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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 21, Number 2 February 2022 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Social Issues Shelf Education Shelf
Political Science Shelf Music Shelf Biography Shelf
General Fiction Shelf Historical Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Poetry Shelf
Business Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

The Phoenix Man
Julie Annette Bennett
Balboa Press
c/o Hay House, Inc.
PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
www.balboapress.com
9781982268732, $37.95, HC, 294pp

https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Man-Julie-Annette-Bennett/dp/1982268735

Synopsis: Life happens. For author Julie Annette Bennett and her husband, Scott, their love for each other became the basis for an extraordinary journey that would change their lives forever in unimaginable ways.

When Scott collapsed in the Target parking lot on March 4, 2007, his wife of fifteen years believed he had died. As Julie called 911, she thought, Oh my God! I'm not ready. Please don't take him yet. Please God, don't let him die! That moment in time began a medical journey for the couple that no one should ever have to live through. Together they faced uncertainties that would test Scott's strength of spirit and fill Julie with a courage that would guide her as she became a caregiver for the man she loved.

Now, with the publication of "The Phoenix Man", Julie shares their story in a loving tribute to Scott and to their beautiful life together; she also offers a helpful guide for all caregivers encountering their own challenges. This personal narrative shares the story of two lives that embarked on a sixteen-year journey through chronic illnesses and eventual grief, offering advice for caregivers along the way.

Critique: An informative and ultimately inspiring memoir with the major themes of aging and self-help through the harsh medical reality that is Alzheimer's, "The Phoenix Man" is an extraordinary read and one that is particularly recommended for the personal reading lists of caregivers and community library Contemporary Biography & Alzheimer's collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Phoenix Man" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781982268718, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Julie Annette Bennett currently facilitates two Alzheimer's support groups, zooms with a meditation class, and is planning to finish a novel she began many years ago. She has two sons, a daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren and lives in Santa Rosa, California.


The Social Issues Shelf

Repairing Our Divided Nation
David A. Ellison
Cedarhurst Press
9781737682301, $14.99, PB, 214pp

https://www.amazon.com/Repairing-Our-Divided-Nation-Government/dp/1737682303

Synopsis: David Ellison wrote "Repairing Our Divided Nation: How to Fix America's Broken Government, Racial Inequity, and Troubled Schools" because he, like so many others, is frustrated with the division he sees in our nation, particularly when it comes to race and politics.

In his desire to help create a better world for all - no matter one's color or political persuasion - Ellison studied the works of some of the world's most respected scholars and summaries of notable Supreme Court cases that continue to negatively impact society today.

"Repairing Our Divided Nation" is comprised of: History lessons that should be required reading for all Americans; A demand that Congress stop abdicating its responsibilities; A plan for running our elections so the best people are sent to Washington to serve We the People; A proposal for improving our schools' curricula and administration; A call for guaranteeing that all Americans, no matter their color, wealth, or zip code, have a real chance at becoming economically self-reliant and living a life with dignity.

"Repairing Our Divided Nation" concludes with four of the most important documents in America's history: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Amendments to the Constitution, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Ellison sincerely believes that if every American did a deep dive into understanding each document's message, we would have the more perfect Union our Founders envisioned.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Repairing Our Divided Nation: How to Fix America's Broken Government, Racial Inequity, and Troubled Schools" is impressively informative, thoughtful and thought -provoking -- making it a timely and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and library Contemporary Social Issues collections and Political Science supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academic, governmental policy makers, political activists, social reformers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Repairing Our Divided Nation" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: David A. Ellison is an avid reader of books about history, politics, the division within our country, and the Constitution. His first book, "Politics Beyond Left and Right: A Guide for Creating a More Unified Nation", was published in 2017. David previously worked as the editor and publisher of The Financial Corner, a monthly financial newsletter. He maintains an informative website at www.RepairingOurDividedNation.com.

The Least Among Us
James Traveler
Dorrance Publishing Company
585 Alpha Drive, Suite 103, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
www.dorrancepublishing.com
9781649137814, $27.00, HC, 232pp

https://www.amazon.com/Least-Among-Us-Homeless-Springfield/dp/1649137818

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Least Among Us: The Lives of Homeless Women in Springfield, Illinois", James Traveler shares the stories of six homeless women in order "to inject compassion into the numb consciences of those who would write them off."

The featured stories comprising "The Least Among Us" are based on interviews with homeless women living on the streets of Springfield, Illinois. Traveler provides a platform for these women to tell their personal stories while offering a look into "a day in the life of a homeless woman."

While this work will appeal to those in sociology or social work, there are vital lessons in empathy to be learned by everyone. Of special note is that "The Least Among Us" includes an informative introduction by Dr. Kay Young McChesney, an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Critique: Directly addressing one of the more obscure social issues that urgently need addressing on a local, state, regional, and federal level, "The Least Among Us: The Lives of Homeless Women in Springfield, Illinois" uses a local city (Springfield, Illinois) as an illustrative example of what is a problematic social issues for every community throughout America today. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Social Issues collections in general, and Contemporary Homelessness supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, social workers, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Least Among Us: The Lives of Homeless Women in Springfield, Illinois" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.00).


The Education Shelf

The Homeschool Boom
Lance Izumi
Pacific Research Institute
www.pacificresearch.org
9781934276464, $14.54, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Homeschool-Boom-Pandemic-Policies-Possibilities/dp/1934276464

Synopsis: Homeschooling is probably the most misunderstood school choice option by the general public. Many believe that homeschooling isolates students, is practiced by a narrow demographic, and shoulders parents with the entire responsibility for teaching their kids. The reality is that homeschooling is an incredibly diverse movement and offers a myriad of socialization opportunities for students plus a wealth of resources for homeschool parents.

Thanks to the massive educational disruption brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, homeschooling has transformed from a tiny curious sideshow to a mainstream part of the education landscape. Increasing numbers of parents have found that homeschooling offers them and their children the choices, flexibility, and personalization that cannot be found in one-size-fits-all conventional schools.

