she is summoned, to her supervisor, who lowers the boom, that Erin is to spy on other divisions as the company prepares to downsize in lieu, of the current trend for games, that are more popular from other resources. Erin struggles with the new position, beginning to ponder what she wants in life. "Back To Start" masterfully handles Erin's dilemma, with a perfect finish, the novel leads to. Sunshine Rodgers is a gifted storyteller.
Once Upon a Time In A Dental Office
Sunshine Rodgers
https://www.sunshinerodgers.com
Rwg Publishing
9781648304743, $22.40 pbk / $3.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648304745
Sunshine Rodgers is always a delight to read and "Once Upon a Time In A Dental Office" an earlier title is an entertaining narrative. Kay Vity works as a receptionist in a dental office. with lots of responsibilities, she flawlessly preforms her duties for over a year. An interesting aspect is her crush on one of the doctors, she fantasizes a relationship while the other, a level headed person is not really considered, until something upends her whole world. "Once Upon a Time In A Dental Office" is filled with believable characters as the writing flows along to its marvelous close, making it a pleasing work of fiction for anyone to appreciate.
The Long Dark Night
Joseph Hayes
Dell
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780440148241, $18.83 pbk / No Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Dark-Night-Joseph-Hayes/dp/0440148243
"The Long Dark Night" an older novel, still holds up, as a great tale of suspense. Though it came out long ago, it is a classic piece of writing, that has readers emotions in turmoil on what unfolds. In prison. for eight years, Boyd Ritchie has waited. for the day he could seek revenge on all the people, who framed him for a crime he did not commit. That date with destiny has come. In one night, he begins his mission, to each person involved. From the first page to the last, Joseph Hayes masterfully propels, Boyd's quest, that turns into, his own justice, issued to the individuals responsible. Hayes, is also known for "The Desperate Hours" that became the classic film is no stranger to the thriller genre. With "The Long Dark Night" he secured his place in page turning excitement. It is nice to see readers still have options of where to find this exciting treat to enjoy
Go Set A Watchman: A Novel
Harper Lee
Harper Perennial Modern Classics
www.harpercollins.com
9780062409867, $17.99 pbk / $11.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Set-Watchman-Harper-Lee/dp/0062409867
For over forty years I've been a reviewer, never have I seen a book encounter so much negative attention as "Go Set A Watchman." In fact I can't recall a bookstore saying if readers do not like the work, and the reader can return it. Too many critics and readers want "Go Set A Watchman" to be another "To Kill a Mockingbird." This is the same mind set of many "Star Trek" fans who were so negative to "Star Trek The Next Generation." In both cases it is their loss because both are very well done but very different.
The history of this book is interesting because "Go Set A Watchman" is the first novel Lee submitted along with some other writings. It is the others that were expanded to became the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" "Go Set A Watchman" was stored away until Harper Lee's friend and attorney found the original manuscript this one and "To Kill a Mockingbird" in a safety deposit box a few years. It was submitted for publication to Harper Collins with no major changes made to the original copy. Hemingway cautioned authors to store away and not publish their first novel but work on getting the second one published. That is partly the case with this novel. "Go Set A Watchman" is an enjoyable story worth reading.
Jean Louise Finch (Scout) is now 26 and has been living and working in New York City. She comes home for a visit to learn things are not the way she always believed. She is sickened to find that her father Atticus Finch is not the person she idolized, and everyone she knew is not what she thought. Through a series of flashbacks, Harper Lee shows the difference in Jean Louise Finch's feelings towards the other people she adored until now.
For some readers, the revelations about her father Atticus is very hard to take because of the depiction of him in "To Kill a Mockingbird"; in that novel he defended a black defendant. In "Go See a Watchman" we learn that he took the case because he could not tolerate the injustice that was being done to an innocent man. People also tend to forget that Jean Louise Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" was 6 years old and that she believed her father could do no wrong. Now she is older, wiser, and changed because she has been away from her roots that have not. How many of us adored our parents as kids, and learned something in later life that altered our perception of them? "Go Set a Watchman" is a fast-paced wonderful character study of how our experiences are modified based on life experiences.
A Gathering Of Voices: Stories From The Longwood Writers Workshop
Denise Nicholas, et. al.
Foreword by Phylicia Rashad
BookBaby
www.bookbaby.com
9798350971828, $24.95 pbk / $8.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Voices-Stories-Longwood-Workshop/dp/B0DNS15QBF
The mood in the country warrants me to bring "A Gathering Of Voices: Stories From The Longwood Writers Workshop" out again to show how some of the authors have dealt with racism, in their lives. Today hate of different groups is on the rise. Denise Nicholas, a well-known woman in the entertainment industry, had a concept. Pull together five other people from different professions to write different stories that became "A Gathering Of Voices: Stories From The Longwood Writers Workshop." Some of the issues covered are racism, three forms of abuse marital, sexual and drug, double standards at the workplace for men and women and a slew of others that are well crafted exposures of many unpleasant things.
Some of the titles to look for are "Crack Monster" a memoir by Denise Billings about a problem her husband was having that she believed would over time get better. Hattie Winston's "Battlefield" is a punch in the gut rendering of the sickening way black people were treated in many places in the south by white people. She and her dad go to a department store in Downtown Memphis to be treated so bad you just want to cry for how rude the clerk is telling a young Hattie Winston do not touch the clothes and the hidden meaning is crystal clear. All the pieces are excellent reading by talented people who have so much to say of a darker period as well as interesting not very well-known aspects of different things. Denise Nicholas has done a remarkable job with "A Gathering Of Voices: Stories From The Longwood Writers Workshop" that hopefully will continue with other authors and volumes.
Paradise, Suzanna Style
Suzanna Leigh
Book Surge
c/o Create Space
www.createspace.com
9781439209684, $20.99 pbk / No Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Suzanna-Style-Leigh/dp/1439209685
"Paradise, Suzanna Style" is the actress Suzanna Leigh talking to readers about her life in the film industry. She was lucky enough to have worked with Elvis Presley, Roger Moore, Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, and Thelma Ritter and now tells lots of interesting stories about them and other actors. She also deals with her mother who was never really there for her, how she stood up to major producers, her drive and ambition to become a film star, and lots more. There are many aspects that deal with Elvis that include the sections of the book, the title that is a play on one of the Elvis pictures, and her brother sister relationship, as well as the day he died and how she learned of his passing. "Paradise, Suzanna Style" is a behind the scenes look at the film industry of many years ago and how it is very different today.
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business
Dick Van Dyke
Crown Publishing Group
c/o Random House
www.crownpublishing.com
9780307592248, $16.00 pbk / $10.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Life-Out-Show-Business/dp/0307592243
Dick Van Dyke is now age one hundred! It's time to enjoy his memoir "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" that was published in 2011 that is worth it to hear from Van Dyke about his life. He tells ups and downs but warns this is not a kiss and tell book. Instead he talks about his profession as well as some of his personal life. Some of the things he goes into are the making of "Mary Poppins," how the "Dick Van Dyke Show" began and why it was so successful, other shows he was part of and why "Diagnosis Murder" is so popular. "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" will have readers loving Dick Van Dyke even more than before.
Happy Chinese New Year Little Red Panda
Amanda Wood, author
Vikki Chu and Bec Winnel, illustrators
Maggie Cat Publishing, an imprint of Abrams
c/o Abrams
https://www.abramsbooks.com
9781419779671, $9.99 HC / $8.09 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Chinese-Little-Panda-Animal/dp/1419779672
"Happy Chinese New Year Little Red Panda" is a beautiful kids title, for all ages to enjoy. Little Red Panda, is enjoying hanging, with his grandmother Nai Nai when she announces. its time to prepare for an approaching holiday. Together, the two of them have a nice time together organizing for a fun time. "Happy Chinese New Year Little Red Panda" is how a family mutually enjoyed pleasurable things jointly.
Hanukkah 1-2-3!
