Soulstealer

Nythan was just a regular guy, living life like most of us. He was a cadet in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Central Florida, had a job, and made plans for the future. Little did he know that he would be chosen by a powerful entity to be its host and become the Soulstealer. In the beginning, he couldn’t comprehend what that entity was, but later on, he finds out that it’s one of many names. Throughout the centuries it searches for a host, lives by feeding with souls, and tries to ascend and be free. It was present when the Roman Empire rose, it fought in the Trojan War, was a Chinese emperor and was worshipped by the Aztecs. Some call it, Shiva, some The Great One and most know it as Satan. At first, Nythan desperately searches for a way to get rid of it, but they have become one, so he understands that the solution is to accept it and coexist. For the time being, they try to stay in the shadows and in order to accomplish that, they look for the Raptors, the Unas and the Sanhe, mystical organizations that can provide Nythan and the Great One with what they need like money, power, protection, loyalty, a place to hide and the time to complete their plan. But time is running out because a group called Ordo Solis, the Order of the Sun, is breathing down their neck and is getting closer, much closer than anticipated. Now it’s up to Nythan to orchestrate a successful plan, fight the enemy and manage to stay alive in the process.

Nythan is a very interesting character. At the beginning of the story he’s a young man, who just worries about school and money but throughout the story, he evolves into someone who literally has to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders. He matures extremely quickly, he makes wrong decisions and he will be forced to make tough choices but that’s exactly what keeps him human. The book is basically a dialogue between Nythan and Bane, the Great One. They are completely different characters. Nythan is young and inexperienced, while Bane is old, wise and has his own sense of humor. Together, they make an unusual couple that is the base of the story. The pace is not the same throughout the story. It starts fast, then slows down and as we get closer to the end picks up in the final chapters. In his debut novel, Shane Boulware delivers a beautifully written story with unique and authentic characters and plot twists with religious and supernatural elements that make the reader keep reading until the end! These are the reasons why it is highly recommended to urban fantasy fans. Soulstealer ends with a cliffhanger, and I am looking forward to the next chapter.


A Ghost for a Clue (Immortology, Book 1)

The story begins with the death of Bram Morrison’s friend, Franco, in a tragic accident. Bram has little time to dwell on his loss, however; his work must go on, and soon he isn’t just designing robots to assist astronauts on deep space missions but also has the chance to go on one himself. Even as the plot moves along at rocket-like speeds, the narrative never entirely loses the theme of death and loss. If anything, it’s the space travel that gets lost. As Bram considers a one-way trip to a distant constellation, he realizes he wouldn’t want to leave Earth without Torula Jackson, his childhood friend and long-time crush. As he tries to get up the nerve to ask her to accompany him, however, he finds himself embroiled in a mystery: Torula thinks she has found a ghost.

That description is only a taste of what the first book in the Immortology series has to offer. Though it is comparatively short, it packs a lot in, meaning a proper synopsis would be at least a thousand words. For those who love their science fiction jam-packed with intellectual action and more than a little taste of the weird, this is a very promising start. There may not be any high-speed chases or laser guns firing, but in my opinion this book has something better: intelligent people making intuitive leaps, and science that feels real without getting too bogged down in being hard sci-fi. There are a few moments where the technobabble feels a bit much, but for the most part, I loved how in-depth the explanations could be. It helps that all the protagonists are scientists. You can’t avoid in-depth explanations there.

The book isn’t just fascinating experiments and madcap theories that might or might be true. Draeco makes sure to flesh out the characters and the world. These characters have foibles and failings, but more than that, they have quirks that feel organic rather than tacked on for flavor. There are also little hints and clues sprinkled throughout for readers to catch onto, half-disguised as slips of the tongue. I wouldn’t go so far as to call A Ghost for a Clue a mystery, but there are plenty of mysteries in it to solve. As the first in a series, not everything is wrapped up by the end, but enough is that I didn’t feel unsatisfied. I only felt curious about what would come next.


Fresh from Poland: New Vegetarian Cooking from the Old Country

Many of us think of pork dishes and sausages when we think of Polish cooking, but this marvelous new cookbook will change minds with nearly ninety delicious vegetarian recipes based on recipes handed down by author Michal Korkosz’s mother and grandmother.

He starts with an introduction to his story and a Polish kitchen as well as a section on what one needs in a Polish pantry. This is followed by sections on Breakfast; Soups; Breads and Baked Goods; Main Dishes; Side Dishes; Pierogi and Dumplings; Desserts; and Preserves, Jams, and Pickles. Each section begins with a short essay about the Polish heritage of that group of foods.

Most recipes include a paragraph on Michel’s personal feelings about the dish. The recipes are well written and easy to follow, and they are of great variety and unexpected for a typical American audience. The book is filled with glorious, mouth-watering color photos of the finished dishes and also some instructive photos where needed, such as the section on pierogis. Do not miss the recipes for creamy sauerkraut soup or stuffed tomatoes with millet, cinnamon, and almonds.

There is something for everyone in this book, and even the most ardent carnivore will find satisfaction here.


The Book of Awesome Women Writers: Medieval Mystics, Pioneering Poets, Fierce Feminists and First Ladies of Literature

The Book of Awesome Women Writers is exactly that. There are a lot of women authors out there, past and present. Some, like Maya Angelou and J.K. Rowling, are names everyone’s heard of. This book covers them and many more that aren’t such household names. For instance, the first poet to win the Pulitzer Prize was Sara Teasdale in 1917. Readers can also learn of contemporary poet Lang Leav, who was born in a Thai refugee camp.

This book doesn’t get bogged down in great detail, but it allows readers to dip and out as they have time and interest to learn a little about the life of a woman writer. Some of the stories are tragic, some uplifting, but all of them are interesting and help bring to life some of the great women authors from across the globe.

This is a great book for anyone who's interested in learning more about women authors and finding more books to read.


No Matter What: A Foster Care Tale

Grace is determined to find Josh a home, a place he can finally feel he belongs. She carries the tearful squirrel on her wings to visit the pelicans, porcupines, and kangaroos. When one of the kangaroos suggests he must learn to climb, Grace soars Josh over to where the leopards reside. When they discover his intense fear of the dark, they taunt him relentlessly. In his angst, he vows, “I’ll crack them before they crack me.” While they lay in deep slumber, he mischievously paints designs on their coats. When, at last, Grace introduces him to the elephants, he learns that unconditional love and acceptance are possible and that having a family is an invaluable gift.

Josh Shipp's heartwarming book parallels his own story as a child through the lives of these precious, and at times hilarious, creatures. Even some of the names of the characters match those of people from his own life. The squirrel represents him as a child, and the two forgiving and compassionate elephants depict his foster parents, Rodney and Christine Weisenmaier, whom he refers to as “the strong, immovable, and loving family that pulled me out of my own rushing river.” This narrative is a remarkable contribution to literature for young children. It’s unique and reflective of the lives of youth who grow up not having a place to call home. It sends a beautiful message of hope to those who may yearn for it the most.


The Runaway Shirt

When my mom does laundry, my favorite part is when she folds the clothes; I can sometimes get her to throw the clothes on me and cover my whole body with warmth. My favorite part of laundry is kind of like the kid in the book The Runaway Shirt. In this book, a lady is folding clean clothes. She finds a shirt that needs folding, and she puts it on the bed to fold. It gets folded, but it doesn't stay! The lady must catch the runaway shirt and try folding it again on the bed. The lady and the shirt have fun together with the not-fun job of doing laundry.

I like this story because it's silly to see the lady chasing a runaway shirt around the house. It's goofy when she thinks about hanging up the loose shirt in her closet and then she wants to wear it herself! The characters are different-looking than me, but that's okay, and fun to see in books. I think that kids of any age will like this story because it is one that is relatable and just fun to read.


Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree

When Florence’s teacher assigned the family project, what she wanted from the children was a family tree. Florence’s best friend, Sonji, had a pretty simple family tree with a mom, a dad, a brother, and Sonji. But Florence has a different kind of family tree, one with lots of branches and roots, stickers, and leaves. Florence has four... no, wait... six parents and step-parents and, while she only has one brother, she has a passel of half-brothers and half-sisters. It’s a lot to remember and a lot to get right, and she really has to wonder if she can fit it on the wall in the classroom. It’s a big, messy, complicated family, but it is Florence’s, and she wants to show her class.

Author Judy Gilliam has tapped into the blended family that many youngsters can relate to and may feel shy or uncomfortable talking about. This book will help them realize most people have messy families and will help them become more comfortable with their own situations. Laura Addari’s sweet illustrations in gentle colors with lots of fun details complete the story. This book belongs in classrooms and homes everywhere.


Santa.com

Santa has modernized his shop. He made a mistake long ago and he wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But what happens when Santa’s workshop gets hacked? Will the elves be able to figure out a way to save the day and restore the workshop before Christmas is canceled entirely? I love the idea of this book, but I feel like the text needed a little bit of cutting. It seems really long at some points. The illustrations are well done. I like the Christmas spirit throughout with the red and the green. I also feel like it put too much into the plot for a picture book. I also found it difficult to believe they had to go find Santa instead of him being there around Christmas. I love Yo-Yo and his bravery. Santa seems great. The hacker Cyber Scrooge was a great addition. My three and six-year-old liked the book okay but didn’t ask for it to be read again. My three-year-old liked the elves and my six-year-old liked the technology components.


Dear Moon

Max and Ely are best friends. The time is quickly approaching for Ely to go to the hospital, something both boys are utterly determined to delay. Together, they devise a plan to halt the moon in its rotation. If it no longer moves then neither will time; they decide. The two eagerly construct a rocket to launch into space to capture the moon. After a couple of failed attempts, Max promises Ely he will never give up, “not even ‘til the end of the end of the very end of the world,” he says. The inevitable day arrives, and they sadly say their goodbyes. After the passage of time, Ely returns, and though his hair is gone and his body is weak, the two spend one last, treasured day together before the heavens call Ely home.

