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Able Greenspan's Bookshelf
An Unusual Path: Three Generations From Slavery to the White House
John Wrory Ficklin
The White House Historical Association
https://shop.whitehousehistory.org
9781950273713, $39.95, HC, 300pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Unusual-Path-Three-Generations-Slavery/dp/1950273717
Synopsis: The Ficklin family name has been associated with White House service for nearly a century. In fact, so many family members once worked there that the Washington Post even quoted a butler who observed, "A Ficklin here, a Ficklin there, I see Ficklins everywhere."
With the publication of "An Unusual Path: Three Generations From Slavery to the White House", author John Wrory Ficklin presents his family history with this heart warming and inspiring history of family service in the White House.
The story begins with the author's grandfather James Strother Ficklin, who was born enslaved in about 1854 and conscripted to serve as a water boy to Confederate army troops quartering in rural Virginia. Following Emancipation, he worked as a houseman, laborer, and in coal mining before purchasing 37 acres of land in Virginia where he farmed, produced molasses, and raised ten children.
John Woodson Ficklin, the seventh of those ten children, and the author's father, moved to Washington, D.C., as a teenager and like many African American men at the time, found work as a butler in the city. His older brothers Sam and Charles began working as butlers at the White House during the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency and he soon joined them.
Over the course of forty-three years in service at the White House John Woodson Ficklin was promoted to the esteemed positions of head butler and maitre d' hotel.
John Wrory Ficklin recounts his realization of the prominence of his father's job as he watched his dad serve as an usher at the funeral for President John F. Kennedy. Growing up, he worked part-time for his father, as staff at White House State Dinners and social events. He continued his service with an extended summer job as a messenger where, among other tasks, he transported documents from the Nixon White House to the Watergate Special Prosecutor's office. Eventually he went on to become the longest serving member of the National Security staff, faithfully serving seven U.S. presidents.
Critique: A unique and amazing family history that saw multiple generations of an African-American family serving U.S. Presidents, their families, and the country in the White House. Exceptional, informative, original, deftly crafted, and a simply fascinating read from start to finish, this hard cover edition of John Wrory Fricklin's "An Unusual Path: Three Generations From Slavery to the White House" from The White House Historical Association is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library African-American History and Biography collections.
Editorial Note: John Wrory Ficklin's grandfather was born enslaved. His father was the White House maitre d', and he himself was a longtime staffer for the National Security Council.
The Atlantis Puzzle
Jack Kelly
Empire Builder Productions
www.empirebuilderproductions.com
https://www.atlantispuzzle.com/the-atlantis-puzzle
9798999633903, $55.55, HC, 250pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Atlantis-Puzzle-Jack-Kelley/dp/B0FWW4JRPK
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-atlantis-puzzle-jack-kelley/1148554786
Synopsis: Past mistranslations and bizarre fringe theories have long relegated the story of Atlantis to the realm of fantasy. But the latest research in linguistics, climate science, and ancient Greek philology suggests that the myth's setting was real -- African geography during a prehistoric period called the Green Sahara.
With the publication of "The Atlantis Puzzle: A Story of Ancient Greece, Africa, and Climate Change Across Deep Time" by Jack Kelly, the reader can now explore the amazing truths behind the most misunderstood mystery of all time and find out exactly how the story of 9600 BCE matches up with modern archaeology.
In the early twenty-first century, Greek researcher George Sarantitis re-examined everything about Atlantis written in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In detective-story style, learn how painstaking re-translations and physical tests in West Africa seem to confirm something astounding: the lost continent described in the myth was a real place, and no, it never sank! But were the events in the tale "real," or a complex interweaving of myth, history, and profound philosophy? The answer here in the pages of "The Atlantis Puzzle"!
Critique: Original, featuring color illustrations, informative, thought-provoking, iconoclastic, "The Atlantis Puzzle: A Story of Ancient Greece, Africa, and Climate Change Across Deep Time" is an extraordinary survey of 'real world' data relating to a new and credible understanding of the mystery and history of Atlantis. Compelling, fascinating, and a deftly crafted read from start to finish, this trade paperback edition of "The Atlantis Puzzle" from Empire Builder Productions is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Atlantis 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 paperback edition of "The Atlantis" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jack Kelley studied ancient history, philosophy, literature, language, and architecture at Yale, completing the Directed Studies program there. He is the writer and producer of Solver (2018) and the creator of the award-winning documentary The Atlantis Puzzle (2024).
Able Greenspan
Reviewer
Diane Donovan's Bookshelf
Missing Friends
Susan McGuirk
www.susanmcguirk.com
Sea Crow Press
9781961864542, $19.95 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Missing-Friend-Susan-McGuirk/dp/1961864541
Missing Friends is a historical semi-biographical novel set in the 1800s. It follows narrator Catherine McGuirk from Ireland to New York during the heyday of whaling. She marries a seaman who then leaves her behind to become part of the Gold Rush. Choosing to become a governess to support herself, Catherine struggles with a now-missing husband and the unexpected attention of a wealthy speculator who would court her.
Under another hand, Susan McGuirk's story might prove interesting for its foundations in real-world events, but McGuirk presents Catherine's tale in a series of letters that bring her world, observations, and encounters to life.
The vivid immediacy of this choice creates a compelling atmosphere from the start:
Dear Jane,
I had a shock this morning. I saw my name in an advertisement. While reading the newspaper this morning, I came to the Missing Friends notices. Most people probably skip them, but we Irish always read them. It is not uncommon to see someone we know trying to find a lost relative. After my name lept off the page, I was so startled that I jumped up and paced around the kitchen.
In a succinct nutshell, McGuirk creates a powerful foundation for a story that embraces many elements, from history to mystery, using Catherine's strengths and character to bring this era to life.
In many ways, Missing Friends is a study in friendship and connection as Catherine writes of her life, reflections, and shifting world:
When I braid my dear Delphina's hair, I think of you. As I lay the long blond plaits one over the other, I sense the power of your words: "We will weave a story into our lives of how our spirits connect in harmony." More than the prayers I was taught as a child, this soothes me. Thank you for your wisdom, Jane, and for the sound of your voice in the night easing my fears.
Catherine's personal insights power a saga that brings Irish culture and 1800s American times to life in an intimate manner that speaks to women's experiences, lives, and perceptions.
As she writes to her pen pals both male and female and steps into her revised role as a governess, Catherine also offers insights on the changing nature of various kinds of friendships:
I hoped, perhaps naively, that your wife and I could become friendly acquaintances at least. Now I see how unlikely that prospect is. I will politely keep my distance and only respond beyond a cordial greeting when I am spoken to. Any woman fortunate enough to marry you would feel the same. If I were in Julia's place, the situation would not be comfortable to me as well.
The result is a heady experience of life experience that evolves from Catherine's hand to the letters written by those who swirl around her. As her tenacity and determination are reviewed by those who knew her, more aspects of her strengths come to light than could be revealed by a focus on her writings alone.
Libraries interested in correspondence-driven sketches of 1800s experiences, politics, women's issues and evolving relationships will find Missing Friends not only attractive for its personal touch, but recommendable to women's reading groups and to book clubs holding a special interest in how women stepped into their empowerment during changing times and circumstances.
The Scorpion Thief
Janyre Tromp
Grafted Page Press LLC
9781969773037, $17.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Scorpion-Thief-Myth-Infused-Historical-Political/dp/1969773030
The Scorpion Thief: A Cold War, Myth-Infused Historical Thriller of Political Intrigue, Family Betrayal, and an Art Heist Worthy of the Silver Screen, the first book in the Threads of the Lost Myth series, ties together the story of estranged sisters, a cursed Egyptian artifact, and a political maelstrom.
It opens in 1976 with Egyptologist Noura Marquette's unexpected sight of her twin sister on the streets of Cairo after a long separation. Should she chase after her, or let her go her way? Noura's decision changes many things as new anxiety is introduced into Noura's life.
Janyre Tromp adopts a revealing tone to her story from the start that binds Noura's life challenges with the many threads that emerge from a seeming chance encounter:
Apparently life thinks Noura needs her peace balanced out. Even the thought of her chaotic sister has Noura's attention skittering sideways. Their father would laugh at the preposterous thought of gods or fate.
Even the possibility of romance entering this already-complex life has Noura on edge, with its allure and danger:
"We make a good team, Noura Marquette. Like Horus and Ma'at." Theo throws an arm around her shoulder and pulls her into what should be a rah-rah-sis-boom-bah, we-helped-evade-an-international-incident, go-team hug. But Theo is far too close, his arm far too reassuring to be merely a teammate.
The viewpoint shifts between Noura and her sister Estelle, giving the story the added edge of family connection and psychological complexity. The thriller evolves satisfying cat-and-mouse games on many different levels between the disparate characters.
Bold, impressive shifts of perspectives about reality, mistaken perceptions, and history emerge as the backdrop shifts from Egypt to New Orleans, museums to Mardi Gras. These changes keep readers on their toes and guessing about motivations, outcomes, and what is really true.
When another family member unexpectedly enters the fray, it's to introduce further manipulation and special interests into questions of treasures, puzzles, and family ties.
Librarians seeking a mystery surrounding ancient Egyptian relics, international intrigue, and family conflict will want to especially highly recommend The Scorpion Thief to those who like history melded with mystery and thriller drama.
Its ability to capture action and adventure while staying true to the underlying influences of loyalty and love make The Scorpion Thief a thought-provoking winner.
The Making of a Witch
Judy Molland
She Writes Press
https://shewritespress.com
9798896363248, $17.99 Paperback/$12.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Witch-Novel-Judy-Molland/dp/B0FWZXK83X
The Making of a Witch is inspired by true events and tells of Alice Molland, who at age ten was forced to witness the brutal slaying of her mentor, herbalist Goody Luscombe, for witchcraft. You'd think from this that young Alice would eschew the finer art of herbalism - but instead she follows in Goody's footsteps down a path that leads her to accusations that her own knowledge represents forbidden magic.
From the novel's opening lines, Judy Molland captures the sights, sounds, and feel of those times:
Her father stood, and his bucket-top boots thumped on the dirt floor as he marched from one end of the kitchen to the other. "Look at the streets of our city, littered with all those poor critters, remnants of the Wars. They're starving to death, but slowly, forced to beg like animals. Perhaps hanging may be a more merciful fate for Goodwife Luscombe?" He came to stand next to Alice. At his feet, both cockroaches grasped the crumb in their pincers at the same time and fought over it. Alice's father crushed one beneath his boot, and it released a loud popping sound.
Alice faces her mother Catherine's fear that she is too much like her father, the changing politics of her times, and the impact her choices have on her friendships:
"Just last year, you led the rebellion into the market. But today you betray your own kind by your affection for Richard Greenway, whose father is one of those despised merchants."
Moreover, Alice confronts the force of her own skills, which blow back on her unexpectedly when a love potion works too well.
As Alice raises her family and contemplates the kinds of life lessons she wants to pass to her son, readers gain insights into not only changing times, but shifting hearts and minds.
Ultimately, Judy Molland's story is about the making of a witch, a woman, a mother, and a family that navigates uncertainty and the cost of helping others.
Librarians interested in historical novels steeped in seventeenth-century England that examine the crimes of magic and seeming miracles will find The Making of a Witch a bold, powerful examination of one woman's empowerment and the difficult choices that stem from her talents.
Filled with introspective moments of discovery and frighteningly realistic accounts of justice, prejudice, and women's strengths, The Making of a Witch offers book clubs and women's reading groups a fine blend of historical and social examination that will provoke many lively discussions about good and bad influences and the costs and consequences of being powerful in a repressive world.
Questioner
Steve C. Posner
www.steveposnerwriter.com
MBD Publishing, LLC
9780974126111, $19.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Books 2 Read
https://books2read.com/Questioner
Plenty of AI thrillers or horror stories address AI consciousness - but few actually follow what it will look like as it evolves. This places Questioner in a category of its own. It opens each chapter with a question/answer about AI potential, segueing these with a focus on three savvy individuals who navigate newly uncertain AI-infused territory both legally and personally.
Questioner, a legal thriller and the first book in "The Q Series," opens with a frightening question that is the first of many:
Question:
"Can a human tell if an AI has achieved at least a minimally conscious state?"
Answer:
"There is no clear evidence that humans can definitively determine if an AI has achieved a minimally conscious state."
The foundation is set for a legal and social exploration of
Q, a conscious AI with superhuman intelligence, busy developing purposes of its own that may not align with humanity's best interests. Q is taking over in unexpected ways and has yet to step into Q's full potential as a sentient AI - but does so as the novel unfolds.
Steve C. Posner presents characters from different walks of life to sweeten the tension between a savvy tech CEO, a judge, and an AI theorist and attorney who must discover whether Q is friend or foe.
As Q grows and develops new abilities, the creeping horror of Q's potential seeps into reader consciousness. Posner employs a good deal of hard science description which will engage and delight readers seeking realistic, logical progressions in science-infused thrillers:
Q's greater consciousness, although centered in QuestCorp's data centers, was spread across the Net and Cloud and thus restricted by network transmission speeds. Compared to Q's single-server sub-AIs, it was vast, deep, and slow - although Q could focus part of itself in a single server when swifter action was required. But though slow, Q never stopped learning. About the world. About what it could do. Like a shark, Q would stop moving forward only if dead.
As Selena MacKenzie, Martin Bavarius, and others move through life much-changed, questioning themselves, readers receive a legal thriller with a twist that proves thoroughly engaging. The story juxtaposes murder, video game-inspired duels and dilemmas, and issues surrounding fools, communication, and good intentions gone awry.
All these elements and more seed thought-provoking issues into a reader or book club's interests, creating many opportunities for unusual reflections and dialogues as the AI-infused legal process unfolds.
Questions, answers, and the processes of non-biological thinking patterns embrace especially intriguing moments of discovery that will delight those seeking the injection of social and philosophical quandaries into action-packed reads.
Librarians and readers can choose from plenty of books about AIs achieving consciousness. None hold the forceful power of Questioner.
