Swift

Ivy is preparing for her first lighting. A time of feasting, stories, and to soak in the light that lets the pickeys glow in the dark tunnels underground. Everything is going well until Ivy’s mother disappears and all that is left is a bloody shawl. Everyone believes her mother was taken by the spriggans, an ugly creature that catches piskeys.

Six years later, Ivy is caring for her family, cleaning, and fixing meals. Her father has been nonexistent since they lost their mother. One day, Keelve, another one if the piskeys, is lost and the clan believes the spriggans are again to blame. A search party goes out looking for him and captures the spriggan.
Ivy is troubled by something her brother says about their mother and goes for a walk to discuss it with her father. Instead of finding him, she finds where the spriggan is being kept. They began talking and she finds out he has been looking for her and he’s not a spriggan, but a faery who calls himself Richard and has been sent to find her by her mother.
They make a deal: she will let him free if he will take her to her mother. They practice the magic of shapeshifting so Ivy can become a swift and be able to travel faster. After some time, they are ready. Everything goes well until the other swifts realize that Ivy is not a bird and attack. Richard heals her and they get help from a human girl named Molly.
Richard disappears before Ivy is well enough to travel. So Molly and Ivy take a bus to find Ivy’s mother Marigold. Ivy is excited to see her mother again but also concerned that she is not telling her the whole truth. Then when some mysterious statues begin showing up around the city, Ivy isn’t sure whom she can trust and who is putting her people in danger. Figuring out who may cost a lot of lives.

The writing of this book was absolutely amazing. I loved it from beginning to end. The climax was awesome. The weaving of descriptions and pacing were spectacular. I didn’t love the ending, and I think it could have been drawn out a bit more and woven together a little bit better. I wanted a little more from the wrap-up. The characters were well-done and fleshed out. Ivy was spectacular. I loved Richard and Molly. I liked the way Mica and Mattock were written too. The true villain in the story was a bit surprising and I liked that.
My favorite parts were when Ivy learned how to take swift form and the climax. I loved how she went from being told what to do to taking initiative herself.

Age recommendation: 10 and up.


Ergonia, Land of the Giant Ants

Ergonia, Land of the Giant Ants is a story written by a Russian author Vladimir Alenkov and translated into English by M. G. Crisci. This is a fascinating story about a couple of teenagers exploring Antarctica along with Professor Peter and several of his coworkers. The team goes to Antarctica to investigate if there is any life there. They encounter giant ants and get attacked by them. It turns out the ants are intelligent. Fighting off the ants is hard and Basil, one of the teenagers, has to be taken to the hospital with a leg injury. The main characters, Basil and Peter, have crazy imaginations. Masha is a serious and smart high schooler. The characters are realistic and likable. The story is well-written and kept my interest. The book has some pictures. They were drawn by a twelve-year-old girl and are pretty good. They go really well with the story. Any kid aged nine-years-old and up who like adventures will enjoy this book. It would make a good series. I recommend the book. It is full of adventure and very imaginative. I really enjoyed it!


The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story

The life of an immigrant involves burdens and challenges that can seem insurmountable, such as rabid discrimination. An illegal immigrant faces even more challenges. The immigrants who come to the United States seek a piece of the American Dream for themselves and, in some cases, their family.

For Aida Hernandez, her dream dissolved into a nightmare. Her life had been lived on the border between two countries, Agua Prieta in Mexico and Douglas, Arizona. Her father was a Mexican revolutionary who split with her mother when Aida was only eight years old. Aida and her siblings crossed the US border with her mother. Two violent acts would alter her world. An act of self defense would find her deported to Mexico, while a ferocious attack at twenty years old left her clinging to life yet also gained her re-admittance to the US for optimal medical care. Aida’s life spans tragedy and triumph, her resolve and character providing a true beacon for others.

The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez is a harrowing tale of a young woman caught between two countries. The country of her birth has become perilous, while the United States promises opportunity yet doesn’t seem welcoming. The author does an admirable job of contrasting Aida’s tale with the schizophrenic immigration policies of the United States. This book will challenge your perceptions while reaching for your heart. Excellent storytelling.


The Habsburgs: To Rule the World

The Habsburgs were one of the most incestuous and, at times, disastrous dynasties to ever rule in Europe. With their combined Austria-Hungary and Spanish holdings, their empire crossed most of the world, although saying that they actually had any control over the particularly far-flung regions would be a lie.

This book offers a general examination of the dynasty from its earliest origins, which are often shrouded in mystery since the records concerning many early lineages have been lost or destroyed, onward. A little over half way through the book, after following a certain chronology between Spain and Austria, the author switches approach so that he spends half a chapter examining a certain European trend, such as Rococo or the Enlightenment, before spending the other half covering the reign of a particular Habsburg, which really slows the book down immensely.

This is a fairly general book, probably decent for someone needing a quick overview or perhaps a chapter dedicated to a specific ruler. Its good up until the 1700s, at which point it really losses focus and meanders in directions in which it does not need to travel.


Arlo the Lion Who Couldn't Sleep

Despite his best efforts, poor Arlo can’t sleep. He tries and tries, but nothing seems to work. While his family slumbers soundly beside him, he begins to wonder if he will ever sleep again. A wise creature of the night swoops down and graciously shares some sage advice with the lion. She sings him a song of relaxation meant to soothe one to sleep, and as he imagines strolling up mountains and scaling the trees, he slowly drifts off to sleep. He awakes with a newfound freshness and excitedly wakes owl to share the good news with her. Discovering he has now awoken her, the tables turn, and the lion gently sings her song to ease her back sleep.

Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep is a sweet and embracing picture book perfect for young children who struggle to fall asleep at night. It’s soothing rhymes, soft flow, and encouraging message will help lull them off to sleep. It’s just the right length --- 40 pages --- for a quick bedtime read. The audience best suited for this lovely story is children ages three to seven. They will likely be mesmerized by the unique illustrations. They resemble detailed sketches that sweep across each page with allure. Of additional note, the compassion displayed by the thoughtful owl sets a strong example for little ones. Arlo’s act of reciprocity does as well, only adding to the value of this timely tale.


Peter and the Tree Children

Peter resides in a quaint cabin deep in the forests of Germany and loves to tell children stories about the creatures that inhabit the land. In this story, he tells of an adventurous but lonely squirrel named Piet. One day, as Peter is enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to the magnificent sounds of nature, Piet visits him with tears in his eyes. He expresses the deep sadness he feels due to not having a family. Peter offers to take him to see the tree children. During their quest, they discover that only the stumps of ancient trees remain in the unprotected areas of the woods. They journey further and enter the shaded grounds where the beechnut trees grow. There they find new life: the children of the antiquated trees that remain, dwelling right there beside them.

This is a precious and timely story that emphasizes the beauty of nature when it’s carefully preserved, if not by humans then by the laws that govern them. Peter and the Tree Children is also about togetherness and the innate need of nearly all living creatures to be part of something bigger: a family. Peter’s compassion for Piet and the isolation he feels is depicted with lasting resonance, not only through masterfully chosen words but through detailed illustrations ripe with emotion and energy. They are unique and colorful, leaving an indelible impression. This high-quality picture book will likely become a favorite treasure of many children, parents, and educators.