This is a beautiful, poignant story about friendship, adventure, loss, grief, and acceptance. Author Stephen Wunderli does a brilliant job addressing a difficult subject in a thoughtful, unique way that will touch the hearts of young children and adults alike. Maria Luisa Di Gravio‘s illustrations bring the text alive with their detail and subtle but darkened hues. The plethora of emotions this masterful story evokes are palpable, ranging from joy to sadness and then on to acceptance. The underlying message that life is sprinkled with unexpected twists and turns, many of which are uncontrollable, bleeds through the pages with clarity, as does the idea that every moment spent with loved ones should be cherished.


Snoozapalooza

Snoozapalooza follows ten animals trying to find warmth for winter. So, their solution cuddle together in an animal heap. Everyone is sleeping nicely until they hear a ROAR, which they fear until they figure out where it is coming from.

 The text has a wonderful use of rhythm and rhyme. I love the repetition. It flowed well and is easy to read aloud. The text was just the right length of a picture book.

The book feels like The Mitten, but without the boy or mitten. I did appreciate a little different take on the story because I love The Mitten so much. The pile of animals at the end is fun.

The illustrations are adorable. I love the style and how it makes the animals look so cute. Perfect to go with the fun text. I liked how the text moved with the pictures. The background is very similar throughout but works well with the animals piling on.

My kids loved the animals and listening to the rhythm and rhyme. My three-year-old liked the bear and my six-year-old liked the red fox.


The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope

In The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope, attorney Gil Henry doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into when Ruth McClure walks into his office asking him to look into the value of the stock her father left her. It seems like such a small thing, but within hours of taking the case he’s had his tire shot out, been punched in the face, hit over the head multiple times and come across a few dead bodies. The case keeps getting bigger and ends up involving the most prominent family in town, who have more than a few secrets to hide. Gil might not be a looker, but he is determined and will follow these threads wherever they lead.

I feel bad that I had never heard of C.W. Grafton before because, although this is an old mystery story written in 1943, it is fantastic. Gil Henry is perfect. He’s self-deprecating and sarcastic, dogged and smart. You can’t help but like him. Grafton’s ability with metaphors is spot on, and he perfectly captured the hard-boiled detective story that makes instant classics. I am so glad that the Library of Congress is reprinting these crime classics so that they won’t be forgotten. With such an unusual title, I wasn’t sure myself what I was getting into, but I am so happy I read this. This book is the perfect addition to anyone’s mystery library, and I highly recommend you meet Gil Henry yourself.


They Threw Us Away (The Teddies Saga)

They Threw Us Away by Daniel Kraus is a story about Teddy bears thinking and moving like humans. Buddy the bear woke up in a trash dump without a box. He saved four more teddies from their boxes. Their mission is to find children to love them. Will they all make it, or will some of them be left behind. I would rate this book three stars because the plot at the beginning was a bit slow. I loved the ending parts of the book though. I loved the characters in the story. I liked how they all developed different personalities throughout the book. The illustrations that were in the book made me understand more of what was happening. I think ages nine to twelve should read this book. People who like imaginative adventures would like this book. I would recommend this book because the ending made me want to read more. If you are looking for a fun adventure with amazing characters then this is definitely the best book for you.


The Secret of Rosalita Flats

The Secret of Rosalita Flats is about a man named Cal Batten who is called back to Blacktip Island, where his childhood memories await him. His father, Rhodes, has just passed away and Cal has inherited a monstrosity of a house appropriately named Batten's Down. Cal just wants to find his father's will and get the heck off the island so he can go home to his clock shop and his life as a newly single guy. What Cal doesn't know is what the island has in store for him.

With a colorful cast of characters, The Secret of Rosalita Flats has adventure and surprises around every corner. Cal learns that his dad was in a relationship of sorts with the maid, Rosie, who won't leave Cal or Batten's Down alone. She says it's because she has been paid in advance to clean the house and doesn't want to let Rhodes down. Then there are Rafe, the local constable, and Marina, the scuba diving instructor. Both are childhood friends of Cal's but for some reason, Rafe seems to dislike Cal being back.

What I enjoyed about this book was that there was always something happening so that Cal could not get off the island. From getting his house ransacked just about every time he or Rosie left it, to getting chummed while diving with Marina, poor Cal gets a run for his money as he finds out that his dad had more secrets than Victoria. I also really liked the characters. Although several of them were very seedy, the main characters were well described and really came to life on the pages of the story. The relationship that develops between Cal and Marina is also very endearing, as she repeatedly tricks him into diving in places that he is less than comfortable with so she can get a good laugh out of it.

What I would have loved to have read more about was Cal's life back when he was a kid. I would have also liked to read a bit more about his mother and the backstory concerning when Rhode and Cal's mother separated. This would have given a little insight into Cal's behavior and personality throughout the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Secret of Rosalita Flats. With an easy-to-follow storyline, interesting characters, and a tropical island backdrop, I think anyone who enjoys mysteries in the form of a treasure hunt would enjoy this story.


Dishonor Thy Father

Dishonor Thy Father by Mike Robinson and M. J. Richards is a powerful, thrilling book that will capture readers from beginning to end. Together, the two authors have constructed a rousing mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very last page. The well-rounded characters and thought-provoking plot twists bring together an unforgettable narrative saturated with romance, mystery, perseverance, and commitment in the face of complete uncertainty. More than a murder mystery, Robinson and Richards have webbed an intricate tale of the consequences we face when deep sacrifices and dark secrets threaten to unravel everything we hold dear. A murder in a hospital uncovers years of deceit and transgressions of an illicit affair and inappropriate workplace relationships. Upon further inquiry, it is discovered the murder has far broader implications, as one young woman’s desperate attempts to hide from her vengeful family come to the surface. A breeding ground for disease, the hospital provides a graphic backdrop to the story as “a throbbing nexus of life and death, a paradigm that could easily open people, exposing a questionable, even wretched, core.” It is within these walls one evening that Dr. Marika Javid is murdered by a new patient, one carrying deep, ruthless motives. The investigation dives deep into the secrets and private lives of the doctor’s competitors, colleagues, lovers, and complicated pursuers to track down her assailant. Everyone on the list of suspects has a motive, but enough to kill? Detective Tucci cannot rest until the truth is discovered. Through twists and turns, he remains dedicated to the answers, regardless of the paths it leads down. In the midst of the investigation, romance and lust flair, one often standing in for the other. Through the haze of passion, he will discover what really happened to Dr. Javid. Could his new love interest hold the key to this mystery, or do personal insecurities obscure reality? Robinson and Richard’s work is not overtly graphic; however, the innuendos and descriptions encourage reading by a mature audience capable of appreciating the deeper implications of the relationships. Those that take a chance on this book will thoroughly enjoy the elaborate tale Robinson and Richards weave. Dishonor Thy Father is an exceptional read that undoubtedly earns five stars for its originality and command of language. The story is entertaining, the characters are refreshing, and the words stylishly bring the whole picture together. The consequences of one individual’s actions have returned for retribution, and only time will tell who will pay the bill.


Poetry With Reason II

This book is a collection of poems written in verse that are meant to uplift the reader’s spirit. Despite all our trials and tribulations, these poems remind us that there is a higher being that is guiding us through love. The imagery is highly Christian, and there are constant references to God and Jesus. Some poems even contain references to the prophets of the Old Testament (specifically Joseph, Noah, Abraham, and Moses).

Some of the themes are religious, and strictly Christian, such as accepting Christ as a personal Savior, being born again, etc. Other themes are more contemporary, such as racism, injustice, COVID-19. The answer to all our ills is faith in God and adherence to His will. While the situations described can be heartbreaking, the tone is positive and the narrative is uplifting. Part way through the book, the resurrection story is told through the eyes of a rabbit, as it witnessed the events leading up to and including the resurrection. Woven into the story is also the egg.

The poems call on readers to be grateful for what they have, to be considered blessed, and to have faith. A message we can all benefit from in these times.


The Reindeer Girl (Winter Journeys)

The Reindeer Girl is spectacularly good at showcasing an ancient lifestyle while providing a kid-friendly story. The main character, Lotta is on a visit to her family. They used to be reindeer herders who led the deer to the calving grounds to find food. They lived with the reindeer and got many things from them: clothes, food, tents, and they always use all of every reindeer they kill. When she wakes, Lotta found herself in the land of her ancestors. She is responsible for a reindeer calf and his mother. When the mother goes missing, Lotta has to find her in order to save the calf.

Holly Web is a children’s writer who writes first-person books about kids with animals. This book is good for schools to buy. It is for elementary kids in kindergarten through second grade to listen to and for first graders and second graders to read to themselves. It is a little simple for kids in third grade and up. This first-person adventure is good for most young animal lovers!


Secret Spell (Star Friends)

Mia, Sita, Violet, and Lexi are very best friends, and they each have received a Star Animal, magical creatures that can help the girls develop and use their own special, magical powers. But there are powerful forces afoot in the village that use dark magic and want to defeat the girls and their Star Animals. Soon three of the four girls are acting strangely, seemingly beset by their greatest fears. But what could be causing this odd behavior? It isn’t until Mia’s younger brother is also haunted by his greatest fear that Mia thinks she knows what is causing the problem. While all this is going on, a new neighbor is acting suspiciously, and the girls think she is using dark magic. Can Mia and her Star Animal get things back on track?

Linda Chapman has quite a fun fantasy franchise going that is perfect for emerging readers and might help reluctant readers become regular readers. The characters and stories are fun and a little mysterious without being too scary for young readers. The cute illustrations by Lucy Fleming really add to the stories and will help readers connect to the stories and stay engaged.