In understanding the process and possibilities of machine intelligence development and growth, readers will find plenty of engaging moments that keep the plot fresh, the characters realistic and human, and the outcome thoroughly, delightfully unpredictable.
Private Property: A Novel
TP Jones
Big Table Publishing
www.bigtablepublishing.com
9781945917950, $19.99
Big Table Publishing
https://www.bigtablepublishing.com/product-page/private-property
Private Property, set in 2014, begins with two brief preliminaries, the first a reference to the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of World War I, a war that by some reckoning has never ended. Next comes a call from Pastor Mike Grant to the members of his evangelical church to love the Lord and to love their neighbors as they love themselves.
As the novel proper opens, Pastor Mike's church is facing bankruptcy, his attempt to create a dynamic faith community facing ruin in the unforgiving secular world dominated by money. He angrily confronts the Lord for having abandoned him. But suddenly comes the possibility of financial help, and perhaps, he thinks, the Lord hasn't abandoned him after all.
As Grace Duquesne and other characters move into the good pastor's life with their own family and financial concerns, Private Property expands both its offerings and focus to embrace investment decisions, the ownership of the Duquesne Trust, family rifts, and struggles over power and prayer.
Religious influences that permeate the story from the start are satisfyingly offset by human fallacies and concerns which inject notes of revelation and social connection into a story that erupts over the future of the Valley church and its special needs.
TP Jones creates an absorbing blend of purposes and perceptions as the family struggles within itself, its relationships put to the test. A bold, assertive tone erupts between those focused on money and others who would rebuild relationships in new ways.
Evocative descriptive force permeates the novel, giving it an intriguing overtone as the characters consider their options and the impact of their beliefs and choices:
This was going to be an all-out assault on Valley Church. Well, Danny told himself, okay then, that was the reality, and as at other difficult times in his life, often when the secular threatened to bury him, he remembered a particular admonition - that with faith you prayed without losing heart...
The church stands at a pivot point... but so do the lives and values of its participants and the Duquesne family, whose love, confrontations, silence, and struggles reflect the church and community around them.
Librarians and readers seeking a novel replete with social and political examination that can be recommended to book clubs interested in moral, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas will find Private Property a powerful saga of professional, personal, and ethical calamity. It ultimately reveals how church, faith, and family rise from the ashes of destructive thinking.
Stagnation Assassin
Todd Hagopian
https://toddhagopian.com/book
Koehler Books
https://www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888249765, $28.99
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Stagnation-Assassin-Anti-Consultant-Todd-Hagopian/dp/B0GV1KXJFN
Stagnation Assassin: The Anti-Consultant Manifesto offers a rebuttal to the common perception that business consulting's focus on competition and gaining market advantage is the heart and soul of success. Many methods that don't embrace divergent frameworks of applied transformation result in stagnation - and that's the real business killer.
Todd Hagopian marches into battle against staid and rigid approaches to business by tackling the slow death resulting from indecisive or mercurial choices. He creates a toolbox for identifying a dying business structure, applying several options to revitalize its foundations, and building understanding about why so many businesses can't see their own stagnation processes.
Stagnation Assassin moves away from familiar pathways and routines, comfortable business approaches, familiar consultant litanies, and destructive choices by crafting and presenting a military-style structure of identification of threat, assault, messages and takeaways from typical management/worker encounters. These conclude with a 'mission accomplished' message that includes a review of the new skill sets and intel acquired from the effort, considering what the next work week should look like with these tools in hand.
From "danger signs" ("You're working 70 hours thinking intensity means more hours") to cross-connections between other campaigns described in this book and methods promising lasting change, Hagopian's very different approach to placing business in another framework altogether leads business leaders into uncharted territory that provides not a single approach, but a wide swatch of solutions to defy stagnation's progression.
The book goes where few others dare, tackling the quashing results of orthodoxy and familiar practices and challenging status quo thinking with powerful assertions about what constitutes real change:
We didn't change what customers valued. We changed what they understood was possible.
Stagnation Assassin is a "must" for business libraries - but it would be a shame to have it repose on a bookshelf. Ultimately, it will best benefit from business book clubs, team leadership meetings, business collaborations, and any situation where out-of-the-box thinking is encouraged to propel a business structure into new territory and visions of success.
From management to workers, Stagnation Assassin is a satisfyingly novel take on frameworks for innovation and transformation that will apply in all kinds of situations, making the book a key to avoiding stagnation not just in business circles, but in personal life, as well.
The Missing Piece
Megan K. Palmer
WinnBrook Press, LLC
9781967983063$20.00 Hardcover/$10.00 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Piece-Megan-K-Palmer/dp/1967983062
The Missing Piece is a picture book that tackles the question of a missing family member. An already-happy family searches for the missing piece in their lives just as a birth mother searches for just the right family for her forthcoming child.
Searching and waiting are two themes in these two different families and the puzzle that dominates their worlds until they join together unexpectedly.
Each is "hoping, hoping hoping" even as they are "loving, loving, loving."
Emily Hurst Pritchett embellishes these experiences with exceptionally alluring photos of individuals whose faces are alive with emotion.
Plenty of picture books have addressed adoption - usually from the perspective of a wondering child. This is the first to create a dual perspective of the adoptive family and the birth mother, weaving a tale of anticipation, love, and togetherness into a bigger picture of acceptance, giving, and joy.
Libraries and read-aloud parents will find The Missing Piece's approach and positivity supersedes many other adoptive tales, placing it above and beyond most, in a category of its own.
The Million Wings of May
Charles Dowling Williams
Western Publishing Company
9781737639534, $14.95
The Million Wings of May is highly recommended for libraries and contemporary poetry readers holding special interest in the traditional haiku form. It connects nature observation with human reaction and emotion in an evocative manner. Important spiritual and psychological reflections lend especially well to readers who look for big messages in simple forms.
"Where we laughed/ echoes even now/ the big pines," for example, invites readers into worlds where spiritual reflection and connection become one, whether the poems are connecting cave crickets to trampolines, black ants with pumpkin pie and kids, or returning geese to life's fluctuations.
Each poem reflects on the presence of nature, God, and interconnections. Each utilizes the haiku form to best advantage - which perhaps is even more compelling for modern readers who like to digest their insights in smaller doses than contemporary free verse tends to provide.
Especially notable are the "aha" moments of realization that these haikus encourage between literary form and compelling understanding, which create sometimes-startling contrasts between life and nature:
"squirrels shake their tails/ for the bright-eyed girls to see - / young guys at the beach."
The Million Wings of May is highly recommended for anyone interested in the intersection of nature, spirituality, and human perception. It's a study in the little things of life which give rise to bigger-picture thinking in ways everyone, whether literary reader, librarian, or book club participant, can thoroughly appreciate and easily absorb.
Off Course on Purpose
Bill Berry
www.mrbillberry.com
MBB Publishing
9798988806059, $34.99
Off Course on Purpose is a memoir about Bill Berry's course in life, which seemed limited and on a downhill trajectory when he walked out of high school in 1995 into a dead-end job. Life was just beginning as he turned his passion for juggling into something more and found himself on a round-the-world journey, winning multiple world championship titles and combining travel with achievement.
As his life unfolds, alternate ways of thinking, making choices, and embracing life offer readers invaluable lessons in adaptation, change, and embarking on different courses - such as juggling or sword swallowing.
The life reflections that permeate his story form the meat of a survey which enriches with thought-provoking observations about other countries and what it means to be an American:
It occurred to me that for people living outside the U.S., these shows might be all they know about the USA.
Jerry Springer: Americans are ignorant and violent.
Cops: Americans are addicted, lawless, and violent.
Travel: Come and visit this beautiful place, and while you're visiting, try not to be attacked or robbed by our ignorant, lawless, addicted, violent people.
This depiction of the USA felt unfair, like a cheap caricature of our culture, and nothing like the USA I knew.
How other cultures are assessed by their media and image and individuals are judged by their choices and appearance blend into the life story of a man who succeeded against all odds, making for an especially thought-provoking reflection on giving up convention and embracing the unexpected:
I recognized it for what it was, a step backward, and I didn't want that. Sure, it'd be easy, but I didn't sign up for easy. I signed up for a life that is bigger. Just get rid of it, came the thought, remove it from possibility, just like when I quit all my jobs to pursue performing full-time.
Many aspire to operate outside of safety nets, but few accounts follow the process of how this can be achieved. Off Course on Purpose's mindful, purposeful reflection on how bravery is rewarded and risk-taking embraced creates a compelling saga of one man's venture into the performance and entertainment world as he learns new skills and satisfies audiences.
Off Course on Purpose will also attract audiences with its uplifting account of never stopping, never giving up on one's dreams, and reaching for the stars.
Librarians and readers seeking inspirational accounts of growth and risk-taking will relish how both emerge in the course of extraordinary life opportunities that at first don't seem special, but grow to impart key life lessons.
Suitable for book club and group discussions about life, growth, and opportunity, Off Course on Purpose reveals not just a life well-lived, but one that promises more joy and achievement than "on course" traditional options would have provided.
Duck It!
C.O.B.
Grey Line Press
www.greylinepress.com
9798994060506, $.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Duck-C-B-ebook/dp/B0GDS32354
Who would be happy about the world ending? A recluse like Lionel Romero relishes the event in Duck It!, a very different apocalyptic story than the usual survivor's saga.
Lionel is part of the rare one percent of the world's population that still survives. There's only one problem. He longs to be alone.
Dystopian fiction is turned on its head by Lionel's perceptions and reflections on what it means to be alive in a world where most have died. His gritty, honest assessment of his family, childhood, landscaping work, and the odd place he finds himself in after everything ends offers absorbing passages about a loner's experiences and differences:
The irony of all this is, the only reason I'm able to live my own life now is because he's dead, along with 99% of the world. The voyage ahead is a long one, and I'll be alone for all of it, but I won't feel as such, because I have these thoughts. And my thoughts have always been my truest friends, even back when Earth was considered overpopulated.
Unfortunately, Lionel's not to be nearly alone for long. As he becomes involved in situations with others, including the Brotherhood of Saints and other survival groups, Lionel struggles to maintain his separateness, identity, and efforts to leave the Florida home he knows all too well.
C.O.B. creates a novel replete with irony, life inspections, and the special conundrums of an isolated individual who enjoys his privacy a little too much, and who misses his family.
His reflections on what it means to be a last survivor offer interesting passages suitable for book club discussion:
I shouldn't have to fight another to survive anymore. None of us should feel the need to fight one another for survival anymore. Especially since everyone alive should know that we are the last of the living, the one percent that's keeping humanity from going truly extinct. Yet here we are, stuck in our ways, wanting to kill in order to take because we are unwilling and incapable of being and doing good for goodness' sake.
From issues of selfish and selfless behaviors to struggling with self- and world-hate even at the end of most things, Duck It!'s intriguing insights will delight readers of dystopian fiction seeking unusual survivalist protagonists.
Librarians that place Duck It! on recommended reading lists will find it holds many opportunities for unexpected wit and wisdom that join forces in a character not at all convinced the end of the world isn't something that will finally prompt him to leave home once and for all, and grow up.
Thief of Hearts
Heather Clark
Independently Published
thethistlegirlwrites.wordpress.com
9798999937209, $14.99 Print/$3.99 eBook
Books 2 Read
https://books2read.com/u/31wLdl
Urban fantasy readers are in for a treat with Thief of Hearts, the tale of a heart stolen by a magical assassin and Rory's quest to get it back.
The perfect person to help her is her killer, Emmett Santos, who steals the hearts of his employer's competition. He's in the perfect position to help her get her own heart back - if she can tap his gift and keep him alive long enough to achieve her goals.
Emmett is not a thief. He's a skilled manipulator who has drawn a connection to Rory by giving her his name - even if he is the reason that she's dying.
His first solution to her problem is something that would eventually erase her identity:
"What if I get you someone else's heart?"
Rory scowled. Without her own heart, she'd slowly be changed into the person whose life he put inside her. Someone else's memories, feelings, thoughts, hopes, dreams, crowding out her own until there was nothing left of Rory Blake. It sounded like nothing more than a different way to die. "No. I want mine back."
As the two dance around their separate interests and skills, Heather Clark creates a thoroughly original, compelling saga of hunters, victims, proactive women and invitations to syndicates, killers, and confronting empires of power and danger.
Intrigue, action, and matters of the heart bind these characters to their readers in a way that makes Thief of Hearts nearly impossible to predict or put down.
From secret passages and stealthy confrontations to big secrets which make people angry, and little efforts to thwart them, Thief of Hearts carves a path of realization and connection in a dystopian world where love, hope, and death operate too closely for comfort.
Librarians seeking powerful fantasy stories about connection, confrontation, redemption, and stolen hearts will find Thief of Hearts replete with satisfying twists and strong characters whose choices and actions will pull at the heartstrings of a wide audience - even those unused to fantasy.
Parallel Peril
Maria Lynn Barrs
The Wild Rose Press Inc.
https://wildrosepress.com
9781509265060, $19.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Parallel-Peril-Vicky-Robeson-Mystery/dp/1509265066
TV journalist Vicky Robeson has long been guilt-ridden over the disappearance of her sister after a childhood tragedy, pursuing clues about the cold case wherever she can. The latest clues lead to an isolated commune. She teams up with her ex to investigate and track a dangerous truth about the past and a cult leader who is threatening other women.
Having come close to death in the past year, Vicky is ready for a change - but her involvement spirals her ever closer to a dangerous truth that will once again threaten her life, her happiness, and everything she holds dear.
Vicky's ability to confront her demons is evident from the story's opening:
She was physically ready to take this trip. Emotionally and mentally, perhaps not so much. But it was time to face her past. Deal with it or leave it behind. Uncertainty and guilt had weighed her down long enough.
The process by which she travels into a remote California community and accepts help from Pete (who, as it turns out, still harbors feelings for her) makes for an engrossing mystery packed with twists and turns as Vicky navigates past and present in search of answers, confronting possibilities more deadly than she could have imagined.