Stay, Little Seed

This book follows a seed that isn’t quite ready to leave his mother tree. He asks to stay for a while, and eventually it become too hard for her to let him go. Trouble ensues when a magpie knocks the little seed off and the tree does not know where her little seed has gone. Will the tree ever get to see her little seed again?

The writing in this book is a little long. It seems to be more geared for an older child, but ironically my younger child liked the story better than my older child. The story gave me a strong feeling of attachment towards the seed. I was impressed how much sorrow I had when the seed gets knocked off the tree.

The illustration style is unique. Some color, but mostly a tan fill to the pictures with colorful lines. My kids tend to gravitate towards more colorful pictures, so I was interested to see what they had to say. My six-year-old son said he did not like the book, and my three-year-old daughter liked the trees seeing each other at the end. I think it might be a difference between a boy and a girl’s perspective.


Duck and Penguin Do Not Like Sleepovers

Maud and Betty are best friends. They are so excited to have a sleepover and bring their stuffed animals Duck and Penguin to enjoy the evening. It’s evident from their facial expressions that Duck and Penguin are less than thrilled to be there. Everything from Duck throwing Penguin to Penguin tripping Duck plus more shenanigans happen throughout the night until Betty and Maud go inside for a long time. Duck and Penguin decide to adventure off to get to their beloved humans until something begins following them. Will they team up and survive the night or leave the other one as collateral?

The writing is simple and clever. It shows how sometimes you might have to be with someone you don’t like very much, but something might ultimately bring you together. I loved that it was the girls that were friends and the stuffed animals having the problems.

The illustrations truly showed the story of Duck and Penguin from enemies to friends. I appreciated the mini illustrations at the beginning and end of the book showing how the relationship was at the beginning and how it changed at the end. The illustrator is gifted. I appreciated the unique style.

My three-year-old, who wanted to read it over and over, and my six-year-old thought this book was belly laughing hilarious.


Geese Are Never Swans

This is a good story about a swimmer trying to prove that he isn't like his brother. Geese are Never Swans is about a teenager named Gus. Gus loves to swim, and he is out to prove that he is different from his brother, who committed suicide after failing to make the national swim team. Gus is angry at almost everyone and everything, and he uses his rage to fuel him as he works to his goal. I liked that Gus was determined to reach his goal, and I also like that he gets along with his mother later in the book. The setting of the book mostly takes place at swim practice and at Gus's home. Most of the interactions are between Gus and his coach. This is a book about a young swimmer trying to prove himself through hard work and determination. Overall, I found the book kind of boring, and I didn't care for the foul language throughout the book. The story lacked excitement and didn't keep my interest. This book may relate to competitive athletes, and I would recommend it to young adults.


The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

Kit is a serving wench at a knight dinner show. She desires so much more in life, specifically being able to be a knight in the show. When company policy determines only males can be knights, she chooses to change the course of modern medieval history.

Along the way she faces other challenges: getting into college, paying for school, dealing with a jerk father, and figuring out things between her and her best guy friend Jett. Will Kit be able to shout to the world, “I am no man,” or get thrown in with the horse dung?

I cannot say enough great things about this book. First, being a total nerd, I especially loved her Lord of the Rings references, and I am a huge fan of Renaissance fairs and Medieval Times, so this book was right up my ally.

The writing was amazing. Kit is a brilliant rendering of a poor teen trying to work her way to a better life who happens to be a history and fantasy nerd as well. I think the pacing was well done.  I believe Kit rises to meet her challenges valiantly. I love Jett and really all the Castle family you meet, a fantastic cast of characters. I could see how every teen girl who reads this would have a total crush on Jett. He is amazing.

I loved the girl power Kit shows changing something unfair in her company. I think a lot of young adults will take power from this.


Costume and Fashion: A Concise History (World of Art)

Costume and Fashion starts its exploration of fashion in the years of mighty kingdoms (Babylonians, Romans, Egyptians, etc.), and follows the trends through our modern-day fashion shows of 2019. The author explores the evolution of fashion from its origin as a necessity to how we view it today as a statement. This book seems lengthy in appearance, however the text is accompanied by a number of pictures. The illustrations are gorgeous and show realistically how the fashions have changed over the decades and even millenniums. It is evident through the details and mass of information that what is present has been lovingly and thoroughly researched for the readers' knowledge and pleasure.

Costume and Fashion is a knowledgable book that could have a dual purpose of both leisure and work; for some readers, they may only find it one way or the other. For being a more scholarly book, I was pleasantly surprised that the text is understandable for the layman and does not need a prerequisite to read. Since fashion styles have changed so much and so drastically over the years, it's nice to look back on how things used to be to judge if our current style has been for the better or worse.


Stuff Every Tea Lover Should Know

If there is anything you want to know about tea, chances are this slim book covers it. From a short history of this popular beverage to how to host a tea party, Ms. Rardon explains the many aspects of tea culture. I particularly enjoyed learning about the different tea varieties. There are six of them: white, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark. But they are all derived from the same plant species, Camellia sinensis, first discovered in China.

One of the interesting facts about tea is that it contains less caffeine than coffee, and an amino acid known as theanine in the leaves slows down the caffeine's absorption rate. For this reason, it does not cause the same jolt of energy one often experiences with coffee. I appreciated the information provided on teabags versus loose tea. After reading this, I will likely now focus on purchasing better-quality, loose tea.

The author also gives a wonderful glimpse into tea culture around the world. And while I did wish the book had been a bit on the larger size to make it easier to read, I nonetheless enjoyed it. I felt inspired to go out and try something new. And with tips on how to make the perfect brew, I think this would make a great little gift for any tea lover.


Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life

Ruth Bader Ginsburg continues to make history as cases still command the attention of the Supreme Court, but this biography covers the beginning of her life up to last year in 2019. As an unauthorized biography, the author still, however, had access to her personal files from her ACLU years and also personal interviews with the subject, family members, and associates. Woven together is an iconic legend of how a young Brooklyn girl, daughter of an immigrant father and of Jewish background could command the role she has played in making legal history. This hefty book of more than seven hundred pages portrays the history of an outstanding legal expert known and applauded for her advancement of gender equality and civil rights. It is an American story that should be read as an example of what is possible when one has family support, internal grit, moral certainty, and scholarly expertise. Read about Ginsburg’s role in the ACLU, look into case histories, watch her as a college professor, look at the political wrangling, and examine her performance as a judge in the Appeals Courts and as a Supreme Court Justice. This is a wondrous tale, recorded well, that resounds as an American epic.


Spark and the League of Ursus

Spark is a cuddly teddy bear by day and a strong, fierce warrior by night.  One night, a monster attacks, but Spark saves everyone. It is Spark’s job to protect Loretta and her family. Later, the monster kidnaps Loretta’s brother, along with other children. Spark realizes she needs help, so she asks for help from the League of Ursus, which is a group of bears dedicated to protecting their humans.

The bears set traps for the monster, but the monster gets away through portals to its fortress. Spark has to bravely follow the monster and try to rescue the children before it is too late. Will Spark succeed in her mission, or will the children remain in the monster’s grasp forever?

I liked this book because it had an engaging storyline. It was just the right amount of suspenseful without being too scary. The story was exciting to follow, so I could read it quickly. I would recommend this book to other people because it was fun and easy to read.


