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Reviewer's Choice
Jeddah Bride
Patricia Bonis
Conservation Press
9781957586380, $29.99, HC, 270pp
https://www.amazon.com/Jeddah-Bride-Patricia-Bonis/dp/1957586389
Synopsis: Patricia fell madly in love with Rahman Abbar, scion of a wealthy Saudi Arabian family, and when he suggested they marry, it was the happiest day of her life. A smart, free-spirited girl who had attended Wellesley College, Patricia was not prepared for life as a Saudi woman -- a life spent looking through curtains and veils at the world outside, a life that of necessity was curtailed and protected from the toxic masculinity of the culture, a life that, for an American girl used to sneaking out and hitchhiking, was dangerous and frightening and alien.
She was not prepared to give up all her freedom: freedom to drive herself, to go where she wanted when she wanted, to read books and listen to music she wanted, even to give up making a career for herself. But shouldn't love be enough to overcome everything?
After years in Jeddah, Patricia and Rahman moved to America, where Patricia gave birth to two children and started her own successful career. She thought that surely their family was complete, that now they would stay in America to raise their children in freedom and security.
Then Rahman starts talking about leaving America and moving back into the jet-set lifestyle -- regardless of Patricia's needs and wishes. After previous disappointments, Patricia is ready to divorce him and strike out on her own.
She is not ready for her children to be kidnapped. So the question becomes -- To what lengths will she go to save her children? Would she sacrifice her safety? Her sanity? Her life?
Critique: A simply riveting and emotionally engaging read from start to finish, "Jeddah Bride" is more than just another memoir -- it is a clarion warning about what can happen to a woman and her children in a gender toxic, women's rights denying, Muslim country today. Told in complete candor and impressive detail, "Jeddah Bride" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Jeddah Bride" from Conservation Press is also available in paperback (9781957586410, $14.99) and in digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Patricia Bonis was swept off her feet when a handsome Saudi Arabian man promised her a life of enormous wealth and privilege in exotic Muslim Jeddah until she realizes the gilding covers horrifying Islamic cultural practices and even worse inequities toward women. The nightmare really begins when she leaves him and, with the tacit approval of the U.S. government, he kidnaps their two young children and takes them back to Saudi Arabia. Fourteen years later, she had to rebuild her relationship with her son and daughter. "Jeddah Bride" is that story.
The World History Shelf
The Shortest History of Migration
Ian Goldin
https://iangoldin.org
The Experiment
https://theexperimentpublishing.com
9798893030600, $16.95, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Shortest-History-Migration-Move_From-Prehistoric/dp/B0D6XCFDNF
Synopsis: We as humans are a species in motion -- from the first steps of Homo sapiens ancestors across Africa to today's America's "melting pot." And when we move (in search of better things, or against our will) our beliefs and skills have clashed and combined to reshape society time and again.
With the publication of "The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move: From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants", Professor Ian Goldin uncovers key moments of cultural exchange while carefully examining empire, slavery, and war. Throughout, we meet famous explorers (Zheng He), exiles (Pablo Neruda), and everyday people in extraordinary circumstances ranging from a Jewish man saved by the Kindertransport, to a Japanese gardener who blossomed in Mexico City.
Today, freedom of movement is being curtailed, even as climate change and conflict mobilize people everywhere around the world. Goldin reminds us that passports at every border are a modern invention (he traces the "birth of big brother" to World War I), revealing the folly of trying to halt migration -- and proposing commonsense policy instead.
A gripping chronicle of want and wanderlust, "The Shortest History of Migration" offers a unique and compelling historical portrait of humanity -- in every sense of that word.
Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move: From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants" by Professor Ian Goldin is a seminal study and an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Emigration/Immigration history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "The Shortest History of Migration: When, Why, and How Humans Move: From the Prehistoric Peopling of the Planet to Today and Tomorrow's Migrants" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Ian Goldin is the Oxford University Professor of Globalization and Development and founding director of the Oxford Martin School, the world's leading center for interdisciplinary research into critical global challenges, where he has established forty-five research programs. Ian has been an advisor to numerous businesses, governments, and foundations and is a founding trustee of the International Center for Future Generations and Chair of the CORE Econ initiative to transform economics. He is the author of twenty-five books, including Age of the City (Bloomsbury Continuum, 2025).
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Once Upon a Soviet Child: Piano, Potatoes, and Privations
Anya Stork
https://anyastork.com
Independently Published
9798581124581, $16.00, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Soviet-Child-Privations/dp/B08QRKV89M
Synopsis: What if you were born in Russia during 1970s – how would it feel growing up there? For many in America perhaps a dystopian tale, this was how Anya and her family lived. Anya continuously trained along with her classmates for the coming war against America. If American children got to sit underneath their desks during Cold War school drills, Russian children had their weekly military style preparedness classes in a bomb shelter beginning first grade.
As Anya recalls, "We wore gas masks, rubber military respirators and had many drills in a bomb shelter, at the basement of our school. Beginning first grade, we were taught how to sew face masks in case of germ warfare. Starting fourth grade we were shooting rifles and throughout school and summer Pioneer camps we marched like soldiers in endless military formations. During summer camps we were learning how to transport the wounded..." Anya had personally attended many Pioneer camps and compares and contrasts the camps for ordinary Soviet citizens with those far more privileged members of the so called "classless society."