"The Homeschool Boom: Pandemic, Policies, and Possibilities- Why Parents Are Choosing to Homeschool their Children" by Lance Izumi highlights the wide variety of people who have decided to homeschool. They have taken the opportunities offered by technology, varied learning models, new and abundant curricular choices, and the freedom to individualize learning to educate their kids successfully outside the traditional classroom.

The parents, children, and educators introduced in the pages of "The Homeschool Boom" epitomize and illustrate this new wave of homeschoolers who were dissatisfied with current direction of their children's education but made a once-unthinkable choice -- the choice to educate their kids at home.

Critique: An iconoclastic introduction for those unfamiliar with homeschooling, "The Homeschool Boom: Pandemic, Policies, and Possibilities- Why Parents Are Choosing to Homeschool their Children" is especially and unreservedly recommended as essential reading for anyone engaged in or considering a homeschooling option for their children. Exceptionally well written, organized, and comprehensively informative, "The Homeschool Boom: Pandemic, Policies, and Possibilities- Why Parents Are Choosing to Homeschool their Children" is recommended for community, school district, college, and university library Contemporary Educational Issues collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Homeschool Boom: Pandemic, Policies, and Possibilities- Why Parents Are Choosing to Homeschool their Children" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Lance Izumi is the senior director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute -- a non-partizan, California-based, free-market think tank.


The Political Science Shelf

Different Essays: (They're Certainly Different)
Charles Pinwill
Balboa Press AU
https://www.balboapress.com
9781982290085, $43.95, PB, 542pp

https://www.amazon.com/Different-Essays-They-Certainly/dp/1982290080

Synopsis: "Different Essays: (They're Certainly Different)" by Charles Pinwill is comprised of some of the most challenging essays on the planet. Pinwill is an original conceptual thinker with a dry sense of humor and turn of phrase. Whether its politics, national economics, history, theology or money his writing all comes from somewhere different.

He has even thrown in the first Profit and Loss Account ever done for the United States, and the first Comprehensive Balance Sheet ever done for Australia, to show us that he is not just a pretty face and a comedian. His ?Mongrel Dog? articles are all at the expense of politicians. His pieces on money leave all bankers? ears burning. He proves with very scholarly accounts that modern nations are profitable, and suggests that the profit might be distributed as a National Dividend rather than a National Debt. Yes, he certainly comes from another place and is going to a different one as well.

Critique: Iconoclastic, original, humourous, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Different Essays: (They're Certainly Different)" will have a special appeal for academicians and non-specialist general readers with an interest in political science. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Political Science collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Different Essays: (They're Certainly Different)" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Charles Pinwill is an Australian essayist with a difference. He favors subject areas in which he can offer a unique and different "take" on the subject, and introduce his readers to the unfamiliar. He addresses a wide range of areas including history, the environment, economics, money, family, politics and humor in a total of 100 essays. His friends say of him that he is a "conceptual thinker" meaning that he is normally to be found "outside of the box". Charles is also the editor of a monthly journal, the back issues of which can be viewed at www.thenewstart.online/page/journals


The Music Shelf

Becoming the Instrument
Kenny Werner
Sweet Lo Press
9798985075007, $19.99, PB, 294pp

https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Instrument-Lessons-Self-Mastery-Music/dp/B09M7RX4PK

Synopsis: When we hear music, we often experience how the physical flirts with the spiritual in profound and moving ways. But what we don't realize is that this confluence is possible not just in music, but in life, and it's easier than you think. This is the underlying message of "Becoming the Instrument: Lessons on Self-Mastery from Music to Life" by Kenny Werner (who is the founder and musical director of the Effortless Mastery Institute at the Berklee College of Music).

Offering profound insights and uplifting anecdotes from his 40+ years of studying, performing and teaching music, "Becoming The Instrument" is a kind of DIY guide for accessing the spiritual in our everyday existence and applying it to the pursuits we love. Werner shows us how musicians, artists or even business people can allow their "master creator" within to lift their performance to its highest level, showing us how to be spontaneous, fearless, joyful and disciplined in our work and in our life.

Whatever you are trying to master, Werner says the key is learning how to slip into The Space, the place beyond the conscious mind that allows us to effortlessly embody whatever we are doing. Entering this sort of flow state may seem esoteric and difficult to achieve, but Werner has easy exercises that will allow you to access this and achieve mastery. As Werner points out: "Mastery is not perfection, or even virtuosity. It is giving oneself love, forgiving one's mistakes, and not allowing earthly evidence to diminish one's view of one's self as a drop in the Ocean of Perfection," Werner says. "And here is the good news: You don't have to be a musician to have the experience!"

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Becoming the Instrument: Lessons on Self-Mastery from Music to Life" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Jazz Music, Creativity, and Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Becoming the Instrument: Lessons on Self-Mastery from Music to Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Kenny Werner is a world-renowned pianist and composer. Werner's collection of compositions, recordings and publications includes his landmark book, Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within, which has liberated artists around the world to reclaim their love for music and find the power within their art. In 2014 he became artistic director of the Effortless Mastery Institute at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Werner has performed with numerous jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Ron Carter, John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette and Toots Thielemans. More recently, he has worked with quintets that have featured Antonio Sanchez, Brian Blade and John Patitucci among many others. In additions to releasing more than 30 recordings, Werner has led and composed for many major international jazz and symphony orchestras. In 2010 he received the Guggenheim Fellowship Award for his seminal work, No Beginning, No End. Those interested can visit his website at www.Kennywerner.com/downloads and get Kenny's new meditation tracks.


The Biography Shelf

Odd Woman Out
Melanie Chartoff
Books Fluent
9781735268927, $12.99, PB, 268pp

https://www.amazon.com/Odd-Woman-Out-Exposure-Stories/dp/1735268925

Synopsis: Featuring thirty-five stand alone essays and stories comprising a very late in life love story, " Odd Woman Out" is the story of Melanie Chartoff, a person who felt fictitious and learned to become real from the roles she plays.

From her 1950s childhood in a suburb Melanie describes as an "abusement park" to performing Moliere on Broadway, to voicing characters on the popular Rugrats cartoon series, Melanie Chartoff was anxious "out of character," preferring any imaginary world to her real one.