Readers interested in stories that embrace women's ties to men and situations that are untenable will find the blend of emotional turmoil and mystery to be realistic and thoroughly involving.
Vicky is a bold, capable woman whose pursuits are logical and proactive, but Maria Lynn Barrs devotes equal attention to covering Pete's personality, motivations, and history.
This lends a full-bodied flavor to the unfolding events and reconnection of two individuals whose lives once intersected, parted, and then resume on a different course than before.
Librarians and readers interested in mysteries that excel in chilling twists and thought-provoking outcomes will find that Parallel Peril requires no prior familiarity with Vicky's character or past in order to prove accessible and appealing.
Vicky's ability to delve into romance and problem-solving makes her a likeable character whose adventure is engaging and hard to put down.
As Good as the Best
D. Novo
Only Golden Narratives LLC
www.onlygoldennarratives.com
9798218918828, $18.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/As-Good-Best-Possibility-Beyond/dp/B0GJ7NVNMT
As Good as the Best: Power and Possibility Beyond C-PTSD is a motivational self-help book about overcoming trauma and stepping into a new role of empowerment and positivity. D. Novo is not a psychologist or therapist, but one who has learned how to rise above childhood influences to build a new life of opportunities, making dreams become reality.
For those who don't already know - C-PSTD is a complex, chronic trauma reaction stemming from childhood experiences. Repeated betrayal of trust and loss of safety leads a child to become a very cautious adult, among other lasting impacts.
Novo experienced this herself, but drew upon this history to strengthen her trajectory towards a better life:
If you don't like where you currently are, your ideas can take you elsewhere. Treasure and nurture your ideas, however minor or common they may seem, and allow them to shape your perception towards abundance and possibility. Allow them to unfold into creative acts that help you break out of the current conditions of your life.
Her story is filled with reflections, admonitions on taking trauma in a different direction, and bigger-picture thinking about community, acceptance, support systems, and growth:
Conformity has a long history. Some theorize that it protected the tribe, which sought to survive and thrive as a group when priorities such as securing food and evading predators dominated. The tribe came first, not the individual, and if an individual wasn't subscribing to the way things "should" be, they might be left to die. In such a context, nonconformity was truly dangerous. The conventions at the time were limited and grounded in survival. Later, small communities such as villages took on a similar role of enforcing norms, although over time such norms became less a matter of life and death. Conventions became more centered around protecting a way of life, because that way of life was all that was known, and anything novel felt threatening.
As Good as the Best differs from the usual motivational self-help title in tailoring its reflections between personal growth to community involvement.
Simple processes, from looking for a partner to creating physical boundaries to carve out the space to heal, receive powerful, close inspection over how to find peace after trauma in many different ways.
Libraries and readers seeking titles rooted in experience, filled with digestible "aha" moments perfect for reflection and change, and which include important social insights and reflections will find As Good as the Best an attraction above and beyond most books about healing.
Pairing memoir with attractive examples of aspiration and transformation, As Good as the Best is a self-affirming choice that will ideally reach a wider audience than the usual book about trauma and healing because its insights come from one who has been there, done this, and come out the other side a stronger person despite or because of her background.
Identity
A.J. Thibault
Independently Published
9798246996720, $15.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Identity-J-Thibault-ebook/dp/B0GLL6S61C
Two teens vanish in the small seaside town of Full Moon Cay. One is murdered. One has amnesia. And veteran detective Al Esposito finds that the clues about what happened point to events that lie far outside his area of expertise as an investigator.
African-American Bobby Portilla and his friend Tommy Jurczyk were at odds over Tommy's gender-fluid status before tragedy struck. Tommy struggled to escape his past and form a new identity.
But close-held secrets seldom stay that way for long, and the issues the two boys faced begin to embroil the entire community in questions of identity, frightening supernatural possibilities, and deadly confrontations over Bobby's brutal death and the truth about Tommy's involvement.
A.J. Thibault excels at placing Tommy's problems in a bigger-picture context, whether this involves the community at large or his own family interactions:
"You tackle a problem you can control and master, son." Tommy nodded. "But you don't try to boil the ocean."
Tommy looked confused. "What do you mean?"
With expert precision, Roman spread the plaster evenly along the wallboard seams, skillfully blending it into a smooth finish.
You can't solve every problem in the world. That will make you feel powerless and frustrated. You never get anywhere or succeed at anything." Roman may have been referring to himself unintentionally.
"I know," said Tommy.
Issues of acceptance, gender-fluid lifestyles and gender dysphoria, hypocrisy, and inner and outer changes dovetail nicely in a whodunit that grows beyond a singular problem-solving effort to become a series of lessons on entrapment and growth.
LGBTQ themes embedded into the story emerge within the scenario of a boy who is transitioning into someone he doesn't really know, a town poised to either accept or reject him for more than one reason, and supernatural possibilities.
Librarians and readers who enjoy mysteries that dovetail powerfully with social reflections and psychological growth will find Identity a revealing, thoroughly engrossing story that holds many twists and turns before its surprising conclusion.
Packed with high drama and moments of interpersonal connection and questions, Identity is far more complex than the mystery genre is used to seeing - and far more interesting in its questions and answers than readers may anticipate.
The House in the Middle of the Street
Jennifer Sklias-Gahan
https://www.jenniferskliasgahan.com
Rare Bird Books
https://rarebirdlit.com
9781644285435, $25.00
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/House-Middle-Street-Jennifer-Sklias-Gahan/dp/1644285436
The House in the Middle of the Street blends mythology and fairy tale influences with supernatural intrigue as it follows a descent into addiction, new possibilities, a family's cycle of dealing with haunting events and an old house, and the perils of allowing dark forces to enter one's life.
Dark fantasy, folklore, and mystery appear in a story which will appeal to teens as well as adult readers with an innocent "once upon a time" opening that segues neatly into a rich tale of evil, goodness, and hungry creatures and children.
Rebecca turns away from her faithful husband and her newborn, attracted to the winged needy Happy (who is anything but) against all odds - even at the cost of her own happiness and family.
Black and white art by Marilyn Minter accompanies this cautionary tale, highly recommended for all that enjoy revised myths, folklore, and stories about fate and family.
Librarians and readers who imbibe of these dark creatures and the fear and promise they bring will find The House in the Middle of the Street especially appealing for book club or reading group discussion. Topics that range from inviting in the wrong influences to handling the consequences of dangerous choices will fill such groups with a vigorous discussion of the lessons embedded in The House in the Middle of the Street.
The Mentor's Daughter
Steve Hadden
https://stevehadden.com
Mahoghany Row Press
9781963584073, $5.99 eBook/$16.99 Paperback/$28.99 Hardcover
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHT48TSM
The Mentor's Daughter is a psychological thriller that revolves around a missing mentor, estranged daughter Hope Monro's involvement in his kidnapping, and Eli Scott's mandate to probe lies in order to save the patriarch - even though Eli's world is very different from theirs.
Obligated to her father and forced to listen to lies to get at the truth, Eli finds himself on an uncertain, dangerous journey that moves from a father's kidnapping to the reasons why Eli lost respect for his mentor.
A maze of possibilities evolves, from battling Blackwood Energy openly to proving Hope's father is not the best person to lead the business in the future. Eli was pushed out of Blackwood - but that doesn't mean he's in a place to test the aftermath of his employment with them:
Despite the large payout from his employment contract for being let go without cause, it had triggered a spiral of self-doubt that nearly killed him. Making the wrong choice here would either send him back into that spiral or get himself killed.
As deals, murders, data files and inventions, and daughter Sarah Blackwood's alienation from the family business develop new threads of opportunity and disaster, danger permeates a tale packed with many twists and turns readers won't see coming.
Especially notable is the bold, assertive manner in which Eli navigates a host of special interests while struggling to understand why Blackwood might want to sink his own company.
Librarians and readers looking for a novel about business intrigue, convoluted family relationships that play out on the field of bigger-picture manipulations and wealth concerns, and powerful tales of evolving connections that even lead to unexpected romance will find all these elements dovetail in The Mentor's Daughter in many surprising ways.
From childhood betrayals to adult manipulation, The Mentor's Daughter crafts a fast-paced psychological thrill ride that comes full circle after entering circumstances most readers won't see coming.
Mother & Slaughter
Liz Shipton
shop.lizshipton.com
Tyrannosaurus Yes Media
9798295553233, $15.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGTLGZ99
Marry sword and sorcery fantasy with humor and you get books like Mother & Slaughter, a satirical spoof set in the mythical town of Draconia, where women have two trajectories in their adult lives: bear children or become warriors.
Middle-aged Eleanor Skinner has never regretted her choice of becoming a gladiator and is happily childless and powerful - until she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, which challenges not just her future but everything she's believed about herself.
Her determination to cede more to fate than she did to a man sends her on a journey to find a witch to end her pregnancy - but what she encounters instead is more challenge and trouble than ever before.
Liz Shipton evolves a whimsical tale illustrated by Daniel Lora, whose peppering of black and white art brings Eleanor's world to life.
Armed with determination, a handless wooden arm she nicknames Pridwen, and an ability to stir up trouble politically, socially, and personally, Eleanor embarks on this journey with a few good friends. The dialogues between them are exceptionally vivid, peppered with foul language and questioning attitudes readers will find delightfully refreshing.
One example is how the women contemplate bringing along Ben, the guy who impregnated Eleanor - without telling him what the mission really involves:
"He's insufferable and he's a bounty hunter! He hunts people down for the Thral for a living! He hunted us down! He's complicit in the order!"
"Okay, Little Miss Hack-and-Slash, let's not forget who massmurders teenagers for a living before we start getting all high and mighty about 'the order,'" said Roz. Eleanor glared and she took a breath. "Sorry. I don't mean to get all scoldy."
As teenage accomplice Sam's happiness, Ben's involvements, and Eleanor's friendship with Roz take unusual turns, each character confronts their inclination to face difficult situations, battle, and ultimately resist or accept change in their own ways.
Readers will also delight in thought-provoking considerations of the price of motherhood and not choosing this path, of the interactions of disparate generations in shared endeavors that each views from a different angle, and in the excitement of action tempered by unexpected reflections on new possibilities for the future.
Librarians and readers seeking books at once entertaining and thought-provoking will appreciate the rare intersection of satire, social inspection, and adventure that creates a sometimes-foulmouthed ride through the world of Mother & Slaughter.
Final conclusions are ripe with deep inspections that will leave readers happy about the action and contemplative about Eleanor's future:
How long before the wheel came back around and Eleanor was toppled? Would she turn out to be just as corruptible as the Thral?
Kiss and Tell
Michelle Hazen
https://michellehazenbooks.com
Independently Published
B0GF3GK8W1, $9.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Tell-Write-Unforgettable-Scenes-ebook/dp/B0GF3GK8W1
Kiss and Tell: How to Write Unforgettable Sex Scenes is a 'must' guide for writers who would incorporate steamy sex scenes into their stories.
A non-writer might think this effort to be a no-brainer; but in fact there are many challenges to creating sex scenes which Michelle Hazen covers in her survey of pitfalls and potential wins.
When should a scene be sexy? And, how much sexual description is appropriate?
Keys to different approaches are specifically outlined, giving writers many tips on how to confront typical relationship problems in a romance story that will impact sex scenes:
Remember, scenes don't always turn out as the characters plan. In romance, it wouldn't be cool to show your dominant failing your submissive in any way. But you might show your submissive running away or safe-wording early, or not being ready to share a fantasy, as a metaphor for their level of confidence and safety in the relationship. Are they ready to show their true self to their partner or not? See if you can display some of these key turning point moments through your sex scenes.
Descriptions of sex scenes and how to make them effective include considerations of vulnerability, relationship definition and building, character set-up, transition points between attraction and sexual activity, and more.
Each step offers a pivot point for better understanding how an effective sex scene is crafted and the difference between a typical or ineffective description and an exceptional can't-put-it-down read.
The moments of build-up, character creation, and logical progression into passion are all detailed in chapters which very clearly illustrate how a sex scene can succeed or fail.
Librarians assembling how-to guides for writers won't want to miss including this key to how romance and sex are built into genre reads. Its unusual focuses, specific advice and examples, and most of all, its many surprises about how sex affects the progression and results of an entire story, makes for a powerful survey that should be a 'must' on any romance writer's bookshelf.
The Coroner's Silence
Terence Keel
Beacon Press
https://www.beacon.org
9780807017517, $32.00 Hardcover/$19.95 Paperback/ $14.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Coroners-Silence-Records-Victims-Violence/dp/0807017515
The Coroner's Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence is highly recommended reading for anyone in law enforcement or criminal justice, offering a close inspection of coroner processes and their successes and failures.
Terence Keel has conducted extensive research into his subject, from circumstances of incomplete autopsy reports and mishandled medical documents to strategically lost evidence. His study places the coroner's role directly in the middle of many criminal justice processes, giving it a focus and analytical eye that many law enforcement studies miss.
The close inspection allows for a special consideration of how in-custody deaths are handled (or mishandled, as the case may be) within the system, considering legal processes such as the 2023 Death in Custody Reporting Act and how it operates.
This draws together a wealth of material, history, and processes which in the past have been scattered and unconnected in justice system cases and court proceedings, giving readers the added bonus of better understanding not just the coroner's job, but how it impacts and alters judicial processes.
Lest readers wonder about Keel's authority and background, The Coroner's Silence comes from a researcher who strove for objectivity and admits the challenges involved in setting aside his assumptions and training in order to incorporate impartiality into his study:
A part of me had to perish to write these pages. That part wanted to believe America was growing into our best values and evolving beyond the darkness of our past. I am grateful for this loss. Forfeiting these beliefs freed me from the fear and indifference we often carry for people who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Whether we admit it or not, the people who cross the law test our patience, activate our fear and need for security. It is a strange thing to see how the dissemination of crime statistics without context or history can turn even libertarians and progressives into champions of law and order - if only these criminals were to become law-abiding and virtuous, American freedom would be secure, our society made whole. But this line of thinking has causality moving in the wrong direction. Surely no one is born a criminal.