Joy Nelkin Wieder, author
Aura Lewis, illustrator
Abrams Appleseed, an imprint of Abrams
c/o Abrams
https://www.abramsbooks.com
9781419776182$9.99 HC / $8.9 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Hanukkah-1-2-3-Counting-Celebrate-Holidays/dp/1419776185
"Hanukkah 1-2-3!" is another new title that honors an additional well-known holiday. Touching on many wonderful aspects, of Hanukkah. Readers will want to play with some of the things, while tasting many of the traditional foods that are a delicious portion of the festival also know as the Feast of Lights, that is also discussed on how it is recognized in the event. "Hanukkah 1-2- 3!" is a beautiful way to learn about Hanukkah.
Holly Jolly Kitty Corn
Shannon Hale, author
LeUyen Pham, illustrator
Abrams
https://www.abramsbooks.com
9781419768798, $19.99 HC / $9.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Holly-Jolly-Kitty-Corn-Picture-Book/dp/1419768794
"Holly Jolly Kitty Corn" is a new wonderful title to ring in Christmas, any year for the whole family to relish. Two best friends a Unicorn and a Kitty work, to collect everything they will need to have a great Christmas celebration. Things get complicated as they try to fix it all. "Holly Jolly Kitty Corn" is a laugh out loud fun escape from the hum drum day to day circumstances we all have.
Gary Roen
Senior Reviewer
Helen Dumont's Bookshelf
Pearls: Their History, Sources, Types and Qualities
Renee Newman, GG
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228105749, $49.95, HC, 240pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Their-History-Sources-Qualities/dp/0228105749
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pearls-renee-newman-gg/1147113866
Synopsis: Throughout history, pearls have been treasured for their beauty wherever they've been found -- from China to the Persian Gulf to Mexico and beyond. Before the creation of cultured pearls, natural pearls were incredibly rare, considered symbols of wealth and power reserved for the elite. With the pearl culturing revolution, pearls became widely available, and they remain an iconic fashion staple for celebrities, athletes, royalty and everyone in between.
"Pearls: Their History, Sources, Types and Qualities" by professional gemologist Renee Newman is lavishly illustrated guide (featuring hundreds of photos, maps and diagrams) that covers everything from identifying, culturing and evaluating these gems to the captivating stories of some of the world's most sought-after pearls.
"Pearls: Their History, Sources, Types and Qualities" covers:
Why pearls are so prized -- Pearl symbolism and admiration throughout the ages and a showcase of the most prized pearls in history
Natural vs. cultured pearls -- Explanation of the sources of each and how a layperson can identify them
Pearl value factors -- A list of the main factors for evaluating pearl quality and price
Akoya pearls, South Sea pearls, black pearls and freshwater pearls. These chapters discuss the
sources and qualities of each type of pearl and gives readers tools to evaluate them
Pearls produced by sea snails, scallops, clams, saltwater mussels and nautiluses
Pearl processing and treatments -- How pearls can be treated and tests that can be done to see if a pearl has been treated
Imitation pearls
Pearl jewelry -- Examples of pearl jewelry from the 18th century to the modern day
Wearing and caring for pearls -- Tips for wearing a strand of pearls as well as methods of cleaning and storing pearls.
As useful as it is beautiful, "Pearls: Their History, Sources, Types and Qualities" is a welcome and reliable guide for anyone who has felt the allure of these spherical gems.
Critique: This large format () hardcover edition of "Pearls: Their History, Sources, Types and Qualities" by Renee Newman is an extraordinary, beautifully illustrated, and impressively informative study on the history of pearl jewelry. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, this coffee-table style volume from Firefly Books is a fascinating and unreservedly recommended acquisition for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Jewelry Craft and Antique/Collectible Jewelry collections.
Editorial Note: Renee Newman (https://www.reneenewman.com) is a highly respected gemologist and the author of gem and jewelry guides, including Diamonds, which charted the history, sources, cutting techniques and more of the world's strongest gemstone. Her books have been used worldwide as sales-training tools, buying guides, class texts and references for jewelry professionals. She earned her graduate gemologist diploma from the prestigious Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life
Roger S. Wieck, editor
Giles
https://gilesltd.com
9781917273022, $44.95, HC, 232pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Sing-New-Song-Psalms-Medieval/dp/1917273029
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sing-a-new-song-roger-s-wieck/1147044268
Synopsis: Traditionally ascribed to King David, the Hebrew Book of Psalms is a varied collection of sacred poems and songs that constitute the longest and most popular book of the Bible. Offering inspiration, hope, and comfort to people for thousands of years, these verses include expressions of lament and loss, petitions and confessions, as well as exclamations of joy and thanksgiving -- universal themes that speak to what it means to be human.
Compiled and edited by Roger S. Wieck, and with informative contributions by Emerald Lucas, Deirdre, Fredricka Law-Turner, and Joshua O'Driscoll, "Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life" traces the impact of the psalms on men and women of medieval Europe from the sixth to the sixteenth century.
It encompasses daily practices and performance, as well as the creation of Psalters (Books of Psalms), some of the most richly ornamented manuscripts ever made. Life, liturgy, and art in the Middle Ages and Renaissance were suffused by psalms. They were present at the beginning of one's life and at the end: children learned to read from psalms, and the dying were comforted by their recitation.
Exploring the integration of the psalms in medieval life, this stunningly illustrated and comprehensive publication charts the ubiquitous presence of this poetry in people's lives for over a millennium.
"Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life" features works from the Morgan Library & Museum; Walters Art Museum; Indiana University; Coptic Museum, Cairo; Corpus Christi College and Trinity College, Cambridge; Harvard University; Musee Conde, Chantilly; University of Chicago; Dombibliothek, Cologne; Kongelige Bibliotek, Copenhagen; National Museum of Ireland; Dombibliothek, Hildesheim; Israel Museum; Universitaire Bibliotheken, Leiden; Lincoln Cathedral; British Library; J. Paul Getty Museum; Biblioteca Nacional de Espaņa, Madrid; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich; Yale University; New York Public Library; Bodleian Library and Exeter College, Oxford; Bibliotheque nationale de France, Paris; Biblioteca Palatina, Parma; Free Library of Philadelphia; Stiftsbibliothek, St. Paul im Lavanttal; Universiteitsbibliotheek, Utrecht; Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venice; Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna; Museum of the Bible, Washington DC.
Critique: This large format (9.3 x 0.9 x 11.2 inches, 3.15 pounds) hardcover edition of "Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life" is an extraordinary, beautifully produced, impressively informative, and simply stunning showcase of Medieval sacred art. This remarkable coffee-table style volume is an armchair traveler's delight as it draws from museum collections from around the world. A fascinating and remarkable study from cover to cover, this edition of "Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life" from Giles is a memorably unique and especially recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Medieval Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Roger S. Wieck is the Melvin R. Seiden Curator and Department Head of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, Morgan Library & Museum.
Editorial Note #2: Joshua O'Driscoll is associate curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, Morgan Library & Museum.
Editorial Note #3: Deirdre Jackson is assistant curator, Morgan Library & Museum.
Editorial Note #4: Frederica Law-Turner is an independent art historian specializing in medieval illuminated manuscripts and tapestries.
Editorial Note #5: Emerald Lucas is Belle da Costa Greene Curatorial Fellow, Morgan Library & Museum.
Helen Dumont
Reviewer
John Taylor's Bookshelf
The Gig Public
Slavko Splichal
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839995217, $110.00, HC, 180pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Gig-Public-Contractual-Performativisation-Publicness/dp/1839995211
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gig-public-slavko-splichal/1147041207
Synopsis: "The Gig Public: AI-Driven Contractual and Habitual Performativisation of Publicness" is monograph in which Professor Slavko Splichal explores the evolving nature of publicness in the era of digital communication and social media saturation, arguing that the rise of the "gig public" represents a new paradigm that challenges the traditional conceptualization of the public in shaping social and political change.
The gig public departs from traditional notions of publicness and the public, characterized by individuals' spontaneous and less-structured engagement in public discourse. This engagement is often hampered by challenges in fostering sustained interaction and depth of discussion, due to the ephemeral nature of online interactions.