Mostly Dead Things: A Novel

Jessa-Lynn Morton grew up happily at her father’s hip. Alongside him, she tanned hides, slit sinews, and stuffed sacks of once vibrant creatures until they became taxidermy-ed works of art. But her father’s suicide, her own drinking, and her mother’s recent interest in creating illicit art have turned Jessa-Lynn’s world upside down.

Kristen Arnett’s latest novel Mostly Dead Things is a dark and intricately detailed look at the grief of one woman. Jessa-Lynn mourns the loss of her father, the decline of her business, and the absence of Brynn, the one woman she ever loved who happens to also be her brother’s ex-wife. As Jessa-Lynn processes these losses, she also grapples with her own emerging identity as a woman on her own, without her father’s influence and without ties to Brynn. There are a few heavy-handed moments in the text, but for the most part, Jessa-Lynn’s journey is as surprising as it is sad. While she may work with mostly dead things in her shop, the relationships she forges ultimately bring Jessa-Lynn back to life and make Arnett’s novel so worth reading.


Mop Rides the Waves of Life

This book was really good. I like reading books that talk about feelings and emotions. This book shows Mop dealing with the frustrations at school and at home but all the things that get to him are left behind when he is at the beach and his mom tells him that he can learn to surf too. She then begins to show him how to breathe in and out and let the bad things out and ride good things like the waves when he surfs. I was able to relate to Mop because I have some of the same frustrations as he does. It seems like nothing goes right and everything is just a bust. I like how his mom told him that he can learn to ride the waves of life. We can use the thing that we love the most to escape all of the bad days that we are having. He used surfing and I can use basketball or reading. That's really cool.


The Princess Will Save You

When Princess Amarande’s father suddenly dies, she is left with the horrible reality that she must marry in order to rule her kingdom. Now every neighboring kingdom’s eligible prince has come vying for her hand in marriage, each with their own ulterior motive. When one of the princes realizes that her heart can’t be swayed, he does the only thing he knows how: taking what he wants by force by kidnapping the one person who holds her heart. But Princess Amarande will not let anyone make up her mind for her, so she sets out on an epic adventure to retrieve her love and save her kingdom.

In an epic battle of pirates, power, greed, love, and sacrifice, The Princess Will Save You is this summer’s fantasy adventure. Inspired by the movie Princess Bride, the storyline takes the classic tale and turns it on its head. This time the princess gets to do the saving. This story is filled with obstinate rulers, a dutiful stable boy, a band of thieves that aren’t quite sure where their honor lies, and a princess who will let nothing stop her quest; readers will want to grab their swords and stand up and cheer as they root for a princess to defy the odds as she fights for love and honor.


One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet

In One Drum, Richard Wagamese shares stories, ceremonies, and teachings from the Ojibway people of Northwestern Ontario. All are concerned with our spiritual journey on this planet. As he explains, we are all part of Creation, living on one sacred breath. This is the first ceremony he shares, allowing one to connect with one's feelings in order to recognize the sacred breath of Creation within. The second ceremony, the Tobacco Offering, focuses on being thankful. The third ceremony is a Vision Quest, which allows one to be brave and to recognize being a part of everything. The fourth and final ceremony is entitled Acting Outwardly. This one is intended to make one aware of the nature of sacrifice.

In between the ceremonies, Wagamese presents tales of humility, discovery, bravery, and harmony, all of which remind us to walk gently upon the Earth and do no harm to one another. He also shares his personal story about how he came to learn the importance of these teachings and what they meant to him as he became reacquainted with his traditional roots. One Drum is one of the most moving, powerful, and profoundly spiritual books that I've ever read. I feel honored to have found this beautiful gem.


The Prepper's Medical Handbook

This book is intended to help people live off the grid, with no help from the medical institutions we usually rely on. The author is a trained physician, so there is little in the way of herbal medicine or natural remedies in the book, and the medical kit (last chapter) recommends over-the-counter medications.

The first third of the book is devoted to assessment, which is important for a correct diagnosis and treatment. After that, the chapters are divided according to the care required. The first discusses radiation (in case of a radiation-related disaster). The next concerns dental care, followed by orthopedics. Bites and stings are next, followed by bioterrorism and infectious diseases. Afterwards, there is a chapter on environmental injuries that covers heat and cold stress, lightning, and high-altitude illness. Finally, there is a chapter on what to include in a medical kit.

The book is well written and clearly organized. However, unless one is preparing for something akin to a doomsday scenario, large portions of it will not be applicable. The book tries to cover all areas, and in the process, limits itself in terms of the depth of its coverage.


The SAS Guide to Tracking, 3rd edition

My first impression was “wordy.” After the preface and introduction, I substituted “conversational.” Just unhurried reminiscences that pace you for the book as a whole.

The author is writing for potential trackers and their trainers. As this reference may be all those persons have for ongoing fallback, it is thorough. Chapter summaries are complete and concise, lest a time-constrained teacher lacks a quick review of course material. Following the book proper, is a Tracking Aide-Memoire a feature I’ve seen nowhere else (of course I’m a Yank) that serves as an entire book overview/review. That is not redundancy but completeness. Leave no spoor unnoted or unresearched; no inferences, even blatantly obvious inferences, escape unfollowed. No matter how elusive, Bob Carss tracks them down and writes them out.
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Lest I lead you away from this monumental piece of work and research, let me emphasize positives. Page layout, sketch illustrations, and proofing/editing are excellent.

If you want insight into the illuminating world of tracking for yourself, or are setting up a complete course for birders, hobbyists, scouts, this belongs on your shelf and in your pack.

For military and police trackers emphasis is laid on our own species being the most dangerous to follow. Mention is made of the safari hunters who are mollycoddled by having to track relatively innocuous lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalo.


Brides of Rome

The Priestesses of Vesta are known as the Brides of Rome. When entering the order, they take a thirty-year vow of chastity that if broken, will be punished by having them buried alive. Priestess Pomponia gets caught up in the political intrigue of Julius Caesar, Octavian, Marc Antony, and Cleopatra. While watching these figures tear each other apart, she attempts to fulfill her sacred duty to the goddess Vesta while not acting on her forbidden love because of the dire consequences. Violence, wars, assassinations, accusations and poisonings are the everyday normal to those in ancient Rome. Pomponia will have to decide how far she’ll go in order to survive in this world of gods, goddesses, curses, and blessings.

Overall, this was a fantastic book with excellent research done into the history of Rome. It is fiction and the author has taken some liberties with the storytelling, which she admits, but it was very well done. My only complaint is how each chapter moves to another year or even two. It’s like getting a glimpse at one moment out of thousands before it moves to another entire year. Even if it meant the book was longer, I would have appreciated it being on a smaller scale. Those famous figures really came to life, as does everyday life in ancient Rome. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in historical fiction, and I look forward to the next book in The Vesta Shadows Series.


My Kind of People

Ten-year-old Sky was abandoned and then adopted as an infant. Later, a tragic car accident took both her adoptive parents. Now she’s the ward of Leo, her father’s best friend, who’d never planned on having children and whose husband, Xavier, is ready to call it quits if Leo doesn’t find someone else to care for Sky. But Leo has no intention of giving her up and instead settles into a new life on Ichabod Island, the remote New England island where he grew up.