Before She Was Helen: A Novel

A teenage girl is raped by her high school basketball coach. Fifty years later, a man vanishes from a retirement community. The link between these two events is a semiretired Latin teacher: Clemmie then, Helen now.

Helen lives in one of three adjoining units in Sun City, South Carolina, and apart from playing cards and hiding her identity, she watches out for her neighbor, Dom, an unpleasant but harmless old man, until he disappears. Helen soon finds herself in the middle of a drug trafficking network, ever fearful that her past will catch up with her. Clemmie’s fifty-year-old story emerges gradually, starting with her rape, moving through the adoption of her baby boy and her desperate attempt to fashion a new life as Helen, and culminating in the re-opening of the investigation into the murder of her rapist.

Before She Was Helen captures well Clemmie’s terror as the basketball coach continues to torment her right up to his death as well as Helen’s struggle to defend herself as the drug dealers circle, and all this set against the amusing, everyday life of the elderly residents of Sun City. This book is highly recommended. A word of warning: do not move into a retirement community if there are old people already in residence, it's much too dangerous.


Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! Celebrating Diversity with Empathy

This book reminds me of when I had a new kid in my class. It is scary going to school, and even scarier being a new student in a new school with lots of new faces. Chocolate Milk, Por Favor is a good book that shows how when people choose kindness and think positively about others that you can make friends and make a difference in how that person feels. Johnny first thinks Gabe is crybaby, but then he realizes what it feels like to be alone. So, Johnny decides that even tho the new kid Gabe doesn't know much English, one this is for sure, they can bond over a carton of chocolate milk, and learn about each other's differences and find similarities. Johnny hopes to learn cool soccer moves from Gabe, and Gabe hopes to make new friends at his new school. The fun illustrations portray the many feelings students can have both as a new student in a classroom and as a student in a classroom when a new child is introduced. My favorite part of the books is when Johnny brings Gabe chocolate milk and Gabe has learned to say "Thank you."


Raja's Pet Camel: The Magic of Hope

When Raja finds a scared and lonely calf, he wants to help. Raja’s leftover lunch cements a bond of trust and friendship between the two. The calf follows Raja home, and Raja pleads to keep it as a pet, as most children would. But it is no ordinary pet – it is a camel! Bapu, Raja’s father, is against the idea, especially as in Rajasthan animals are kept for work, not as pets. Kamal, as Raja names the calf, is destructive and has an unusual fondness for consuming dates. Bapu says that Kamal has to go, but Raja has grown attached to it. Each side tries to work with the other to find a mutually agreeable solution.

The exotic setting of Rajasthan, which is located in the Thar desert in northwest India, exposes readers to a different culture. The pictures accurately depict life in Rajasthan, but there is one small exception: Raja is always dressed in his school uniform (white shirt, navy shorts, and dark tie). He is even dressed that way when they go to the fair, presumably on a day when school is out. Barring that small oversight, this read-together book shows readers that people from different cultures have strikingly familiar emotional and familial similarities.


The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Oliver is all alone, but he is determined to find a place where he feels useful and won't be lonely anymore. After being a goatherd for a cruel farmer, Oliver decides it is time to run away. He packs a small bag and sets off looking forward to new adventures. Weary after traveling for a while, Oliver comes to a house where a man lets him in and feeds him. Oliver then finds out the man is a Sorcerer who then tells him he could use an apprentice to help him. Oliver is eager to become the sorcerer's apprentice, and he does everything as Alfred the great sorcerer tells him to. It is a lot of work being an apprentice. Oliver works hard to be a good apprentice. One day Oliver asks Alfred if he would teach him some magic. Alfred reluctantly agrees, but tells him he must never use the magic without him there. One day when Alfred leaves, Oliver decides to use the spells he was taught to bring brooms to life so that they would help him complete chores around the house, but then he realizes he was never taught a spell to make them stop. Oliver knows Alfred will be disappointed. How will he ever earn Alfred's trust back? This fun book tells the story of a mischievous boy. The illustrations are beautifully sketched, and they show exactly how I would picture a sorcerer's home. I love the hidden animals in the book. The Sorcerer's Apprentice has a great lesson in it for all readers.


The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: 7 Essential Practices for Healing Grief

There are situations in a person's life that can change them for the better or the worse. The loss of a loved one, whether expected or unexpected, is one such situation. The pain is hiding behind every moment spent without the person in your life. In our Western culture, death is not a hot topic, making it more difficult for those grieving their loved ones to be able to talk about what they are feeling and experiencing.

In Chelsea Hanson's The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: Seven Essential Practices for Healing Grief, she outlines and explains practices that a grieving individual can work on to allow themselves the best chance of "healing." The misunderstood five stages of grief are a myth when it comes to overcoming your sorrow. With Hanson's advice, you can work through your grief at your own speed and allow yourself the knowledge and resources necessary to rediscover yourself.

The practices in the book are all doable. Some of them seem like common sense things, but when you're deeply hurt, they aren't. I appreciate that Hanson is writing from a place of personal understanding, and it's obvious that she really cares about helping others. She is thorough about all of the aspects of grieving, and the book is a helpful and worthwhile resource.


Bibbit Jumps

A simple, innocent story that follows the adventures of Bibbit’s life, and the lessons he learns from them. One such adventure Bibbit and Little Frog go to the city, but before they go Bibbit refuses to go. This leads Little Frog to go on her own. Then Bibbit finally works up the courage to go because he wants to make sure that Little Forg is safe. Once he arrives, he realizes that the city isn’t so bad, and finds Little Frog in a tall orange-colored building. Once they're in the city, they take in the spectacular view and eventually go home.

This book is a good way to start to read chapter books, as it is simple and easy to understand. The vital, and common lessons, such as not giving up, are heavily present throughout the book allowing young children to grow and mature. It also makes these lessons very fun and this also helps them be easy to understand for younger children. This book is perfect for young children at the age of four to six as it is very easy to understand.


All's Happy That Ends Happy

A short children’s novel by Rose Lagercrantz, All’s Happy That Ends Happy follows two friends as they experience the full range of human emotions—from happiness to sadness.

This book wasn’t too bad. The plot, language, and characters were quite plain and simple. But this simplicity isn’t a bad thing, as this book is geared toward younger readers would get lost in a complex plot, multi-dimensional characters, and complicated language. The illustrations were good and served the same purpose as the simple language, characters, and plot. Overall, I think this book is a good read for younger readers. I would certainly recommend it for younger kids to read on their own and, it would make a great book to read aloud with a child.


The Last Train to Key West

Helen, Mirta, and Elizabeth could not be more different, yet all three women find themselves in Key West over Labor Day weekend in 1933 just as the Great Depression is ravaging in the United States and a hurricane is headed for the small island. Chanel Cleeton’s The Last Train to Key West weaves these women’s stories together in a narrative that is as intriguing as it is descriptively luscious.

Helen’s pregnancy and abusive husband are a threat at home just as the hurricane begins to approach the island. Mirta, on her honeymoon to a man she barely knows, must determine if her new husband—and his infamy as a criminal with potential mafia ties—can be trusted. Elizabeth, a former debutante on the run from a dangerous man, is desperate to find the one man she believes can save her. All three women meet at Ruby’s, the diner where Helen works, and their lives twine together like the wild mangroves that cover the island.  Their future happiness is as bound up in the coming storm as it is in the sacrifices they are willing to make.

Cleeton’s book is the perfect escape into another world where the stakes are high, the women are strong, and the chance for redemption is right around the corner.


The Mist: A Thriller

The Mist is the third installment in the Hidden Iceland series focusing on one of Hulda’s earlier cases that she is assigned on returning to work after a family tragedy. Multiple bodies are found at an isolated farmhouse that has been there for months. As Hulda investigates, she discovers that the couple who lived there had a stranger visit who is connected to her case right before she left work. What was he doing out there, so far from the city and could he be responsible for the horror she now sees? Hulda will learn that some will go to extreme lengths to avenge those they love.

Ragnar Jónasson has a masterful way of writing. Even though this is the third book, the story is told in reverse, with book one being Hulda’s last case and this being one of her earlier ones. It is so interesting to read a story where you already know how it ends, but not how it got there. The author does an amazing job unfolding the story slowly keeping you in suspense for all three books even though from the beginning it’s clear who will be dead. You find yourself reading on hoping for a different outcome, knowing that can’t possibly happen as you’ve basically read the end at the beginning. I also love how the author gives you a glimpse into everyone’s perspective, not just Hulda’s so that it’s not your typical police procedural. I highly recommend this series.


Minor Sketches and Reveries (Stories)

Minor Sketches and Reveries, written by Alberto Balengo and illustrated by Brittany Bethurem, is an eclectic array of short stories meant to regale and absorb readers. From “The Breakfast Taco” and “The Earthworm” to “The Deletionist” and “The Grandparents,” Balengo’s tales bring a sense of dark humor and unconventional whimsicality to our daily interactions. These works will encourage readers to stop and reconsider their everyday activities and interactions in a new, more satirical light.

His pieces are thought-provoking and intriguing, yet also lighthearted and good-natured. Although discussing routine topics, Balengo’s descriptions and perspectives bring a simultaneous sense of simplicity and complexity to each theme. The “Losing the Apartment Key” chapter will prompt readers to rewrite their own key experiences in more vivacious, daring language that better captures the perilous nature of the incident. Balengo’s “sketches” encourage readers to pause and think again about the little pieces that make up our days. In describing the simple act of deleting old messages from an ex-girlfriend, Balengo expresses, “With a simple mouse click, I could delete digital remnants of this relationship. So I did this and savored the accomplishment, until I realized that I still hadn’t gotten rid of the photos or handwritten notes—that would take a lot more time.”