In particular, "The Gig Public" highlights the importance of customs, negotiations, and contracts that complement the normatively privileged public reasoning in public domains. It examines the transformations in the multifaceted nature of the public and its interrelationship with other social structures amid the shifting boundaries between public and private domains. In addition, it explores the evolution of conceptualizations of publicness and related concepts within critical theory, illustrating how contemporary shifts are redefining civic engagement and the essence of public life in a rapidly changing world.
From these perspectives, the study is structured around three primary focal points: First, it analyzes how new information technologies and AI have altered human interactions within the public sphere. Second, it examines the impact of capitalist economic dynamics and governmentality strategies on reshaping the public realm, fundamentally altering the essence of the public and its democratic potential. Third, it explores how habitual and routine practices traditionally associated with the private sphere are now influencing the ongoing evolution of publicness.
"The Gig Public" also aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges posed by the fragmentation of contemporary public discourse and the emergence of gig publics. It also considers strategies to invigorate publicness through AI technology that enables users to transform plain language into automated actions on their computers, potentially reshaping civic engagement in the digital age.
Critique: Of special and particular value to readers with an interst in digital communication, social media, artificial intelligence, economics, and the impact of technology on private and public commercial interests, "The Gig Public: AI-Driven Contractual and Habitual Performativisation of Publicness" by Professor Slavko Splichal is a seminal, groundbreaking, and deftly presented study that is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. While a unique and especially recommended addition to personal, professional, and college/university library collections, it should be noted for students, academia, political activists, corporate executives, and governmental policy makers that this hardcover edition of "The Gig Public" from Anthem Press is also readily available in paperback (9781839995224, $35.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.25, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Slavko Splichal is Professor of Communication and Public Opinion at the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Social Sciences.
John Taylor
Reviewer
Mary Cowper's Bookshelf
Shattered into Grace
Nicole Gibson
Dynamically Crafted
https://www.dynamicallycrafted.com
9798992524734, $21.99, HC, 247pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-into-Grace-Traumatic-Empowerment/dp/B0F9SJW11V
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-into-grace-nicole-gibson/1147451435
Synopsis: A TBI survivor's story of faith, recovery, and reclaiming her life in her 20s
Biomechanical engineering student Nicole Gibson was on the edge of figuring her young life out. With school in motion and promising career prospects ahead, everything shattered when she was struck by an oncoming car -- an accident that left her with seven skull fractures and a long road to recovery. Faced with a traumatic brain injury, memory loss, and debilitating injuries, her once-bright future seemed to vanish -- until faith stepped in.
With the publication of "Shattered into Grace: A Memoir of Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery, Faith, and Empowerment", Nicole shares her powerful personal testimony of rebuilding her life after a near-fatal accident.
Over the course of a decade, she physically retrained her brain, emotionally rebuilt her confidence, and spiritually awakened her faith. From making painful choices in love to losing her firefighter boyfriend in the line of duty, Nicole explores the messy and often unseen parts of self-discovery after trauma.
This transparent and candid Christian memoir gently guides readers through the truth that it's not perfection but faith that carries us through life's hardest seasons and leads to an unshakable relationship with God.
Readers will discover:
What traumatic brain injury recovery really looks like - and the unexpected lessons about surrender, identity, and resilience that transformed how Nicole viewed her body, mind, and worth.
A raw and unfiltered quest for peace - and how to find a relationship with God in the silence.
The defining struggles of your turbulent 20s, from chasing love and perfection to learning you're worthy just as you are.
What happens when grief compounds and healing isn't linear - but still entirely possible.
The messy middle of navigating faith, mental health, loss, and toxic relationships.
More than a brain trauma recovery story, "Shattered into Grace" is a candid exploration of what it truly takes to rebuild after everything falls apart. From invisible battles with her body and brain to the heartbreak of unexpected loss, Nicole offers a voice to anyone seeking God in the dark. This memoir is a rare guide for readers looking for strength -- not in perfection but in presence.
Critique: Fascinating, heart-rending, and ultimately inspiring, "Shattered into Grace: A Memoir of Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery, Faith, and Empowerment" is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary life from a Christian perspective. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, church, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir and Christian Self-Help collections, it should be noted for readers that this hardcover edition of "Shattered into Grace" from Dynamically Crafted is also readily available in paperback (979-8992524703, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Nicole Gibson (www.dynamicallycrafted.com) is an engineer, traumatic brain injury survivor, and founder of Dynamically Crafted. With degrees in biomechanical engineering and business, she combines professional expertise with personal resilience to empower others through faith-based healing. Nicole shares insights on trauma recovery, identity, and spiritual growth to help others find peace, purpose, and confidence.
Love Does Not Know Death
Adam Rizvi, M.D.
One Light Press
https://lovedoesnotknowdeath.com
9798218775438, $16.95, PB, 226pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Does-Not-Know-Death/dp/B0FP47WL7X
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-does-not-know-death-adam-rizvi/1148332538
Synopsis: Blending the stories of patients and families with spiritual insights from A Course in Miracles, "Love Does Not Know Death: Stories of Death, Dying, and the Miracles of True Forgiveness" by Dr. Adam Rizvi faces the fears of death and illness while showing how forgiveness transforms grief and anxiety into peace.
The message of "Love Does Not Know Death" is that death is not the end but an invitation to awakening, a chance to release the illusion of separation and rediscover the permanence of love.
With clarity and compassion, Dr. Rizvi guides his readers through the illusions of suffering and fear, offering practical exercises in forgiveness alongside deep metaphysical insight.
Specifically written for those facing illness, caregivers, spiritual seekers, and anyone grieving a loved one, "Love Does Not Know Death" offers not just comfort but a path to inner freedom.
Basically, "Love Does Not Know Death" is a kind of spiritual roadmap for turning life's hardest moments into portals of healing, awakening, and love's enduring truth.
Critique: Deftly crafted, inspiring, consoling, and emotionally engage from start to finish, "Love Does Not Know Death: Stories of Death, Dying, and the Miracles of True Forgiveness" by Dr. Adam Rizvi is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Death, Dying, Grief & Bereavement themed collections. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for the benefit of the non-specialist general reader, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Love Does Not Know Death" from the One Light Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Dr. Adam Rizvi is a critical care physician and neurologist whose work bridges medicine and non-dual wisdom. With the publication of "Love Does Not Know Death", he has drawn from his years in the ICU and decades of contemplative study to show how forgiveness transforms fear into peace. He lives in California, where he teaches, writes, and co-hosts the podcast Letters to the Sky.
Mary Cowper
Reviewer
Micah Andrew's Bookshelf
Chicago: The Windy City
Jacqueline Hope Raynor
Firefly Books Ltd.
www.fireflybooks.com
9780228105664, $24.95, HC, 96pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Windy-Jacqueline-Hope-Raynor/dp/0228105668
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chicago-jacqueline-hope-raynor/1147113859
Synopsis: "Chicago: The Windy City" by Jacqueline Hope Raynor showcases one of the most important cities in the United States. A major metropolis and key transportation center of the American heartland, Chicago boasts a population of nearly 3 million people, making it the third most populous city in the country. It is a city of architectural gems, vibrant neighborhoods, beloved sports teams, prestigious cultural institutions, major industries and outstanding attractions.
Chicago's most famous attractions include:
The renowned Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States and has a permanent collection of nearly 300,000 artworks.
Navy Pier, a 3,300-foot-long pier in Streeterville, covers 50 acres and offers outstanding shops, restaurants, theaters, parks and gardens, that attracts over 9 million visitors each year.
Millennium Park offers music and the famous Cloud Gate sculpture -- nicknamed the Bean because of its shape -- which lets visitors see their own reflection mirrored against the city's breathtaking skyline.
Magnificent Mile, a section of Michigan Avenue that is home to many of the city's tallest buildings including John Hancock, Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, Chicago Water Tower and the Drake Hotel.
Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs since 1916, is the oldest National League ballpark in the country.
Critique: This large format (10 x 10 x 10 inches, 1.6 pounds) hardcover edition of "Chicago: The Windy City" from Firefly Books is an extraordinary pictorial presentation of what Chicago has to offer its visitors (and residents!) Ideal reading for the armchair traveler, "Chicago: The Windy City" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library American Travel Guide collections in general, and Chicago themed history collections and reading lists.