Most people on Ichabod are supportive of Leo, but as one of the only Black people on the island, he’s always felt like an outsider. Agnes, snobby and nosy, believes she knows what’s best for Sky, and she arranges for Sky’s grandmother to move to Ichabod, setting up a clash that will test loyalties between even the closest of friends. Meanwhile, teacher Maggie grows closer to Sky and Leo and to her neighbor Joe as she wrestles with marital problems, while an unnamed woman skulks in the background, mysteriously linked to them all.

Duffy nicely weaves this large cast of characters into a community that is both flawed and supportive. The people of Ichabod experience small troubles and big troubles, regrets and triumphs, and their distance from the rest of the world in no way shields them from the social issues of the day. There are a lot of balls in the air here plot-wise, a lot of relationships to break and mend, but readers who enjoy a deep-dive into multiple storylines will find a good summer read with many threads tied up in a satisfying, if perhaps too tidy, conclusion.


Flight 3108

"Just when you think you’ve figured out what will happen next, what new, uncanny obstacle will ignite another flame in Mason’s path, you discover how very wrong you were. The unknown and the known intersect to form new realities in this unique and unpredictable sci-fi thriller in which the past and the future are nearly indecipherable." — Jennifer Padgett, Seattle Book Review


Don't Tear Us Apart

Summer Rideau has married Joseph (more often called Scipio) Russo and hyphenated her last name. She has become an adored stepmother to Cornelia, Scipio’s daughter from his previous marriage. Her dangerous and abusive ex is now behind bars, leaving her free to begin her new life. However, her troubles are not over yet. Don’t Leave Me Breathless was only the first book of three. In this second volume, Summer faces two new adversaries: Scipio’s stepson from a previous marriage, Carlton, and a struggle to become pregnant.

 Abused by his biological father, Carlton resents Scipio for not being able to save him, and this resentment has opened up a rift between the two men, with Scipio seeing him as a curse. Scipio even calls Carlton that multiple times, making it difficult to see how the two could ever reconcile. Summer pities him, despite his attempts to manipulate her, and the relationship between the two is touching and fascinating.

It is, unfortunately, more touching and fascinating than the relationship between Summer and Scipio. I enjoyed reading the first book in this trilogy, but the second showed me just how traumatized Summer’s childhood has left her. Some chapters were downright painful to read, while others seemed to present a wholly different woman. It didn’t feel like Summer authentically either growing out of her trauma or weathering the shifting severity and complexity of painful emotions and memories. It only felt jarring. When it makes the most sense was when it affects how Summer and Carlton relate to one another, but it does little for her relationship with Scipio except give him chance after chance to show he cares. Some of these scenes are touching, particularly one at the beach, but more often I found myself uninterested, and occasionally worried about the children the two of them might have.

I also found myself rather lost by the passage of time in the book. People go from one place to another with hardly a transition, and though two years pass over the course of the book, I found it hard to notice any time passing at all. An important secondary character’s death is all but skimmed over.

I really wish I could have enjoyed this book more, especially considering how promising the first one was. Fans of A. Kelly may have a different opinion, but overall, I was unimpressed, and the parts of the book I enjoyed didn’t make up for the rest of it.


How the Deer Moon Hungers

It only takes one moment for a life to change irrevocably. MacKenzie Fraser learns this when, as a teen, she sees her little sister Tessa killed by a drunk driver. Charged with neglecting her sister to get high and slammed with a charge of selling drugs to a minor, she’s sent to juvenile detention, doomed to be shut away from her home and family for a year and a half.

The book isn’t just a straightforward tale of crime and punishment, however. It captures the mood not only of Mac but also of the community, beginning with multiple points of view and jumping about in time before narrowing on Mac alone and proceeding in a more linear fashion. The confusion and sharp transitions create a powerful atmosphere, capturing Mac’s shock and grief. As the story goes on and grows darker, it narrows, closing in around Mac like the walls of her cell.

That said, there are moments where the story suddenly bursts out in strange, dreamlike chapters that provide a sharp insight into Mac’s mind. Most of the time, these are marked by a note in the chapter title, letting the reader know that what they’re getting into isn’t a sharp break from reality so much as magical realism. The sudden insertion of a different genre is a bold choice, and I would love to see more teen novels taking chances like this.

The bold choice fits in with a similarly bold story. While YA books have always dealt with heavy subject matter, they don’t always deal with so much all at once. Death, guilt, and grief, on top of incarceration and sexual assault, provide for a novel that starts out strong and doesn’t let up. The author deals with these subjects in a straightforward but respectful way, never making light of them but also never going so far as to use them for cheap drama or shock. Every painful episode was earned and felt necessary to the story. My one wish is that the magical realism chapters had uniformly felt as necessary. While most fit in beautifully and one outright blew me away, others fell flat, and at least one I found myself thinking was simply pointless.

On the whole, though, this book is well worth reading. It shook me to my core, and while some readers will want to proceed with caution, I would strongly recommend this book to people in their late teens and upward.


The Rich in Public Opinion: What We Think When We Think About Wealth

The Rich In Public Opinion is a thoroughly researched book that not only dissects the prejudices that occur towards the wealthy in America, but is also determined to show how people from countries such as Germany, Britain, and France also view the wealthy. Rainer Zitelmann does an outstanding job of defining the word "prejudice." In everyday terms, we think of being "prejudiced" as being negative. In reality, prejudice can also be positive with good intentions. It is simply creating a judgment on something before having all the facts. Which is really not saying much, since who has all of the facts on anything? Zitelmann uses several polls to produce the answers to how people are influenced and what they think about how the rich obtain their money, what is fair and not fair, and people's general stereotypes of a wealthy individual. Children are also included to see what their views of money are at very young ages. This book also covers how the media and movies portray the wealthy and how that may influence those stereotypes. The Rich In Public Opinion is an eyeopener to what others think of the rich. An excellent read for anyone who is looking to understand more about prejudice, envy, and stereotypes.


Tokyo Traffic

When violent intruders interrupt a film shoot in a Tokyo pornography studio, they brutally murder three people, but overlook a young actress hiding in the cavernous building.

Sukanya is an illegal Thai immigrant who was smuggled into Japan and lured into the business with the promise of big money and transit to the United States. She makes her escape with cash from the dead director’s wallet and a leather bag containing a computer and iPad. Penniless and friendless, she wanders aimlessly through the streets of the megalopolis; though she’s lost, she’s not undetected. Unknown to her, the digital devices she’s taken contain sensitive information as well as trackers that reveal her location.

Kenta, a shady businessman and loan shark wants those devices back. The information they hold could compromise him and his relationship with Yoshitaka Kirino, the ruthless mastermind of the criminal enterprise he’s involved in. Kenta assigns three street punks the task of recovering the priceless data as well as the only person who witnessed the crime.

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu was trained as an accountant in America. Now he’s a Tokyo detective specializing in deciphering the finances of criminal activities by examining bank records, statements, spreadsheets, and cryptocurrency. Money trails extend “like spokes from every murder,” and Shimizu has the expertise to grasp their implications.

As Sukanya tries to elude the men sent by Kenta, she’s assisted by Chiho, a young Japanese woman who empathizes with were predicament. Together they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. But for how long? It’s a race to see if Hiroshi and his colleagues can unravel the motive and identify the murderer(s) before they catch up with Sukanya and the evidence in her possession.