Obsessed with exploring her talent, fame came as a destabilizing byproduct. Suppressing a spiritual breakdown while co-starring on a late-night comedy show, Chartoff grew alienated. Given a private audience with a guru, she finally hears her inner voice, '70s soul singer Barry White, crooning, "Get out, baby!" All the while, she's courted by men with homing pigeons and Priuses, idealized by guys who want the girl du jour from TV to be their baby rearer or kidney donor.

Melanie's memoir takes her readers backstage on Broadway, behind the scenes on network television, and inside the complicated psyche of a performer struggling in the role of a complete human. ITrying to crawl inside the television set to get her parents' attention, but blocked by the tubes and wires, she went the long way around to get herself seen onscreen.

Odd Woman Out intimately exposes the nature of identity in the life of a performing artist, snapshotting the hopeful search for a self that Melanie could love and someone else's self to love, too.

Critique: Written with equal measures of humor, candor and insight, "Odd Woman Out: Exposure in Essays and Stories" is an inherently fascinating read showcasing the life of a remarkable woman and her remarkable life. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary American Biography & Memoir collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with a special interest in Jewish, Theatrical, or Television Celebrity memoirs and biographies that "Odd Woman Out: Exposure in Essays and Stories" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Beginning as an actor On and Off Broadway, Melanie Chartoff is best known for the characters she created on Fridays, Seinfeld, Newhart, and Rugrats. She has recently been published in McSweeney's, Medium, Entropy, Purple Clover, The Jewish Journal, Funny Times, Five on the Fifth, Glint, Entropy, Verdad, Bluestem, Evening Street Press, Mused, Jewlarious, Defenestration, Better after 50, Living the Second Act, and three editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The Wolcott Circus
Michael Snarr
Gatekeeper Press
9781662907708, $24.95, HC, 274pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wolcott-Circus-Michael-Snarr/dp/1662907702

Synopsis: Michael Snarr did not know what awaited him when he joined Pi Kappa Alpha (a University of Utah college fraternity) in the fall of 1965. He didn't know one of his brothers was plotting the greatest sneak in fraternity history. He also did not know about the Mudigas, or Peaches, or the famous party called The Bowery -- or a thousand other crazy goings-on. Nor did his frat brothers know, or think, he would ever write about it. But with the publication of his memoir, "The Wolcott Circus", Michael Snarr has now done just that.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and deftly written read from first page to last, "The Wolcott Circus" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary American Biography & Memoir collections. Of particular interest to anyone who has every joined (or contemplated joining) a fraternity, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wolcott Circus" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781662907715, $15.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Michael Snarr graduated from the University of Utah with a business degree while he attended Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He also had a career in business and ended up as an executive for the Utah Jazz. He is also the author of Long Shots and Layups: Memories and Stories from the Golden Era of the Utah Jazz.

Tall Tales from the Tower
Stephen G. Morris
Dorrance Publishing Company
585 Alpha Drive, Suite 103, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
www.dorrancepublishing.com
9781637643457, $66.00, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tall-Tales-Tower-Hillbilly-Elegy/dp/1637643454

Synopsis: "Tall Tales from the Tower: The Real Hillbilly Elegy" by Stephen G. Morris is the personal story of how USAF gave a seventeen-year-old West Virginian hillbilly, a high school dropout, a battery of aptitude tests and determined he could be a Tin Man. And it wasn't easy. Only seven graduated ATC school out of twenty-two. After a year of intensive training at a high traffic control tower, Stephen G. Morris became a Tin Man, an air-traffic controller who can move heavy air traffic safely and expeditiously.

After twenty-seven years as a Tin Man, Morris became the director of a Fortune 100 company and a senior vice president at the fourth largest integrated facility management company in the US; however, his biggest lifetime achievement will always be his time as a Tin Man. When he retired from the USAF in 1984, he took over a former FAA control tower on Cape Cod, one of the hundreds of facilities the FAA PATCO union walked out of and were fired by President Reagan.

Stephen Morris' memoir, "Tall Tales from the Tower", offers is a peek into the control towers and RADAR air-traffic facilities at airports around the world with true stories of recovering lost aircraft, emergencies, safely landing seventeen fighters in severe thunderstorms, and air traffic control in a war zone.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, informative, and well written memoir, "Tall Tales from the Tower: The Real Hillbilly Elegy" is especially recommended for community library Contemporary American Biography & Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tall Tales from the Tower: The Real Hillbilly Elegy" is readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $61.00).

The Letters
SallyAnne Grillo Artese
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781665704144, $35.95, HC, 286pp

https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Sallyanne-Grillo-Artese/dp/1665704144

Synopsis: As a child, SallyAnne was too small to understand the tension of the adults around her when she was growing up. But when they all had to duck into ditches and sleep in hay barns, even she understood she wasn't living in normal times.

In her memoir, "The Letters", she looks back at life growing up in war-ravaged France. Her family sat out the last four years of the war in their chalet, so close to the Swiss border that Royal Air Force pilots often came for shelter as they made their way over the mountains to the safety of Switzerland.

Her parents had become farmers, with sheep and a cow and an occasional pig. Her mother learned how to spin wool, make soap, tend the livestock, and do all the other complex and timeless work of a peasant farmer. The family even had a pet goat.

SallyAnne's mother also kept a journal during the war years, and in this reweaving of a life story, she brings in her own experiences and memories of a time when the world seemed to spin out of balance.

Critique: A truly fascinating, memorable, articulate, candid, and personal memoir that reads as smoothly as a finely crafted novel, "The Letters" by SallyAnne Grillo Artese is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Letters" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781665704151, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).


The General Fiction Shelf

The Lethal Elixir
Dennis Ross
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781665704731, $35.95, HC, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lethal-Elixir-Dennis-Ross/dp/166570473X

Synopsis: When Alex Williams, a quiet Deaconess Hospital Laboratory employee falls ill with a highly contagious and lethal infection, the entire hospital staff panics worrying about their personal exposure and they don't show up for work. Hospital executives are concerned about the hospital's image and the possible negative publicity. And Maggie Hamilton, the infectious Diseases Specialist, is perplexed where he could have acquired the disease. After medical scrutiny, they found that Alex suffered from a "weapons grade" strain of Ebola infection that could potentially spread and become a worldwide lethal epidemic. As more evidence surfaces, the medical specialist and her newfound FBI friend, find themselves traveling across the country to locate the perpetrators before the elixir is unleashed upon the world.