Editorial Note: Jacqueline Hope Raynor lives and works in Toronto, Canada. This is her first book.
Micah Andrew
Reviewer
Michael Dunford's Bookshelf
Chasing Waves
W. Patrick Winton
Independently Published
9798989948437, $39.95, PB, 172pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Waves-W-Patrick-Winton/dp/B0FV25P4KF
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-waves-w-patrick-winton/1148467669
Synopsis: Lake Superior claimed the imagination of a seven-year-old boy, and he never lost his fascination for Big Waters. Originally introduced to the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico and soon thereafter to Lake Superior (the Big Sea Lady) who took him into her depths and baptized him.
The result was a love and desire to be on the water, and was achieved with his wife's support, assistance, and participation.. Together they were willing to step out of their comfort zone to be freshwater islanders and explorers of the bays and secrets of the Great Lakes.
Continually searching for new adventures, "Chasing Waves: A Journey to Become the Best Captain on Fresh Water" by Chasing Wave highlights the new, exciting, and challenging opportunities which unfolded, as they increased their knowledge and experiences with large watercraft.
Captain Pat earned a U. S. Merchant Marine Officer License with a 100 ton rating, which opened the opportunity to operate and move yachts throughout the northeastern areas of the United States and Ontario, Canada. His marine assignments included cruising through the rivers and canals connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic via the Welland Cannel, Erie Barge Cannel, Hudson River, and St. Lawrence Seaway, and piloting on the Inner Passage of the Pacific Ocean from the lower forty-eight to Alaska.
The highlight of his experiences was successfully overcoming the mighty Mississippi and Illinois Rivers when they were at or beyond flood stages.
These stories are told as if you were on-board, living through the challenges of striving to exceed all expectations and master being the most experienced Great Lakes pleasure boat Captain. "Chasing Waves" invites the reader aboard the Wintons' succession of Sea Rays and yachts as they face dangerous flood waters, solid walls of fog, shipwrecks, submerged rocks, terrifying lock malfunctions, mechanical breakdowns, technological advances, and the sheer joy and exhilaration of boating across America's huge waters.
Critique: Profusely illustrated with full color photography throughout, this large format (11 x 0.45 x 8.5 inches, 1.25 pounds) paperback edition of "Chasing Waves: A Journey to Become the Best Captain on Fresh Water" is an extraordinary introduction to the life and times of 'Fresh Water' sailing as experienced through the life and marine adventures of Captain Pat Winton. Part memoir, part travelog, "Chasing Waves" will hold a very special appeal to readers with an interest in true life boating themed adventures on the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. This trade paperback edition of "Chasing Waves" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and college/university library American Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note: W. Patrick Winton is also the author of "Farmed Out in Ontongon County" (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49287519.W_Patrick_Winton)
Michael Dunford
Reviewer
Paul Vogel's Bookshelf
WAIL: The Visual Language of Prestige Records
Chris Entwisle & Mark Havens
RIT Press
https://press.rit.edu
9781939125910, $80.00, HC, 360pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/WAIL-Visual-Language-Prestige-Records/dp/193912591X
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wail-chris-entwisle/1148336591
RIT Press
https://press.rit.edu/9781939125910/wail
Synopsis: "WAIL: The Visual Language of Prestige Records" by co-authors Chris Entwisle and Mark Havens is the first study devoted exclusively to the pioneering album cover designers of Prestige Records, home to such musical giants as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins.
Unprecedented in detail, "WAIL" documents a vital decade (1949-1960) of creative brilliance. An independent New York City label founded in 1949, Prestige chronicled the vibrant modern jazz scene of the 1950s. At Prestige, the alliance of postwar jazz and modern art found its deepest and most enduring expression. Inspired by some of the most significant music ever recorded, Prestige album covers provide a compelling panorama of midcentury graphic design.
"WAIL" also introduces the graphic designers, photographers, and illustrators who established a visual language for modern jazz. This exhaustive study is comprised of meticulously photographed album covers, artifacts, and ephemera, as well as profiles of each of the major Prestige figures.
Exclusive firsthand interviews and estate materials provide cultural context and singular insight into the creative process.
Unseen sketches, personal photographs, and outtakes from album cover shoots impart a vivid picture of art and jazz in mid-1950s New York.
Above all, "WAIL" is a history of creative triumph that is drawn from a wealth of previously unpublished material, and is an inspirational record of landmark graphic design.
Critique: This large format (9.75 x 1.36 x 11.78 inches, 5.07 pounds) hardcover edition of "WAIL: The Visual Language of Prestige Records" from RIT Press is a seminal and groundbreaking study that will be of immense value to readers with an interest in Commercial Graphic Design and Jazz album cover art in general, and the musical history of Prestige Records in particular. Profusely illustrated and informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a Foreword by Sonny Rollins, The Little Record Company That Could by Steven Heller, two Appendices (Status Records; Redesigned Covers), Notes and a 'Further Reading" bibliography, this coffee-table style edition of "WAIL" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 20th Century American Music History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Chris Entwisle (https://press.rit.edu/author/chris-entwisle) is an artist and illustrator. For over thirty years, he has used his passion for both jazz and postwar graphic design in his illustration work. Entwisle has a BA in graphic design from Rutgers University.
Editorial Note #2: Mark Havens (https://www.markhavens.com) is an artist and educator with a dual background in graphic and industrial design. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in both public and private collections. Havens is also Professor of Industrial Design at Thomas Jefferson University.
Paul T. Vogel
Reviewer
S.A. Gorden's Bookshelf
Book Clubs Can Be Fatal: A Senior Sleuthing Club Cozy Mystery - Book 1
Jinty James
https://www.jintyjames.com
Independently Published
9798850158644 $17.99
ASIN: B0C997WKNP $2.99 Kindle, 246 pages
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Clubs-Can-Fatal-Sleuthing-ebook/dp/B0C997WKNP
Book Clubs Can Be Fatal is a fun cozy mystery. Pru is the new assistant librarian at Gold Leaf Valley library. She has just graduated from college and her pay is low. A senior citizen is in need of a roommate to help pay for her bills and Pru decides to take the room with the feisty old lady.
Pru is assigned the job of running a book club at her library. An annoying member of the book club is murdered immediately after the second night the book club meets. Pru's new roommate, Martha, decides she is going to investigate the murder. Pru stumbles into helping Martha with her new dog, Teddy, investigate the death. The feisty walker-pushing Martha drags Pru around the town asking questions with Teddy barking on cue seemingly communicating with Martha. Soon everyone, including the murder, knows what Pru and Martha are doing.
Book Clubs Can Be Fatal is a fun murder mystery filled with hilarious characters. It is an easy recommendation for any cozy reader or those who enjoy comedies. The mystery is solid and the bumbling old lady leading the young Pru around is fun.
The Fight of Their Lives: A 21st-Century Primer on World War II
Andy Kutler
https://www.andykutlerbooks.com
Black Rose Writing
https://www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685134242 $18.37
ASIN: B0CZ191B7G $6.99 ebook, 387 pages
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Their-Lives-21st-Century-Primer-ebook/dp/B0CZ191B7G
The Fight of Their Lives is a short summary of both the leadup and World War II. A few passages have been summarized to the extent that some key details are missing. Overall, it is a solid primer for those looking to understand the basics of the war.
Most WWII books focus on either the leadup to the war or the actual fighting. This book has a reasonable balance between both what brought about the war and the actual fighting. Most readers interested in the war have not looked closely at its beginnings and here Kutler does a good job expanding on these early details. The biggest focus is on the events in Germany. This is understandable because Germany was a very literate country before Hitler and this produced a larger trove of documentation. Most readers of WWII history have never looked deeply into the pre-war years. The book gives a solid breakdown of how an authoritarian leadership can take over a democracy. It is not an immediate process. It starts by blaming others (usually minorities) for everything bad. The blame is used to justify violence and a militarized response that then takes over all aspects of the country. This step-by-step process is frequently glossed over or even ignored in most histories. Many of the events during the war are easier to understand with this background.