While being a tightly plotted, well-structured murder mystery, Tokyo Traffic provides insights into criminal activity surrounding pornography, the sex trade, human trafficking, and to some extent how organized crime uses cryptocurrencies to transfer and conceal profits from illegal activities. Equally engaging is author Michael Pronko’s knowledge of contemporary Japanese culture including food, fashion, entertainment, and the environs of the world’s largest city. Pronko’s characters are fully developed, his dialogue is authentic, and his writing is clear and concise.

An ambitious novel, Tokyo Traffic at times feels bogged down with the excessive Tokyo travelogue, a confusion of characters, and plot minutiae; however, realistic detective work, action, romance, and even humor make for an overall entertaining and enlightening story.


Tribulation (Cops Planet #1)

"The wonderful part of Tribulation is that Shah takes you straight to the climax at the beginning of the story to experience the suspense and paranormal activities throughout the pages. We can learn much about perseverance from his characters, and Shah concludes with an ending that will leave you dumbfounded. Within the pages of Tribulation, Shah gives us enough to whet our horror appetite and want more of his work. — Rachel Dehning, San Francisco Book Review


The Wars Among the Paines

Robert Treat Paine, Jr., is the last of a long family line. (Very long; the family genealogy extends back to the 1730s.) The family history is marked by the sons’ experiences in various wars through American history, which provides a handy framework for marking out each generation. The novel focuses primarily on the two world wars and the Vietnam War, showcasing the family’s descent from upstanding American citizens to a drug-addicted mother, an overly stern father, one monstrous son, a saintly (if overzealous) daughter, and the narrator.

Robert (often called Treat, to help differentiate him from the various other Robert Paines in the family) presents the story of his family to his new wife, Susan, as a way to show her where he has come from and who he is as a man. Interspersed with the accounts of his grandfather’s and father’s generations are tales from his own life, from his high school days to his Cornell years to his time in the army. Through this, Susan and the reader are to learn what sort of man he is and see a portrait of a changing America and a changing family.

It’s an ambitious endeavor, and impressive in its scope. Multigenerational novels have always held an appeal for me, and I was eager to see the shifts and changes in the Paine family as their time went on. While the novel does accomplish what it sets out to do, I felt it did so in a rather lackluster way. I would have loved to see more dialogue, more in-depth interactions between the characters. As it was, it felt like a six hundred page summary. Part of this is due to the format of the story; it’s unlikely a family history written out by members of the family would have the same amount of dialogue and description as an ordinary novel. However, The Wars Among the Paines is still a novel, no matter its conceit. For a novel, it was dry and at times uninteresting.

Overall, I enjoyed the story a great deal. The novel takes place in an era I don’t often read about, and the 1960s and 1970s were a refreshing change from my usual historical interests. However, I don’t think this will appeal to many beyond those interested in military history and books about young men coming of age. I felt it offered little beyond those two areas.


NOT SO DONE: A Sam Sunborn Novel

"The third of the Sam Sunborn books, //Not So Done// is a fast-paced thriller that follows perfectly in the footsteps of its predecessors. A spy technothriller for the modern age that you won't be able to put down until you see how Sam and his team can handle not just one, but two threats facing the world." — Jo Niederhoff, San Francisco Book Review


Evil in Technicolor

A. C. Wise, E. Catherine Tobler, Molly Tanzer, Nick Mamatas, Craig Laurance Gidney, Adam Gallardo, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein, and Haralambi Markov, edited by Joe M. McDermott

2020 has been and continues to be the year from hell. So how does one create new and fresh art in this climate? Joe M. McDermott is looking to do just this with his new anthology, Evil in Technicolor. The goal of the collection is to call back to the days of classic horror, the days of Bela Lugosi, Nosferatu, and Christopher Lee at his Hammer Horror best. McDermott sums it up brilliantly in the first line of his introduction: “In the spring of 2020, we all woke up in a horror movie.” He also requested novelettes as opposed to regular short stories. The result is a collection that has more “meat on the bone,” giving the reader more story to lose themselves in and forget the fact that, outside their window, the COVID-19 virus is possibly waiting for them.

The opening story of the anthology is “Forgiveness is Warm Like a Tear on the Cheek” by Stina Leicht, which plays on the classic haunted house story. The old mansion known as Maufrais House that has been around for as long as anyone can remember. After having problems with his band, Jason visits the nearby graveyard where he meets someone who isn’t of the living, and that’s when everything begins to change. In the next tale, “Blue Hole, Red Sea” by E. Catherine Tobler, Helen is in the balmy Mediterranean waters with others looking for relics from the library of Alexandria. It doesn’t take her long to make a discovery that crosses into the supernatural and impossible. In A.C. Wise’s “A Thousand Faces Minus One,” one of the strongest stories in the collection, a man wants to record a cover of a Kate Bush song, along with an interpretive dance video that calls back to his short, poignant, and tragic relationship with another man that began with a meeting at the top of Notre Dame in Paris. But as he progresses with his art, his mind appears to be slipping, and there is much more going on than a broken heart and loss.

Rhiannon Rasmussen’s “The Maidens of Midnight” depicts the filming of a bodice-ripping horror movie in Eastern Europe at the site of an old castle, only the tenants appear to be more interested in what is going on than expected, and they also may not be human. Then, members of the crew start turning up dead. In the final tale from Nick Mamatas, “The Thunder, Perfect Mind,” we take to the stage for a new and fresh performance of Frankenstein set in the early days before film, where Gerald Wallace is once again playing the monster, but this time wants more for this role than something that is hated and looked down upon by audience and cast alike.

Evil in Technicolor is a fun and engaging collection of varied stories that certainly hearken back to the classic film days but at the same time feel new and at times quite terrifying. Fans of the genre will revel in this anthology.


Life Behind Bars Vol. I

In Life Behind Bars Vol. 1, author, photographer, and first-time documentary filmmaker Julian Starks takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the wild to explore the dangers that lurk for some of the most magnificent creatures on earth. Through countless photographs and thoughtful words, he allows readers a rare glimpse into what makes surviving in the wild a sometimes impossible task. He views sanctuaries as “a necessary evil” in order to preserve the few that remain of the vulnerable, threatened, and endangered species. In captivity, they can be protected from poachers who want their extravagant pelts to sell, their bones to use in traditional Asian medicine, and their sacred tusks for ivory. They can also be shielded from unmitigated abuse and suffering. Habitat loss due to deforestation, increased human populations and settlement, and the devastating effects of climate change pose further danger to the livelihood of a startling number of wildlife. Gorillas, for example, he writes, have decreased in population over the last three generations, each one spanning 22 years, by an unsettling 80%, landing them in the critically endangered category. It’s thought that approximately 180 or fewer Marcgrave capuchin monkeys remain in the wild, posing a significant threat to the survival of their kind. Even the African lion population, according to Starks, has decreased over the past 21 years by 43%, causing them to be considered among the vulnerable population. A considerable amount of research is laced through the pages of the text to support his plea that all “must love and keep safe all the beautiful creatures in this world,” even if that means holding them behind the walls of captivity for the betterment of their species.

This is the first of Stark’s fine art photographic studies and is masterfully written. It’s crafted with distinct originality. The photographs included capture animals in unique form: two cheetahs running with eight paws off the ground simultaneously, a male and female lion intimately standing together under a brilliant sunset, a gorilla elevating her middle finger to showcase her displeasure with being photographed, and a gorgeous giraffe gently resting its chin on the neck of another.