His words, honest and poignant, capture the magnitude of emotions and words left unsaid. Between these pages, readers will explore loss, frustration, and unconventional closure. Many of Balengo’s chapters, or “sketches,” leave the reader roughly where the story started—in the middle of an object’s journey, without conclusion or sense of resolution. The book simply continues on to the next concept or theme, much like life. As readers, we hope for a comprehensive ending, but Balengo shows us that this is neither necessary nor absolute. Balengo includes an additional chapter toward the end of the book that expands on the sketches, providing insight and implication to the works, despite the point typically being to share an anecdote without background or conclusion.

Given the tone and syntax of the work, this book requires a mature audience capable of appreciating and comprehending Balengo’s intention and meaning. Balengo’s book earns four stars for its originality and perspectives on the ins and outs of life. This is the type of book that readers will return to again and again, eager to revisit Balengo’s descriptions and outlook on life. Minor Sketches and Reveries is an exceptional work that will entrance and challenge readers to rethink the ordinary and perceive the bizarre and outlandish in their everyday lives.


Panorama: The Missing Chapter

"An exquisite autobiographical account of the author’s bisexual experience that starts on a trip to Korea. This, followed by a deep analysis covering sexuality, relationships, and prejudices, exhibits the author’s self-awareness of the world around him and how we are all connected to one another. A spiritual book that will spark topics of conversation one after another, Panorama: The Missing Chapter is an eye-opening look into the world we live in." — Kristi Elizabeth, Manhattan Book Review


Dishonor Thy Father

"From beginning to end, //Dishonor Thy Father// is an intuitive and riveting novel that will challenge and strengthen readers. Robinson & Richards’ murder-mystery explores sexism, racism, and bigotry through a fresh lens that probes far beyond simple themes and played out storylines. Readers will struggle to put it down!" — Jessica Tingling, San Francisco Book Review


The Time of Green Magic

Abi finds herself in the middle of a new family with two brothers — Max, a little older, and Louis, younger by six years —  when her father, Theo, falls in love and remarries. It’s hard. They need to find a bigger place to live in. They find an odd, ivy-covered house that  Abi thinks is magical, but magic isn’t always fun. Theo and Polly have to work more, often leaving the kids to their own devices. Abi has a couple of scares while reading books she found in the house, but things get terribly frightening when Louis invites a creature called Iffen into his room. Iffen grows and becomes demanding and threatening. Can the kids come together and save the family?

Author Hilary McKay has written a perfectly enchanting story with beautifully developed characters readers will love and root for, and she has put them in danger that is, at moments, heart-pounding and palpable. All this magic is embedded in very real problems young people face with blended families, sharing parents and space, and learning to live together. The writing is splendid and the story a real page-turner. This book deserves readership beyond the intended middle-grade audience.


Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco

Home Baked is well written, meticulously researched, and verified with interviews, but not at all academic or stuffy. Alia Volz paints beautiful portraits of the times, the city she loves, and her mother, Meridy, the Brownie Lady, who has never conformed or “gone straight”. Meridy is a fascinating character. Although she baked and peddled magic brownies for years, she can barely cook. An artist with a strong personality, she yielded to her husband’s (wrong-headed) vision that she would bear him a son. And she throws the I Ching before making any decision.

Memoir readers will enjoy this book, although it is not exactly a memoir. The author wasn’t even alive for more than half of its content. History buffs may also like it and, in today’s environment of edibles, decriminalization, and medical marijuana clinics, many readers will be astonished at how many years of imprisonment one could face for having even small amounts of pot.

No history of San Francisco in the 60s, 70s, and 80s can be told without including gay liberation, Harvey Milk, Dan White, Jim Jones…They’re all here, along with vivid descriptions of the city in the days before Fisherman’s Wharf became a tourist mecca, before AIDS ravaged the Castro, and before tech bros made every coffee shop their satellite office.

Warning: you may become hungry as you gobble up this book!


The Trouble with Love in the Movies

Hollywood marriages are notorious for being short-lived, but are they really any more likely to end in divorce than regular marriages? While celebrity marriages might have more complications than most (in addition to being of far more interest to the paparazzi), what about the relationships of other people (directors, writers, designers, publicists, etc.) involved in the movie business? Early on in The Trouble with Love in the Movies, Rob Harris suggests that the reasons movie marriages fail are probably not too different from the reasons regular marriages fail, just more extreme. He even offers an equation to crystalize matters: “long separations times long hours times long distances equal short marriages.”

Harris has plenty of experience working in the movies, and he also has a fair bit of experience with love and marriage, too. He lost his first wife to cancer when he was thirty-five and she was just shy of thirty. In the year after her death, he worked on as many movies as possible, staying as far away from the home they had shared as he could. During that time he met Margaret, a singer, who became his second wife. They had been together for eighteen years when the relationship became truly rocky, and that is the point at which Harris begins to consider The Trouble with Love in the Movies.

Of course, it’s his story and his spin on the troubles that plagued his marriage, but Harris seems to be quite even-handed when it comes to who was at fault. He makes it clear that the pair of them ended up wanting different things – he wanted to travel, she wanted to settle into the family home; he spent too much time away, she didn’t seem to be emotionally available when he was home – and that they had stayed together for so long due to their enduring friendship and their love for their sons. However, it’s Harris who has an affair and then, after the couple separate, enters into a longish-term relationship with a demanding new girlfriend. Margaret is the one who gets the ball rolling on the divorce.

Harris writes quite frankly and sometimes rather movingly about his romantic trials and tribulations. He makes clear the loneliness he felt while working on location during the filming of Troy and how, despite being desperate to see his wife and children, even when he was with them, he felt somehow estranged from the family unit. Harris doesn’t always come across in a sympathetic fashion (and his girlfriend Nicola definitely doesn’t), but his account is always interesting and engaging. There’s also plenty of humor to be found in both his account of his personal life (the mind boggles that the Psychic Masseuse and Ghostbuster are real people) and his observations of Hollywood life.

As Harris has worked in the entertainment industry for several decades, it’s no surprise that the biographical aspects of the book are structured around his work on movies. The Trouble with Love in the Movies covers his time working on Troy, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Hotel Rwanda, Serenity, Syriana, Jarhead, Blood Diamond, and more. It’s fascinating stuff, and every bit as eventful as his romantic life. Harris also has tales to tell about his dealings with celebrities such as Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Billy Connelly, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and other big names. There are lots of entertaining stories for movie buffs to enjoy. In fact, the book should be a big hit with those who enjoy biography/memoir and those who love the movies.


Ocean Speaks: How Marie Tharp Revealed the Ocean's Biggest Secret

This informative biography shows how Marie Tharp, a woman who persevered during a time when women were not viewed as smart enough to be a scientist, made her discoveries known and showed that she was a real scientist. Marie Tharp always loved the ocean and the mysteries it held. During the war when many men were drafted she saw an opportunity to be the scientist she had always wanted to be but there were still limitations for her just because she was a woman. Marie had to chart and plot the data in her office that her male colleagues collected out in the ocean and she made the most amazing discovery. Sadly, no one believed her because she was a woman and she was told to re-check her work. She checked her work again and again and grew to know the bottom of the ocean well. Her work was correct, now if she could just get someone to believe her work, sadly for anyone to invest in her work, a man had to present her work. Once they saw what she had found out they were astonished. This book is beautifully illustrated with bright hues of blues and yellows to capture the beauty of the ocean and the land.


Post-Apocalypto

Looking for something cheerfully depraved? Or something hyper-cute and grotesque? Look no further than these killer comics which feature a range of delightfully dark stories that span the absurd, the post-apocalyptic, and the disturbing. Take an adventure with four robots bound together through a kill lock then explore the origins of Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, and then follow June Branch as she tries to rescue her boyfriend and escape an island with the help of a cursed Viking axe.

Hell Was Full – Branson Reese

Branson Reese delivers a work that features alt text and has new material that's delightful and absurd while also being called bitingly satirical, depraved yet cheerful, and eye-scractchingly humorous. This collection features moments that are insane, including God's fallen head being chewed on by a raccoon, a man having driven a Transformer out of a funeral, and a toaster that turns against its owner. /Hell Was Full/ stems from the webcomic which has been commented on for its bleak style that weaves into the absurdity and creates dadaist cocktails. Everything you love about the webcomic can be found in this collection with a variety of comics that range from a man using his wish to wish the genie dead to absurd characters that include M&Ms and hornets.

Post-Apocalypto – Tenacious D.

/Post-Apocalypto/ was a film, an album, and a tour. Now the graphic novel has arrived with audio included. Tenacious D (the musical styling of Jack Black and Kyle Gass) have branched out their universe with this new graphic novel. This humorous and genre mash-up stems from the minds of Black as an illustrator and Gass as a writer. The movie is available on YouTube. An atomic bomb drops and now Tenacious D is cast into a world of chaos after they survive the apocalypse in true cinematic style by hiding inside of a 1950s refrigerator. The Tenacious duo quickly learns that a new kind of evil has developed as a side effect of the bomb which can only mean one thing. In order for humanity to survive the brewing evil, this duo will have to save the world. In this crazy tale of post-apocalypse, you'll follow this duo as they venture to the White House, use a time machine, and even take an adventure into space while working through daddy issues. /Post-Apocalypto/ is described as being hilarious yet political while also being brilliant and multi-faceted with colorful illustrations.

The Kill Lock – Livio Ramondelli

This science-fiction adventure finds these four robots cast away from their homes after committing horrible crimes and are now facing a big problem. They're bound together through a kill lock that will activate if one of them dies and kill the other three. Their only choice is to rely on each other. The journey bands a soldier, a murderer, an addict, and a child together in a search for a cure that will ensure all of their survival. Only one clue steers them in their search. A bot called the Axial is supposedly the creator of the Lock and the only one that has the answers they need.