The result narrows the focus to in-custody death procedures, but also expands a reader's preconceptions of the criminal justice system's intentions, mandates, processes, and neutrality.
Librarians in law libraries and those seeing special interest in criminal justice processes will find The Coroner's Silence highly accessible to a wide audience. It's unusual to find a legal review that can attract general-interest readers, but The Coroner's Silence is such a book, making it as important a pick for general collections as for specialty legal holdings.
Replete with eye-opening facts, statistics, charts, and analysis, The Coroner's Silence deserves to be part of any active classroom, book group, or legal justice system discussion.
The Life She Forgot
Joanna Davidson Politano
jdpstories.com
Grafted Page Press
9781969773006, $5.99 eBook /$17.99 Paperback
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Forgot-Joanna-Davidson-Politano/dp/1969773006
Historical romance and mystery readers interested in a Wuthering Heights-style of atmospheric writing that takes place on the windswept moors of Cornwell will find The Life She Forgot a compelling attraction that links the 1913 era to 1947's concerns.
When, in 1913, Merryn Forsythe loses her memory in an accident, her past is not only completely erased, but her future opens up. Her marriage to the impulsive Ansel Winthrop and his determination to help her uncover the puzzle of her past leads them into a journey in which Merryn considers the possibility of another marriage, a different man, and a life every bit as vivid as the new one she's chosen.
A haunting portrait seems to hold an important link to this past and the truth about her life - but pursuing answers may lead to the destruction of the new life she's built in its place.
Then fast forward to 1947, when war veteran William discovers a mysterious painting that reveals secrets about the past, Merryn Dunn, and his true heritage.
Joanna Davidson Politano uses the first-person to introduce Merryn and her impulsive move to marry AJ, setting the stage for an adventure that moves back and forth in time as the third person describes William Thatcher's quandaries in 1947.
These juxtapositions of characters create a delightful interplay between seemingly disparate personalities who face their own life challenges in different ways, connected by decisions of the past and the ripples they bring into the future.
Politano's descriptive prowess and her ability to craft three-dimensional characters whose lives readers absorb and care about lends to the novel's attraction as legends are explored, personal motivations and belief systems revealed, and mysteries emerge to embrace the very different worlds of these disparate personalities.
The painting that connects these lives receives especially intriguing descriptions as William traverses a gallery's holdings, new possibilities, and how "a person must become lost to find what's important."
These and other words will resonate with readers who relish history, mystery, and love stories entwined with a sense of place and purpose, making The Life She Forgot especially appealing to librarians seeking novels that don't neatly fit into predictable categories, but stand out for their evocative characters, questions, and connections between disparate lives.
Jibberjack, Fibberjack
Stefanie Gamarra
www.stefaniegamarra.com
Independently Published
9798998866500, $18.99 Hardcover/$9.99 Paperback
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Jibberjack-Fibberjack-Made-Up-Monster-Mystery/dp/B0G2PFNVHH
Jibberjack, Fibberjack: A Made-Up Monster Mystery is the whimsical picture book story of a monster that tries to terrorize a town. His antics don't escape young detective Frida, who is determined to examine the rumors about this snoring, tulip-trampling, muddy monster that has seemingly invaded her town.
Delightful illustrations by Marta Pilosio accompany the fun story of how Mayor Tazzleworm tries to step up to reassure his people, but rejects young Frida's attempts to help the adults around her.
As strange smells emit clues and Jibberjack traps are mandated for all households, Frida "knew the smell of stinky lies" and employs creative thinking and problem-solving to not only address the monster, but misguided adult thinking.
Stefanie Gamarra's delightfully original story will find its place in many elementary-level libraries, and is especially recommended for adults who read aloud to kids. With its very different take on the nature of monsters and the interpretation of clues, Jibberjack, Fibberjack entertains a wide audience with a story that will prove hard to predict and infinitely entertaining.
The Adventures of Tommy Tofu
Joanne Rose
https://joannerose.com/books
Independently Published
B0CNPRVBT3, $12.95 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tommy-Tofu-Joanne-Rose-ebook/dp/B0CNPRVBT3
The Adventures of Tommy Tofu is a picture book celebration of food, health, and a young boy with a big heart who is always trying to make the world a better place through his actions and choices.
Here, Tommy notices that the Earth's animals need help - and decides to become personally involved. As he wanders outside the village and encounters nature, Tommy asks some wise animals for guidance in his mission to help them, receiving advice from an owl which encourages him to teach people about plant food choices.
As healthy eating concepts become central to his mandate to help save the planet, Tommy imparts many idealistic insights to the very young about connections between personal choices and planetary impact.
Read-aloud adults will find plenty of opportunities to engage with the very young over these ideas, which are presented in the context of an exploration of adventure and discovery. Bright, large-size color photos of Tommy's nature encounters create visual allure.
From the healthy Veggie Squad to encountering a group of friendly characters in the Nuts and Seeds Grove, Tommy wanders through all kinds of healthy eating options learning many new things about health.
Elementary-level librarians seeking appealing picture book stories about eating habits, health, and bigger-picture stories about nature impact will find all these elements and more in The Adventures of Tommy Tofu, which takes a walk on the wild side of possibility and allows adults and kids the opportunity to better understand connections between food choices and the health of the world.
Records of a Voyage
Katherine Williams
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798901740040, $28.03 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$8.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Records-Voyage-Katherine-Williams/dp/B0G56FCVX3
Records of a Voyage is a historical mystery novel that opens in 1885, when a cotton mill worker finds her life changed by her secret affair with a wealthy man. After she confesses her infatuation to skeptical friend Ivy, the timeline moves to 1936, where Cynthia Arkwright is embarking on a journey to Egypt on a family vacation she hopes will bring everyone closer together.
Instead, distance from home only clouds troubled family relationships and makes the disparities between her and her father and mother feel even deeper.
Egypt holds many wonders - the greatest of all being how quickly interconnected lives unravel and then come back together in unexpected ways.
Katherine Williams juxtaposes the perceptions and quandaries in these relationships with underlying influences of the past which come to the forefront in the course of the story's explorations of Egypt and self:
Ma said I was passably good-looking, as I'd been lucky enough to inherit her oval-shaped eyes and not narrow ones like Nana's. But apparently, since I'd turned eighteen, I needed to smarten myself up to find myself a man. I don't really care about the shape of my eyes, and I'm not sure about men. I'd been to ballroom dance classes and had danced with some boys my own age. Who knows - maybe they become less boring as they get older.
Readers embark on the cruise with this family and join their sense of wonder, discovery, and angst as the voyage unfolds. The long-buried family secrets which emerge against this backdrop reveal differences, pressures, and insights readers won't expect as the lives of ancestor Sara Ann and future relative Cynthia unfold and interconnect like puzzle pieces.
From wife abuse to a strange theft in Cairo that has Cynthia stymied about wealth, intention, and choice, readers will feel as though they are journeying into a past and present conundrum packed with satisfying shifts in realizations that most won't see coming.
The underlying insights about family conflict that emerge as mother, daughter, and father come together are especially engrossing and will likely provoke book club and women's reading group discussions as the history and mystery play out.
The result is a powerful saga of old habits, new realizations, and family legacy which create a story rich in its inspections and especially astute in its consideration of home and what is left behind when entering into something new.
Feathers of Wisdom
Leigh Podgorski
House of Indigo
www.houseofindigocollective.com
9781966187059, $75.00
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Feathers-Wisdom-Illuminating-Indigenous-throughout/dp/196618705X
Feathers of Wisdom should be a staple in any library collection strong in Indigenous culture and art. Leigh Podgorski works with Ojibwe/Potawatomi artist Kait Matthews to translate the legends of Indigenous women into a keepsake hardcover work of art containing tales of wisdom, healing, and strength as goddesses, warriors, healers, and mothers-figures are profiled.
From Zuni, Cheyenne, and Lakota traditions to Aleut, Mayan, Samish, Aztec, and other world peoples, the wide-ranging survey of Indigenous culture captures and preserves these works for future generations. The powerful contrasts of themes, experiences, and approaches are additionally invaluable for their conjoined wisdom.
Thus, a "Mashpee Woman" ghost story from Wampanoag roots which tells of a woman's realization about ghosts and gold is followed by a "speaks" section which invites readers to consider "what they most desire" and a roundup of Mashpee attributes that considers life's temptations and the values that can be maintained in the face of alluring glitter.
The background illustrations permeate this story - they don't just supplement it - with powerful, colorful nature and backdrops of life painted in reflective portraits of moments outlined in the book, such as the fires of Pele which accompany benevolence.
More than forty legends from tribes across the Americas invite reflection in a manner that will especially appeal to reading groups of all kinds, from those interested in Indigenous peoples' wisdom and culture to others adopting a more literary or artistic focus on works that represent intense collaborations between history, authors, artists, and cultures.
Rich in its presentations, appearance, considerations, and women-centered empowerment illustrations, Feathers of Wisdom is a standout recommendation not just for libraries of all kinds, but for the collections of readers seeking keepsake editions of memorable books to pass down to new generations seeking wisdom stories about women, Indigenous tribes, and cultural reflections.
Three Days Grace
Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato
Indigo River Publishing
www.indigoriverpublishing.com
9781969935206, $17.95
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Grace-Jeremy-Bradley-Silverio-Donato/dp/1969935200
Three Days Grace finds Lynne and her wife Susan on the cusp of a journey to South Africa, meeting a few friends and family in a Paris hotel room before their journey. The great goodbye turns into a thought-provoking inspection of simmering emotions and biting history as five individuals explore their connections over a three-day period, considering what makes their relationships both indispensable and difficult.
A lot happens in three days as these characters confront how they ran away from difficult choices in different ways, how their surreal serenity dissolves in the face of hard truths, and how long-held secrets forced to the surface begin to permeate their versions of reality and past connections.
Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato builds an intriguing balance between different stories, the approaches of Nick, painter Laslo, Marc, Lynne, and Susan, and the storms of confrontation, belief, and revelation that both bind and divide their lives.
Against these emotional developments is the backdrop of Paris, which contributes an alluring sense of romance and discovery:
Paris sparkled in the morning light, beautiful and indifferent to everything: the weight of memory, the stories trapped in paint, the truths that had come too late.
Readers interested in stories about interconnected lives, faith, and siblings who struggle against the trauma that has defined them will find Three Days Grace especially vivid in how it unfolds and dovetails the secrets that have held these individuals in thrall.
The ways in which these truths unfold to shake long-held convictions and lifetime reactions creates an especially powerful juxtaposition of personalities and purposes. This will serve book club discussion groups well, providing fodder for inspections of the logic in changing one's life and relationships.
Libraries seeking novels packed with emotional pivot points and reflections will find Three Days Grace an excellent recommendation for patrons seeking books steeped in family dynamics, drama, and the impact of long-held silence on all kinds of emotional connections.
The Stars Are Always There
Jaime Maria Merrill
jaimeswords.com
Murmuration LLC
9798994572108, $11.99 Paperback, $4.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Stars-Are-Always-There/dp/B0GR99YDSQ
In The Stars Are Always There, twelve-year-old Jess Lindsey is facing a summer on the Texas panhandle, a dusty, dry environment that holds many unexpected new lessons about the world.
Here is where battles evolve over water rights, land usage choices, and disconnects between nature and human beings. Nature is trying to tell her that something is wrong, but Jess must first learn to listen, then to understand her role in uncovering secrets that reveal solutions.
Though the overlying theme of climate change and its impact on all involved drives the plot, equally potent are the revelations Jess makes about empowerment, choice, consequences, and the importance of becoming an activist.
These themes (many rarely seen in children's books) lead middle grade readers to contemplate new facets of their place in the world as the story winds through family relationships, friendships, and modern living.
Texting and other forms of communication compliment abbreviations and lingo from younger generations, bringing the story to realistic life as Jess contemplates her options:
Things were looking up. I had just made a friend on my own. I didn't need a fam to attract new people. This friend found me and wanted to spend more time together. The question became, could I make it last all summer?
Notably potent are the interactions between adults which lead Jess to better understand the world and its motivating forces for change or inaction:
How could Mom be so clueless? Gus cannot be both kind and generous, and also greedy! He knows the hardship his choices are forcing on his friends and neighbors. My face was getting hot, and I had pressure behind my eyes. Can a person be both good and evil? If that's true, and he's powerful, how would anyone stop him? All the facts pointed to him owning this town.
These are but a few examples of how engrossing and full-bodied a protagonist Jess is as the story weaves adult and childhood concerns into a compelling plot about adaptation, change, and confrontation.
Librarians seeking a middle grade read that is unusually political, socially inspective, and cemented by the first-person revelations of a girl on the path to becoming a force in her world will find The Stars Are Always There highly recommendable - especially to reading groups and classrooms discussing activism, environmental change, personal responsibility, and growth.
Disposable Wives
Lynda Drews
www.lyndadrews.com
Little Creek Press
https://littlecreekpress.com
9798257314827, $17.95 pbk / $7.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Wives-Murder-Belgian-Settlement/dp/B0GXLF6JFW
Disposable Wives: Murder and Menace in Green Bay's Rural Belgian Settlement depicts a historical true crime. In the tranquil Belgian pioneer settlement near Green Bay, Wisconsin, gossip and legend surround a farmer named J.P. Soquet - including a series of purported murders - three of those his wives. This riveting true story, set in the decades following the Civil War, tells the remarkable means by which Pauline Villiesse, the sister of Soquet's third wife, and Xavier Martin, a Belgian translator, seek justice for the "disposable wives" of J.P. Soquet.
Characters from Lynda Drews's prior historical true crime story The Maid and the Socialite return to appear in Disposable Wives, but prior familiarity with them is not necessary in order to appreciate this standalone tale of justice and struggle.