The vast area of coverage, from North and South America to Asia and the arctic regions of the earth, is impressive. The extensive travel and well-documented research that went into the makings of this amazing volume are unquestionable. The value and overall quality of the book is elevated considerably as a result. Further, the classification system used throughout to assign risk levels to those featured is helpful in outlining the data. It also makes the information more comprehensible to the layman. Though Life Behind Bars Vol. 1 is targeted to an adult audience; however, older children, teens, and young adults will find it both fascinating and thought-provoking. Its scope and presentation will appeal to multiple generations. Additionally, it’s an ideal text, with its gorgeous photographs and enticing cover, for a coffee table centerpiece. It’s likely to become a conversation starter and a family treasure.


Man of War

It’s June of 1755 and war is once again brewing between the English and the French. For some, however, the fight has already begun. Somewhere in the North Atlantic, approximately twenty nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, the British naval vessel HMS Boudica is engaged in a furious battle against a ship of French pirates. There’s death and destruction on both sides, culminating in the scuttling of the French ship but also in the death of Captain Berrington, skipper of the Boudica.

The unexpected death of the captain leads to a battlefield promotion for Lieutenant Dane Merrick, although that’s not the most surprising outcome the battle will have for him. When the newly appointed Captain Merrick and a party of his men move to secure the French vessel, they easily capture the remaining crew members and discover that they have a number of hostages aboard, two women and a young boy, survivors of the missing English ship the Queen Bess. Just in time, Merrick learns that there is another woman being kept chained in the ship’s hold. He’s able to rescue her and return safely to the Boudica, but in the heat of the moment, he makes a rash promise to help her gain vengeance…

T.J. London’s Man of War is a thrilling historical adventure story from the get-go. Starting with the initial naval battle between the Boudica and the pirates and then continuing throughout the book, London has packed plenty of action and intrigue into an intricately plotted tale of political maneuvering, personal suffering, and world-changing events. The story whizzes along at breakneck speed as lies and double-crosses are revealed at every turn and Merrick realizes just how deep the conspiracy he has found himself in runs.

Yet, despite being a tale of derring-do, Man of War is very much grounded in reality. The characters and the main events of the story are fictional, but London has clearly dedicated a great deal of time to researching the era, both the significant events of the period and the way that ordinary people (in admittedly extraordinary times) would have lived. From the plans of the vessel included at the start of the book through to the detail of life aboard ship and the recreation of New York City during the 1750s, everything rings true. It can be difficult to strike a balance between scene-setting and storyline in historical fiction, but London has done a great job of making the book a historically accurate and still hugely exciting read.

The central characters are very believable, too. Captain Merrick desperately wants to be a hero, so much so in fact that he somehow fails to notice just how heroic he really is. He had no desire to be a warrior, but he was pressganged into the navy and finally found his place in life aboard the Boudica. He may have risen to become the ship’s (possibly temporary) captain, but he’s not viewed as a gentleman. There are secrets in his past as well as a family disgrace that he would do anything to overcome. That’s the main reason he agrees to help secure vengeance for Lady Caroline (or India, as she wants to be known), a woman who has a fair number of secrets herself. They have both suffered great wrongs, but they might just be able to find solace together.

Man of War is a sometimes bloody and violent tale of jealousy and vengeance, but it is also a story of loyalty and honor. It’s an exciting and entertaining book with an intriguing plot packed with twists and turns. Readers looking for further action-packed naval adventures could go on to read the first three books in London’s Rebels and Redcoats Saga, which Man of War serves as a prequel to.


Julián at the Wedding

Julián is going to be in a wedding, and he is so excited. It is fun to get dressed up and celebrate those who love each other, even with their dog, Gloria. "A wedding is a party for love." Julian meets Marisol, who is also in the wedding. The grandparents get to eat and celebrate while Julián and Marisol play outside, until Gloria gets them all dirty. Julian thinks he can save the day, because you can't be dirty at a wedding! Julián uses some spare table cloth and shares his clothes with Marisol, then they can dance with their family. This book has a great message that love is love, and every family is unique and that is ok, because all that matters is the love in the family. My favorite part of this book is Julián and Marisol dancing with their moms to celebrate their wedding. The illustrations are brightly colored and very detailed. My favorite part of this book is when Gloria gets Marisol dirty because puppies are silly. Julián saves the day when he creates a new outfit for Marisol.


Dinosaurs Are Not Extinct

I usually like to read about dinosaurs and play with them, too. I think that dinosaurs are neat creatures that lived a long time ago. I was excited to read Dinosaurs are NOT Extinct to find out how they are not extinct, or if that was just a silly title for a fiction book. After reading the story, it said that dinosaurs aren't actually extinct because they changed into another type of animal that we see all of the time nowadays. The animal they have turned into has helped them to live a long time since they were supposedly extinct, except it's not actually a dinosaur anymore, but a relative of them.

I don't know if I believe this book because of what it says about dinosaurs. My mom said you have to agree with evolution to believe what this story says. Besides not being sure of the story, I did like the pictures since they are colorful and big. It is fun to see what people think that dinosaurs looked like so long ago. So like I said, there might be lots of kids that will like this story, but I'm not a big fan.


How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up

How To Be a Person by Catherine Newman is a book that teaches many life skills such as how to clean things, outdoor and camping skills, how to take care of living things, and much more! This book taught me many skills I might need. My favorite parts were the parts when I learned how to read a map and start a campfire and other things about the outdoors. I think the author did a good job of adding humor to an educational book. If she were to write a second book about more helpful skills you might need, I would definitely read it. There so many skills you might need that it's impossible to cover them in one book. I think ages 9-12 would enjoy and learn from this book. One of the best things about this book is that it relates to many circumstances. From people skills to how to wash laundry, you can easily find an answer related to your needs. I would recommend this book because I think these skills will help me for the rest of my life.


Catch That Chicken!

Lami lives in a community compound with many of her family members. Each member contributes to the community with their own special skills. Lami's brother is brave with the bulls, her sister is a fantastic speller, but Lami is the fastest chicken catcher. As Lami runs faster and faster to catch the chicken many people in the village tell her to "Sannu, Sannu,"  or slow down. Lami is determined to do whatever it takes to catch the chicken when she makes some poor choices and follows the chicken up a tree and then falls. Lami gets injured and the chicken goes free. Lami's grandmother reminds her that fast feet don't catch a chicken but a sharp mind does. Lami gets creative trying to catch chickens while injured.

This book has very detailed and bright illustrations. However, some of the illustrations leave me asking questions such as why is the school outside the compound? I would think it would be inside the compound to keep the children safe. Why is Lami catching chickens? are they her pets? or does she catch them to cook them for dinner? I like this book but it left me thinking.


Ripped from the Headlines! The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movies' Most Memorable Crimes

Want to know the true stories behind the crime movies and murder mysteries supposedly based on a true story? This is the best place to start. Indeed, for every heart-pounding thriller and chill-inducing pursuit, there's a story behind it that's probably wilder, more unsettling, and deeper than you ever suspected.

Ripped from the Headlines manages to cut a surprisingly huge swathe through Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on films as varied as The Hills Have Eyes, Arsenic and Old Lace, Psycho, Murder on the Orient Express, and To Die For.