Critique: Given we are now in the age of a global Covid pandemic and the fact of governments around the world secretly working on weaponizing communicable diseases, "The Lethal Elixir" is a timely and chilling read, a true medical suspense thriller of a novel by author Dennis Ross who draws upon his years of experience and expertise as a respected nephrologist in Wichita Kansas and a clinical professor with The University of Kansas Medical Center Wichita to bring a particular believability to his carefully crafted work of fiction. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lethal Elixir" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781665704755, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Bedlam: The Life & Mind of Earl Sedgwick
Kingston Imperial
Bobby Spears Jr.
9781954220089, HC, $25.99, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bedlam-Life-Mind-Earl-Sedgwick/dp/1954220081

Synopsis: "Bedlam" by Bobby Spears Jr. details the frustrating life of Earl Sedgwick, owner and operator of a mental institute. Earl grew up in the business and subsequently took it over despite his avowed hatred of how the business robbed him of his childhood. He runs on empty until he's triggered by a visit from his more successful friends, realizing his life has been placed in its own padded room since he took on the family business.

The career that is providing everything he has and keeping him alive is ultimately killing him at the same time. The torture of watching people die and/or lose their minds is not a healthy existence, but it is all he has ever known, and like many people he yearns to do something else. Something more. But with his mental health failing and his addiction adding fuel to the fire, Earl is in no shape to change his life. Earl has to then decide what his next move will be.

"Bedlam" takes us through a series of stories and anecdotes featuring the wild antics of patients, staff and their families, as Earl not only becomes an addict but is also losing his mind.

Critique: A deftly crafted novel based on a true story, blending medical and psychological elements with an inherently fascination fictional biography, "Bedlam: The Life & Mind of Earl Sedgwick" is a unique and compelling read from cover to cover. While highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Bedlam: The Life & Mind of Earl Sedgwick" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Broken Bat Single
James Thibodeau
Dorrance Publishing Company
585 Alpha Drive, Suite 103, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
www.dorrancepublishing.com
9781637640050, $22.00, PB, 346pp

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Bat-Single-James-Thibodeau/dp/1637640056

Synopsis: In the format of a daily journal, "Broken Bat Single" by novelist James Thibodeau tells the story of Dave Nichols, a veteran minor league catcher who finally earns a job in the major leagues when he makes the 1993 National League expansion team in Colorado at an age when most playing careers are ending.

In a season full of losses, unexpected gains are made through his chronicling of its highs and lows, however. Nichols' discovery of his talent for writing and the healing effect his son's birth has on his troubled marriage make the season memorable for him, even if play on the field is often forgettable.

The central message of "Broken Bat Single" is one of gain arising from loss, which ought to be universally relevant. We all lose more often than we care to, but some of our greatest gains could not have come about without losses. The unique feature of "Broken Bat Single" is the combination of the historical events of the actual games of the 1993 National League season and the narrator's fictional team.

Critique: Sports fiction at it's very best, "Broken Bat Single" by novelist James Thibodeau is so carefully crafted with the kind of narrative style storytelling that it is unreservedly recommended for both readers with a special interest in baseball, and those who simply appreciate a well written, impressively original, and unique story. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction and Sports Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Broken Bat Single" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Pacific
Trevor J. Houser
Unsolicited Press
9781950730841, $16.00, PB, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Trevor-J-Houser/dp/1950730840

Synopsis: On a remote Puget Sound island, police chief Bell navigates his job and marriage in the wake of his son's near-death brain surgery. When his wife no longer wants to tempt the fates of experimental medicine he takes matters into his own hands. With the help of his spaced-out fisherman friend, Bell kidnaps his boy and sets sail for Guatemala in search of the mysterious Dr. Haas. On the way, they'll brave the seventh biggest storm, befriend two behemoth fly-fishing Nords, and try to outrun the ex-Navy captain hired by his wife to find them.

Critique: A deftly crafted and original novel by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling style that keeps and holds the reader's total attention from cover to cover, "Pacific" by novelist Trevor J. Houser will prove to be a welcome addition to community library American Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Pacific" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Trevor J. Houser has published stories in Zyzzyva, Story Quarterly and The Doctor TJ Eckleburg Review, among others. Three of his stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

The Lip Reader
Michael Thal
Paper Angel Press
https://paperangelpress.com
9781953469854, $22.99, HC, 242pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lip-Reader-Michael-Thal/dp/195346985X

Synopsis: In 1985, disgusted with the treatment of Jews by the new Islamic government in Iran, Zhila immigrates to the United States in pursuit of better circumstances and a chance to receive a cochlear implant to improve her hearing. However, it isn't until she is forty-nine, when she meets her soulmate, Mickey Daniels, that she begins to feel her life truly complete.

A decade later, after they have fallen deeply in love, Zhila learns that she is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer. In the months that follow, Mickey becomes Zhila's primary caretaker, and the two grow ever closer as they fight the disease together.

Right up to the end, Zhila shows her caring nature, innate intelligence, and will power to overcome almost any challenge. Her courage and the beauty of her memory is certain to inspire all who venture to follow her on their quest for a truly meaningful life.

Critique: Set in Iran during the 1960s and 1970s, and later in Los Angeles, California, with the publication of "The Lip Reader" by novelist Michael L. Thal, we are introduced to Zhila Shirazi, who is a Jewish woman who tells her own story firsthand. In doing so she reveals the real-life struggle of being a deaf woman who refuses to allow adversity to stop her from reaching her dreams of living a normal and fulfilling life. A well crafted and inherently interesting novel by an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling, Michael Thal's "The Lip Reader" is highly recommended for community library biographical fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lip Reader" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781953469830, $12.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Editorial Note: Michael Thal is the author of five published novels including Goodbye Tchaikovsky, The Abduction of Joshua Bloom, and The Koolura Series (The Legend of Koolura, Koolura and The Mystery at Camp Saddleback, and Koolura and the Mayans). He has also written more than 80 published articles in print magazines as well as novels for middle grade and high school aged students. Michael maintains an informative website and blog at www.michaelthal.com. Anyone interested can check out his blog at www.michaelthal.com/blog and sign up for a FREE subscription.