Competition and rhetoric were endless. Meanwhile, most ordinary people in Russia had very little to eat. Anya describes the startling contrasts between the privileged class and the ordinary citizens, including her family." Our family was typical yet unique by Russian standards. We were a very large family living in Moscow - a family with six children raised in the Soviet economy when most Russian couples feared having a second child for the economic reasons described in this book."As the oldest child of six, Anya is expected to excel in school and playing piano while helping out at home. Teenagers will relate to the overwhelming feelings she experiences but can't express. Readers will cheer when she throws off the yoke of her teachers' unreasonable expectations and charts her own course in life.
Through touching and often humorous stories of what occurred in her family, Stork shows many different aspects of Soviet living. Most importantly, Anya Stork emerges as an articulate spokesperson for intelligent analysis of her society and family. In this book you will learn about Soviet Childcare, Sex education (or lack thereof), Public education and Military formations, The Pioneer movement, Medical and Dental care, Russian Diet and cooking, Housing, Communal living, Personal hygiene, Shopping in Russia, Traditions and Holidays, Soviet Music school, Ideology, Body language and fine cultural nuisances like: Why couldn't Soviet people say "I love you?" and much more... Who knew Pravda (which means "Truth") was a newspaper, then toilet paper, wrapping paper, or a hat?
Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively informative, and a simply fascinating read from start to finish, "Once Upon a Soviet Child: Piano, Potatoes, and Privations" by Anya Stork is a candid and detailed life story that also well serves as an introduction, to Russian culture before and during the restructuring of Soviet society in the 1980s known as Perestroika. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Russian Cultural/Political History and Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Once Upon a Soviet Child: Piano, Potatoes, and Privations" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Anya Stork (https://anyastork.com) is an American novelist with a niche in creative memoirs. Born in Russia in 1973 and growing up in the suburbs of Moscow during the Cold War, Anya brings a unique perspective on life in Soviet Russia. Since immigrating to the United States in 1994, she has settled in California with her family, a dog, and numerous cats. She is also the author of "Girls Have to Dance: Stories about Growing Up in Soviet Russia" offering a poignant look at teenage life and the struggles and dreams of a young girl pursuing ballet against the odds.
Myasthenia Gravis: The Musical!
Jane Marla Robbins
www.janemarlarobbins.com
Shining Tree Press
9781088046364, $15.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Myasthenia-Gravis-Hysterical-Poetical-25-Month/dp/1088046363
Synopsis: Outrageous, funny, heartbreaking, intelligent, inspiring, irreverent and defiant, with the publication of "Myasthenia Gravis: The Musical! -- My Medical, Hysterical, Poetical, Comical, 25-Month Memoir", Jane Marla Robbins describes her journey with the auto-immune disease, Myasthenia gravis, which to date has no cure.
Still, she emerges strong and with none of her horrible, initial symptoms.
Critique: An extraordinarily personal life story, "Myasthenia Gravis: The Musical!" is unique as a memoir in that it also includes an outline for a surreal musical, as well offering poetry, jokes, prayers, rants, inspiration, and hope throughout. Honest, candid, sincere, emotionally engaging, insightfully informative, "Myasthenia Gravis: The Musical!" is truly extraordinary and especially commended reading for anyone who is having to struggle with debilitation illnesses within themselves or a loved one. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), this paperback edition of Jane Marla Robbins' "Myasthenia Gravis: The Musical!" is a a welcome and recommended pick for community, medical school, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography collections and supplemental Medical/Auto-Immune Disease curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jane Marla Robbins (www.janemarlarobbins.com) has written four books of poetry: Poems of The Laughing Buddha; Cafe Mimosa in Topanga; Dogs in Topanga 2000-2018; and Poems of Covid-19: Stuck in Lockdown: The First Three Months. Commissioned by the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to write and perform the one-woman play Reminiscences of Mozart by His Sister, Jane also performed it at Lincoln Center in New York. Her one-woman play Dear Nobody, co-authored with Terry Belanger, was nominated for an Obie, ran for a year Off-Broadway, was produced on CBS, and toured to London and all over the United States.
The General Fiction Shelf
Conversations with My Mother
Ronald-Stephane Gilbert
https://ronaldstephanegilbert.com
Rootstock Publishing
https://www.rootstockpublishing.com
9781578691814, $19.99, PB, 324pp
https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-My-Mother-Novel-Dementia/dp/1578691818
Synopsis: The memory of who we are survives in those we love.
"In Conversations with My Mother: a Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast" by novelist Ronald-Stephane Gilbert presents the story of an elderly, good-hearted Francophone who struggles with dementia as her small town succumbs to real-estate development.
Focused on her relationship with her acerbic caregiver daughter and peripatetic businessman son, "In Conversations with My Mother" examines the siblings' attempts to cope with their mother's deepening decline and the impending sale of the family property to underwrite her care.
A first-person present narrative with a strong sense of place that draws parallels between the beleaguered heroine's persistent kindness and the embattled Maine coast's enduring beauty, the book is as much about gain as it is about loss, and, ultimately, is more about hope than regret.
Critique: Although an eloquently crafted work of fiction (all the more impressive when considering that it is author Ronald-Stephane Gilbert's debut as a novelist), "Conversations with My Mother: A Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast" competently relates a 'real world' that is experienced by families with a beloved parent is struggling with dementia -- as are their adult children. An inherently fascinating and emotionally engaging read from start to finish, "Conversations with My Mother: A Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Family Life Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Conversations with My Mother" from Rootstock Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Ronald-Stephane Gilbert (https://ronaldstephanegilbert.com) is a native French-speaker who currently resides in suburban Cleveland with his wife, Leah, and their aged Pekingese, Reggie.