Usagi Yojimbo Origins Vol 1 Samurai – Stan Sakai

This colorful edition delves back into the beginnings of rabbit ronin Miyamoto's journey. Usagi started as a student where he trained under the guidance of a mountain hermit called Katsuichi-Sensei. This journey takes place in a time well before he was a samurai without a master. His training under the hermit provides him with the first steps toward becoming a warrior and closer to the battle of Adachigahara. This serves as a catalyst for the incredible tales he is set to venture upon. Discover the origins of Stan Sakai's fan-favorite character in a story set long before the decades-long epic that fans love. This stunning collection follows the /Samurai/ storyline in an edition that includes full color for the first time since it was released in 1987. This volume includes /Blind Swords-Pig/, /A Quiet Meal/, /Kappa/, and /Lone Rabbit and Child/.

Junko Mizuno's Hell Ladies – Junko Mizuno

This stunning collection is a compilation of Junko Mizuno's works from the beginning of her career which highlighted powerful female characters which had a transgressive twist. These characters come to life through this colorful fantasy world that has been a fascination of Japan since she created them. Mizuno's art has been described as delicious, distinctive, and disturbing. The works in /Hell Ladies/ range from 1998 to 2001 which introduce a variety of manga-inspired girls that wear rattlesnakes and play with butcher knives as well as razor blades. Known for her psychedelic flair, Mizuno's style mixes sweet and horror with female sexuality which creates a juxtaposition between tones of hyper-cute and grotesque. This is a collection for mature readers.

Basketful of Heads – Joe Hill

What other choice does June Branch have when she's trapped on Brody Island, but try to find a way out, no matter the risk. To make matters worse, her boyfriend was kidnapped and she has escaped convicts out for her blood. The only thing June has in her defense is a mysterious Viking axe that comes with the power to behead people while allowing them to continue talking. June's only option to save herself and rescue her boyfriend is to use the axe's power while trying to keep herself calm and perhaps even seek help from a basketful of heads. This collection is spine-tingling and features artwork by Leomacs from /Lucifer/. The entire seven-issue miniseries is featured within /Basketful of Heads/ with special features that include character designs and sketches from behind-the-scenes.


Florida Man: A Novel

Heidi Karavas and Reed Crowe should have had a lifelong love for the ages. They fell for each other hard in high school, had a daughter, and began to work through growing up together. But the loss of their child split them apart and left Reed alone, mostly, on Emerald Island to manage a seedy motel and sideshow amusement park with little to look forward to. An aging hippie with a streak of sadness that borders on destructive, Reed Crowe is the Florida Man of Tom Cooper’s latest novel.

Reed’s story could be one-note, but Cooper’s deft mix of detail and description, and flair for creating some of the most outlandishly bizarre characters ever written saves the story. One character, Catface, a crack added refugee looking for revenge, sews several stories together—Reed’s own, and the one of Seminole Indian Henry Yahchilane, dope dealer and all-around scumbag Wayne Wade, and the poor unfortunate soul running Big Gorilla Fireworks. Catface, and Reed, are all woven together in the weird and wild Florida landscape to tell a story of losing and finding or resignation and redemption that is more complex and beautiful than it should be.

If you are looking to lose yourself in a world that feels nothing like your own, shepherding by characters for feel infinitely familiar, Florida Manis the book for you.


Where Dreams Descend: A Novel (Kingdom of Cards (1))

Magicians young and old gather in the odd city of Glorian to compete for the top spot in the Conquering Circus. Kallia has long dreamed of running away and rising to the top in this world. Although she has the talent, there are many things standing in her way: judges set on not accepting her, a new world to explore, and more than anything, Jack, her mentor, who has kept her away from the world. As the stakes grow higher and relationships blossom, Kallia has to learn who she can trust, who she can’t, and to never trust what she sees in the mirror.

Dark, romantic, and set on the stage, Where Dreams Descend is one of my favorite reads of this year. The cast isn’t large and the book focuses only on the characters who are important, to the extent that the main characters note that they don’t remember the names of other characters. The romance is a bit over-dramatic, all based on miscommunication, which makes sense due to their personalities and the plot, although it felt a little lazy to keep them apart. There is a lot left hanging and unexplained that will hopefully be explained in the next book in the series.


What Rose Forgot: A Novel

This book was an utter disappointment. Rose is an elderly lady who finds herself escaping from a medical facility by saving up her pills and poisoning the nurse on duty. I should have known the level of realism was going to be extremely low at that point. Once she escapes, Rose finds her thirteen-year-old granddaughter, Mel, and somehow Mel gets Rose back to her house, where an intruder tries to kill Rose. Rose, of course, chops off the intruder's hand, thus stopping him from killing her. She then creates a plan with Mel and her sixty-eight-year-old sister, Marion, to find out what is going on and why she was in the hospital.

As the story progresses, we meet more odd characters who are either just plain crazy, or stupid, or weird. I couldn’t wait for this book to end. Another thing that was annoying about this book is that the author felt she had to put her opinion of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in it. Both of these snippets were so unnecessary and had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. I tend to read fiction so that I can escape from today’s political charade, not be reminded of it. More points docked for that.

What Rose Forgot ended up being a dud of a book and I’m glad I got through it fairly quickly. Lame characters and an even lamer plot.


Selected Poems

Zabuzhko, contemporary Ukrainian writer, poet, essayist, and author of the most controversial and influential works of her time and place, radiates forward in pulsating glory in this pocket-sized collection of poetry.

While much of her work famously illuminates Ukrainian self-identification and post-colonial issues, her prodigious writing spans the universe of ideas. Her incredibly broad and scholarly reading informs and enlivens her writing, and with the diverse literary themes in her work recognizable by different readers from different traditions, her heartbeats strike home around the globe. Zabuzhko is a philosopher, a cultural critic, a philologist, and a linguist. With her unique ability to transmute abstract ideas into crystalline language, she pierces our hearts with her crushingly accurate narration of the threads of identity we are all yearning to satisfy.

The skilled translators of this novel bring her precise words to us in vivid English. Every piece leaves the reader hungry for more, every path sends the traveler back to retrace their steps. Readers who enjoy peeling back layer after layer of a poem will find themselves richly rewarded as they read and re-read this thoughtful anthology.


A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir

An ode to Colin Jost’s A Very Punchable Face:
Why would I read this book, isn’t he young for a memoir?
It’s well written and quite funny. He has led an interesting life.
How much of the book is about Scarlett Johansson?
Very little! The book is about his childhood in Staten Island, time at Harvard, as a student in Russia, his early experiences at SNL, and the last few years as head writer and on-air talent on the show. It’s full of cool revelations, like his mother’s role as chief medical officer of the NYC Fire Department. He’s extremely self-deprecating and geeky, which makes him endearing and kind of adorable.

But is the book actually funny?

It is! He’s got great observations about himself which reminded me of people I know and myself. Some of his SNL stories are hilarious and he’s got oddball footnotes on most pages that are also funny. It’s a smart book, too, and is very much like his Weekend Update newscast.
I don’t watch SNL, will I like it?

Maybe not. I am a fan of the show. My teen and I watch it together religiously, so the parts of the book that deal with behind the scenes, SNL culture, etc., were especially interesting to me. There’s a section about which iconic sketches he wrote, and if you’ve never seen the show, it might not connect with you.
I like pictures, are there any?

There are many pictures, many unflattering but humorous. All in all, I really enjoyed A Very Punchable Face and recommend it to SNL fans.


Where Memory Leads: My Life

Saul Friedlander, a much-acclaimed political historian, takes readers from the disturbed and disturbing childhood years of his earlier When Memory Comes through his extraordinary career in Where Memory Leads. The Holocaust, which took his parents, led to Catholic protection and schooling until an emerging Jewishness as a teenager directed him to Zionism and active participation as the State of Israel was established. As a young man, he was appointed ‘political secretary’ to Nahum Goldmann, then the President of the World Jewish Congress and the World Zionist Organization.

A well-respected and popular professor, Friedlander has taught in universities in Europe, Israel, and the U.S., sometimes concurrently, held positions in high-power international academic and political organizations, mingled with leading scholars, not always amicably, and on first name terms with the early Israeli leadership. His writing has been recognized with numerous awards, the Pulitzer Prize awarded for his meticulous account, The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews:1939-1945, a culmination of international academic exploration and his commitment to German Jewish relations in the mid-twentieth century.

While the narrative of Where Memory Leads is enthralling, Friedlander’s style and humanism are equally beguiling. He discusses without reservation several years of mental setbacks, his depression and stress, the medication that he recognized allowed him to stay on top of an unusually complex lifestyle. Not least, the book is suffused with humor. Familiar with some half a dozen languages, Friedman chides himself, even with the book’s opening line, ‘How do you say ‘aubergines’ in Hebrew?’


When Memory Comes: The Classic Memoir

When Memory Comes, first published in 1978, is a memoir that has become a classic. Saul Friedlander’s boyhood coincided with the Holocaust. His family fled from Prague to France. His parents were later taken away and killed at Auschwitz, while he, a small Jewish boy, was taken from one sanctuary to another, mostly in Catholic surroundings. With each move, his language, his name, even his status changed so that he acquired a series of new identities.

Later, he realized that he had passed over to Catholicism body and soul. At his first Passover seder with Russian-Jewish guardians in Paris, he was urged to eat the meat course, the highlight of the meal, but he could only refuse. The Catholic years, which he never disparages, gave way to the restoration of his Jewish heritage. He recognized "how authentic the familiar, informal side of Jewish prayer can be."

In 1947, he was gripped by the spirit of Zionism and joined Betar, the youth division of Irgun, widely termed a terrorist organization, which was striving for Israel’s independence. He has since achieved renown for his writing on Israel’s history and has taught history at several universities.