The Fight of Their Lives is recommended for those history buffs who are looking for a short summary of WWII. A more reasonable summary of WWII would be double the length. It would take a multi-volume set of books to fully cover the war but Fight gives enough details so those interested in the war can look up and study the events that Fight just touches on. Fight is also recommended for anyone interested in authoritarian governments -- modern or historic. It shows how easily a functioning bureaucracy can be taken over by an authoritarian and transformed into something else.
S.A. Gorden
Senior Reviewer
Suzie Housley's Bookshelf
Journey So Dreams May Come
Michael Mandaville
Creative Explorer Publishing
9781963347081, $4.99 Kindle, 403 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-So-Dreams-May-Come-ebook/dp/B0DCXYJ579
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/journey-so-dreams-may-come-michael-mandaville/1146168723
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Daniel James Michael Joyce Ryan sees the world not with his eyes, but through a mind rich with memory, language, and an unquenchable imagination. Though blinded by cancer and facing the end of his young life, Daniel's vision remains vast and vibrant.
When he goes to live with his Uncle John in Los Angeles, Daniel shares a single, impossible wish - to travel the world. Knowing the journey can never happen in the traditional sense, Uncle John turns to his circle of actor friends to create something extraordinary. Together, they transform a simple space into a sensory voyage, recreating the sounds, scents, voices, and rhythms of faraway lands, including Japan, China, India, Italy, France, and Ireland.
What unfolds is far more than a pretend adventure. It is a deeply human experience - one that celebrates love, creativity, and the boundless power of imagination. Journey So Dreams May Come movingly shows that even when life limits paths, the spirit can travel anywhere.
Critique: Journey So Dreams May Come quietly yet powerfully emphasizes the importance of clinging to one's dreams, even when life is shadowed by loss or uncertainty. Through a tender narrative, the story reveals how perseverance, empathy, and faith can elevate imagination into a deeply meaningful reality.
Michael Mandaville writes with remarkable sensitivity, infusing the story with compassion that resonates on every page. Daniel accepts his fate with grace instead of despair, and he gives purpose to his remaining days. With the loving support of his uncle, his last wish becomes a testament to the extraordinary things that can happen when love outweighs limitation.
The emotional impact of this story is lasting. Readers become engrossed in Daniel's journey, aware of the fleeting time, but hopeful at every turn. Journey So Dreams May Come stays with you long after the final chapter, encouraging readers to recognize possibility where others see boundaries and reminding us of the profound power of love and imagination.
Lost and Broken Things
Linda Sandifer
Strathaven Books
9780981633213, $9.99 Kindle, $17.99 PB, 368 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Broken-Things-Linda-Sandifer-ebook/dp/B0FRT2PPNY
Synopsis: In the summer of 1929, fourteen-year-old Lily Statton and eleven-year-old Davy believe they're in for another familiar season watching over their family's sheep in the Idaho mountains. But when their adoptive mother vanishes without explanation, their world, set against the backdrop of a changing America, tilts abruptly off course.
The investigation brings Sheriff Jack Tanner into their lives, and he quickly senses the hardship the children have been quietly carrying. His involvement draws in others as well - Dr. Anne Blake, committed to tending both physical wounds and emotional scars, and Jack's mother, Ellen, a woman of gentle strength and carefully guarded truths.
As Jack and Lily unravel the remnants of her mother's past, they uncover a long-hidden crime whose consequences reach far beyond what any of them could have imagined.
Critique: Lost and Broken Things reveals how a single moment can span an entire life. Lily Stratton emerges as a resilient and compelling heroine, confronting each challenge with unwavering resolve. This portrayal aims to inspire readers by showcasing strength in adversity, fostering feelings of hope and admiration.
As long-buried truths surface, the question remains: will these revelations finally uncover a secret hidden for years? This mystery invites curiosity and a desire to uncover the story's secrets, engaging readers' interest and anticipation.
Linda Sandifer has truly established herself as a remarkable voice in contemporary literature. With graceful skill, she weaves a story brimming with emotional depth and authentic characters, making it an interesting read for fans of emotional stories and contemporary fiction.
The story made a lasting and heartfelt impression, and it will stay in the mind and heart long after finishing it.
Code Name Rascal
Dorothea N. Buckingham
https://dorotheabuckingham.com
Sydney Press
9798999658296, $4.99 Kindle, $17.99 PB, 364 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Rascal-Dorothea-Buckingham/dp/B0G2J1FGRN
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/code-name-rascal-dorothea-n-buckingham/1148738754
Synopsis: In the uneasy aftermath of Pearl Harbor, four women from vastly different worlds answer an unexpected call to service - joining a classified radar operation tasked with protecting the Pacific coast. Known as the Women's Air Raid Defense (WARD), the unit operates in secrecy, demanding precision, endurance, and unshakable resolve.
CJ Martino, an outspoken journalist from New Jersey, arrives eager to make her mark, only to confront censorship and skepticism that threaten her professional identity. Ruth, the wife of a Navy officer, quietly bears profound loss as she searches for meaning beyond the role society has assigned to her. Jane, a fearless Texas pilot, aches for the freedom of flight but finds herself grounded by military restrictions and a husband determined to control her ambitions. Eve Russell, a polished Honolulu socialite, volunteers in defiance of expectation, discovering strength through vulnerability and service.
Assigned to the "Rascal" unit, the women work long, grueling shifts in total darkness, scanning the skies for potential threats. As the danger of invasion looms, they also confront private battles - grief, isolation, shattered dreams, and the longing for purpose in a world at war. Through shared sacrifice and growing trust, their tentative alliance deepens into a powerful bond, one that demands courage and life-altering choices from each of them.
Critique: Code Name Rascal illuminates a rarely told chapter of World War II history. Rich in emotional depth and historical detail, the novel offers an interesting portrait of resilience, friendship, and the overlooked contributions of women whose quiet bravery helped shape the course of wartime defense.
Dorothea N. Buckingham's evocative prose and richly drawn scenes transport readers to a pivotal moment in history. Her characters are thoughtfully and fully realized, each contributing a distinct voice that adds depth and authenticity to the narrative.
Masterfully crafted and deeply immersive, this novel is a highly recommended read for those who cherish historical fiction and the stories that bring the past vividly to life.
Summer Lies and Blackberry Pies
Sandy Little
Emerald Fountain Press
9798993139500, $5.99 Kindle, $14.99 PB, 252 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Lies-Blackberry-Sandy-Little-ebook/dp/B0G27TQPZM
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-lies-and-blackberry-pies-sandy-little/1148927156
Synopsis: Set against the charged backdrop of 1968, seventeen-year-old Shelby Montgomery heads to Tupelo, Mississippi, expecting a carefree summer far removed from the noise and pressures of city life. Sun-soaked days, laughter, and time with friends are all she imagines, but her journey takes an unexpected turn that will test her heart and challenge her perceptions.
Instead, Shelby's swept into an unexpected and forbidden romance with the enigmatic River Martin - one that challenges everything she believes, risks everything she holds dear, and changes the course of her life forever.
River Martin is Tupelo's notorious bad boy - a soulful blues singer from the wrong side of the tracks who never imagined he'd catch the eye of someone like Shelby Montgomery. Yet from the moment he sees her, her beauty leaves him breathless.
As the summer unfolds, their connection deepens amid music, moonlit moments, and nights charged with longing. However, as the season ends, River wonders if their shared experience will become just a fleeting summer memory, or if their love has changed them forever.
Critique: Summer Lies and Blackberry Pies whisk readers back to the nostalgic, carefree days of youth, when summer felt endless, and every moment sparked wonder and discovery.
It's a season of firsts - of exploring love, uncovering secrets, and discovering who you are. Utterly charming and heartfelt, this story invites readers to reflect on their own paths of growth and understanding.
Sandy Little infuses this enchanting story with warmth, sunshine, and a carefree spirit. Her lyrical prose captures the tender innocence of love blossoming, creating moments so heartfelt that readers will feel deeply connected and reluctant to leave this world.