Free Will
Mark E. Scott
https://markescottauthor.com
Speaking Volumes, LLC
https://speakingvolumes.us
9798890221797, $16.95, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Free-Will-Life-Mark-Scott/dp/B0DJHDPPY4
Synopsis: "Free Will" is the final installment of author Mark E. Scott's 'A Day in the Life' trilogy and is the tumultuous 24-hour story of Jack and Aria -- two would-be lovers who are haunted by the guilt of their past failures, both real and perceived.
Having survived drunken pub crawls, a tumble off a bridge into a freezing river, relentless intrusions by police, and a long night lurking in the hospital, "Free Will" begins as our heroes emerge from the clutches of the medical system to a morning of brilliant sunshine and freshly fallen snow.
As the day unfolds, the young couple's greatest desire is to hide from the world, drink mimosas and spiked coffee, and write to each other in a notebook. But outside forces (some comic, some heartbreaking) intervene as Jack waffles between self-recrimination and a shot at salvation.
Liquor, letters and love may offer reprieve from the past's inexorable glare, but can they also lead to redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation? Jack and Aria may have saved each other but, like it or not, they must deal with the aftermath of their last sixteen hours. It's pounding on the door!
Critique: As an author, Mark E. Scott has a natural flair for distinctive, engaging, and narrative driven storytelling. Original, compelling, and raised to an impressive level of literary excellence, (and the capstone of his 'Day in the Life' trilogy from Speaking Volumes), "Free Will" can be read as a stand along novel of satire and dark humor with respect to the human condition and our penchant for troubled relationships. A riveting, entertaining, deftly crafted and memorable read from start to finish, "Free Will" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Free Will" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Mark E. Scott (https://markescottauthor.com) is a banker living in downtown Cincinnati. In various work iterations he has, in no particular order, served in the U.S. Navy, flipped steaks at a chain restaurant, waited tables, repossessed cars, and delivered boat propellers to boat shops. For reasons not always clear, along the way Mark tried his hand at full-contact Kung Fu fighting, a sport at which he was mediocre at best. More productively, he also managed to obtain undergrad and graduate degrees in secondary education and business, respectively, the latter being the most useful of the two.
Leary
Edmund Aristone
Commonwealth Publishing
www.commonwealthbooksinc.com
9781892986474, $24.99, HC, 170pp
https://www.amazon.com/Leary-Edmund-Aristone/dp/1892986477
Synopsis: Author Edmund Aristone's novel, "Leary" begins with Sal, a 29 -year-old former mathematics professor at MIT. Sal is reviewing his life as he scans the room at his present job: manager of a go-go bar in Atlantic City.
The road to his current life was tragic and difficult. When Sal was four years old, his family was killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve leaving Sal to be raised by an elderly aunt. At the age of 18, Sal joined the Marine Corps and served 14 months in a combat zone as a medic. Sal thought it was to save lives, but it was the last place he should have been. After being discharged, Sal buried himself in a tortuous and lonely academic pursuit, earning a doctorate degree in mathematics and a teaching position at MIT.
At the age of 27, Sal was a rising star on the University's staff, but his quiet, calm demeanor hid the 4-year-old boy screaming in the chaos. Six months into his tenure, Sal ended up a confused: unhappy and feeling misplaced in the sterile political atmosphere of MIT. Yet, his brilliant skills as a teacher belied his inner turmoil and increasingly diminished ability to cope with his life. But when he meets and marries a 24-year-old teacher named Barbara things change.
With Barbara at his side, life becomes tolerable, and the demons quieted. Unfortunately, Barbara dies suddenly in Sal's arms before their first anniversary. Harsh days follow when her parents insist on a traditional funeral, even though Sal tries to explain that was against her wishes. Exhausted by their relentless demands and grief, Sal agrees. "Go ahead," he tells them, "Fill her dead body with chemical, paint her face, put her in a box like a toy doll and bury her in the ground." Those were the last words Sal would ever say to the strangers who created the greatest gift he ever had.
Two days later, Sal quit his teaching job and booked a one-way flight to Atlantic City. But four months later, even though he is in an environment where he can hide his feelings much easier, Sal is alone, his demons close.
For Sal, there are only the laws of probability, and he is puzzled by people who pray to spirits to interfere with their fates. For him it is all about the numbers: his past job at MIT, the death of his family, Barbara, the landmines and little pieces of lead that killed his comrades on the fields of battle. Light, time, the Universe, or a tray of drinks in go -go bar in Atlantic City, it all merges together.
Sal is alone and resigned to his fate amid the loud music and noisy crowds. He knows no one will ever take Barbara's place. But when a mysterious 24-year old ex-child prodigy comes crashing into his life, everything changes. Sal is captivated by her boldness, intelligence, and her living in what he understands as Einstein's time zone.
At the cost of her love, Leary refuse to let Sal live in the shadows. And unlike his dark, logical concepts of numbers, her concepts are filled with her blood and spirit. Even though Sal understands he will never escape the reality of numbers, he doesn't care as long as he has Leary because everything else pales in her presence.
Critique: Original, fascinating, emotionally engaging, deftly crafted, author Edmund Aristone has raised his novel to an impressive level of literary excellence. A compelling, erudite and memorable read from start to finish, "Leary" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Leary" from Commonwealth Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Edmund Aristone is an unusual author who was inspired to write when he owned a strip club for 10 years in the number one murder city in the country: Camden, NJ. He met people from all over the world where he witnessed them die in his arms, heart and soul.