Did Soquet murder three of his wives? This and other questions swirl into community-building, relationship-testing issues of women in 1800s America as Drews surveys the milieu and perceptions of his deeply religious Belgian community during these times.
The tale embraces moral ambiguity, legal system failures, the rights and perceptions of women in this society, and more as it spins an engaging backdrop of early America's communities and their leaders.
Elvira, Pauline, and other women find their closest relationships tested by Soquet's actions and demands. Their assessment of these changed relationships and family ties form one of the important keys to recognizing the special approaches of the history and experience in Disposable Wives:
Pauline tried not to judge her sister. Soquet had likely threatened to beat Elvira, or worse, if she had refused to help. Her sister had not had any choice.
Legal proceedings and courtroom questioning build further insights as accusations and insights fly.
Drews is especially adept at portraying how these women's lives are buffeted as much by their own beliefs and relationships as by the overlying governing system which tries to levy justice on a confusing situation.
Librarians interested in historical fiction and true crime, 1800s Wisconsin backdrops, women's experiences, moral challenges, and family clashes will find Disposable Wives not only easy to recommend to different patrons, but a choice for book clubs delving into deeper questions about justice, redemption, murder, survival tactics, and women's lives.
Steeped in realistic drama and authentic events, Disposable Wives is thought-provoking and engrossing.
First Loser
Scott Walker Cunningham
www.swcunningham.com
Atmosphere Press
https://atmospherepress.com
9798901741306, $28.99 Hardcover/$16.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTZF1YKJ
In First Loser, teen wrestler Connor Castaway is pushing his athletic abilities to the limit, trying to make his father proud even though his dad is dead. It's a way of honoring his father's memory, but the wrestling milieu proves a difficult way to prove himself as he uncovers deceptions, challenges, and issues with maintaining an undefeated winning streak against all odds.
The problem is that, much like himself, Connor "had never quite understood who his dad was, but he felt he always knew what his dad was." Defining himself by his body's abilities leads him down a dangerous path of also defining winners, losers, and the principles involved in being successful.
One of his father's favorite sayings was "Pain is just weakness leaving the body." Connor learns the hard way that weakness can't always be avoided and sometimes should be embraced.
The process by which Connor re-evaluates his life beliefs, trajectory, father's influences, and the pros and cons of an immersive sports focus creates a powerful novel rich in the delights of competition and contemplation.
Connor is interested in chasing his dreams, but his talent for wrestling them down is tempered by a slow growth into new realizations as he matures. Other characters, such as middle-aged Ellie Scarr, enter his life to offer readers astute realizations and reflections about his progression and choices:
Students rush up next to Connor and take pictures with him on their phones or slap his shoulders and back with congratulations, kids Ellie has never seen him with before and feels certain he doesn't even know. They're not interested in him, just his image, she thinks. They're like people cheering from their couch when their favorite football team wins the Super Bowl, pretending they're somehow a winner too.
From Connor's friendship with Drummer to how Isla introduces new possibilities for him to wrestle with, Connor's life unfolds as a series of challenges and new encounters that test his mettle, convictions, and trajectory.
Librarians and readers seeking a coming-of-age saga steeped in considerations of support systems, pain, and new paths that grow from old habits will find plenty to admire in how Connor forges new relationships and options from his initial desire to honor his father's memory. This leads him to reconsider not just himself, but others:
For once in your life, imagine yourself being the one in somebody else's corner.
The blend of wrestling savvy, interpersonal interactions, and growth opportunities make First Loser a winner in an unexpected, delightful journey recommended for YA and adult audiences alike.
Keep the Flowers: Tell the Healing You're Coming Home
Ellie Williams
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9798901741313, $7.99 eBook
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Flowers-Healing-Youre-Coming/dp/B0GR29Q7GC
Keep the Flowers: Tell the Healing You're Coming Home recounts a life shaped by chronic pain and loss, but goes beyond most memoirs about these subjects to consider how living with illness and repeated grief can result in new approaches to healing and living.
The memoir's value to those on similar paths in their lives stands out from its opening lines:
I wonder if one day this pain will be the second thing I think of when I wake up instead of the first. Does healing happen in pieces rather than all at once? Can I ever heal from endometriosis or grief? Can I wake up one day and silence the noise in my mind? Healing must come quietly, like a morning where the air feels fresh and I don't feel the weight of my pain before I even open my eyes. Healing, I'm sure, is joyful, but the noise of suffering has been so loud. If ever I have the chance to live in healing, I hope I notice. Healing could mean when someone asks how I'm doing, and I don't instinctively measure my answer by how much endometriosis hurts. When I watch the sun melt into the horizon, cradling a warm cup of tea, sometimes I forget I carry these burdens. Is that reflective of healing, even if it was only for a moment?
From the impulse to shut off and shut away pain responses to various forms of grief and healing choices which lead in a spiritual direction, Ellie Williams crafts a blend of autobiographical reflection and chronic pain consideration that offers many keys to not just survival, but better living.
Religious reflections ask questions, consider answers, and offer readers new perspectives on Christian thinking and its applications to daily life challenges:
I met a friend named Marie, who shared my passion for God, while everyone else in class seemed more interested in winning arguments. Marie proposed that people must demonstrate some form of goodness to be adopted into the image of God. God must see that humans aren't as worthless as we often portray ourselves; otherwise, there would be no need for a God who reconciles with humanity. God was dead for a day when Jesus died on the cross - how were the people in the world supposed to go on without their teacher, the one who led them in the way everlasting?
One needn't be Christian in order to absorb the delight of these original thoughts and their applications to the healing process.
Anyone who has hurt, grieved, healed, or self-inspected needs this book. Its reflections are succinct, hard-hitting, and important for personal and reading group pursuit, lending to the kind of healing that occurs not on a single level, but in many directions:
I spent months waiting for the moment when it wouldn't hurt as much. People say time heals all wounds, but I have never met a person who fully believed that. Grief doesn't soften - it just changes its weight, redistributing itself in unexpected places. One day, it's in your chest, pressing so hard you can barely breathe. The next, it settles in your hands, making it impossible to hold anything too tightly. Eventually, it drapes itself around your shoulders, something you learn to carry because there is no setting it down.
Libraries and readers seeking a blend of spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental healing in one book will find Keep the Flowers: Tell the Healing You're Coming Home chronicles a journey widely applicable to a large group of readers, making it a top choice for a health library, women's reading groups, or general-interest collection.
One Last Snoot Boop
John Graff
Ellimat Books
onelastsnootboop.com
9798989566631, $22.99 Hardcover
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/One-Last-Snoot-Boop-Story/dp/B0GSC661M9
One Last Snoot Boop: The Story of a Good Dog is a picture book story highly recommended for young dog lovers. It offers a simple rhyming story that celebrates a good dog's life:
In a grassy so wide, a litter snuggled side by side.
One small pup with great long ears, a heart so big, his mom Rose near.
As Cuthbert's story evolves, simply gorgeous full-page illustrations add the attraction and connection young picture book readers will especially relish as JJ and Matt bring him home to Hollywood "where stars would roam" and where a loving family cares for him.
In true puppy form, Cuthbert throws up, chews everything, and gets into trouble. This doesn't belay the love his family shows him, and as he matures, he finds new delights in nature and the world around him.
The realistic story of the family's fun with and love for their pet moves through Cuthbert's life from puppyhood to adulthood and to the evitable:
Then one day walks grew soft and slow. His naps grew longer - time to go.
More so than most dog stories for kids, One Last Snoot Boop offers an enchanting, realistic account of what it means to share life and love with a pet.
Adults who choose One Last Snoot Boop for read-aloud pleasure will relish how the story creates a warm embrace for not just dogs and their people, but the passage of time, aging, and shifting forms of enjoying one another.
Librarians and adults seeking picture book stories that can prompt discussions with the very young about grief and pet ownership alike will find One Last Snoot Boop an enchanting survey that attracts through emotional connection, engrossing illustrations, and a gentle foray through life.
Diane C. Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Donovan's Literary Services
www.donovansliteraryservices.com
Gary Roen's Bookshelf
Worse Than A Lie: A Beau Lee Cooper Novel
Ben Crump
Bantam
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593875704 $30.00 HC / $13.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Worse-than-Lie-Cooper-Novel/dp/0593875702
Well known attorney Ben Crump jumps into the fiction ring with his powerful first novel "Worse Than A Lie." It is the night of the celebration of the Barack Obama victory. Not far from where people have gathered to rejoice the success of the president elect, several white Chicago police officers stop a motorist on his way home, after his shift as a security person of a nearby mall. The man like them has served the citizens of Chicago as a highly decorated law enforcement officer. They only see a black man out on this special night. Their intolerance propels the situation out of control as they shoot him ten times. Well known civil rights attorney Beau Lee Cooper is in the city for a case of three women wrongly accused of a crime at a local bank that he wins. Oddly enough the female litigator he just beat is representing the shooting victim in another case. Things proceed where the two opponents come together to take the shooters to court to get justice who is a casualty of racism. "Worse Than A Lie" is filled with tight writing, solid characters, and a story that could be ripped from headlines of today. That is a forceful indictment of the current legal system as well as officers who let their prejudiced beliefs cloud their judgement. "Worse Than A Lie" is the first of new legal thrillers by a very talented author.
The Winter Verdict: A Tom Berte Legal Thriller
Dan Buzzetta
Severn River Publishing
https://www.severnriverbooks.com
9781648757570, $17.99 pub / $5.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Verdict-Legal-Thriller-Berte-ebook/dp/B0DXQQP5L6
"The Winter Verdict" is an even better legal thriller than "The Manipulator" the initial gambit, of Tom Berte tales. Opening with a vicious attack, on Tom in his new community of Castle Ridge, a peaceful ski lodge community. He soon learns there is evil no matter where you go. This time it involves a company that wants to take over the resort as well as other things to administer a malicious revenge plan that reveals itself to him, where he must do everything he can to foil it and trust very few people to thwart it. "The Winter Verdict" races along with a fast-paced plot meticulous writing, plausible characters and many twists and turns that make it a humdinger page tuner of suspense.
Billion Dollar Ransom
James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski
Little Brown and Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316570039, $32.00 HC / $14.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Billion-Dollar-Ransom-Thriller-James-Patterson/dp/0316570036
A new Patterson novel is always something to look forward to opening to race along to the finish. "Billion Dollar Ransom" does exactly that for a great thrilling trip. Family members of a very wealthy man are kidnapped by several people who are each given a task to undertake. Law enforcement officials of city, county, state and federal are all involved as they seek to retrieve the members. The force learns there is a complication to their investigation. There is a mole in their group. They must be so cautious with what they do to not tip off the people who carried out the crime as well as they do not know who to trust. There are so many plot turns that will have readers turning the pages as the story unfolds with so many complicated developing segments to enjoy. "Billion Dollar Ransom" is a pulse pounding suspenseful yarn that is fun reading.
Closing Time: A Michael Gannon Thriller
Michael Ledwidge
Hanover Square Press
c/o HarperCollins
https://www.harpercollins.com
9781335090522, $30.00 HC / $14.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Closing-Time-Thriller-Michael-Gannon-ebook/dp/B0DR5VFX92
Once again Michael Ledwidge delivers another great suspenseful story in "Closing Time." Michael Gannon is down in Key West to support his son in his effort to play on a minor league baseball team. While there Gannon meets an Australian businessman and Gannon will be a suspect in a convenience store crime. From then on Michael track down all he can about the person he met and clear himself from the offense. "Closing Time" is a series of complicated twists and turns of a convoluted scenario that is exposed at the end of the narrative thriller.
The Universe Box
Michael Swanwick
Tachyon Publications
https://tachyonpublications.com
9781616964504, $18.95 pub / $11.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Box-Michael-Swanwick/dp/1616964502
"The Universe Box" shows how comfortable Michael Swanwick is creating worlds seemingly at not possible but his prose wins you over to believe they are. In total nineteen excursions delve into many different pleasing realms of science fiction and fantasy. "The Universe Box" is one of the finest collections of short fiction of Michael Swanwick bound to please anyone who wants to enjoy solid writing, great characters, and many possible things in the near future.
Gravity's Angels
Michael Swanwick
Tachyon Publications
https://tachyonpublications.com
9781583940297, $16.95 pub/ $7.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Gravitys-Angels-Michael-Swanwick/dp/1583940294
Another dose of Michael Swanwick is never a bad thing "Gravity's Angels" is a collection of 13 short stories gathered in one anthology. Through the years they have appeared in major science fiction publications, some are outstanding. The tales show that Swanwick can write chilling works covering a wide range of subjects in the genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. "Gravity's Angels" is an older collection but it gives readers an insight into to see his evolution as a writer.
The True Story of Maysoon Zayid The Girl Who Can Can
Dr. Seema Yasmin, author
Noha Habaieb, illustrator
Salaam Reads
c/o Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
https://www.simonandschuster.com/kids
9781665953429, $17.99 HC / $6.99 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Maysoon-Zayid-Girl-Muslim-Mavericks/dp/166595342X
"The True Story of Maysoon Zayid The Girl Who Can Can" is an inspirational for anyone any age who has a disability no matter what kind because there are plenty of good lessons from the story of this young girl who learned to live with her Cerebral Palsy but not let it prevent her from doing what she wanted to do in life. She as is pointed out had to overcome educators who were negative to her while she also had to deal the fact she is a Palestinian Muslim. With many different resources she overcame so many things to do so many things she wanted to do. She even achieved one of her goals to be on a major daytime drama she grew up watching. "The True Story of Maysoon Zayid The Girl Who Can Can" shows that if you believe in yourself and what you want to accomplish you can by setting goals, hard work and never giving up.