Alice Adrift
Susan Bacon
Porter Street Press
9781733082754, $4.99 Kindle, $14.95 PB, 216 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Adrift-Susan-Bacon/dp/1733082751
Synopsis: Set in the late 1990s, Alice Fisher is a composer and music professor whose life seems full and harmonious. Together with her husband, David, and their two sons, Tobias and Jeremiah, she enjoys a comfortable existence in Washington, DC's upper Northwest quadrant, a neighborhood known for its blend of journalists, academics, and professionals. But the unexpected death of their youngest son, Jeremiah, from a rare illness upended their world, leaving a profound sense of loss.
In the aftermath, Alice and David struggle to navigate their grief, feeling overwhelmed and uncertain. When Toby shows signs of difficulty at school, they enroll him in an unconventional institution with a perplexing curriculum - "They don't even teach reading, Mom" - and rigid, sometimes bewildering rules, including a strict ban on television.
While Alice feels increasingly out of place and emotionally distant, David becomes captivated by the school and, eventually, by one of Toby's teachers - a striking woman with long, untamed red hair, which sparks her curiosity and inner conflict.
Tensions escalate further when David leaves the family home and a group of young men moves in next door, charming Alice and drawing her attention to one in particular, further destabilizing her life.
As she wrestles with desire, loss, and uncertainty, questions emerge: How will Alice reclaim her sense of self? Can Toby recover from the upheaval? And what path will David ultimately take? Her internal struggle highlights her vulnerability and desire for stability, fostering empathy in the reader.
Critique: Alice Adrift explores the emotional depths of family ties, grief, and healing, offering insight into how characters navigate profound loss and resilience, helping readers connect emotionally and understand the novel's depth.
Susan Bacon's storytelling combines emotional depth with insightful prose, capturing the fragile yet resilient nature of family life amid unforeseen challenges and setting the stage for a poignant, evocative reading experience.
Benesh: A Historical Fiction Novel of 1930s New York, WWII, and the Holocaust
Daniel Hock
Anticipation Press
https://www.anticipationpress.com
9780975404621, $4.99 Kindle, 271 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Benesh-Historical-Fiction-Novel-Holocaust-ebook/dp/B0FPRH75N3
Synopsis: Set against the vibrant yet unforgiving landscape of 1930s Manhattan, Benesh Burke grows up determined to free himself from the expectations and traditions of his immigrant Jewish household. Longing to blend seamlessly into mainstream America, he adopts the name "Ben," distances himself from his faith, and joins the U.S. Army - placing himself among peers who scorn the very differences he seeks to hide.
By 1945, everything he has carefully constructed unravels. Ben faced the stark horror of the atrocities inflicted upon the people he had tried to detach himself from when his unit liberated the Dachau concentration camp. In the shadow of immense suffering and immeasurable loss, the identity he has fashioned fractures, forcing him to face the true price of denying his heritage.
Will Ben have the strength to continue concealing his past, or will the weight of truth compel him to reveal who he truly is?
Critique: Benesh: A Historical Fiction Novel of 1930s New York, WWII, and the Holocaust invites readers to examine the ways we mask or reveal our identities when faced with the demands of belonging and self-preservation. The emotional resonance of his struggle highlights the enduring importance of truth, memory, and self-acceptance.
Through its internal conflict, the book thoughtfully probes the complex interplay between personal identity and cultural legacy, offering a nuanced exploration of the Jewish-American experience.
Daniel Hock emerges as a distinguished storyteller, blending emotional depth with vivid, meticulously crafted prose. His writing animates every chapter with remarkable clarity, immersing readers fully in Benesh Burke's world.
Each scene carries an undeniable authenticity, allowing readers to witness the chaos of war and the weight of Benesh's choices as though they are standing at his side. This book serves as a powerful and evocative tribute to one of history's most turbulent eras.
Reframe: How Curiosity & Literacy Can Redefine Us
Tinsley Galyean
Business Expert Press
https://www.businessexpertpress.com
9781637428818, $17.99 Kindle, $31.99 PB, $36.99 HB, 174 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Reframe-How-Curiosity-Literacy-Redefine-ebook/dp/B0FCJ628PD
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reframe-tinsley-galyean-phd/1147561079
Synopsis: In 2014, a group of forward-thinking researchers embarked on a global mission: could children around the world learn to read using low-cost smartphones and thoughtfully designed learning apps? If successful, could this model help reduce global illiteracy and expand the opportunities literacy enables? Reframe: How Curiosity & Literacy Can Redefine Us offers a compelling examination of these questions, inviting you to be part of this global movement.
Reframe, in this book, refers to the process of challenging and changing our perspectives, beliefs, and mental patterns to unlock new pathways for personal and collective progress. Combining elements of travel narrative, personal insight, and practical guidance, it follows Tinsley Galyean's efforts to establish and grow Curious Learning - an international nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that every child has access to early literacy.
As the organization develops, Galyean also confronts the internal obstacles that hinder innovation: ingrained beliefs, doubts, and mental patterns that distort clarity and limit potential. Through honest reflection and actionable strategies, he shows how reframing these constraints can unlock new pathways for personal and collective progress.
Critique: Reframe is part global adventure, part personal awakening; it follows Tinsley Galyean as he builds Curious Learning.
Spanning regions from India and South Africa to Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Peru, Reframe is both a global journey and a thoughtful exploration of the mindsets that shape our relationships, decisions, and impact. At its heart, the book promotes the power of curiosity - showing how it nurtures continuous growth, deepens understanding, and inspires meaningful change.
Tinsley Galyean, an exceptional and insightful author, takes you on a journey of personal growth. As he expands his organization, he comes to recognize that the most significant barriers to progress are not always external - they often originate within. His story will inspire you to embark on your own journey of self-discovery and growth.
Assumptions, fears, and long-held patterns can subtly constrain our thinking and limit our potential. Through candid storytelling and the lessons gained from his journey, Galyean not only encourages readers to confront these "limiting beliefs" but also provides actionable strategies to do so. His book is a call to action, motivating you to embrace a broader sense of what is possible.
Heaven Sent
Michelle Romano
Independently Published
9798992231601, $0.99 Kindle, $9.99 PB 120 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Sent-Michelle-Romano/dp/B0FP2Y14KZ
Synopsis: Discover the heartfelt story of Evie and Lou, two best friends whose deep emotional connection, trust, and shared experiences evoke empathy and warmth in readers. Evie sees Lou as both a mentor and a confidante, while Lou cherishes Evie as the daughter she never had.
Lou carries a life-altering secret about her health that she feels the time is right to confide in Evie. The revelation shatters her friend's world, creating a powerful moment of emotional intensity. Evie struggles with shock, grief, and the helplessness of confronting a loss she cannot prevent, heightens the story's emotional stakes.
Amid her mourning, Evie encounters Gabriel, a kind and steady presence who offers comfort and hope. Through his support, she processes her emotions and slowly opens her heart to love again. Gabriel becomes a guiding light, helping Evie navigate the uncertainty and sorrow Lou's illness brings, making his role central to her emotional healing.
With Gabriel's encouragement, Evie finds the strength to be fully present with Lou during her last weeks. Their shared moments of reflection, laughter, and intimacy deepen their already profound bond. Will the sadness that brought them together be enough to allow them to see each other in a new light?
Critique: Heaven Sent is a profoundly moving story of friendship, loss, and hope, touching the heart with its portrayal of love's enduring strength and the quiet grace that helps us endure even the darkest moments.
Michelle Romano delivers a deeply emotional reading experience in Heaven Sent. The authenticity of every scene might make you wonder if it's drawn from real life.
The characters, who face life's unforeseen challenges, display remarkable strength because the author developed them richly. Their resilience and depth make the story both powerful and moving.
I highly recommend any book by this author. Heaven Sent is yet another testament to Romano's talent, and a novel poised to earn well-deserved acclaim.
Incident at Cougar Creek
Mary Flodin
Paper Angel Press
https://paperangelpress.com
9781969655463, $4.99 Kindle, $16.99 PB, $26.99 HB, 372 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Incident-Cougar-Creek-Mary-Flodin/dp/1969655461
Paper Angel Press
https://paperangelpress.com/new-book-release-incident-at-cougar-creek-by-mary-flodin
Synopsis: Set against the striking and ecologically diverse landscape of Central California's Cougar Creek Coast Ranch National Monument, Incident at Cougar Creek artfully combines suspense, romance, and the supernatural.