When Memory Comes demonstrates a distinctive style. Friedlander’s skill in moving fluidly and coherently back and forth across the years, as "memory came back in waves," is a pattern that fosters a wholly human empathy.


Magic: A History from Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present

Magic has been part of human civilization since its earliest beginnings.  Some believe that religion and science were off-shoots of magic as human society evolved. This book takes the view that all three strands are ancient and enduring characteristics of society, and have influenced each other through the ages. Its objective is to trace the history of magic and explore where magic can be relevant in today’s society (where magic is used for entertainment, or shunned by mainstream academic discourse).

After the introductory chapter, the narrative delves into a history of magic with the intent of covering magic across all cultures and time periods. The initial chapter starts with prehistoric times (40,000 BC to 6000 BC). Most of the narrative focuses on societies where we have primarily archeological evidence (and hence the guidance of a skilled archeologist). The areas covered include ancient civilizations, China, Eurasia, and Europe. One chapter covers magic in Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Another chapter covers Jewish, Greek, and Roman magic. The last chapter discusses modern times and tries to plot future trajectories of the role magic could play in contemporary society.

The work has such a broad scope that it is bound to come under criticism for errors of omission. The work is also bias towards anthropological evidence – sometimes at the expense of other techniques of historical verification. The discussion on the future of magic is very brief and reads more like an opinion than an analysis. The text is academic, and in some places dry. A useful book for those who want to explore the history of magic.


Santa Monica: A Novel

In Santa Monica, the people who frequent Color Theory’s workout classes are wealthy and beautiful, fixated on their looks and concerned primarily with their own best interests. People like housekeeper Lettie exist on the margins of this exclusive society, all but invisible to haughty employers such as workout-fiend Regina and subject to frequently overt racism that barely raises an eyebrow.

Brooklyn transplant Mel sees herself as different (less skinny, more liberal, more cultured) and eases her loneliness by befriending Lettie. But even Mel can’t fathom the extent of Lettie’s troubles. She’s about to be deported, fears leaving her young son, and relies on the money provided by her wayward half-brother, Zach (the sexy fitness guru of Santa Monica’s elite). What Zach and his adorers don’t know is that in a matter of weeks, he will be murdered inside the very gym that defines their lives... and it seems possible that any one of them is to blame.

Told from multiple points of view and opening with a murder that fuels the tension and mystery from page one, Santa Monica is a literary thriller and highbrow beach read that pokes fun at wellness culture gone haywire. This is a smart, page turner of a novel that hits home with every bit of its delicious snark.


Driftwood

While quite a departure from what readers might expect after appreciating her Lady Trent novels, Driftwood has an allure all its own. Author Marie Brennan introduces readers to Driftwood, a land in the middle of its apocalypse. In this chaotic world, where entire lands and peoples disappear, with the Crush at the life-sucking center of it all, the only stable thing most people know is a guide called Last. But who is this strange one-blood who seems to be everywhere and nowhere, who might be a liar or a god? The Drifters struggle within their understanding of him as they come together to commemorate his reported death; whatever death means to someone who most consider immortal.

From the lived-in feel of the world to the mysteries surrounding Last, let alone the creatures from all the worlds emerging from the Mist, Brennan is at her most creative with this work. From religious zealotry to loners trying to save their little stretch of earth or memory of their people, Driftwood is as diverse as the Shreds themselves. Definitely worth a read.


Bright Precious Thing: A Memoir

I loved Caldwell’s earlier award-winning memoir,Let’s Take the Long Way Home, which focused on her deep and abiding friendship with the deceased writer Caroline Leavitt, for whom she grieves to this day. This new memoir, Bright Precious Thing, surpasses even that. It is one of the best memoirs I have read in years and one of those rare books that I allow myself to mark up, underlining one beautiful sentence after another.

Women of a certain age will resonate with Gail’s account of what it meant to come of age during the height of feminism and how that movement continues to affect our lives. Caldwell was moved to write this book following the 2016 election and the surge of the Me Too movement, and she says this book is for the women who were stalked, abused, and demeaned; for those who stood up, who wrote and imagined, and “for the boys, too. The good sons who are learning how to be good men.” She had relationships with some of those good men, and with some not-so-good ones as well.

Every reader will enjoy how she intersperses memories of growing up in Texas, hitch-hiking across the country, and young love affairs with the most delightful anecdotes featuring her five-year-old neighbor, a magnificently self-assured little girl.

Gail writes of her relationship with her therapist, and of becoming sober many decades ago, and always, always, about her beloved dogs. She kept a journal (what a boon for a memoirist, to have those written records to mine), which sometimes is “difficult for me to read, the scrawl of someone in peril.”

You won’t find nostalgia or self-pity in these pages—rather the clarity that comes with perspective, given to us in gorgeous writing. As Caldwell writes, “you must love what is in front of you, rather than only what is behind."


Outside Looking In

"If you're a parent or a teacher, chances are you'll wind up caring for a child with autism at some point. Because it can present so differently in every child, it can be hard to know what to do. Vivian's book doesn't give all the answers—no book can—but it's a heartfelt and plain-spoken story of one parent's journey and an excellent place to start for people who can feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information available." —Jo Niederhoff, San Francisco Book Review


New America: Awakenings

2020 is a year that will be remembered in infamy for a long time; it will become a chapter or multiple chapters in future history and science books. The November election will also be historic, and perhaps also infamous, and what happens after will set the stage for the future of America as a country. New America: Awakenings by Tyler Davis is one possible America that five years ago would’ve been seen as dystopic science fiction and impossible to actually happen. Nowadays, we’re not so sure. New America: Awakenings makes 1984 look rather tame.

Colt is a teenager, but he doesn’t get to be a normal teenager doing normal teenager things, because he lives in a very different America, where a fascist dictator is in full reign, with the supposed backing of God and the Christians who blindly and unquestioningly follow him. Sound familiar? “Of course, things like privacy, cell phones, and the internet were things of the past in New America.” In this alien country, those suspicious of others not following the rule of the President and his authority and decree can call on the red phone and expose them. If their suspicions are confirmed, then those accused are rounded up and taken for public execution by guillotine. Because traitors and rebels will not be tolerated. The atheists, homosexuals, and many other groups have already been persecuted. The Muslim population is currently under attack, as the government looks to eradicate them from American soil.

“As all the heads collected in the bin, the cheering erupted, and the chanting, ‘God Bless America,’ started.”

Colt lives with his parents and eight-year-old sister, Eliza, in a rundown house. They struggle to get by on protein bars, their sole food doled out to them by the government. They do their best to keep low and unnoticed, especially from that woman Katherine who lives nearby, always preaching and proselytizing, and looking to turn someone in and get them executed. Colt’s father, Kyle, wants to help his friends who are Muslim, but knows it will not be an easy task. Colt wants to help too, but must make his own decisions and choices as he is considered his own man now, not always in agreement with his father about what they should do, and more importantly, how they should best protect their family.

Davis does a great job of painting a sad, horrific picture of a destroyed America, where there seems little else but suffering. But he also provides hope through his characters. While there are a few typos, they actually work for the story, as Colt is recounting his story in this harsh world, and it isn’t always accurate and correct. The result is a sobering tale that pushes the limits of the reader's senses and emotions, but at the same time, keeps them reading on, wanting to know what will happen next, and how they will survive.


New America: Awakenings

In recent years, there has been a surge in a particular sub-genre of speculative fiction. As far back as 1935 and the release of Sinclair Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here, people have pondered what might happen if fascists came to power in America. New America: Awakenings is only the latest inspired by recent events.

The first in a series, the book opens on America as a shattered country. Colt Jenkins and his family live in New Bethlehem, a walled city which once seemed a paradise but has now become a hellhole. They rarely have enough to eat, his little sister Eliza is constantly sickly, and worst of all, they live across the street from Katherine, a Bible-thumper in charge of keeping law and order in the community. The conflict with a Muslim community, Broken Mecca, has been growing steadily worse, but Colt soon learns not all is as it seems in New Bethlehem, or even in America, and this knowledge may well prove dangerous.

As a concept, it’s intriguing, but the execution went quickly from “enjoyable but without much depth” to “lacking.” The timeline of recent history felt shaky, for one thing; I couldn’t tell how long America had been New America. The societal structure and how widespread its acceptance was made me feel that it must have been at least a decade, but Colt’s knowledge of pop culture and modern conveniences like smartphones and Facebook implied it had only been a few years. The size of New Bethlehem also left me confused; at times it seemed to be a small town, but others I was sure it had to be a large city. I also felt the author had little grasp on how America’s government works. Naturally, the system of government would change under a dystopia, and I didn’t question that there were ministers in power. What I did question was how often Congress had to ratify the Constitution instead of simply amending it.

Of course, that part could have been simply overlooked. From details like that to misspellings and changing names (Katherine has two different last names over the course of the novel, and one character is referred to at different points as Haseem, Hazem, and Abaan), the book felt heavily in need of an editor.

At its best, a dystopia presents a chilling example of what could be, whether by showing a possible near future like Lewis did or, as in The Hunger Games, taking current societal trends to an extreme. New America does neither of these. The dystopia presented is uninspired and uninteresting, especially with a glut of similar books on the market.


New America: Awakenings

Morning has dawned on New America. The sounds of gunfire and bombs greet the bleary eyes of Colton Jenkins. This is a near-daily occurrence. He and his family live in a settlement named New Bethlehem. The government has been consumed by a totalitarian dictatorship, where Christianity is the religion espoused and embraced, conformity is stressed, and differences are not tolerated. A civil war has torn the country asunder, now wars of race and religion have spread to the small towns. The towns are distinguished by their beliefs; now they more closely resemble ghettoes. Food is scarce, nutrition coming mainly from Protein bars. The town’s residents, such as Colton and his family, are overseen by a religious zealot named Catherine Shay. Catherine cloaks her true sadism within her pious faith.