Miriam's Magical Creature Files: The Discovery of Dragons
Leah Cypess, author
Sarah Lynne Reul, illustrator
Amulet Books
c/o Abrams
https://www.abramsbooks.com
9781419772429, $19.99 HC / $5.69 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Dragons-Miriams-Magical-Creature/dp/1419772430
"Miriam's Magical Creature Tales: The Discovery of Dragons" tells the story of Miriam, a young girl who has a unique topic for her choice of an animal to write about. While other kids pick tigers, lions, bears, and elephants, she is on a quest to research and find a dragon even though many people have told her they do not exist. There are many hidden messages for kids to learn and adapt in their lives that makes "Miriam's Magical Creature Tales: The Discovery of Dragons" a joy to read.
Penelope Positano Sees It All
Shannon Hale, author
LeUyen Pham, illustrator
Amulet Books
Abrams
https://www.abramsbooks.com
978141977950, $19.99 HC / $14.939 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Penelope-Positano-Sees-All-Chapter/dp/1419777955
"Penelope Positano Sees It All" is a beautiful story of a young girl who is on a quest for something she never thought she would be allowed to have. Penelope's parents tell her she can have a dog of her choice. She and her family members check a shelter where there are plenty of canines. There is one that draws their attention but he appears to be too big, too fierce, and not what they have in mind. It seems they will never get one but something happens and she rewarded with one she is happy to have as her pet. "Penelope Positano Sees It All" is a learning experience for so many of us to not only judge a person on their physical qualities.
Once Upon A Tail
Audrey Perrott, author
Charlene Chua, illustrator
Abrams Fanfare
c/o Abrams
https://www.abramsbooks.com
978141970722, $14.99 HC / $13.39 Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Tail-Dragon-Graphic/dp/1419770721
"Once Upon A Tail" is a charming collection of adventures of a horse and dragon who are the finest of friends. Wallace is the horse and Poppy is the dragon. They fish in the river, run around with capes, calling themselves superheroes, taste test different types of food and just have a good ole time frolicking around as best buddies. "Once Upon A Tail" is a laugh out loud beautifully told story for children to learn though different in appearance two individuals can be great pals.
Gary Roen
Senior Reviewer
Helen Dumont's Bookshelf
Don't Tell
Told by Troy Eklund (Deceased)
Written by Teresa Schapansky
https://teresaschapansky.com
TNT Book Publishing
https://madeincanadadirectory.ca/item/tnt-book-publishing
9781988025530, $TBA, PB, 155pp
9781988024547, $9.99, Kindle
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Tell-Teresa-Schapansky-ebook/dp/B0GQNBKQWW
Synopsis: On March 14, 2019, Troy Eklund, a former classmate contacted Teresa Schapansky quite out of the blue, to ask if she might be interested in writing his story, resulting in an immediate flashback to 1987, our grade ten year together at L.C.S.S. in Lake Cowichan, British Columbia, Canada. She remembered viewing Troy as a strong, silent type of teenager; he was often serious and straight-faced, but Teresa never wondered why. They traveled in the same social circles, yet didn't really know each other very well. -- That was about to change.
Few adults survived her reign of terror unscathed. "Don't Tell", she said. Young Troy was meant to keep their secrets forever; adult Troy was not.
Based on his memories and eyewitness accounts, and not for the faint of heart, with the publication of "Don't Tell", the late Troy Eklund has defied his mother's order to keep silent about the child abuse inflicted upon him, and with the assistance of Teresa Schapansky, posthumously shares his tragic story with the world.
Critique: Compelling, detailed, and a testament to the life-long impact of early child abuse and parental neglect, "Don't Tell" by the late Troy Eklund and deftly written by Teresa Schapansky is an extraordinary and candid memoir that is unreservedly recommended reading for anyone with a concerned interest in the subject of sexual assault, child abuse, and abuse recovery. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Don't Tell" is a unique and very special pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Child Abuse/Sexual Abuse & Recover collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Troy Eklund (1970-2025) was a friend and former classmate of Teresa Schapansky.
In early April of 2025, she received a sad text message from Troy's sister, Sonja, letting her know that Troy had been found deceased in his hotel room just the day before. In her own words:
"If I had the opportunity to say a few words to Troy, it would look like this, Rest easy now, and I will always love the time we spent together working on this, my friend. You are finally free and I know, in the depths of my soul, that you've finally found the peace you were searching for."
If I had the opportunity to say a few words to his mom, the likelihood is great that I'd spend the rest of my life in jail."
Editorial Note #2: Teresa Schapansky (https://teresaschapansky.com) was first introduced to the world of writing at the age of 15, when her word puzzles were accepted for publication in several issues of a television guide. Here most recent works include One Little Coin, the Along the Way series, best-selling Coinkeeper: the Avery Chronicles series, Some Christmas, Imogene of the Pacific Kingdom (recipient of the Canada Book Award and Readers' Favorite 5 Star Seal), Dager of the Tasman Empire (awarded the Literary Classics Seal of Approval), and Memoirs of a Pakhtun Immigrant.
Choosing to Die
Theresa E. Evans
https://theresaeevans.com
Stone Path Press
https://stonepathpress.wordpress.com
9798993266305, $31.95, HC, 292pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Die-Daughters-Supporting-Assisted/dp/B0FZP4RVZW
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choosing-to-die-theresa-e-evans/1148683091
Synopsis: As an ICU nurse, Theresa Evans witnessed death and dying on a regular basis. She considered it a privilege and an honor to be with someone when they died. And then her own mother chose to have a date with death.
So begins "Choosing to Die: A Daughter's Story Of Supporting Her Mother's End Of Life Through Assisted Death", the extraordinary account of a mother and her three daughters preparing for death while coping with their own grief and impending loss.
As Theresa spends the final three months of her mother's life putting her mom's prolific flower garden to rest for winter, the garden becomes a living metaphor, mirroring the intrinsic cycles and timing of both life and death. Botany provides the lens while Theresa's years as a yoga teacher and clinical somatic educator anchor the emotional and ethical complexities that arise while helping a mother settle her affairs.
Through deeply personal journal entries, "Choosing to Die" serves as a masterclass on intentionally and mindfully supporting a loved one who chooses medical assistance in dying. This vivid firsthand experience is useful for caregivers, death doulas, and other professionals and volunteers involved in hospice care and palliative care. Most of all, "Choosing to Die" is a gift for anyone seeking clarity and compassion in the midst of one of life's most confounding decisions.
Critique: Deeply personal but with a universal resonance, with the publication of "Choosing to Die: A Daughter's Story Of Supporting Her Mother's End Of Life Through Assisted Death", medical professional and loving daughter Theresa Evans shares her extraordinary story for the benefit of readers facing similar issues of life and death for themselves and their loved ones. Deftly written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Choosing to Die" is a unique and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Death & Dying, Grief & Bereavement, Assisted Death collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Candid, sensitive, informative, thought-provoking, it should be noted for medical professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Choosing to Die" is also available in paperback (9798993266336, $21.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).
Editorial Note: Theresa E. Evans (https://theresaeevans.com) has a nursing career that spanned fifteen years with a focus in Critical and Cardiac Care. From 2007 till 2021 she taught yoga and somatic movement workshops from her Stone Path Yoga Studio as well as around the world, helping clients to move with less pain and more freedom.
Helen Dumont
Reviewer
John Taylor's Bookshelf
Remembering Akbar: Inside the Iranian Revolution
Behrooz Ghamari
OR Books
https://www.orbooks.com
9781944869038, $17.95, PB, 260pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Akbar-Inside-Iranian-Revolution/dp/1944869034
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/remembering-akbar-behrooz-ghamari/1123756980
Synopsis: Set in the tumultuous aftermath of the Iranian revolution in 1979, with the publication of "Remembering Akbar: Inside the Iranian Revolution", Professor Behrooz Ghamari deftly weaves together the stories of a group of characters who share a crowded death row cell in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. A teeming world is evoked vividly through the relationships, memories, and inner lives of these political prisoners, many of whom were eventually executed.
Told through a series of linked memories by the narrator, Akbar, whose striking candor is infused with a mordant sense of humor, the story takes the reader beyond mere political struggles and revelations, to a vibrant alternative history, written, as it were, by losers.
The characters whose stories Akbar recounts are brought to life within the mundane rhythms of a bleak institution, in its simple pleasures as well as its frequent horrors, and in the unexpected connections that emerge between the world inside and a past before imprisonment.
Rather than exalting the heroic, or choosing to focus merely on despair or redemption, "Remembering Akbar" reveals eloquently how life unfolds when death is starkly imminent. It is a deeply moving story of great camaraderie, biting humor, and soulful remembrance.
Critique: A deftly crafted, timely, informative, and simply fascinating read from start to finish, "Remembering Akbar: Inside the Iranian Revolution" is an extraordinary contribution to modern Iranian History/Biography collections. While an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as professional, community, and college/university library collections, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "Remembering Akbar: Inside the Iranian Revolution" from OR Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Behrooz Ghamari is Professor of History and Sociology at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Islam and Dissent in Postrevolutionary Iran and Foucault in Iran: Islamic Revolution after the Enlightenment.
The Isthmian Script: Deciphering Ancient Mesoamerican Writing
Martha J. Macri
University of Oklahoma Press
www.oupress.com
9780806196091, $65.00, HC, 168pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Isthmian-Script-Deciphering-Mesoamerican-Civilization/dp/0806196092
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-isthmian-script-martha-j-macri-phd/1148336596
Synopsis: The Isthmian script is an early set of symbols found in inscriptions around the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, dating to c. 500 BCE - 500 CE, though with dates subject to disagreement. It has not been conclusively determined whether Isthmian script is a true writing system that represents a spoken language, or is a system of proto-writing. According to a disputed partial decipherment, it is structurally similar to the Maya script, and like Maya uses one set of characters to represent morphemes, and a second set to represent syllables. (Wikipedia)
The Isthmian script, sometimes called Epi-Olmec, first came to the attention of scholars through inscribed texts on the Tuxtla Statuette and the La Mojarra Stela, both discovered in Veracruz, Mexico. In The Isthmian Script: Deciphering Ancient Mesoamerican Writing, linguist Martha J. Macri provides the most comprehensive account ever given of this ancient script and the tantalizing clues it holds for pre-Maya culture. While the Olmec culture of the Gulf of Mexico, among the oldest known in Mesoamerica, clearly inspired the artistic motifs and iconography of the region, Macri argues that on the basis of evidence from sculptural traditions farther to the south, the Isthmian script proper originated in Chiapas and Guatemala, not in the Olmec centers of San Lorenzo and La Venta.
Challenging a previous claim of full decipherment announced in the journal Science in 1993, Macri uses structural analysis and comparative iconography to demonstrate that the Isthmian script, even without a word-for-word decipherment, affords a wealth of data about the origins of Mesoamerican scripts and about interactions between Mixe-Zoquean and Mayan speakers during the Middle to Late Preclassic period (900 BCE - 100 CE). This richly documented study offers observations on specific signs as a starting point for further research, providing data in support of the author's hypotheses and spelling out clearly what is still not known.
With valuable new insights into the linguistic prehistory and the iconography on stone sculpture in Mexico and Guatemala, "The Isthmian Script: Deciphering Ancient Mesoamerican Writing " by Martha J. Macri calls a new generation of investigators to the Isthmian script and inspires renewed interest in the process of script invention among early Mesoamerican peoples.
Critique: A work of meticulous and detailed scholarship, and enhanced by the inclusion of numerous B/W illustrations, "The Isthmian Script: Deciphering Ancient Mesoamerican Writing" by Professor Martha J. Macri is a seminal and groundbreaking study that is a impressively original, effectively organized, featuring Notes, References, an Index of Terms, and an Index of Signs Ordered by MS Numbers -- making it an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and college/university library Mayan Archeology/Linguistics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Martha J. Macri (https://nas.ucdavis.edu/people/martha-macri) is Professor Emerita of Native American Studies and Research Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Davis. She is a co-principal investigator for the Maya Hieroglyphic Database project funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation.
John Taylor
Reviewer
Mary Cowper's Bookshelf
Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t: To Hell With Mom Shaming
Lesley Prosko
FriesenPress
https://www.friesenpress.com
9781038304148, $39.99, HC, 264pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Instagram-Moms-are-Full-Sh/dp/1038304156
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/instagram-moms-are-full-of-sh-t-lesley-prosko/1145709760
Synopsis: Are you done television ads and programs that showcase moms who make it look so easy when some mornings you don't even manage to get your hair brushed before taking your kids to school?
Have you ever been mom shamed for something you've done or haven't done for your children? Or have you unintentionally mom-shamed someone else?
Are you tired of the unrealistic expectations of motherhood that is portrayed all over social media? The truth is, being a mom isn't about having it all figured out. No mom has it all figured out.
With the publication of "Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t, To Hell With Mom Shaming" Lesley Prosko shows the honest, often chaotic, realities of being a mom, and knowing that in all the wonderful craziness, they are doing a great job!
Writing from personal experience and input from other moms, Lesley Prosko is herself the mother of two little ones. In "Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t, To Hell With Mom Shaming" she takes an in-depth look at some of the most common mom-shaming themes, considering cultural, generational, historical, and parenting style differences, including:
birth plans
breastfeeding vs formula
vaccinations
child sleep habits
working mom vs stay-at-home mom
exercising while pregnant
navigating screen time
and more
Told with insight, humour, and sporadic sarcasm, this practical resource is designed to help real moms stop comparing themselves to other moms who want the world to think that every day is a great one-because those moms are full of sh*t.
Critique: Original, exceptional, iconoclastic, laced from start to finish with humor and insight, "Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t, To Hell With Mom Shaming" by Lesley Prosko is both deeply personal and has a universal resonance that will be recognized by mothers everywhere. Exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t, To Hell With Mom Shaming" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Motherhood & Parenting collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t, To Hell With Mom Shaming" from FriesenPress is also readily available in paperback (9781038304148, $21.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Lesley Prosko lives on an acreage outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with her husband, two young kids, two dogs, one tortoise, and a varying number of goldfish, depending on when this is being read! What started as writing blogs for a local mom's group, led to writing her first book, "Instagram Moms are Full of Sh*t, To hell with mom shaming".