Emerald Road: A Tale of Love, War, and Betrayal
Orlando Ortega-Medina
www.orlandoortegamedina.com
Amber Press
c/o Bywater Books
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612943022, $20.94, PB, 300pp
https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Road-Orlando-Ortega-Medina/dp/1612943020
Synopsis: Isaac Perez, a young dreamer caught in the crossfire of El Salvador's civil war, is forced to flee north after his life is torn apart by military brutality. His journey to the United States is fraught with peril, but he's not alone; by his side is Ahbhu, a loyal Australian Cattle Dog with whom he shares a mysterious, telepathic bond.
Together, Isaac and Ahbhu brave treacherous landscapes and cross paths with unforgettable allies: Suchi, a fierce protector of LGBTQ migrants, and Diego, a young man whose kindness rekindles Isaac's hope for a future beyond survival. But as they journey through a world scarred by violence and betrayal, Isaac must confront the haunting shadows of his past -- and discover whether he has the strength to build a new life in a land of promise.
Set in a magic-touched reality where love and loyalty transcend even the harshest borders, "Emerald Road" is a story that explores the power of connection, the loss of innocence, and the courage needed to forge a new beginning. A gripping tale, "Emerald Road" invites the reader into a story where survival and spirit intertwine, testing the limits of hope in the face of unimaginable odds.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, emotionally engaging, and a simply riveting read from start to finish, "Emerald Road" by Orlando Ortega-Medina showcases the author's distinctively effective and narrative driven storytelling style. With a special appeal and interest for readers with an affinity for magical realism, LGBTQ and migration themes, "Emerald Road" is a novel that is raised to an impressive level of literary excellence by the imaginative talents of its author. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Emerald Road" from Amber Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Orlando Ortega-Medina (www.orlandoortegamedina.com), is a London-based author and lawyer who has captivated readers with his remarkable literary works. His collection of short stories, Jerusalem Ablaze, published in 2017, garnered critical acclaim and established him as a talented storyteller. Following this success, Ortega-Medina has gone on to release a series of gripping novels, including The Death of Baseball in 2019, The Savior of 6th Street in 2020, The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants in 2023.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
The Midwives' Escape: From Egypt to Jericho
Maggie Anton
Banot Press
https://www.banotpress.com
9780976305088, $17.95, PB, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Midwives-Escape-Egypt-Jericho/dp/0976305089
Synopsis: The Bible contains many extraordinary stories of a sometimes benevolent, sometimes vengeful deity, who guides the Israelites out of slavery, across the Sea of Reeds and through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
Author Maggie Anton's new novel, "The Midwives' Escape: From Egypt to Jericho" brings to life this exceptional Biblical journey through vivid descriptions of what daily life was like at this time, epic battlefield scenes and a colorful cast of characters.
An Egyptian mother and daughter, Asenet and Shifra, a midwife and her apprentice, wake up on the morning of the tenth plague to find Asenet's husband and son, both firstborns, dead. Asenet's sister Pua, married to an Israelite, urges Asenet's family to leave Egypt with them, which they reluctantly do, along with Asenet's wainwright father and his two apprentices.
Recognizing that the Hebrew god is more powerful than any of the Egyptians' gods, other non-Israelites join the exodus, including Hittite and Nubian palace guards. Once hearing and accepting God's commandments at Mt. Sinai, these two Egyptian midwives join the Israelites on their forty-year journey to The Promised Land where they tend to the wounded, share hardship and adversity, fall in love, and start a new home and a new generation.
With "The Midwives Escape: From Egypt to Jericho", Anton has written an original and stunning recreation of the trials and tribulations on the road to the Promised Land.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, emotionally compelling, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "The Midwives Escape: From Egypt to Jericho" while hold immense appeal for readers with an interest in historical fiction set in Old Testament times. With her creation of memorable characters presented in a narrative driven storytelling style, author Maggie Anton (who draws upon her years of archaeological expertise raises) her action/adventure novel to an impressive level of literary elegance. "The Midwives Escape: From Egypt to Jericho" is especially and unreservedly recommended personal reading lists and community library Historical Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Maggie Anton (www.maggieanton.com) is an award-winning author of historical fiction, a Talmud scholar, and an expert in Jewish women's history. Her novels include the Rashi's Daughters trilogy; Rav Hisda's Daughter: Apprentice (a National Jewish Book Award finalist) and its sequel, Enchantress; and The Choice: A Novel of Love, Faith, and the Talmud, which is a cross between midrash and fan fiction inspired by Chaim Potok's early novels. She also won a Gold Ben Franklin Award in the religion category for Fifty Shades of Talmud: What the First Rabbis Had to Say about You-Know What -- which is a lighthearted in-depth tour of sexuality within the Talmud.
The Pale Flesh of Wood
Elizabeth A. Tucker
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647428341, $17.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pale-Flesh-Wood-Novel/dp/1647428343
Synopsis: 1953. WWII veteran Charles Hawkins sweet-talks his daughter, Lyla, into climbing the family's oak tree and hanging the rope for their tire swing. Eager, Lyla crawls along the branch and ties off a bowline, following her father's careful instructions, becoming elated when he playfully tests the rope and declares the knot to be "strong enough to hold the weight of a grown man. Easy."