When a brutal murder and a concealed secret come to light, Fish and Wildlife Officer Colin Dawson and Kumeyaay Native Delfina Cuera are thrust into a dangerous and mysterious web.
As they face their own personal struggles, Colin and Delfina must learn to trust one another to confront the force responsible for Delfina's mother's death.
This book explores themes of resilience, courage, and the intricate dynamics of human connection in the face of extraordinary challenges.
Critique: Incident at Cougar Creek is a gripping and suspenseful narrative that captivates readers from the opening chapter. Mary Flodin skillfully weaves tension, intrigue, and vivid portrayals of the rugged wilderness, fully immersing readers in the high-stakes drama.
Her characters, richly developed and multidimensional, navigate complex emotions and unexpected trials, which makes the story authentic and deep. Her prose strikes a careful balance between pulse-pounding action and reflective moments, resulting in a narrative that is both thrilling and emotionally resonant.
This novel is a testament to Flodin's talent for crafting stories that ignite the imagination while thoughtfully exploring the nuances of the human spirit, making it an interesting read for fans of suspense, romance, and the supernatural alike.
Pig Jigs
Laura Michaud, author
Catarina Neto, illustrator
Scootymoo Books
9798218861056, $2.99 Kindle, $19.99 HB, 34 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Pig-Jigs-Laura-Michaud/dp/B0G8TYV3VZ
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pig-jigs-laura-michaud/1148984572
Synopsis: Life on the family farm leaves Annabelle little time for herself, yet her heart belongs to dance. Between chores and responsibilities, she steals quiet moments to practice a twirl or tap, keeping her dream alive.
Unbeknownst to her, she has an eager audience - the farm's pigs. Inspired by Annabelle's secret rehearsals, the pigs dance with joyful abandon, their exuberant jigs rippling across the farm and creating unexpected chaos among the gardens and animals alike. Though their antics cause a stir, dancing brings the pigs pure happiness.
When Annabelle discovers the pigs share her passion for movement, she must decide how to respond to this delightful and surprising connection.
Critique: Pigs Jigs! is a lively and charming celebration of creativity, self-expression, and the pure joy of dance. The engaging illustrations enhance the story's playful spirit, drawing young readers into its whimsical world.
Laura Michaud's storytelling shines with warmth and humor, creating characters that quickly capture the reader's affection. The book is entertaining and heartfelt, making it well-suited as a bedtime favorite that leaves children smiling as they drift off to sleep.
Editorial Note: Recommended for children ages 3-8.
Elliot & Bo in Icyland
Agatha Georges, author
Petronille, illustrator
The Magic Press
9781969869013, $2.99 Kindle, $12.99 PB, 97pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Elliot-Bo-Icyland-Full-Color/dp/1969869011
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elliot-bo-in-icyland-petronille/1148985130
Synopsis: Elliot & Bo in Icyland is a charming and imaginative adventure that seamlessly blends fantasy with an important environmental message.
Elliot is an ordinary boy whose life changes when he meets Bo, a clever, endearing talking penguin. What begins as a surprising friendship quickly unfolds into an exciting journey to a magical, frozen world on the brink of collapse.
Elliot & Bo in Icyland richly imagines playful yet perilous landscapes that captivate young readers. Even the book cover displays a shiny, icy look!
Critique: Elliot & Bo in Icyland is a story that gently encourages environmental awareness without feeling heavy-handed. The author thoughtfully presented the parallels between Icyland's melting and real-world concerns, making complex ideas accessible to children while still resonating with adult readers, fostering a sense of hope and responsibility.
Agatha Georges is a lively storyteller who showcases memorable characters and real-world messages. Elliot & Bo in Icyland is an entertaining and purposeful read. It is an excellent choice for young audiences who enjoy magical journeys - and for parents and educators seeking stories that inspire responsibility, empathy, and belief in the power of small heroes to make a big difference.
Georges balances wonder and urgency with skill, creating an engaging pace that keeps the story moving while allowing space for meaningful reflection. The relationship between Elliot and Bo is the heart of the book, emphasizing teamwork, courage, and the power of compassion, inspiring readers with admiration and empathy.
Editorial Note: Recommended ages 6-11 years old, making it suitable for early elementary to upper elementary students, with engaging language and themes appropriate for this range.
Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale From the Belly of the Beast
Once Upon a Dance, author
Ethan Roffler, illustrator
Once Upon a Dance, LLC
9798899940088, $22.99, HC, 30pp
9798899940095,$9.99 PB, 34 pp
9798899940101, $39.99, Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bellyrina-Belly-Beast-Dancing-After/dp/B0FYN3GCCF
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bellyrina-once-upon-a-dance
Synopsis: Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale from the Belly of the Beast by Once Upon a Dance combines imaginative storytelling with the joy of movement, inviting young readers into a world where dance and adventure intertwine.
When a playful wolf swallows Roxy the Duck, a curious pink bunny - Bellyrina - appears, guiding Peter, Milo the Cat, and Ren the Bird through a charming tale of bravery, creativity, and teamwork.
Critique: Bellyrina: A Tutu Tale from the Belly of the Beast stands out for its lively story, engaging narrative, and interactive elements that invite children to hop, twirl, and stretch along with the characters, underscoring its unique appeal.
Once Upon a Dance should be proud of this book. It's a story full of energy and warmth that resonates with children and adults alike.
Bellyrina celebrates friendship, courage, and the joy of movement, inspiring children and making parents and educators feel proud of its positive messages.
The soft pastel illustrations exude warmth and humor, enhancing the tale's playful rhythm. This is a book that not only provides an entertaining reading experience, it is also one that will help promote fitness in a child's life.
Editorial Note: Recommended ages 4-8.
The Healing Herbs of Mother Earth
Erika Abonyi, author
Minji Kim, illustrator
JVT
9798218535919, $22.99 HB, pp 32 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Herbs-Mother-Earth/dp/B0FLNKGG6S
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-healing-herbs-of-mother-earth-erika-abonyi/1148098629
Synopsis: Step into a realm of gentle magic as four inquisitive children - Alex, Lyra, Belle, and Max - discover an enchanted landscape where Herb Fairies lovingly care for nature's most treasured healing plants. Surrounded by fragrant blossoms, the children delight in the scents and sweetness of the flowers as their journey of discovery begins.
Their first encounter is with the Cowslip Fairy, guardian of this delicate and remarkable plant. She shares the purpose of the cowslip flower and reveals how it has long been used to soothe coughs and ease colds. As the children venture further, they meet other knowledgeable fairies, each devoted to a different herb and eager to explain its unique role and restorative qualities.
Guided by these wise and whimsical caretakers, the children gain more than a knowledge of plants - they learn to endure lessons about wellness, compassion, and the responsibility of caring for both themselves and the natural world.
Critique: The Healing Herbs of Mother Earth is an elegant and inspiring introduction for young readers, inviting them to discover the gentle healing powers found within the natural world. With breathtaking illustrations that captivate the imagination, the book elevates the reading experience, blending beauty and wisdom to create a truly enchanting journey for curious young minds.
The Healing Herbs of Mother Earth is an elegant and inspiring introduction for young readers, encouraging curiosity about natural healing and empowering parents and educators to foster children's wellness awareness.
Erika Abonyi's vivid language elevates the story into a richly educational and delightfully entertaining experience. Paired with Minji Kim's breathtaking illustrations, each a miniature masterpiece, the book becomes a harmonious blend of storytelling and visual artistry. Together, these two talented artists create a captivating and immersive journey, resulting in a beautiful work that all who read it will cherish.
Gracefully blending imagination with thoughtful insight, this enchanting story encourages young readers and their caregivers to value cooperation, honor the Earth, and recognize how mindful choices can nurture a healthier, happier future for all, inspiring a sense of shared responsibility.