New Bethlehem is subject to the new rules of New America. Religious observance is compulsory, and resistance can lead to arrest and execution during a televised “Ceremony of Peace.” A snitch culture pervades daily life, as do-gooders looking to curry favor with the government are apt to rat out their enemies. Colton’s father, Kyle, is a resistor who is on Catherine’s radar. After an attack allegedly carried out by opposing forces on their settlement, Colton searches for supplies to secure the windows of the family apartment. He is aided by Marshall, who resembles the local law enforcement. However, soon, Catherine’s hackles are raised, Kyle is accused of theft, and is about to be hauled away. Colton reacts quickly and incurs the ire of Catherine. Colton saves his dad but has committed an infraction meriting brutal punishment.

The punishment is severe and publicly humiliating. Colton has now assumed the role of a non-conformist troublemaker. He is now squarely in the sights of Catherine. Colton awakes to find the town has changed for the worse, and Catherine has consolidated her stranglehold on power. A plague has swept through the town; some are blaming Colton. His mother and sister are on the brink of death. The danger is mounting by the day, and a daring escape seems the only way out. Is resistance futile when it appears all forces are in alignment against you?

New America: Awakenings is a powerful new release that goes for the jugular and refuses to release its grip. The tension is palpable with every winding turn in this book. The sympathy with Colton and his family’s plight expands with each peril they face. The book bears a close resemblance to aspects of our current world, which will strike a resonant chord with the reader. Yet, the author illustrates the perils of a divided world and the futility of endless war. This book is a shot fired at the heart of the Orwellian surveillance state and has the makings of a dystopian classic.


New America: Awakenings

"2020 is a year unlike any other, and with election season upon us, our future is anything but certain. Davis's "New America: Awakenings" gives us a possible future we really don't want, even if we can't stop ourselves from reading it." —Alex C. Telander, Portland Book Review


Firebird

Kythe Heller’s collection, Firebird, is an intriguing read across five sections that might, in fact, be five single poems, or perhaps sequences of poems. There are no individual titles, the page breaks could just as easily be thought-sequence breaks, and only the section titles (The Burning Girl, Mattress Under the Overpass, The Spirit Neither Sorts Nor Separates, Runaway, and That Heart) provide clues.

This vagueness of form leaves it to the reader to interpret a landscape in part common, in part dreamscape or nightmare, populated by what is likely a single person plagued by multiple personalities and personas. The narrator speaks in both first and third person of a breakdown, of being alone to mend herself, drawn to fire for re-creation. She wants to feel and fears not feeling, at the same time seeing both her being and future negated. At the center lies, not a glorification of pain, death, and loss, but acceptance by way of normalization. Recognizing this while trying to become a single entity means her struggle to return to an earlier, safer state is not guaranteed to succeed.

Be prepared to be haunted by your journey with the burning girl.


This Is My America

Tracy’s dad was wrongly convicted for murder and is on death row. He’s running out of time. She writes to organizations asking for help. She leads Know Your Rights workshops. Her father’s supposed crime has taken over her life. Then she faces more disaster. Her classmate is found dead. Her brother is the suspect. Can Tracy use her knowledge of the law to find the real murderer and save her family? Because her family is Black, the system will be against them. Will justice be enough to go against racism, or will they be silenced like many before them?

This novel was moving and powerful. It’s an important book, particularly now. It helped me realize that I am comfortable with the police, but not everyone has the luxury of knowing the system will work for them. Some of the hatred demonstrated by some characters did seem unrealistic, but I don’t know if I can judge this. Obviously, this is for teenagers (murder, sad topics, and a plethora of swear words.) It’s very thrilling, with suspense and mystery. Overall, this is a nail-biting, empowering book, and a worthwhile purchase.


Street Food: Mouth-watering recipes for quick bites and mobile snacks from around the world

I love the idea of street food. This book is full of fun, flavorful, fulfilling recipes, from countries around the world. Most recipes are made with ingredients that are easily accessible here in the States. The recipes are easy-to-follow, straightforward explanations for how to prepare each meal.  There are no complicated techniques that only a chef would know how to perform.

It was also useful to have a brief description of each meal at the top of the page. Using that tool, it was easy to decide if that recipe was one I would like to try.

As for the taste, every recipe I taste-tested was absolutely delicious. The flavors were unique to the continent from which they originated. I liked the opportunity to cook food from places I have never traveled to. Some of my favorite recipes were jerk chicken, pork tamales, crispy garlic chive chicken wontons, ramen with tempura prawns, and bbq pork-belly skewers. I would highly recommend this cookbook to any food enthusiast who would like to add a little bit of variety to his or her menu.


The Little Kitten (My Little Animal Friend)

When Ollie and her beloved cat, Pumpkin, trek outside to play, they discover a delightful kitten underneath a pile of autumn leaves. Ollie swoops it up and holds it close to warm its shivering body before engaging it in a game of hide-and-seek. After a quick, restful sleep, the kitten awakes, ready for more adventure. They run deep into the woods, and on the surrounding trees, Ollie discovers posters of a missing kitten. A path leading to the kitten’s home is uncovered underneath the windswept leaves. Though Ollie is sad to lead it home, she knows someone there must love it deeply. She rushes back to find Pumpkin alone in the darkness buried underneath a pile of leaves. With great relief, they are reunited once again.

Author and illustrator, Nicola Killen, brings readers a sweet and engaging story designed for children ages four to eight. Little ones will fancy Ollie’s adorable cat costume she wears throughout the tale, blending in nicely with her surroundings. They, as well as their older peers and siblings, will be drawn to the glistening, gold leaves scattered throughout the story. They have a sleek, soft texture and illuminate the pages with their brightness. Unique cut-out windows are scattered throughout the text as well that add intrigue and originality to it. Killen’s simple, yet distinguishable style is perfect for early readers. /The Little Kitten/ will be an ideal pick to add to their collection.


Survivor Song: A Novel

Masterful storyteller Paul Tremblay hits close to home with his latest, Survivor Song, a tale of resilience and tenacity in a world rampant with a human virus resembling rabies. With woven perspectives, we follow Natalie, a pregnant woman whose husband was suddenly killed by a rabid human only a month before her due date. Natalie herself sustained a bite in the altercation, and turns to her friend Rams, a pediatrician at the local hospital, to help her get the vaccine she desperately needs to save herself and her child.

In classic Tremblay form, our characters defy expectations through their choices and their most personal thoughts navigating the disease-torn world. We may not feel emotionally close to them (in a pre-2020 world, I might have said this is because we cannot relate to their experiences), but Tremblay’s talent is keeping readers just distanced enough from the leads that we can still empathize with them without losing sight of the consequences and overall implications of their thoughts and actions. Survivor Song leaves us with much to consider in many regards, making it a thrilling read in these pandemic-driven times.


The Hunting of Hillary: The Forty-Year Campaign to Destroy Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton has endured more than thirty years of vilification and slander. She is no saint, but probably no worse than any other politician.  This book is not an indictment of her persecutors. It is a remarkably fair-minded account of Clinton’s life in politics and the enmity she has provoked. It is chilling to relive the many Clinton scandals. The author writes of prosecutor Brett Kavenaugh obscenely slurring Mrs. Clinton and demanding lurid details of her husband’s intimate foibles with Monica Lewinsky. So, Mrs. Clinton has endured intimate pain from political foes and more deeply from her spouse. We all may remember her I’m no stand by your man woman speech and how it is belied by her deep continuing connection with her husband. In like manner, the more abuse she endures, the stronger her fight to remain politically relevant and aspiring. We think of her eleven-hour ordeal at the hands of Senate Republicans and what inner strength she must have. In a strange way, the fact that she has been so targeted, must mean that she presented the greatest threat to the existing political order. A fascinating woman and interesting account.


Forest of Souls

Sirscha Ashwyn is secretly training under Kendara to become the queen's Shadow, but everything that Sirscha has worked for unravels following an attack by shamans that results in the death of someone she loves. Before she has time to mourn, she discovers she possesses a unique ability when she resurrects Saengo. As she works to understand this new power, she makes another shocking discovery: she's a soulguide, something that hasn't existed in years. This newfound status gets her summoned by the Spider King. He requests her help to control the Dead Wood, which has slowly grown out of control and threatens to destroy the peace between it and Sirscha's kingdom.

The plot is fast-paced and, following the various threats, Sirscha's dream of becoming a Shadow is put into perspective as she finds herself stepping into the role of a soulguide, which marks her as a rare and extraordinary being and as the hero that the two kingdoms need. The story introduces a variety of unique characters, including the Spider King, Kendara, and Saengo. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Saengo and Sirscha, which grows from loyalty, respect, and love to create a genuine sisterhood. This is the driving force for Sirscha, and it is at the core of her character. Their relationship adds a layer of emotion to the plot and brings out the lighter side of Sirscha while providing her with an underlying strength due to having someone to fight for. The book also explores her journey to become a soulguide, which helps her learn about her own power, strength, and courage as she faces saving her friend, conquering the Dead Wood, and proving herself as a hero.

Forest of Souls is a "must read" for fantasy lovers who will enjoy its tale of empowerment, courage, friendship, and inner strength.


The Montague Twins: Volume 1, The Witch's Hand

Three amateur teenage detectives begin a thrilling adventure to uncover long-buried secrets in their sleepy New England town circa 1969. Twin brothers, Al (Alistair) and Peter Montague, have recently solved the case of the Bradford’s missing dog. Their guardian, David, orders them to take a day off from sleuthing. David and his wife, Shelly, took the boys in after their parents disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The twins set out to enjoy the summer day along with Charlie, the couple’s daughter when they suddenly encounter a strange storm and a mysterious robed figure. Later that evening, three girls go missing, including Mr. Bradford’s daughter. As Al, Peter, and Charlie go in search of the missing girls, they discover magical forces that will change their lives forever.