But when her father walks out back one November night and hangs himself from the rope, Lyla becomes haunted by the belief that his death is her fault, a torment amplified by her grief-stricken mother, who sneaks up to the attic and finds comfort in the arms of her dead husband's sweaters, and a formidable grandmother, who seemingly punishes Lyla by locking her outside, leaving her to stare down the enormous tree rooted at the epicenter of her family's loss.
Set among the fault-prone landscape of Northern California, "The Pale Flesh of Wood" is told by three generations of the Hawkins family. Each narrative explores the effects of trauma after the ground shifts beneath their feet and how they must come to terms with their own sense of guilt in order to forgive and carry on.
Critique: Emotionally engaging and a deftly crafted, compelling read from start to finish, "The Pale Flesh of Wood" showcases author Elizabeth Tucker's distinctive and narrative driven storyteller style that raises her novel to an impressive level of literary excellence. While also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format from She Writes Press, "The Pale Flesh of Wood" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for community library 20th Century Historical & Family Life Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Elizabeth A. Tucker is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, and sixth-generation Californian. Her work can be found in a host of literary journals, including Transfer Magazine, Red River Review, Aroostook Review, Ponder Review, The Bangalore Review, SNReview, and JuxtaProse Magazine. She is a two-time finalist for Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers, a finalist for the 2020 Craft Elements Fiction Contest, and a finalist for the 2020 Barry Lopez Prize in nonfiction.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Anatomy of Exile
Zeeva Bukai
Delphinium Books
https://www.delphiniumbooks.com
9781953002464, $28.00, HC, 315pp
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Exile-Novel-Zeeva-Bukai/dp/1953002463
Synopsis: In the wake of the 1967 Six Day War, Tamar Abadi's world collapses when her sister-in-law is killed in what appears to be a terror attack but what is really the result of a secret relationship with a Palestinian poet.
Tamar's husband, Salim, is an Arab and a Jew. Torn between the two identities, and mourning his sister's death, he uproots the family and moves them to the US. As Tamar struggles to maintain the integrity of the family's Jewish Israeli identity against the backdrop of the American "melting pot" culture, a Palestinian family moves into the apartment upstairs and she is forced to reckon with her narrow thinking as her daughter falls in love with the Palestinian son.
Fearing history will repeat itself, Tamar's determination to separate the two sets into motion a series of events that have the power to destroy her relationship with her daughter, her marriage, and the family she has worked so hard to protect.
"The Anatomy of Exile" is powerful debut novel by author Zeeva Bukai explores Tamar's struggle to keep her family intact, to accept love that is taboo, and grapples with how exile forces us to reshape our identity in ways we could not imagine.
Critique: Original, thoughtful, deftly crafted, memorable, emotionally engaging, as an author Zeeva Bukai has been able to raise her novel to an impressive level of literary excellence making "The Anatomy of Exile" a very special and unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Anatomy of Exile" from Delphinium Books is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Zeeva Bukai was born in Israel and raised in New York City. Her honors include a Fellowship at the New York Center for Fiction and residencies at Hedgebrook, and Byrdcliffe Artist In Residence program. Her stories are forthcoming in the anthology Smashing the Tablets: A Radical Retelling of the Hebrew Bible, and have appeared in Carve Magazine, Pithead Chapel, the Lilith anthology, Frankly Feminist: Stories by Jewish Women, December Magazine where her story The Abandoning (an early version of the first chapter of her novel, "The Anatomy of Exile") was selected by Lily King for the Curt Johnson Prose Prize, The Master's Review, where she was the recipient of the Fall Fiction prize selected by Anita Felicelli, Mcsweeny's Quarterly Concern, Image Journal, Jewishfiction.net, Women's Quarterly Journal, and the Jewish Quarterly.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Where the Stars Cross
Dottie Sines
www.dottiesines.com
Wild Rose Press
https://wildrosepress.com
9781509257379, $19.99, PB, 290pp
https://www.amazon.com/Where-Stars-Cross-Dottie-Sines/dp/1509257373
Synopsis: In the depths of the Great Depression, Ellie suffers another crash -- that of her marriage. She's left struggling to restore her shattered life, feeling as damaged as the stained-glass panels she refurbishes for Chicago's historic structures.
While visiting her aunt in Marietta, Ohio, a charming river town, Ellie encounters towboat captain Wyatt and feels a searing attraction to him. But thanks to past and subsequent wounds, her attempts at opening herself to love seem futile. Her hope for love and her determination to find the place she belongs are further complicated by her tendency to make impulsive decisions.
In her journey, Ellie draws on an unrealized level of courage and learns she must identify her brightest passions in charting her course.
Critique: An original story of love, loss and restoration which is all the more impressive when considering that "Where the Stars Cross" by author Dottie Sines is her first novel. An inherently fascinating and skillfully woven story from start to finish, "Where the Stars cross will be of special interest to fans of 20th Century Historical Romance novels. This paperback edition of "Where the Stars Cross" from Wild Rose Press is unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should also be noted for personal reading lists that it is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Dottie Sines (www.dottiesines.com) has contributed to multiple newspapers and magazines, and her short stories and non-fiction pieces have won many awards. She has twice been honored as one of ten finalists in the short story contest of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, which published her award-winning stories in the third and fifth editions of its literary journal, Hemingway Shorts.