However Long the Day
Justin Reed
https://justinreedwrites.com
Bulrush Press
9781737507222, $26.00, HC, 420pp

https://www.amazon.com/However-Long-Day-Justin-Reed/dp/1737507226

Synopsis: "However Long the Day" by novelist Justin Reed is the engaging tale of two strangers -- Niall Donovan, a poor immigrant from Ireland, and Frederick Philips, a rich ne'er-do-well from New York's Upper East Side-who discover they look so similar they could be twins.

Frederick, desperate to avoid a lecture from his father, bribes Niall to switch places for the evening. Niall finds there's more to the story than Frederick let on, and is dragged through the turbulence created by World War I, the Spanish Flu, and social upheaval, and into the corrupt belly of Manhattan on the cusp of Prohibition.

As Niall and Frederick hurtle through the next twenty-four hours, will either get what they bargained for?

Critique: A deftly scripted and original novel that blends a coming of age theme against a background of World War I history, "However Long the Day" is a compelling and entertaining read from cover to cover. While especially and highly recommended for community library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists that "However Long the Day" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Flight Risk: A Novel
Joy Castro
Lake Union Publishing
9781542031929, $14.95 pbk / $1.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Risk-Novel-Joy-Castro/dp/1542031923

Synopsis: Isabel Morales is a successful Chicago sculptor hiding a brutal family history - one not even her husband knows. After decades of turning her back on her past, she's forced to return to Appalachia when she receives news of her estranged mother's death.

But going back means revisiting the traumatic childhood she escaped - and the family that cast her out when she needed them most. Back on the land she has inherited, she's flooded with memories of the forest where she once roamed free, of her beloved lost brother, and of the old house in the West Virginia hills where she grew up. Her mother has left her another legacy, too, which reveals secrets that Isabel is only beginning to understand.

As forces bear down and threaten to take what she has left, it's time for Isabel to step into her power, reclaim her roots, and finally confront the painful memories that have kept her from the life she truly wants.

Critique: Award-winning author Joy Castro presents Flight Risk: A Novel, a dark story about Isabel Morales, who returns to her native Appalachia decades after leaving it. She must confront the painful legacy of her bitter childhood tempered by memories the beautiful forest and the long-lost brother she once loved. Flight Risk interleaves Isabel's soul-testing personal struggle with deadly serious social issues, including drug addiction, climate change, and the ramifications of the 2016 presidential election. Flight Risk is emotional and riveting from cover to cover, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Flight Risk is also available in a Kindle edition ($1.99).

Editorial Note: Joy Castro is the award-winning author of the post-Katrina New Orleans literary thrillers Hell or High Water, which received the Nebraska Book Award, and Nearer Home; the story collection How Winter Began; the memoir The Truth Book; and the essay collection Island of Bones, which received the International Latino Book Award. She is also the editor of the anthology Family Trouble and served as the guest judge of CRAFT's first Creative Nonfiction Award. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Senses of Cinema, Salon, Ploughshares, Gulf Coast, Brevity, Afro-Hispanic Review, and elsewhere. A former writer-in-residence at Vanderbilt University, she is currently the Willa Cather Professor of English and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The Third Man
Randolph Splitter
Golden Antelope Press
www.goldenantelope.com
9781952232640, $22.95, PB, 364pp

https://www.amazon.com/Third-Man-Randolph-Splitter/dp/1952232643

Synopsis: From Vienna in the 1930s to England in the 1940s, and back, "The Third Man" by author Randolph Splitter is a novel that centers on dispossession, exile, refuge, and the search for justice and humanity. Focusing on two Jewish families as the Holocaust approaches, "The Third Man" gradually zeroes in on two individuals who survive -- a man and a woman who have to make difficult moral choices.

Julie Bernstein as a young child is sent by her parents to safety in England; growing up there with a foster family, she must consider and reconsider her multiple allegiances. Ignaz Natanson, is a kosher butcher's apprentice who changes his identity and name as he escapes to England and joins the British Army. He returns to Vienna, post-war, to track down the person who epitomizes, for him, what Nazi Youth had done to his home.

Critique: Inspired by the author Randolph Splitter's own family whose love of life, of music, of philosophy and history, of justice and ethical dilemmas permeate the text and subtext of this impressively crafted and thought-provoking novel, "The Third Man" is an extraordinary and trule memorable read from first page to last. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of those with a particular interest in Jewish Literary Fiction and World War II Historical Fiction that "The Third Man" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).

Editorial Note: Randolph Splitter's own parents fled Vienna, Austria, in 1938. His novel is not meant to excuse fascism but rather to force readers to examine what gives rise to it and what causes "ordinary" people to be attracted to it. "The Third Man" presents a rather grim picture of postwar Vienna while questioning its failure to pay attention to the Nazis, or to the Jews who are no longer there. Yet the elements of hope and humanism are real.

The novel could be complete and coherent without its "third man" frame, but the Prologue and Epilogue references to the famous 1949 noir film are distinctive and imaginative; they deepen the significance of the several other episodes. In the end, Ignaz/Nigel recognizes the similarities between himself and the film's Harry Lime (as grifters who sometimes did questionable things). But he also identifies with his own "third man," the one he has tracked with revenge in mind. He recognizes that this man might have been evil, but might instead have been a "poor fool like himself, neither good nor evil, just a confused human being trying to muddle his way through this life."

Splitter's novel is not meant to excuse fascism but rather to force readers to examine what gives rise to it and what causes "ordinary" people to be attracted to it. The Third Man presents a rather grim picture of postwar Vienna while questioning its failure to pay attention to the Nazis, or to the Jews who are no longer there. Yet the elements of hope and humanism are real.