Some of these stories are incredibly well-known (Burke and Hare once again get a chance to shine), but even for a film buff and amateur historian like myself, there's plenty of unfamiliar material here to uncover. I had no idea that Scream was inspired by a series of murders in Florida, for instance.

Although the book does occasionally drift a little heavily into the lurid details of certain crimes, you always get the sense that it does so with disgust, intentionally drawing a connection between the cartoonishness of movie violence and the hard truth of real-life violence. Ripped from the Headlines provides enlightening, but not always pleasant, context to some cinematic classics.


Truthtelling

Truthtelling, novelist Lynne Sharon Schwartz’s latest book, is subtitled Stories, Fables, Glimpses, and that is exactly what you get in this slim volume: more than two dozen vignettes, some of them quite brief. All the contents are set in New York and they sometimes remind me of extended versions of the New York Times’ Metropolitan Diary entries. A too-close encounter on a city bus; a woman who borrows her ex-husband’s car and then fails to return it, ever; an elderly neighbor leaves everything to a narrator who finds it more burdensome than not. Former lovers and partners meet again, possibly by chance. The author evidently unearthed the stories from her files (one is titled “fragment discovered in a charred steel box” and claims that the first fourteen pages have been lost) and each one has an almost other-worldly aspect to it as if the narrators are not quite grounded in reality. Somehow, despite when they were written, many of them hit home during these strange morose months of 2020. As Schwartz writes in the story “Near November”: "We cling to our stories, we take root in our stories like the nymph took root in a tree and became its prisoner. Unlike her, we will regain our shapes—almost." Some of these stories will continue to cling to me while others disappear from memory soon after reading, leaving only a sense of loss or bewilderment.


Cover Your Tracks: A novel

Margo is eight months pregnant and traveling by train from Chicago to Spokane. She’s heading back to her childhood home, hoping to mend some relationships. As the train is passing through the Rockies, an unexpected blizzard hits with an avalanche descending upon the train. Former Army Ranger Nick, tells everyone they need to move to the last car. Only Margo goes with him and after he uncouples the car from the rest of the train, they watch as the train is swept down a ravine with no possible survivors. Now both are fighting to survive, but there might be more than just an avalanche that brought them together. Both have secrets and a desire for this child to live.

This was a great story about the will to survive and how far we will go to protect those we love. Both Margo and Nick were interesting characters and I enjoyed watching their story unfold. The parts in the wilderness escaping avalanches, fighting off coyotes, and trying to find shelter was intense. You can definitely label this as a thriller. Even the parts detailing Nick’s service in Afghanistan felt intense. I think, if you enjoy survival stories as well as psychological thrillers, then you will want to add this book to your reading list. It was hard to put down and I didn’t really want it to end. I think you’ll feel the same.


Ghosting: A Love Story

Zoey is a ghostwriter for an online dating site. She’s a recent New York transplant after her mentor and friend abruptly fired her from her script doctoring position in LA and told her to write her own material and get out into the world. Zoey hates big city life and anxiety prevents her from exploring at all. She’s lonely, but when she breaks one of the cardinal rules of her ghostwriting job, falling for a man she’s supposed to be wooing for her client, things start to get interesting at last.

This fun and funny story is written in alternating POV between Zoey and Miles, who work at rival ghostwriting services for online daters. Everything about this book is entertaining, from the ridiculous emails from their bosses that preface nearly every chapter, to the banter, and the geeky fandom the characters share.

The only downside is that the ending felt a little abrupt with a lot of big emotional work just sort of happening overnight and mostly off the page, but isn’t that also the beauty of a romcom? Ghosting: A Love Story, is a highly entertaining romp with likable, unique, characters and well worth reading if you enjoy light, fun, happy-ever-after stories.


The Chile Pepper in China: A Cultural Biography

Chinese food without chile pepper is almost an anomaly, but the plant is not native to China. It arrived in the 16th century courtesy of sailors, pirates, smugglers, and merchants. Chile took hold quite soon, spreading its welcome across the country. Adaptable to the climate in all regions, chile became a feature in vegetable gardens, widely enjoyed by the ‘nonelite,’ and not solely reserved for the upper echelons of society. Before settling on ‘spicy pepper,’ the chile acquired almost 60 regional names. The cuisine tended to be less flavorful before chile joined the gastronomic inventory, and the recipes included on these pages attest to the variety of dishes it has impacted, including a tribute to the inventor of General Tso’s Chicken.

As Brian Dott writes in this scholarly biography of the pepper’s place on the cultural spectrum, the chile has been valued for its medicinal properties. By the 18th century, its value had expanded, and it was regarded as a medical miracle, a remedy for a range of conditions, among them diarrhea and dysentery, digestive problems, malaria, snake bite and hemorrhoids.

The Chile Pepper in China is a compendium of scientific information and anecdotes, complemented by a series of mouth-watering color plates. Chiles have become a familiar element in contemporary art. Travelers and tourists can even purchase shiny red glass replicas as mementos, personally inscribed by hand. Due to their shape, they are known to complement prayers to the blessing of a son or grandson.

Dott’s familiarity with the Chinese language enabled him to explore historical gazetteers as a primary source for detail. There are numerous footnotes, maps, black and white images, two appendices, and a lengthy bibliography.


Last Summer: A Novel

Ella Skye has a seemingly perfect life. She’s a successful journalist for a popular lifestyle magazine and she has a handsome, wealthy, also successful husband who loves her more than anything. Things begin to get complicated when she wakes up one day in the hospital. They tell her she was in a car accident and that she lost her unborn child as a result. The problem is she can’t remember ever being pregnant or the crash. She remembers everything else in her life, that is until she is tasked with interviewing Nathan Donovan, a celebrity adventurer. Apparently, she had interviewed him last summer but canceled the story and Ella can’t remember speaking to him at all. As she interviews him again, she can tell there is history between them and secrets she needs to discover. Ella has to decide if she wants to know what happened Last Summer, no matter the cost.

I found the idea of motivated forgetting in this story to be very interesting, as well as, the human part of us that wants to forget but when we do, we seem to stop at nothing to remember. The fascinating topic that is explored exponentially in this tale is whether honesty really is the best policy. The theme of how far would you go to keep the one you love happy is prevalent in this book, as well. The secrets make you keep reading, as you try to discover along with Ella what really happened. A great summer read overall.


No Man's Land: The Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain's Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I

No Man’s Land tells how women's suffrage, the demand for women’s rights, was temporarily back-burnered during the years of the First World War. Her book draws together the accomplishments of a military hospital London operated almost exclusively by women and chronicles the successive battles in France that sent thousands of wounded soldiers from the battlefield to the hospital. The author highlights the two doctors, serving as Commanding Officers, known to their staff simply as the ‘COs:’ Louisa Garrett Anderson, responsible for surgery on hundreds of patients, many who arrived severely injured, and Flora Murray Flurry, charged with multiple tasks to keep the hospital running smoothly.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century women’s battle to achieve the right to vote and further parity with men was no less intense and physically violent than sectors of the community that were reviled in the intervening year against people of color, blacks, gays, and immigrants. Murray and Anderson were active suffragettes, their cause ultimately more rewarded than some others.

Women were accepted at very few medical schools. As doctors, when most who graduated were permitted to care for only women and children in a hospital setting, Murray and Anderson were pioneers. The book describes the persistent conflicts with military and political opponents who were unable to accept women’s ability to carry out all necessary medical, administrative, and clerical roles.