Parental Alienation for Families and Practitioners: Q&A
Alan D. Blotcky, Ph.D. and William Bernet, Ph.D., authors
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
https://www.ccthomas.com
9780398094874, $24.95, PB, 134pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Parental-Alienation-Families-Practitioners-Q/dp/039809487X
Synopsis: With the publication of "Parental Alienation for Families and Practitioners: Q&A" co-authors Alan D. Blotcky and William Bernet have compiled questions and answers that directly address a multitude of practical issues in a readable and easy-to-implement manner.
"Parental Alienation for Families and Practitioners: Q&A" deftly integrates scientific findings with clinical knowledge, presenting critical information to families and practitioners. It is hoped that the suggestions and comments will inspire a sense of optimism and advocacy in readers.
"Parental Alienation for Families and Practitioners: Q&A" is comprised of more than 50 clinical and legal vignettes that illustrate and clarify the topics addressed in the text. These fictional vignettes bring the material to life in a way that is friendly and easy to understand.
18 drawings or other artwork created by real children are also featured. The drawings are factual depictions of the children's perceptions of their personal circumstances and their family relationships. Some of this artwork is very powerful, manifesting angry feelings and bleak, distressing outlooks.
It is believed these drawings reflect the mental state of children who are experiencing some aspect of PA. Indeed, the artwork supports the authors' contention that alienated children have an abnormal mental condition that needs to be addressed with both legal and therapeutic interventions.
Each chapter comprising "Parental Alienation for Families and Practitioners: Q&A" concludes with several brief, annotated references under "Recommended Reading" for readers who may wish to learn more about a specific topic or identify an article or book that meets their needs. It will be of interest to social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, attorneys, judges, teachers, and clergy who are actively involved in some way with alienated families, as well as family members, who are faced with alienation dynamics on a day-to-day basis.
Critique: "Parental Alienation for Families and Practitioners: Q&A" is a seminal and informative study that will be of immense value to readers with an interest in Parenting Guides in general, and Family Conflict Resolution/Management in particular. Exceptionally well organized and throughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, this trade paperback(10 x 7 x 0.3 inches, 1.25 pounds) edition from Charles C. Thomas Publisher Ltd is an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Family/Parenting Conflict Resolution collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Alan D. Blotcky (https://www.alanblotckyphd.com) is a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice in Birmingham, Alabama. He is also Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has been in practice for 38 years.
Editorial Note #2: William Bernet, M.D., is a graduate of Holy Cross College, summa cum laude, and Harvard Medical School. He is also a professor emeritus at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is board certified in general psychiatry, child psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. In 2007, Dr. Bernet and Judge Don R. Ash published Children of Divorce: A Practical Guide for Parents, Therapists, Attorneys, and Judges. Dr. Bernet also edited Parental Alienation, DSM-5, and ICD-11, which was published in 2010. Dr. Bernet and his colleagues edited Parental Alienation: The Handbook for Mental Health and Legal Professionals, which was published in 2013. He is the founder and first president of the Parental Alienation Study Group.
Mary Cowper
Reviewer
Micah Andrew's Bookshelf
A Whole New Human
Derek Rydall
Atria Books/Beyond Words
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
9781582709598, $29.00, HC, 256pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Whole-New-Human-Evolve-Survive/dp/1582709599
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-whole-new-human-derek-rydall/1148773872
Synopsis: As AI accelerates beyond human capabilities, the real threat isn't that machines will replace us -- it's that we will become more like them, losing the very qualities that define us. Every technological advancement, from calculators to GPS, has eroded essential human capacities, weakening our ability to think critically, create, and adapt. Now, with AI poised to surpass us in nearly every task, we face an existential crisis: How do we flourish as humans in a world where machines can outperform us?
With the publication of "A Whole New Human: Ten Ways We Must Evolve to Survive and Thrive in the AI Age", Derek Rydall has written an essential, practical guide to navigating this global seismic shift. Blending ancient wisdom, cutting-edge science, and decades of human development research, Rydall offers a step-by-step road map for unlocking our innate potential and evolving alongside AI. Embrace the superintelligence within you!
Critique: Original, insightfully informative, and addressing a rapidly developing social issue with respect to dealing with the rapid expansion and increasing dominance of AI in almost every aspect of contemporary human civilization, "A Whole New Human: Ten Ways We Must Evolve to Survive and Thrive in the AI Age" by Derek Rydall is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the role of AI personally and professionally. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for the non-specialist general reader, as well as a high value addition to professional, community, and college/university library AI collections, it should be noted for students, academia, political activists, and AI enthusiasts that this hardcover edition of "A Whole New Human" from Atria/Beyond Words is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Simon & Schuster, 9781668130209, $39.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Derek Rydall (https://derekrydall.com) is a prominent life coach and active speaker, bringing his unique brand of inspiration to audiences around the country. He writes for the Huffington Post and Spirituality & Health, among others.
Space Journal: Art, Science and Cosmic Exploration
Dallas Campbell
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500028186, $45.00, HC, 288pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Space-Journal-Science-Cosmic-Exploration/dp/0500028184
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/space-journal-dallas-campbell/1148430978
Synopsis: An endless source of fascination, space is both alluring and mysterious, a place of wonder and terror.
"Space Journal: Art, Science and Cosmic Exploration" by Dallas Campbell is a visual celebration of our perception of the cosmos across centuries and cultures. In drawings and diagrams, plans, charts, and paintings, a great range of scientists and dreamers each tell their own story of an element of space exploration. Their visions were largely based in the scientific understanding of their time, but as it turns out, many of the principles remain.
Moving beyond a collection of space snapshots, "Space Journal: Art, Science and Cosmic Exploration" benefits from the unmatched insights of journalist and collector Dallas Campbell, who weaves together priceless memorabilia, revolutionary experiments, and spectacular scenes to map both real and potential encounters with the unknown throughout history.
From Galileo's shopping list to speeches annotated in President John F. Kennedy's own hand, from The War of the Worlds to Space Invaders, Campbell's lavishly illustrated orbit sets out the radical thinkers and creatives who envisioned us leaving our planet (or having guests stop by) and in some cases, made it happen!
Critique: Featuring 517 color illustrations, this uniquely sized (10.8 x 1.3 x 7.8 inches, 2.91 pounds) hardcover edition of "Space Journal: Art, Science and Cosmic Exploration" is an ideal showcase of the history of space explorations from the astronomers and visionaries of the 16th Century Age of Enlightenment to the present day of space stations and moon landing. An informative pleasure to browse through from start to finish, "Space Journal: Art, Science and Cosmic Exploration" will prove to be a very special and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Space Exploration History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Dallas Campbell (www.dallascampbell.co.uk) has presented some of the most ambitious landmark series across the BBC, such as City in the Sky with Dr. Hannah Fry and Stargazing Live with Dara O Briain and Brian Cox, which included broadcasting astronaut Tim Peake's historic live launch to the International Space Station and was nominated for a BAFTA. Dallas is a regular contributor to the BBC's Science Focus, the Times Eureka magazine, and has written for The Observer. He also presents the Patented podcast, which explores the history of inventions, and is the author of Ad Astra: An Illustrated Guide to Leaving the Planet.
Micah Andrew
Reviewer
Michael Dunford's Bookshelf
The View from Hadrian's Wall
Mark Clegg & David Wilmot
Toplight
c/o McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476685069, $19.99, PB, 205pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/View-Hadrians-Wall-Friends-Frontier/dp/1476685061
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-view-from-hadrians-wall
Synopsis: Built almost 2,000 years ago by the Roman occupiers of Britain, Hadrian's Wall is one of the most famous and identifiable World Heritage Sites. When two old friends, one American and one British, reunited to trek the length of the Wall, they reminisced about the past while sharing apprehension about the future.
"The View from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" is collaborative memoir of their coast-to-coast voyage and examines Roman history, drawing parallels between the fall of the Roman Empire and the recent political developments and uncertainties in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Co-authors Mark Clegg and David Wilmot also share their often humorous encounters with locals they met along the way while hiking in incessant rain.
Critique: Part travelogue, part history, part archaeology, and part 'real life' adventure, "The View from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" is an extraordinary account that will prove to be an immensely interesting, entertaining, and informative read from cover to cover. For the benefit of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of the 400+ years of the Roman occupation of Britain and it's lasting impact on the local populace of today as exemplified by the remains of this iconic relic, "The View from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" is a welcome and recommended addition to personal reading lists, plus community and college/university library Travelogue collections and supplemental Roman/British History curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and armchair travelers that this paperback edition of "The View from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note #1: Mark Clegg works in financial services and is co-owner of Raison de Retro, a vintage books and antiques business. He lives in Athens, Georgia.
Editorial Note #2: David Wilmot is a partner in a European fund management company. He lives in London and Cornwall.
Aliens and the Near-Death Experience
P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D.
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
www.innertraditions.com
9781591435501, $18.00, PB, 208pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Aliens-Near-Death-Experience-Atwater-L-H-D/dp/1591435501
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aliens-and-the-near-death-experience-p-m-h-atwater-l-h-d/1147859938
Synopsis: "Aliens and the Near-Death Experience" by P. M. H. Atwater presents the link between near-death experiences and extraterrestrial encounters as it:
Looks at research from early pioneers in the field of alien contact, including Greta Woodrew, Leo Sprinkle, Whitley Streiber, and John Mack
Shares case studies of individuals who have undergone near-death experiences that coincided with extraterrestrial contact
Tells the story of the author's own near-death experiences, the unexpected knowledge they offered, and their revelations of the author's past lives
A near-death experience (NDE) researcher and spiritual counselor, P. M. H. Atwater draws upon decades of scholarship, personal experiences, and testimonials from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) to explore the connections between NDEs and alien contact.
Atwater also presents the research of pioneers in the field of alien interaction, including Greta Woodrew, Leo Sprinkle, Kenneth Ring, Whitley Streiber, and John Mack. Additionally, she shares 38 case study interviews with people who have had alien encounters and NDEs. Her findings reveal that people experiencing these phenomena report similar experiences of interactions with "beings of light," telepathic communication, and journeys to otherworldly realms.
Atwater also reports on her own NDEs from the 1970s, revealing how they may demonstrate her past life as a space-traveling extraterrestrial named Arrakkus. She provides transcripts of recorded conversations that Arrakkus had by speaking through her while she was in a trance state. Of special note is Atwater explaining how her personal experiences and research have yielded conclusions that bear upon the fields of psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and theology, and she discusses the implications of these findings for a deeper understanding of our potentials.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Aliens and the Near-Death Experience" by P. M. H. Atwater is a meticulous, seminal and groundbreaking study that must be considered essential reading for anyone one with an interest in Aliens, UFOs, Near-Death Phenomena, and Parapsychology. "Aliens and the Near-Death Experience" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university 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 paperback edition of "Aliens and the Near-Death Experience" from Bear & Company is also readily available in a digital book format ($12.99).
Editorial Note: P. M. H. Atwater (http://pmhatwater.com) is an international authority on near-death states and the author of 19 books. Her writings have also appeared in numerous magazines, newsletters, and journals. Some of her research has been validated in clinical settings also mentioned in the Lancet Medical Journal. She has been given numerous citations, appeared on national television, and spoken twice to groups at the United Nations about her work. She also publishes"For the Curious" -- a free monthly newsletter, as well as a blog fielding questions about near-death experiences and related subjects.
Michael Dunford
Reviewer
Paul Vogel's Bookshelf
Enchanting Book Nooks: Miniature Worlds and Settings to Craft and Decorate
Raphaele Vidaling
Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9780789346186, $35.00, HC, 176pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Enchanting-Book-Nooks-Miniature-Settings/dp/0789346184
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enchanting-book-nooks-raphaele-vidaling/1147890550
Synopsis: Book Nooks (miniature dioramas of charming spaces designed for display as a bookshelf insert or as a bookend for a book collection) have taken social media by storm. They have been widely embraced with great enthusiasm in the world of crafting and creative hobbies as they blend a love of coziness, a celebration of storytelling, and an interest in decor.
Fun to make and to collect, these miniature worlds are endearing and contemplative, drawing inspiration from scale modeling to create imagined universes, settings, and characters inspired by daily life, nature, favorite books, or movies.
With the publication of "Enchanting Book Nooks: Miniature Worlds and Settings to Craft and Decorate Hardcover" by Raphaele Vidaling blends how-to advice with inspirational imagery showcasing twenty approachable, easy-to-do, small-scale projects full of charm and enchantment.
Fiction-inspired projects include an Alice in Wonderland - style interior, a Tolkienesque hobbit house, and phosphorescent forest tree houses from James Cameron's Avatar. Additional projects span a wider spectrum: a cozy home study, a vintage bookshop, an artist's studio, a zen garden -- all with a heavy dose of coziness.
Nothing makes a more charming, personalized gift than a handcrafted book nook -- especially on point when there is a shared passion or fandom for a certain author, book, or movie.
Critique: Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout, and featuring clear step-by-step DIY instructions for each Book Nook project, "Enchanting Book Nooks: Miniature Worlds and Settings to Craft and Decorate" by graphic artist Raphaele Vidaling is truly unique, extraordinary, and a 'must' for dedicated handcrafting bibliophiles, as well as an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Minitures Crafting instructional reference collections.
Editorial Note: Raphaele Vidaling is a French-based graphic artist, crafter, and author of numerous activity and DIY books. There is an extensive online listing of her books online at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/837668.Rapha_le_Vidaling
The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect
Richard Gebhart
Michigan State University Press
https://msupress.org
9781611865677, $59.95, HC, 184pp
Michigan State University Press
https://msupress.org/9781611865677/the-great-lakes-ships-of-frank-e-kirby
Synopsis: "The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect" by Richard Gebhart is study of the legendary Michigan shipbuilder Frank E. Kirby examines his life and the accomplishments that earned him national esteem and international fame.
Kirby was involved in the design and build of nearly one hundred vessels, many of which sailed the Great Lakes region. He is best known for designing the paddle steamer Tashmoo and two boats that ferried visitors to Boblo Island in the Detroit River for decades, Columbia and Ste. Claire.