Allison's Gambit
C. A. Price
Circuit Breaker Books
9781953639103, $16.95, PB, 324

https://www.amazon.com/Allisons-Gambit-C-Price/dp/1953639100

Synopsis: When Allison began to care for her mother with Alzheimer's, she started to ask some difficult questions. At what point is a life no longer worth living? Would dementia be in her future too?

Worried that her mother's fate may be her own, Allison comes up with an unusual approach to try and control her own demise: start smoking. After all, she would rather die of cancer or a lung infection than the way her mother did -- unable to recognize her own family, to take care of herself, or even speak.

The tough part will be getting her family and friends on board with her new perspective.

Critique: Although a work of fiction, "Allison's Gambit" by C. A. Price, rings with a genuine reality experienced by Alzheimer's and the families who love them. A deftly crafted novel that is as entertaining a read as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Allison's Gambit" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Allison's Gambit" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.49).

Editorial Note: C. A. Price is a family practice physician in California. The philosophy underlying his novel, "Allison's Gambit", was inspired by patients of his who have been caregivers to those with dementia and his continued observation that these family members often end up with tremendous guilt. His work with hospice has taught him that those who change their views about dying seem to live so much better.


The Historical Fiction Shelf

Spirits of the Ice Forest
Max Davine
Tamarind Hill Press
9781647864484, $17.99, PB, 470pp

https://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ice-Forest-Max-Davine/dp/1647864488

Synopsis: A veritable saga of a novel by Max Davine, "Spirits of the Ice Forest" is a story of the last, desperate attempt by the Vikings to tame what is now Canada's Newfoundland under their formidable Chieftain Freydis Eiriksdottir, one of the most notoriously fearsome shieldmaidens to ever have lived. And of the three natives of those ancient forests, Shanawdithit, Madawaak and Demasduit, who led their people to rise against an overwhelming force.

Critique: A deftly crafted historical novel, "Spirits of the Ice Forest" is a simply riveting read from first page to last. Showcasing the author's genuine flair for originality and just the kind of narrative driven storytelling that holds the readers attention through unexpected plot twists, "Spirits of the Ice Forest" is one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library History Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Spirits of the Ice Forest" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Westland
Michelle Muriel
http://www.michellemuriel.com
Little Cabin Books
9780990938361, $25.95, HC, 408pp

https://www.amazon.com/Westland-Michelle-Muriel/dp/0990938360

Synopsis: Alabama, 1866. The Civil War's aftermath tests family bonds as the women at Westland: Miss Katie, kind mistress and heiress, Evie, her daughter, Essie Mae, an intelligent freed slave, and Delly a former slave and Westland's sassy matriarch, confront the mysteries and secrets of Westland's past to hold on to freedom and each other.

As Rebel fires and lawlessness rage in the South, Evie and Essie Mae return to the home of their troubled pasts: Westland, an unproductive plantation. With a new vision, renewed hope, and the tranquility of Miss Katie's secret garden, they learn to dream again, but a mysterious stranger from Westland's past threatens to tear them apart. Delly warns unearthing family secrets may do it for them.

When Evie's stepfather James receives letters threatening Westland and Essie, he will move heaven and earth to keep Evie and Essie safe with a surprising twist he prays will usher in the true freedom they all deserve. Westland is an unforgettable, moving novel about the power of forgiveness, the families we create, and the consequences of the secrets we leave behind. One woman will pay the ultimate sacrifice as the women at Westland learn: freedom isn't free.

Critique: A deftly crafted historical novel, "Westland" showcases author Michelle Muriel's genuine flare for originality framed with historical detail and the kind of entertaining narrative storytelling style that holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction and Historical Fiction collections, it should be note for the personal reading lists of anyone with a special interest in African-American Historical Fiction that "Westland" is readily available in a digital book format as well (Kindle, $5.99).

Rendezvous: Mountain Man Romance and Adventure
Geoff Spellberg
Sixty Degrees Publishing
www.sixtydegreespublishing.com
9798562715234, $19.95, PB, 528pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Mountain-Man-Romance-Adventure/dp/B08NDR19NH

Synopsis: Set against the pristinely beautiful wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in the 1830s, "Rendezvous: Mountain Man Romance and Adventure" by novelist Geoff Spellberg is a sweeping adventure story of two unlikely lovers as their desperate fight to save each other and their way of life, changes the course of history of two empires.

Mailywa is an intelligent and headstrong Shoshone tribes woman, whose arranged marriage to a brutal fur trapper, Black Peter, goes horribly wrong. Nate, an inept young trapper who has fallen in love with her, comes to her aid and the two must survive the perilous winter wilderness together. Both must adapt quickly as they face daunting obstacles, including a stint brokering cotton in the refined but deadly world of New Orleans.

Learning of a murderous British general's plan to kill the American fur trappers and Shoshones and seize all the land west of the Rockies, Mailywa and Nate make a danger-filled trip back to the mountains. Based on true events in American history, "Rendezvous: Mountain Man Romance and Adventure" brings to life such real mountain man icons such as Jim Bridger and Kit Carson, who Mailywa and Nate must warn of the impending British invasion. Ultimately, they risk everything, including their love, as they face final showdowns with Black Peter and the British!

Critique: An inherently fascinating and entertaining read from cover to cover, "Rendezvous: Mountain Man Romance and Adventure" is a deftly crafted novel of romance and action/adventure set during the heyday of westward bound and legendary mountain men. While very highly recommended, especially for community library American Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Rendezvous: Mountain Man Romance and Adventure" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Geoff is a longtime backpacker, adventurer and climber, who has drawn upon his countless wilderness experiences, and a few close calls, in creating his novel about the amazing but little known chapter of American history called Rendezvous.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

The Paid Bridesmaid
Sariah Wilson
Montlake
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/montlake.html
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781542030564, $12.95, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Paid-Bridesmaid-Sariah-Wilson/dp/1542030560

Synopsis: Rachel Vinson is a bridesmaid for hire: part confidante, part wedding planner, and one hundred percent pretend BFF. Discretion guaranteed. Her next gig is a live streamed and sponsored destination wedding for an Instagram influencer. That means a paradise of new contacts, which could be a boon to her already booming business. If Rachel can keep the very handsome and slightly too interested best man at bay, that is.