Visible
Darlene Corbett
https://darlenecorbett.com
WordCrafts Press
https://www.wordcrafts.net
9781962218351, $32.99, HC, 324pp
https://www.amazon.com/Visible-Darlene-Corbett/dp/196221835X
Synopsis: Therapist Rachel Karem is accustomed to helping emotionally wounded individuals navigate the murky waters of dealing with complicated family dynamics, relationship issues, and life transitions. When individual therapy hits a brick wall for five successful professionals, she persuades them to engage in a ten-week group therapy program. But working through these sessions with her clients reveals Rachel's own brokenness.
Widowed, childless, and estranged from her family, Rachel wonders if she will ever have a second change at love. She is amazed when her own therapist advocates for her to "get back in the game." To her surprise, Rachel enrolls in dance classes where she learns the Tango. Romantic, passionate, intense, sensual, dramatic, the Tango embodies everything that is missing in Rachel's life. As she grows more confident in her dance steps, her life becomes more entwined with her handsome dance partner, Michael. But past betrayals haunt Rachel's emotions, and current rivals for Michael's affections feed past rejections.
Even as her clients in the therapy group learn to support each other in their quest for personal wholeness, Rachel yearns for a deeper connection within herself to propel her into the next stage of her life. But will it be with or without Michael?
Critique: Skillfully crafted, emotionally engaging, and a focused, entertaining read from start to finish, "Visible" showcases author Darlene Corbett's exceptionally distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style. The result is a unique and inherently interesting novel that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated 'Second Chance' romance fans that this hardcover edition of "Visible" is also readily available in paperback (9781962218382, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Darlene Corbett (https://darlenecorbett.com) views herself as a lifelong learner, a pursuer of excellence, a work-in-progress, and a truth seeker. Serving others as a licensed psychotherapist has been her primary professional position for over thirty years. Now, she includes Author/Writer and Speaker. Her wealth of experience in human behavior prompted Darlene to write her ideas on paper, which set the stage for her book, "Stop Depriving The World of You," published by Sound Wisdom in 2018.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Private I
Ashlei E. Watson, author
Jill Fain Lehman, author
Paul Pangaro, author
Independently Published
9798377789253, $9.99, PB, 209pp
https://www.amazon.com/Private-I-Ashlei-Watson/dp/B0BW2LMQGL
Synopsis: She was almost out, her life of enforced seclusion nearly over. She'd go to college at MITI, make a name for herself in Machine Intelligence (MI), and develop personal MIs to solve the world's problems by building on the technology her grandfather had secretly invented.
But the house was on fire when Paloma arrived home. Her grandfather, beaten and tortured, lay dead on the floor. Someone knew about Marlowe, Paloma's MI, and would clearly kill to acquire it. They'd come for her next. They'd come for Marlowe.
Paloma has no choice but to run, at least until she can figure out who is after them. A tech corporation? The government? Anti-tech terrorists? As she encounters each, her grandfather's arguments about the dangers of a Marlowe-like MI in the wrong hands begin to make sense. But after 15 years together, Marlowe has become both her best friend and, for better or worse, part of who she is.
"Private I" plays out against a range of contemporary questions: What do we mean by machine consciousness? Would we recognize it if we saw it? Would we want it if we could have it? Is it something to kill for? Is it something to die for?
Critique: Deftly co-authored by the collaborative team of Ashlei E Watson, Jill Fain Lehman, and Paul Pangaro, "Private I" is a compelling novel of intrigue, romance, murder, and artificial intelligence. Although dealing with the modern premise of AI, the storytelling style is one of a suspense thriller of a read in a cyber-crime noir genre. Unique, original, thought-provoking, "Private I" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Mystery/Suspense and Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Private I" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note #1: Entrepreneur, teacher, researcher, and performer, Paul Pangaro was introduced to Cybernetics at MIT with Jerry Lettvin then Gordon Pask, with whom Paul did a PhD and worked with for more than a decade. Involved in a series of startups, often as founder and CTO, culminating with General Cybernetics, Inc., in New York City. Entered academia from 2015, currently at Carnegie Mellon University. (http://pangaro.com)
Editorial Note #2: Ashlei E. Watson is an American novelist known for her cyber noir thriller trilogy Private I, co-written with Jill Fain Lehman, PhD and Paul Pangaro, PhD.
Editorial Note #3: Jill Fain Lehman (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jef) is a career in academic and industrial research in Artificial Intelligence, predominantly natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML) and cognitive architecture.
Two If By Sea
Richard McCann
Commonwealth Publishing
www.commonwealthbooksinc.com
9781892986313, $17.99, PB, 298pp
https://www.amazon.com/Two-If-Sea-Rick-McCann/dp/1892986310
Synopsis: All the more impressive when considering that "Two If By Sea" is author Richard McCann's debut as a novelist, this is an exciting maritime thriller about drug cartels devising a way to affix nearly undetectable containers to ships' hulls.
Then international terrorists thwarted their plans and began using the containers to smuggle nuclear waste to use in constructing dirty bombs.
"Two If By Sea" is the story of a hurricane, international terrorism, and a budding relationship all complicate the life of the Captain of the ship Palm Princess.
Critique: Simply stated, "Two If By Sea" by Richard McCann is an inherently fascinating story that although a skillfully written work of fiction could well be reflecting today's reality with respect to drug wars, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorist plans of attacks. A riveting read, "Two If By Sea" is one of those stories that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Recommended for community and public library Maritime Suspense Thriller collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Two If By Sea" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99) from Commonwealth Publishing.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Fourteen Stones
Kris Faatz
www.krisfaatz.com
Highlander Press
https://highlanderpressbooks.com
9781956442243, $24.95, PB, 536pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fourteen-Stones-Kris-Faatz/dp/1956442243
Synopsis: The tribal people called the Pala Vaia, ("First and Lost Ones") have lived in Lassar since ancient times, coexisting peacefully with the Lasska people.