The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand by Nathan Page and Drew Shannon is an exciting new graphic novel. Page and Shannon give a nod to the Hardy Boys series, even setting the story in the summer of ’69. But they have modernized the classic teen mystery format by including an LGBTQ+ lens. The story has depth and humor and is also a page-turner. It includes magical characters and spooky settings as well as the classic cemetery showdown. The ending hints at future mysteries still left to be solved by the Montague twins.


These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s. Volume 3 (1978-1980)

It took years of hard work, perseverance, and jumping through private, public, and professional hoops to return Star Trek to the screen... but this time around, it was the silver screen, not the small screen. And if you thought it was a war to get the film greenlit, just wait for the battle to get it into theaters.

The third volume in Cushman's These Are the Voyages is the most engrossing yet, exploring the chaotic and combative journey from script to cinema. The author takes the reader deep into the trenches, watching along as key figures battle over plot, presentation, motivation, special effects, budget, casting, and virtually every other aspect.

Cushman's exhaustive research makes for a compelling read, and observing creative people overcoming obstacle after obstacle was a draining but worthwhile experience. The brief respite exploring how the music was created for the film was a personal highlight, a beautiful glimpse of professional collaboration for the greater good.

Closing out a trilogy of books with one great victory (the return of Star Trek) and one great defeat (the beginning of the end for Gene Roddenberry) gives this tome a weight and atmosphere befitting a historical text, and indeed, it absolutely fits the bill.


These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s. Volume 2 (1975-1977)

It's kind of amazing that you can write over 600 pages about the time between the original series of Star Trek and the first feature film, but you can. Cushman painstakingly chronicles the many attempts by Gene Roddenberry to resurrect, reboot, or otherwise revive and reinvent the show.

But that's not the real story here.

The real story is how the fans and conventions saved Star Trek, and that's where These Are the Voyages shines. Lovingly exploring how fan investment, dedication, affection, and enthusiasm showed the cast and crew, and then the world, exactly what Star Trek meant to the fandom... now that's the story worth telling.

Honestly, the Roddenberry bits are mostly boring, paling in comparison to the baffling, brilliant rise of convention fandom and how it changed perceptions of the show. Don't get me wrong, this is still a terrific read, a true history of Star Trek's fallow period in exacting detail. But trimmed down or split into two parts (Roddenberry and the fans on parallel journeys), this could have been a barnstormer of a read.


Kerry and the Knight of the Forest

A young boy named Kerry is lost in the forest and has to return a special medicine to his very ill parents back at his home. So Kerry has to travel and ask for directions. It’s not easy, but he’ll manage. Kerry encounters a living rock knight and many other mysterious creatures. The rock knight is called Waystone and guides him through the forest. The spirit of the forest appears and Kerry unlocks many questions. Kerry has to figure out whom to trust, return home, and survive all the way with the help of Waystone.

It’s a lot in a book! Fantasy, forests, spirits, and lost children. A good book to recommend for people who like forests and fantasy, and lost children! This book is good, with a detailed but slow plot, but it's not one of my favorites. The art is very interesting and cool. I like how some pages in the book are in one color, and some are another! It’s very interesting. Also, I noticed that the speech bubbles are different too! I like Kerry because he’s very caring and very brave, considering he’s lost in the forest.


The Vegenaise Cookbook: Great Food That's Vegan Too

Vegenaise is perhaps the most popular vegan mayonnaise alternative out there, and now the original creator has released a delicious cookbook filled with recipes that use the spread as well as other alternative products from the Follow Your Heart company. The Vegenaise Cookbook is no health food cookbook, but the recipes inside all look and sound delicious, a collection of classics and comfort dishes that will delight any home cook, whether they follow a plant-based diet or not. The book starts with an introduction to vegenaise, and the story of how the company that now makes it, Follow Your Heart, was born. You’ll find recipes for soups, like Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Bisque; sandwiches, like Double-Decker Spicy Chipotle M-L-A-T Sandwich; main courses, like Classic Lasagna; and even desserts, like Strawberry Scone Cake with Lemon Whip. The recipes are all easy to follow and, aside from the Follow Your Heart Products (which may have limited availability in nearby stores), ingredients are easy to source. Many recipes are accompanied by mouth-watering photography. Get ready for some plant-based comfort!


The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code

Take a look here at the evolution of altruism, the development of compassion, the regard for kindness as it emerged from the selfish ape to the sometimes self-sacrificing human. As seen through history, man has not been programmed for unselfishness, but external factors seem to be able to modify this deficiency Psychologist Michael McCullough dissects the theories of evolutionary psychologists and biologists seeking evidence of benevolence as a genetic component of behavior. Apparently, the seed of altruism is not an adaptation from natural selection, rather the author argues that kindness developed from the notion that aiding others would result in a reciprocal return, and on the idea of pursuing glory; both rather selfish thoughts themselves. Over the past millennia, through cruel military, social, and infectious crises;  subsequent reason and social demands molded more benign behaviors. This is the story that is patiently and clearly delivered in this thoughtful analysis of the factors that influence humans towards more altruistic and caring habits. The author emphasizes the importance of reason as the factor promoting unselfishness as he agrees with Charles Darwin that generosity and altruism are found, not in the genes, but in the lessons taught. A timely topic that the author clearly focuses on the reader.


Tune It Out

For as long as she can remember, Lou has been performing with her mom on the street corners. She has always been afraid of people touching her and sudden noises, which makes performances a complete nightmare. True, they have a hard life living in their truck and barely being able to afford clothes and food, but it is cozy with just the two of them.||One day after a driving accident, Lou is separated from her mom and sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Separated from everything she knows, Lou is terrified. To add to the drama, Lou learns that she has a sensory processing disorder.  Lou begins to make friends and settle in with her aunt and uncle, and even help in the school play!

Putting a name to what she fears may give Lou a sense of control over her differences and give her the strength she needs to become whom she was meant to be.

This is a sweet story with endearing characters.  It would be a great book to share so people can learn more about sensory processing disorder, and to be more compassionate towards people who suffer from it.


Addis Ababa Noir

A violent general turns his sights to his son's lover. A man confesses to an expat-turned-tourist. Freedom fighters find themselves lost in the ever-shifting miasma of war, power, and ideals. The stories in Addis Ababa Noir are relentlessly dark and often unpleasant, exploring a land warped by war as well as people trapped between the challenges of modern life and religious/cultural traditions that still hold great sway. But they are also a fascinating lens through which to study an unfamiliar place.

I've read many Akashic Noir collections. As the series has expanded, spiraling outward into increasingly interesting and unlikely parts of the world, it has stretched the boundaries of what's considered noir, often allowing non-noir crime stories or slice-of-life narratives into its pages. Addis Ababa Noir strays the furthest from the original concept thus far, enough so that many of the stories didn't feel like they fit.

Maybe I'm clinging stubbornly to an outmoded idea of what noir is, maybe I'm nitpicking. These stories are challenging, heartrending, and worthwhile. They taught me a great deal about a place I know very little about, both in light and in darkness. But crime fans and noir fans may come away disappointed. Enlightened, but disappointed.


You Can Keep That to Yourself: A Comprehensive List of What Not to Say to Black People, for Well-Intentioned People of Pallor

With everything going on in recent news stories, racism is still a hot topic that weighs on many people's minds. Being a white female, I cannot speak for any African Americans. Apparently, given that this book has been produced, some people feel that they can speak for others. You Can Keep That to Yourself is a compact guide of alphabetical terms that are NOT okay for white people to say to Black people. Each one includes short, humorous commentary to explain the importance of refraining from using the phrases, including "slavery," "Fam," and "Voted for Obama." Disclaimer: many of the explanations include some adult language, so be aware of this if you are a sensitive reader.

At 135 pages, the book covers many terms that I would not have thought to be problematic otherwise. However, I may not be "with it" because there were some terms that I had no clue as to their meaning or context, and it seemed that I should understand. I like the book cover; it reminds me of the dictionary, which is helpful because it is a dictionary in its own category. For its purpose of education and enjoyment, I say it met the mark.


William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad

William was the youngest child of his very large family. William was very lucky as his parents and siblings had been slaves, his parents had escaped and were free. William's oldest brothers were still enslaved. William was destined to help slaves find freedom. One day, as a young boy he helped an escaped man find his way through the woods to freedom. William worked hard on the homestead, but he wanted to go to school. When William was finally allowed to go to school he was a diligent student and worked hard. He worked many jobs over his life barely earning money when he wanted to work at an Anti-Slavery Society to help those to freedom. During this time, he met many people and guided them to safe houses to lead them to freedom. He realized, in order to help those find their families that he needed to make records. William recorded each person's information that came through the underground railroad and helped reunite families. He was even able to reunite his older brother with their family. William made history with his record-keeping and helped countless families reunite. A great story!


Literature: The Book, the Place and the Pen--A Teaching Resource Book

The study of literature is an important part of all young people’s education. In these times of a worldwide pandemic, teaching is more challenging than ever. This book will help teachers — traditional school or homeschool — of middle school and high school students to find fresh ways of looking at literature and lessons to ground the learning with tasks and projects. The various chapters look at fiction — both short stories and novels, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and even one on fables, fairy tales, and folktales. Some introductory material includes a good outline of the writing, revising, and editing processes. Each chapter has a good list of suggested readings from which the teacher might choose. These chapters all lay a good foundation while still leaving plenty of room for creative additions and expansions of the lessons. There are basic lessons for students in reading strategies, note-taking, and journal keeping to help build good skills. There are plenty of writing exercises and fun projects to keep students engaged. There is only one rubric included, and more might be a helpful addition for those teaching. This is a book middle and high school teachers will appreciate.