High-tech entrepreneur Camden Lewis must know: Who is this gorgeous, intelligent, and mysterious woman? Too good to be real. Convinced she's a corporate spy out to tank his company, Camden's not letting her out of his sight. But the constant surveillance is also opening his eyes to things about Rachel that he likes. If she's a spy, she's certainly the cutest one he's ever seen.

As the week's worth of wedding events march along, Rachel and Camden are learning almost everything there is to know about each other. Rachel's made a career out of always a bridesmaid -- but perhaps there's a chance for her own trip down the aisle?

Critique: A dedicated romance fan's true delight, "The Paid Bridesmaid" by novelist Sariah Wilson is romance entertainment at it's very best. The stuff of which Hallmark Channel romance movies are made, "The Paid Bridesmaid" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections where it is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Paid Bridesmaid" is readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713621157, $14.99, MP3-CD).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Dog's Waiting Room
Neil S. Plakcy
Independently Published
9798778507395, $10.99, PB, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Waiting-Golden-Retriever-Mysteries/dp/B09MYRB8KY

Synopsis: Amateur sleuth Steve Levitan and his clue-sniffing golden retriever Rochester face two deaths in "Dog's Waiting Room", the 12th full-length novel in the long-running A Golden Retriever series by mystery novelist Neil S. Plakcy.

An Alzheimer's patient slips away from home on his own and tumbles into the Delaware River. And then Steve's love Lili suffers the crushing loss of her mother in a Miami Beach hospital.

Eckhardt Lalor left behind a fortune in real estate, a fractured family, and a bitter legacy as a city slumlord. Does that add up to murder? There's no question of what killed Benita Weinstock (a dodgy heart) but her death rocks her daughter's world, and Steve's.

It will be up to Rochester to solve the crime and heal his humans in this new mystery with heart -- and fur!

Critique: Another deftly crafted mystery from a master of the genre, "Dog's Waiting Room" will have a special attraction for fans of Cosy Animal Mysteries. While highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of the growing legion of Amateur Sleuth fans that "Dog's Waiting Room" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

The Panga Attack
Alan Kopilec
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.archwaypublishing.com
9781665704021, $33.95, HC, 194pp

https://www.amazon.com/Panga-Attack-Alan-Kopilec/dp/1665704020

Synopsis: "The Panga Attack" by Alan Kopilec is novel that begins with a riveting historical fiction Cold war prologue illustrated in the 1970s. Reginald Remington the first was on a CIA mission in Crimea when he stumbled upon the enigma. Unfortunately, he had only seconds to photograph it before fleeing from Russian soldiers. With photographed evidence of a KGB nuclearized suitcase bomb in hand, he became a legend in Washington D.C. Especially after he dies in the failed assassination attempt on President Regan.

Heartbroken over the sudden loss of his father and wife, Reginald Remington II (Rex's father) dedicates his life to telling conspiracy theories from his hotel bar at The Spyglass Inn on the Oregon Coast. When his father is found dead in his suite, Rex suspects his little sister has a relationship with her kidnapper -- a weapons dealer named Ashaar, with whom he plays a high stakes game of cat and mouse as he leads Rex on high-speed RV chases and UAV shootouts.

With avenging his father's killers, saving his sister and the city of San Francisco all on the line, the former Navy Seal named after his grandfather battles Ashaar by hacking databases and controlling his drones with his digital bionic eye. Ashaar has not only kidnapped Rex's sister, but remotely holding the entire City of San Francisco hostage with a hijacked containership and an all too familiar dirty bomb. Unless the DEA returns a drug kingpin's money to bitcoin and releases him from prison -- and with an agenda all his own.

Critique: Action/adventure at its very best, "The Panga Attack" by novelist Alan Kopilec is the stuff of which blockbuster movies are made. A deftly crafted and simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Panga Attack" is particularly and especially recommended for community library Suspense/Thriller Contemporary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Panga Attack" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781665704038, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Oy Vey, Maria! A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery
Mark Reutlinger
The Wild Rose Press
https://www.thewildrosepress.com
9781509238354, $15.99, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Mrs-Kaplan-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1509238352

Synopsis: With the publication of "Oy Vey, Maria! A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery" by Mark Reutlinger we find that Rose Kaplan and her sidekick Ida are at it again. It's the holiday of Purim, and almost everyone at the Julius and Rebecca Cohen Home for Jewish Seniors is in costume for the Purim play. All except one, who will instead have to be fitted for a shroud. Once again, "Mrs. K" and Ida are called upon to solve the puzzle of a mysterious death at the Home.

Critique: A wonderfully fun, clever, and entertaining read from first page to last, "Oy Vey, Maria! A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery" is an especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for dedicated fans of the 'cosy mystery' genre, that "Oy Vey, Maria! A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Our LITTLE Secret
Stanford Johnson
Independently Published
9798757811055, $24.95, HC, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Our-LITTLE-Secret-Mountains-Inspired/dp/B09M5459C6

Synopsis: When Danny Jackson says "the N-word" on his fifth birthday his grandmother tells him their family doesn't use that word, though he's learned it from his father. There's a mysterious grave in their woods, and all he's ever heard it called was "the N-word Grave." Thus begins a family saga and coming of age story as an Appalachian grandmother tries to change her family's trajectory regarding race relations.

Danny and Martin Noble Peoples, a descendent of the murdered black man, team up to uncover the truth about what really happened to A. Noble Peoples. What they learn from Danny's grandmother is even more shocking than they anticipated.

How, why and from whom do we learn the things we learn and become the people we become? Laurel Mountain McLandon Jackson would say some of it is like hand-me-downs and heirlooms - we "come by it honest."

Critique: A work of fiction that was inspired by the historical event of a black man who was murdered in author Stanford Johnson's hometown in the 1920s, and whose Great-great-grandfather allowed him to be buried on the family farm, "Our Little Secret" comes to grips with the question of whether it is possible to overcome a cruel, abusive rural Appalachian upbringing steeped in racism and help a black man solve the near-century old murder of the black man's Great-grandfather?