But the Pala Vaia have always been wanderers, seemingly out of place wherever they are...
And the Lassar's fanatical new ruler, Impera Shurik, seeks to destroy the tribes.
That's when and why Sixteen-year-old Khari, a Vaia Lamp-Carrier, must use all her dreams and their interpretations to save her people from extinction.
Khari's dreams lead her and a small group of Vaia out of their native country into neighboring Namora, where they must find allies, particularly a Namoran priest with an extraordinary mental gift of his own.
The Vaia's search for a safe homeland will change the lives of all the people it touches, as well as the future of two nations -- that is, if it's not already too late!
Critique: Original, skillfully crafted, and a fun read from start to finish, "Fourteen Stones" by author Kris Faatz showcases her exceptional and narrative driven storytelling talents. Especially recommended to the attention of readers with an interest in action driven fantasy adventures, "Fourteen Stones" is a very special and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Historical Fantasy Action/Adventure collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Fourteen Stones" from Highlander Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.97).
Editorial Note: Kris Faatz (www.krisfaatz.com) is a musician and award-winning writer. Her short stories have appeared in many journals and have received honors from DISQUIET International, NELLE, and Tiferet Journal, among others. Her first novel, To Love A Stranger (Blue Moon Publishers, 2017), links her passions for music and storytelling, and was a finalist for the 2016 Schaffner Press Music in Literature Award. Fourteen Stones marks the start of her immersion in fantasy and magic. Kris also teaches creative writing, provides editing services, and is a performing pianist.
The Poetry Shelf
How Many Hands to Home
Lisken an Pelt Dus
www.lvpdpoetry.com
Mayapple Press
http://mayapplepress.com
9781952781230, $20.95, PB, 80pp
https://www.amazon.com/Many-Hands-Home-Lisken-Pelt/dp/195278123X
Synopsis: Poet Lisken Van Pelt Duz slender volume of verse, "How Many Hands to Home", is a journey of compassion, traveling through fire, war and displacement to arrive at a place of acceptance and embrace of the expansive human spirit. The many voices of the poems engage with both individual and shared experience, exploring the two sides-the challenges and the sweetness-of forging home in our communities and on our planet. Though the poems engage head-on with the various ways in which humanity fails its promise, their movement is towards love-not blind or saccharine, but knowing and inclusive.
Formally diverse but always musical, the poems in this collection interrogate our lives at their worst and their best, as we move through the universe that created and contains us. They confront both the beautiful and the destructive, probing for answers to the puzzle of our competing impulses. In deft and luscious language, this collection speaks to all of us as we try to make sense of violence and separation, and offers the power of awe as a means of survival.
In the pages of "How Many Hands to Home", you will witness heartbreak and loss but also resilience and love. You will meet gods and soldiers, strangers and family members, the privileged and the disenfranchised. You will walk through London, visit battlefields in Europe, stare down guns in the United States, and explore beyond our galaxy. And through these travels, you'll find a kind of hope that gives rise to a faith that believes in it all.
Critique: Among the primary purposes of poetry are those of emotionally engaging the reader, intellectually stimulating the reader, and to entertain the reader with eloquent and unexpected inspiration. The free verse so deftly crafted by Lisken Van Pelt Dus fully meets those expectations in "How Many Hands to Home". This paperback edition of "How Many Hands to Home" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Poetry collections.
Editorial Note: Lisken Van Pelt Dus (www.lvpdpoetry.com) was raised in England, the US, and Mexico, and now lives with her husband in western Massachusetts, where she is an award-winning teacher of writing, languages, and martial arts. Her work has been published in such journals as upstreet, Cider Press Review, The Warwick Review, and Pirene's Fountain, and has also appeared in various anthologies and craft books, among them The Crafty Poet and The Strategic Poet series. She has earned awards from The Comstock Review, Naugatuck River Review, the October Project, among others, and has received four Pushcart Prize nominations and one Best of the Net nomination.
Pick a Garnet to Sleep in: Poems
Kim Shuck
Scapegoat Press
https://www.scapegoatpress.com
9780979129186 $15.95
https://www.scapegoatpress.com/pickagarnet.html
Synopsis: Pick a Garnet to Sleep in features poems of loss, of resistance to injustice, of celebration of the natural world, and of appreciation of art and poetry itself. Begun during the pandemic, this book ultimately is unified by hope.
Critique: A masterful collection of poetry by San Francisco poet laureate emerita Kim Shuck, Pick a Garnet to Sleep in reflects upon the hardships of life in the modern world, the ineffable beauty of art, and hope invested in will to work for a better tomorrow. Inspired and inspiring, Pick a Garnet to Sleep in is a choice pick for connoisseurs of thoughtful, mind-expanding verse. Highly recommended.
Editorial Note: Kim Shuck is the seventh poet laureate emerita of San Francisco. She is author of ten books of poems and prose. She is also editor, co-editor, or edit-curious for ten anthologies. Kim's various writing awards and fellowships range from a Inaugural National Laureate Fellowship and a Censorship Award from PEN Oakland to a second place in a radio screenplay contest in sixth grade.