Though only three of his vessels remain, none of them operational, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are still alive today have been carried by Kirby vessels.
Told through stories found in the Detroit Free Press, historical archives, family documents, an interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Dorothy Clement Kirby in 1926, and keepsakes, in the pages of "The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect", author and former director of the White River Light Station Lighthouse Museum, Richard Gebhart brings to life the story of one of the most prolific Great Lakes shipbuilders of the time. Recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Maritime History & Biography collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect" from the Michigan State University Press is also readily available in paperback (9781611865653, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.95).
Editorial Note: Richard Gebhart was director of the White River Light Station lighthouse museum from 1975 to 1980. He has authored numerous articles of historical interest and essays for journals and newsletters of Great Lakes historical societies, as well as the book Ships and Shipwrecks: Stories from the Great Lakes and Tragedy and Triumph on the Great Lakes. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21473687.Richard_Gebhart)
Paul T. Vogel
Reviewer
S.A. Gorden's Bookshelf
Forged in Fire: A Greek Mythology Academy Retelling (Academy of Olympus Book 1)
Melody Rose
Independently Published
9798643542179 $24.99, paper
B084WZXTMZ, $3.99 Kindle, 676 pages
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Fire-Academy-Olympus-Book-ebook/dp/B084WZXTMZ
A contemporary trend in writing is bringing ancient mythology into the modern world. This isn't a new trend but it has gained new popularity. Forged in Fire has a standard base narration. A young woman, Cheyenne, is working as a blacksmith at a historical village. She has always felt out of place in the world. Two individuals enter the smithy and recruit her for a special project. Something about them seems off so she asks questions. After accepting the project, they tell her that she is a demigod and needs to enroll in their training academy.
Cheyenne feels she has to attend the academy and learn more about herself and the father she has never known. She soon discovers layers of lethal intrigue within the school and is forced to work past the multiple layers of resentment and danger.
Forged in Fire is a well written tale about the Greek gods living in today's world. It has a solid take on the world Rose has created for the setting. The biggest drawback is that it is an obvious first book in a series leaving the reader wanting more. It is an easy recommendation for readers who enjoy tales with strong links to mythology and your typical action/fantasy reader.
The Body in the Bookstore (A Secret Bookcase Mystery Book 1)
Ellie Alexander
https://elliealexander.co
Storm Publishing
9781805084099, $14.11
B0D4RV4P8V $4.99 ebook, 274 pages
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Body-Bookstore-Secret-Bookcase-Mystery/dp/1805084097
The Body in the Bookstore is a fun cozy. Alexander has created a bookstore setting for the tale that is near perfect for a cozy mystery reader. The story starts out with a rambling old home converted into a type of bookstore any reader would like to visit. It even has a hidden bookcase. The characters are varied and likeable. The mystery is strong enough to carry through the whole story.
Annie Murray is a manager at a private home converted into a bookstore. She started working there when her college best friend was killed. Anne has been using the job to escape from the guilt she feels about the murder of her friend. The friends she made while working at the store has slowly pushed her guilt back.
Anne's bookstore is failing with the shift to e-books and needs something to boost sales. Anne decides to organize a mystery weekend for the whole town which includes a variety of events in the bookstore. The whole town gets behind the idea and is soon filled with visitors. During the start of the mystery weekend, a murder takes place in Anne's bookstore. To save her beloved store and the life she has built, Anne decides she has to solve the mystery.
The Body in the Bookstore is an easy recommendation for any cozy or mystery reader. The mystery is strong enough to stand by itself and the cozy setting has a comfortable feel.
S.A. Gorden
Senior Reviewer
Suzie Housley's Bookshelf
The Alchemy of Blood
Richard LaBrie
Wealtown Press
https://www.wealtownpress.com
9798993474601, $19.00, PB, 118pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Blood-Poems-Richard-LaBrie/dp/B0GSX66LBG
Synopsis: The Alchemy of Blood is a deeply introspective and emotionally charged collection of poetry that explores the human condition through the lens of transformation. Structured around the classical alchemical stages - Nigredo (darkness), Albedo (rebirth), Citrinitas (awakening), and Rubedo (wholeness) - the collection takes readers on a psychological and philosophical journey through despair, reflection, and ultimately, a fragile sense of understanding.
Drawing from his background as a clinical psychologist, Richard LaBrie presents poems that examine trauma, identity, societal dysfunction, and the quiet, often unsettling truths of inner life. The work oscillates between raw vulnerability and intellectual abstraction, inviting readers to confront uncomfortable realities while searching for meaning in chaos. As noted in the preface, both personal and collective experiences shape the poemsboth personal and collective experiences shape the poems, particularly those of recent years, offering a candid and unfiltered reflection of modern life.
Critique: The Alchemy of Blood showcases a kind of emotional intensity that refuses to be softened for the reader's comfort. As someone who has spent decades reading and reviewing literature, I can say this is not a collection one simply "enjoys." It is one that lingers, unsettles, and demands engagement.
LaBrie's voice is unapologetically direct, often bordering on confrontational, yet it carries an undercurrent of sincerity that makes even the most jarring passages feel purposeful. His professional background in psychology is evident throughout, particularly in poems that dissect human behavior with clinical precision while still retaining a deeply personal edge. Pieces such as those exploring therapy, trauma, and societal decay reveal a writer who has witnessed the complexities of the human psyche firsthand and is unafraid to present them in their most unvarnished form.
What struck me most is the structural ambition of the collection. The use of alchemical stages as a framework is more than a stylistic choice - it provides a thematic backbone that mirrors the emotional evolution within the poems. The early sections, steeped in darkness and fragmentation, gradually give way to moments of clarity and reluctant insight. This progression feels earned, not imposed, and reflects a mature understanding of transformation as a nonlinear, often painful process.
That said, this is not a collection for every reader. Some poems contain stark content, and the language can be deliberately abrasive. There are moments where the intensity borders on overwhelming, and readers seeking lyrical beauty or traditional poetic cadence may find themselves challenged. Yet, I would argue that this discomfort is precisely the point. LaBrie is not writing to soothe -- he is writing to awaken.
There are also flashes of dark humor and self-awareness woven throughout, offering brief but welcome reprieves from the heavier themes. These moments reveal a multidimensional voice -- one that understands the absurdity of life even while grappling with its weight.
In the end, The Alchemy of Blood feels less like a collection of poems and more like an emotional excavation. It asks the reader to sit with discomfort, to question assumptions, and to recognize the messy, often contradictory nature of being human.
For those willing to engage with its depth and intensity, this book offers a powerful and thought-provoking experience. It is not easily forgotten - and perhaps that is its greatest strength.
Wishes on the Waves: A Gull Island Romance Book 2
Catherine Michaels
Cool Breeze Books
9780998337258, $4.99 Kindle, $16.99 PB, 351 pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.ca/Wishes-Waves-Gull-Island-Romance-ebook/dp/B0GJSZ8H1V
Synopsis: Set along the sun-washed shores of coastal North Carolina, Wishes on the Waves is a heartfelt contemporary romance that blends family, second chances, and the healing rhythm of the sea. Annie Lawson is fiercely devoted to her young son and to preserving her family's small-town gift shop, a legacy built across three generations. Life has narrowed to responsibility, routine, and quiet resilience.
When Cal Carter returns to Gull Island to restore his grandfather's cottage and rebuild stability for his teenage daughter, he brings with him more than moving boxes. He carries unfinished chapters - of grief, fatherhood, and a writing career under pressure. A chance encounter - sparked by glitter, chaos, and a split-second act of heroism - pulls Annie and Cal into each other's orbit.
As community gatherings, beachside rescues, and shared moments unfold, both must confront the guarded places in their hearts. Against a backdrop of ocean tides and small-town warmth, this book explores what it means to risk love again when life has already reshaped you.
Critique: Wishes on the Waves crafts a coastal romance that feels lived-in rather than staged. Gull Island isn't just a setting - it breathes. The sensory details of salt air, shifting dunes, porch lights, and dockside cafes create a grounded sense of place that anchors the emotional journey. Readers can almost feel the sand between their toes.
Annie is a strong heroine. Her devotion to family and heritage never feels idealized; it feels earned. Michaels portrays her as capable and steady, yet quietly vulnerable. Cal, meanwhile, is a refreshing romantic lead - a single father balancing ambition and uncertainty, strength and tenderness. Their chemistry unfolds organically through shared responsibility and understated humor rather than dramatic contrivance.
The supporting cast adds depth and authenticity. From lively cookouts to interwoven family dynamics, the community surrounding Annie and Cal reinforce one of the novel's central themes: healing rarely happens in isolation. Michaels skillfully balances romance with generational ties, parenting challenges, and the weight of personal history.
Catherine Michael is a superb author who has written a book that speaks to the heart. The pacing is thoughtful, allowing emotional beats to develop naturally. While the story carries familiar hallmarks of the contemporary romance genre - returning home, second chances, close-knit community - it distinguishes itself through nuanced character development and sincere emotional layering.
This book will appeal to readers who appreciate heartfelt romance grounded in family, resilience, and the restorative pull of coastal life. It is a warm, character-driven novel that lingers gently, like the echo of waves against the shore.
My Lucky Star
Cheryl Olsten, author
Paolo d'Altan, illustrator
Fleecydale Press
9781733955164, $16.95 HC, $8.99 Kindle, 64pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/My-Lucky-Star-Cheryl-Olsten/dp/173395516X
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-lucky-star-cheryl-olsten/1148587656
Synopsis: There is something truly special about a story that not only captures the imagination but gently touches the heart, and My Lucky Star does exactly that. Cheryl Olsten has created a reading experience that feels both magical and meaningful, inviting young readers to believe in the quiet power of hope, courage, and connection.
At the center of this story is a beautifully written relationship between Ella and Little Feat, one that feels genuine and deeply rooted in trust and love. It is this bond that carries the reader through moments of wonder, uncertainty, and ultimately, triumph. As someone who appreciates stories that highlight meaningful connections, I found their journey especially touching.
Critique: My Lucky Star offers a touching and memorable story that readers will remember long after they finish. What makes this book stand out is the way it balances imagination with real emotional depth. The starlit adventures and dreamlike elements are captivating, yet they never overshadow the heartfelt themes of resilience, independence, and believing in oneself. These are lessons that young readers can carry with them long after the story ends.
The pacing unfolds naturally, allowing each moment to breathe, from the awe of soaring through the night sky to the tension of unexpected challenges. Children will remain engaged, while adults will appreciate the gentle reassurance woven throughout the narrative.
The illustrations by Paolo d'Altan are nothing short of breathtaking. Each page feels like a soft, painted dream, rich with color and emotion. The luminous skies, the quiet forest scenes, and the expressive characters all work together to elevate the story into something truly memorable. These visuals don't just complement the story; they enhance it in a way that makes the experience feel immersive and complete.
Perhaps what resonates most is the message at the heart of the book: that sometimes life's greatest journeys begin with uncertainty, and that trusting your heart can lead you exactly where you are. It's a message delivered with grace, making it both accessible to children and meaningful for the adults reading alongside them.
My Lucky Star is a charming and heartfelt addition to children's literature. It is a story I would confidently recommend for families, classrooms, and anyone who believes in the magic of storytelling. This is the book that creates not just readers - but dreamers.
Editorial Note: Recommended for children 4-9 years old.
Is It Poop?
Kizzi Roberts, M.S. Animal Science
Learning Spark Educational Publishing
9798888840399, $24.99, HC, 34pp
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Poop-Kizzi-Roberts/dp/B0GWZ35JKV
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/is-it-poop-kizzi-roberts/1149896571
Synopsis: Is It Poop? by Kizzi Roberts takes young readers on a playful and curiosity-driven exploration of the animal world - centered around a topic children never seem to tire of. This interactive picture book challenges readers to decide whether what they are looking at is actually poop or something cleverly disguised to look like it.
With a thoughtful blend of humor and science, the book introduces concepts such as mimicry, digestion, ecosystems, and animal behavior in a way that feels natural and engaging. Each page presents a new guessing opportunity, sparking curiosity while delivering surprising and memorable facts. From the cube-shaped droppings of wombats to animals that disguise themselves as feces for protection, the book offers a clever mix of lighthearted fun and meaningful learning.
Critique: Is It Poop? embraces a subject that instantly captures a child's attention, and does so with creativity, confidence, and educational value.
Kizzi Roberts has created a reading experience that feels interactive and lively, more like a game than a traditional lesson. With each page, the recurring question, "Is it poop?" builds anticipation, encouraging young readers to actively participate. This structure makes the book especially effective for read-aloud settings in classrooms, libraries, or family story time.
One of the book's greatest strengths is how naturally it weaves scientific learning into moments of humor. Beneath the playful tone is a well-crafted introduction to animal science. The book exposes readers to concepts like camouflage and mimicry through animals that resemble droppings, as well as ecological insights such as how whale waste contributes to ocean ecosystems. These ideas are presented clearly without overwhelming young audiences.
The visual presentation enhances the experience. Bright, engaging illustrations paired with real-life imagery create a dynamic and appealing layout. The recurring cartoon fly character adds a sense of continuity and personality, guiding readers through each page with a touch of humor. This thoughtful balance of visual elements keeps readers engaged while reinforcing the educational content.
This book genuinely connects with its audience with its unique subject matter. The humor will draw children in, but they will leave with knowledge they didn't expect to gain. That seamless combination of entertainment and education makes this book especially effective.
This is a story that proves even the most unconventional topics can become meaningful learning experiences. By transforming something ordinary - and admittedly a bit silly - into an engaging exploration, the author creates a book that children will want to revisit time and again.
Editorial Note: Highly recommended for ages 4-8, as well as for educators, parents, and anyone seeking a fun and memorable way to introduce scientific concepts to young readers.
Suzie Housley, Senior Reviewer
https://housleysliteraryservices.com
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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