An inherently fascinating and impressively presented novel, "Our Little Secret" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of true crime fans and mystery buffs that "Our Little Secret" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9798491914562, $15.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Mariah Is Missing
David Henry Nelson
Cenatorial Publishing
9781737717409, $11.99, PB, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mariah-Missing-David-Henry-Nelson/dp/1737717409

Synopsis: In "Maria Is Missing", Ana McGuire, a prosecuting attorney, must solve the disappearance of an attractive young school teacher who is reported missing from her Monday morning class, while navigating a male-dominated professional world of law and local politics.

She tangles with a zealous sheriff and an egocentric county commissioner as she deals with complications in her past and present relationships with two men in her life, Rib Torgerson and Fat Jack Moser, and encounters a variety of colorful townspeople in a suspenseful novel that offers the reader a deftly crafted and dramatic recreation of the past and a fascinating insider view of what it's like to investigate a murder.

Critique: Inspired by a true event in the Big Sky Country of North Central Montana, "Mariah Is Missing" tells a compelling tale about a small town and the memorable people who live, work, love, and drink there. Author David Henry Nelson re-imagines the story behind a crime which occurred in 1974 while he served as the county attorney in Pondera County, Montana. He realized years later that this case had a long-lived ripple effect on many people, which prompted him to write this work of fiction based on fact.

All the more impressive when considering that "Mariah Is Missing" is author David Henry Nelson's debut as a novelist, this historical thriller is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Mariah Is Missing' is also readily available in an inexpensive digital book format (Kindle, $0.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The War of the Dragons
Ronald D. Goode, author
Katherine M. Comacho, author
Dorrance Publishing Company
585 Alpha Drive, Suite 103, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
www.dorrancepublishing.com
9781638672555, $11.00, PB, 72pp

https://www.amazon.com/War-Dragons-Controlled-Powerful-Dragon/dp/1638672555

Synopsis: Toward the beginning of time, God created dragons of fire, ice, and water from the Earth, who rule the planet by fear-untamed and feeding on human race. Only one thing can bring peace to the chaos that reigns: the Dragon Sword. But who will be God's chosen one to wield it?

Critique: A deftly crafted novella by the team of Ronald D. Goode and Katherine M. Camacho, "The War of the Dragons: Fire Dragons, Ice Dragons, and Water Dragons All Controlled by the Powerful Dragon Sword" is an inherently fascinating and entertaining read (and featuring impressively attractive cover art) that will have special appeal to fantasy fans with an interest in dragon lore fantasy fiction. While recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The War of the Dragons: Fire Dragons, Ice Dragons, and Water Dragons All Controlled by the Powerful Dragon Sword" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.00).

Goddess of Limbo
Lea Falls
Zauberfalls Publishing
www.leafalls.com
9781737011507, $17.31 (Amazon), PB, 698pp

https://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Limbo-Forgotten-Splinters-Chronicles/dp/1737011506

Synopsis: Free will is a relic of the past. Souls have a prewritten path to heaven. If they miss it, they are doomed to roam the lost realm of limbo as splinters of their former selves or worse-as demons. Their only hope is the reaper Alames, whose own soul shattered when her celestial lover, Balthos, usurped their creators to make them gods. In her absence, he builds a pantheon of monsters and tricks the mortals, whom he blames for his grief, into worshiping him. But when a new generation defies Balthos's law, Alames's splinters appear among them.

Brilliant physicist Ally longs for progress and innovation, but the Council controlling her nation strips the "Mad Princess" of power. Pregnant and uncertain, the unrivaled Captain Se'azana abandons her career for the false promises of love. The starving serf Richard makes a deal with a Fae demon to save his son. And teenage rebel Vana trades her guitar for a blade when faced with ruthless nobility.

Critique: A veritable saga of a novel that will have special appeal for fans of LBGTQ fantasy fiction, "Goddess of Limbo" is the debut title for author Lea Falls new 'The Forgotten Splinters Chronicles' series. Original, deftly crafted, and a truly memorable read, "Goddess of Limbo" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy fans that "Goddess of Limbo" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).


The Poetry Shelf

Meanderings: A Collection of Poems
Estelle Watts
Independently Published
9798749491517, $9.85, PB, 122pp

https://www.amazon.com/Meanderings-Collection-Poems-COLLECTED-Estelle/dp/B09DF6D41R

Synopsis: "Meanderings: A Collection of Poems" is the fifth published collection of poetry by Estelle Watts. All of the poems in this particular collection were written in the year and a half from January 2020 - June 2021 - the year of Covid Sheltering. They are presented in the order in which they were written and are about whatever subject came to mind at a particular moment. So, they are about everything ranging from mundane subjects like the experience of sheltering in place during the pandemic, to more thoughtful ones like "Sediment" about man's beginnings.

Critique: A poetry lovers delight to simply browse through one page at a time, "Meanderings: A Collection of Poems" will prove a welcome addition to personal reading lists as well as community, college, and university library Contemporary American Poetry collections. Also unreservedly recommended are her four previous collections "Say What?"; "Poems"; "Poems Again"; and "Poems Once Again" -- all of which are available on Amazon.


The Business Shelf

How People Become Famous
Rainer Zitelmann
https://how-people-become-famous.com
Management Books 2000
http://www.mb2000.com
9781852527891, $20.99, PB, 210pp

https://www.amazon.com/People-Become-Famous-Rainer-Zitelmann/dp/1852527897

Synopsis: As an independent entrepreneur, the art of self-marketing has never been more important. With the publication of "How People Become Famous: Geniuses of Self-Marketing From Albert Einstein to Kim Kardashian", author Rainer Zitelmann shows how 12 of the most successful self-promoters of all time achieved their extraordinary fame. The celebrities featured come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from politics to sport, fashion, show business and science. Each person showcases has their own technique and their own lessons to offer.

Critique: Exceptionally well written and impressively 'user friendly' as an illustrative guide, "How People Become Famous: Geniuses of Self-Marketing From Albert Einstein to Kim Kardashian" is essential reading for anyone wanting to create their own successful personal brand. While especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Entrepreneurial Business Management & Development collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "How People Become Famous" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.79).


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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