Editorial Note: Recommended ages 7-12
Nature Calls, Cat Answers
C.B. Sterling
VTK Publishing
https://www.vtkpublishing.com
9798999145819, $3.99 Kindle, $11.99 PB, $17.46 Audio, $21.99 HB, 204 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/NATURE-CALLS-ANSWERS-C-B-Sterling-ebook/dp/B0FNKVR5J1
Synopsis: Otis is a shelter cat shaped by rejection and uncertainty, carrying the weight of a past that nearly cost him his life. His future changes in an instant when Bob, an 84-year-old widower, offers him a home and something Otis has never truly known - unconditional acceptance. Within the quiet comfort of Bob's care, Otis heals, discovering trust and companionship in a bond forged by mutual need.
Bob's disappearance during a walk in the woods abruptly breaks their newfound peace. Forced beyond the safety he has only just found, Otis must face his deepest fears. Guided by loyalty and devotion, he ventures into the wilderness, joining forces with two unexpected companions - young bears who help him navigate the dangers ahead. Together, they race against time in a desperate search filled with peril and hope. This book highlights Otis's bravery, encouraging admiration and emotional connection from reviewers and readers.
As the journey tests his resolve, Otis learns that bravery is often born from love. The question remains: Will courage and friendship be enough to bring Bob home, or will Otis once again face the world alone? This book emphasizes resilience and the power of friendship, inspiring confidence and emotional reassurance in readers and reviewers alike.
Critique: Nature Calls, Cat Answers is a tender and emotionally resonant story that explores themes of trust, sacrifice, and devotion, making it highly appealing to reviewers and critics seeking meaningful children's literature. Both uplifting and poignant, it highlights the profound bond between humans and animals, reminding readers how deeply they can shape and save one another.
C.B. Sterling writes with compassion and insight, crafting a story that lingers in the heart by emphasizing themes of trust, resilience, and hope. Through gentle storytelling and emotional depth, the novel illustrates how hope can surface even in the bleakest moments. Appealing to readers of all ages, it is a meaningful reflection on friendship, resilience, and the healing power of love.
Editorial Note: Recommended reading age: 7 and up, making it suitable for children, parents, and educators interested in stories about animal bonds and resilience.
Books for Benjamin
R.G. de Rouen, author
Uliana Barabash, illustrator
Independently Published
9798986585413, $4.99 Kindle, $10.99 PB, $19.99 HB, 32 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Benjamin-Picture-Adventure-Libraries-ebook/dp/B0BK4VW73G
Synopsis: Benjamin is an inquisitive little worm whose imagination reaches well beyond the garden he calls home. Benjamin loves the wonders of books, but his family appreciates life's simple pleasures.
As he ventures into these new worlds, he encounters captivating stories that shape his understanding of friendship, resilience, and self-discovery.
Along the way, Benjamin must learn whether the world he has imagined through his reading can withstand reality - or if those discoveries will deepen, rather than diminish, his sense of wonder.
Critique: Books for Benjamin is a tender and imaginative story that invites young readers to celebrate curiosity, creativity, and the transformative power of reading.
Through a lighthearted and accessible approach, the book introduces respect for creative work while maintaining a sense of play and discovery.
R.G. de Rouen's thoughtful storytelling brings Benjamin vividly to life, creating a character whose warmth and curiosity resonate long after the last page.
Rich in imagination and heart, this book is a worthy addition to any school library, fostering empathy, inspiration, and a lifelong love of stories.
Editorial Note: Recommended reading age 2-8 years old.
Aloe Vera's Special Gift
Jeanette Gill, author
Tania Ortiz, illustrator
Zun Zun Press
9798998813207, $2.99 Kindle, $18.99 HB, $11.99 PB, 42 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Aloe-Veras-Special-Gift-Jeanette/dp/B0FW6XH6RG
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aloe-veras-special-gift-jeanette-gil/1148533613
Synopsis: Tucked away among brilliant blossoms and showy petals, Aloe Vera quietly grows, feeling ordinary and unseen in a garden full of color. Prickly on the outside and uncertain of her worth, she watches as others draw admiration and praise.
Yet when a warm summer day brings sunburns, scrapes, and itchy rashes, Aloe's gentle healing abilities come to light. Through caring for her garden companions, Aloe discovers a powerful truth: the very qualities that set her apart are what make her truly exceptional.
Critique: Aloe Vera's Special Gift is a touching and affirming picture book ideal for bedtime reading, classrooms, and social-emotional learning environments. With warmth and grace, it encourages young readers to embrace empathy, kindness, and individuality, reminding them that everyone - like every plant - has a meaningful role to play.
Jeanette Gill and Tania Ortiz have crafted a visually striking work that stands out for its artistic beauty. Richly detailed and captivating, the illustrations enhance the story's emotional depth.
Tender and thoughtfully composed, Aloe Vera's Special Gift explores themes of self-worth and compassion, revealing the quiet magic often found in the most unexpected places.
Editorial Note: Recommended for children ages 3-6.
Knights in Manhattan
Kay DiBianca
Wordstar Publishing LLC
https://wordstarpublishing.com
9798989482351, $.99 Kindle, $7.99 PB, 200 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Knights-Manhattan-Joanie-Detective-Agency/dp/B0FPXLS11R
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knights-in-manhattan-kay-dibianca/1148307801
Synopsis: Manhattan, with its iconic neighborhoods and landmarks, sets an exciting scene for daring junior detectives. When a cunning group of thieves leaves cryptic clues, the Reen & Joanie Detective Agency embarks on a lively pursuit across the city's celebrated streets, inspiring curiosity and a sense of adventure in young readers and their guardians.
Their investigation features surprising twists, including inquisitive hamsters and concealed passageways, making the story fun and unpredictable. Miles - a remarkably gifted seven-year-old-brings sharp wit and humor, ensuring the story remains engaging and enjoyable for young readers and their recommending adults.
Critique: Knights in Manhattan is a spirited and imaginative mystery that skillfully balances intrigue with youthful curiosity. The vivid New York City backdrop enhances the narrative, offering a dynamic setting that feels both accessible and exciting for young readers. The story's blend of humor, clever problem-solving, and fast-paced action keeps the momentum strong from beginning to end.
Kay DiBianca's talent for crafting warm, exciting stories shines through once again. Her engaging storytelling resonates with young audiences, making each book a rewarding experience that parents and educators can trust to entertain and inspire children.
Editorial Note: Recommended reading ages 7-18 years old, with stories engaging for early readers and more complex mysteries for older children and teens.
Terrance McPhee and the Toy Eating Tree
Kathleen MacInnis Kichline, author
Scott Ward, illustrator
Sisters in Scripture
https://sistersinscripture.com
9798985259681, $9.99 Kindle, $12.99 PB, $24.99 HB, 44 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Terrance-McPhee-Eating-Tree-problem-solving/dp/B0FMFTY6XY
Synopsis: Terrance McPhee and the Toy-Eating Tree is a charming picture book that transforms a childhood moment into a playful, poetic adventure, inspiring excitement in parents and educators. When the tallest tree in the neighborhood unexpectedly captures Terrance's treasured paper airplane, he and his lively group of friends must rely on their creativity and teamwork to get it back.
The story, written in rhythmic, lyrical prose and filled with energetic illustrations, encourages young readers to persevere, ask for help when needed, embrace play and patience, and find gratitude in life's surprises, fostering confidence and reassurance so they ask for help when they encounter a problem.
Critique: Terrance McPhee and the Toy-Eating Tree is a delightful tale that shines with Kathleen MacInnis Kichline's jolly words and Scott Ward's vibrant illustrations, which reflect diverse characters and inclusive themes, bringing each page and character to life.
Kathleen MacInnis Kichline masterfully conveys the wonder, curiosity, and inventive spirit of childhood, seamlessly weaving imagination, playful mischief, and meaningful lessons throughout the narrative.
Together with Scott Ward's vivid illustrations, the author creates a whimsical and enchanting world brimming with heart, humor, and adventure, captivating readers from the first page to the last. This book would make a delightful addition to any school library, inspiring anticipation among book buyers and educators.
Editorial Note: Recommended for ages 4-10 years
Suzie Housley, Senior Reviewer
https://housleysliteraryservices.com
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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