The Sports Shelf
Bright Lights & Long Nights
Brandon Tosti
B2 Ventures LLC
https://www.b2ventures.co
9781736581537, $19.99, HC, 396pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Nights-Brandon-Tosti/dp/1736581538
Synopsis: With the publication of "Bright Lights & Long Nights", Brandon Tosti takes his readers along for a captivating and unpredictable ride through his 18-year career in the sports industry chasing the one thing we all want -- a dream job.
This fascinating memoir is your ALL-ACCESS pass to see how professional football gameday comes to life, from the empty arena to the exhilarating final seconds of a buzzer beater. Included are true stories from teammates representing a wide range of front office departments provide an in-depth look at what it takes to entertain thousands of fans each season.
Critique: A deftly crafted blending of sports history and personal memoir, "Bright Lights & Long Nights" by Brandon Tosti is an informative and fascinating read from start to finish. An absolute 'must read' choice for the legions of professional football fans, "Bright Lights & Long Nights" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir and Sports/Football History collections, as well as college/university library Sports Psychology/Sociology curriculum studies lists . It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Bright Lights & Long Nights" from B2 Ventures is also readily available in paperback (9781736581544, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Brandon Tosti has spent his life cultivating his passions for the business of sports and for giving back to others. As a professional, Brandon currently sells and manages corporate partnerships in the music industry and multiple venues. His background also includes extensive event management for national soccer tours and for professional sports and entertainment venues. He has worked on behalf of a city's sports commission and taught sports management and sports marketing at Johnson & Wales University and the University of Colorado Denver. He has served as a mentor with the I Have a Dream Foundation and founded Sports For a Cause, which started as an effort to restore playgrounds and youth athletic facilities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The Travel Shelf
Life on the Road: Around the World on Four Wheels
Leander Nardin & Maria Zehentner, editors
gestalten, publisher
https://us.gestalten.com/products/life-on-the-road
9783967041712, $65.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Road-Around-World-Wheels/dp/3967041719
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Leander Nardin and Maria Zehentner, "Life on the Road: Around the World on Four Wheels" is an inspirational, visual account of an epic journey by converted truck to a bucket list of destinations around the world.
Profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography, "Life on the Road" chronicles an expanded, multi-year road trip that maps a circuitous journey to mind-blowing landscapes around the world, taking in territories in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Indonesia, Australia, North America and beyond.
Critique: This large format (8.86 x 1.06 x 11.42 inches, 3.85 pounds) hardcover edition of "Life on the Road: Around the World on Four Wheels" is an armchair traveler's delight to simply browse through one informative and illustrated page at a time. With its coffee-table style presentation style, "Life on the Road: Around the World on Four Wheels" is an extraordinary, unique, and fun pick for personal, community, and college/university library Global Travel Guide & Road Trip collections.
Editorial Note #1: Photographer Leander Nardin was born in 1984 in Wels, Upper Austria. In his youth an avid enthusiast of extreme sports like wingsuit flying and base jumping, Leander now finds solace in more serene activities like ski touring and freediving. As a photographer, Leander believes in the power of imagery to not only capture moments of joy, but also to raise awareness in the world and dedicates himself to supporting environmental causes through his craft. (https://refocus-awards.com/artists/leander-nardin)
Editorial Note #2: Maria Zehentner was born in 1972 in Salzburg, Austria. After completing her high school education, she pursued tourism-related training and professionally traveled the world for the next 10 years. Meeting Leander, she discovered her passion for sports, movement, and nature, and discovered the joy of writing during their shared world journey.
Pittsburgh in 50 Maps
Stentor Danielson
Belt Publishing
c/o Arcadia Publishing
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com
9781953368850, $30.00, HC, 136pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pittsburgh-50-Maps-Stentor-Danielson/dp/1953368859
Synopsis: There are countless ways to map a city. Roads, bridges, and waterways help you navigate the twists and turns; topography gives you the lay of the land; population trends show you a region's changing fortunes. But the best maps let you feel what a city's really like. Whether you call it the Steel City, the City of Bridges, City of Champions, Hell with the Lid Off, or even the Paris of Appalachia, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's distinctive character is undeniable.
"Pittsburgh in 50 Maps" by Stentor Danielson considers the boundaries of the city's 90 distinct neighborhoods (plus Mister Rogers' Neighborhood), the legacy of the steel industry, and how immigration continues to shape the city. Travelers will also find the areas with the highest concentrations of bike lanes, supermarkets, tree cover, and fiberglass dinosaurs. Each colorful map offers a new perspective on one of America's most consistently surprising cities and the people who live here.
Sure to be a conversation starter for Pittsburgh locals, transplants, and expats, "Pittsburgh in 50 Maps" is for anyone keen to understand the city in new and unexpected ways.
Critique: An ideal template for other cities to create a cartography of the neighborhoods that comprise them, "Pittsburgh in 50 Maps" by Professor Stentor Danielson is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Travel Guide collections and supplemental Cartography curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Stentor Danielson (http://debitage.net/academic) has been a map nerd since reading The Lord of the Rings in third grade. After spending their childhood in both western and eastern Pennsylvania, they earned a BA in Geography from Colgate University and a PhD in Geography from Clark University. Since 2009 they have lived in (or just outside) Pittsburgh while teaching geography and environmental studies at Slippery Rock University. Since 2015, they have run Mapsburgh, an online shop making paper cutout street maps and fantasy-style maps of real places. They currently share a house with one human partner, two feline bosses, and a classic mid-century Pittsburgh pink tile bathroom.
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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