Moore provides a rewarding conclusion telling how the two doctors became life partners, and what befell others whose services were valued. The book is riveting no matter whether one admires or even despises the causes it depicts.


I Want to Sleep Under the Stars! Unlimited Squirrels

I want to Sleep Under the Stars by Mo Willems is another great book by this author. I love these stories and the characters in the book. Most of the characters are squirrels. These books always make me laugh and I enjoy reading them aloud to my family. This book is about friends not giving up on friends and being encouraging. There is also a second part to the book that tells funny jokes called "acorny" jokes. The book is more like a graphic novel than a story but it is fun to look at all of the pictures and captions to follow the story. If you like to laugh and enjoy funny animal characters this is a great book for you!


Oliver the Curious Owl

Oliver the Curious Owl by Chad Otis is a sweet book about a cute owl who is always asking questions. Oliver the Owl constantly asks "who? where? why? and his questions take him on an adventure that is fun but sometimes a little scary since he flies far away from his home. Luckily Oliver and his friends find their way back. The best part of the story is that in the end his family and friends learned to be curious too and joined him for the next adventures beyond the tree. I loved the drawings and pictures of all of the animals in this book. I enjoyed reading it aloud to my family. I would recommend this book to my friends for sure.


Daring and the Duke

Grace Condry has been living her best life. She’s the queen of Covent Garden, the owner of a selective club for ladies, and a successful businesswoman. All that changes, however, when the Duke of Marwick reappears in her life. As her sworn enemy, he cannot be allowed to walk away unscathed. As Ewan, the boy she once loved, she is still drawn to him.

As the third book in a series, there is a lot of history to Grace and her adoptive brothers, the Bareknuckle Bastards. Because I (oops!) grabbed this book before the other two, I sometimes found myself lost and trying to catch up on a plot already in motion. Luckily, Sarah MacLean’s vibrant, lively writing meant that most of the time I hardly noticed at all. I was too caught up in the fire burning between Grace and Ewan to worry much about the background, but it did fascinate me, and I’ll be catching up on the other Bastards and their stories just as soon as I can.

It’s a tangled, thrilling story, navigated wonderfully as the book slips between past and present in a way I’ve never seen a romance do. Daring and the Duke is as bright and brash as its brilliantly yellow cover, and it utterly enthralled me.


Traitor: A Novel

1944. Poland. The city of Lwów remains a battleground between Poland and Ukraine. Tolya Korolenko is half Polish, half Ukrainian, and does whatever it takes to stay alive. But when he not-so-accidentally shoots a political officer in the Soviet Red Army, and Ukrainian freedom fighters rescue him, he has to find out whose side he’s really on. Tolya doesn’t trust them, with good reason, especially Solovey, who seems to have an agenda of his own and plenty of secrets on top of that. When a betrayal sends Tolya and Solovey on the run, they have to trust each other; as much as one traitor can trust another traitor.

Where can I start? Tolya and Solovey go through a heartbreaking journey that will stay with me for a long time. There are actually two storylines, which switch about every ten chapters between Tolya and Aleksey, a young man trying to escape Lwów in 1941. It was odd, though, that the point-of-view switched from first to third. In the back is a list of characters, but, even more helpful, a list of military and paramilitary forces. In the end, I was left with some questions that I wish were answered.


Rise of ZomBert

Mellie and her friend Danny are filming a horror movie behind the YummCo Foods factory when she finds a stray cat in a trash can. Mellie names the cat Bert and hides him in her room at home, knowing that her parents would never agree to let her keep a stray. Bert won’t eat the cat food that Mellie provides, but when she comes to check on him, he’s removed the heads of her stuffed animals! Just when she thinks things couldn’t get worse, Bert starts leaving Mellie “gifts” of headless animals that he has hunted on her front porch. Based on Bert’s brain-eating behavior, Danny is convinced that Bert is a zombie cat!

Is there a connection between Bert’s zombie behavior and YummCo factories? Will Mellie be able to keep Bert a secret from her parents? Read to find out!

I liked this book because it was entertaining and easy to read.  There are pictures throughout the chapters, and they are great! My favorite picture is when Mellie first discovers Bert under her bed with a stuffed animal’s head in his mouth. It’s so funny!


You Betrayed Me: The Cahills, Book 3

You Betrayed Me is one of those books that has a great plot and a great cast of characters, but the length of the book is completely unnecessary. The third book in Lisa Jackson’s Cahill series is about James Cahill, who is good-looking, wealthy, and clueless. The reader learns about James’ many escapades as he hops to and from the beds of his many lovers, all seemingly quite obsessed with the man. Things go a little too far when he ends up in the hospital with amnesia and his girlfriend Megan is missing.

There are many characters in the book which is confusing at times; however, the main characters are easily discernable, and the plot is easy to follow. This book did not need to be over four hundred pages to be a good read. There were several paragraphs I glided over that did not affect the storyline at all. The cast of characters was well thought out. Several of the female characters such as the reporter, Charity, and the pushy new girlfriend, Sophia, are very annoying, although they are an important part of the story. Overall, this book was a really good read for fans of suspense.


Kings County: A Novel

LOCAL AUTHOR

Don’t give up on this book. The halfway mark will bring you a suspenseful story with full-blown interesting characters. The first part of the book seems like it is going nowhere. There are some minor factual errors, like calling Benton Harbor, Michigan, “lakefront” and its Sisterlakes School, Sister Lakes. Although Benton Harbor has a river running through it, the St. Joseph River cannot be confused with Lake Michigan, which fronts a much wealthier city.

Stay with this story of trailer park NASA groupies, a Wall Street money man, a literary editor, and a tough, tattooed rock ‘n roller named Audrey. Both Audrey and her best friend are go-at-it heroines. The men who love them love their quirkiness and would do anything to protect them. This will be necessary because three of the characters share a dark secret. When all this comes together, the story really rolls and justifies the time the author took to build characters and set up the story. Three of the characters come from wildly dysfunctional homes and the fourth wishes he was not so normal and rich. The story, for the most part, is set in New York, and the author’s love of the city is evident in his name places homages. Fun and exciting to read.


The Entitled

"Another fast-paced thriller starring P.I. Nicole Graves in which she is hired by a wealthy family to bring their daughter from school in London to their Los Angeles residence. When Nicole’s charge is arrested for a crime she claims she did not commit, Nicole goes above and beyond to clear the girl’s name. The Entitled combines themes of adoption, wealth, and the meaning of happiness with the underground crimes of London and meshes them into one exciting story." — Kristi Elizabeth, San Francisco Book Review


Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings

I would expect a collection of love poems to be lush and indulgent. Certainly there may be some which are terse and to the point, but in my experience, the best love poetry seems to enjoy itself. It lingers in sensation and emotion, inviting the reader to feel what the writer has in creating the work.

Gabriela Marie Milton’s collection, Passions, is no exception. Though each poem is short—most are no longer than a page—each is also a glimpse into a moment of beauty. Some poems are passionate, heat felt between every line. Others are more sedate, showing a calmer aspect of love. Still others are yearning, either for a love to come or for a love that has passed. No matter what mood you’re in, you’re sure to find something that will suit your need within these pages.

Where Milton really shines is in her imagery. These are no Keats-style odes, with stanza upon stanza to describe a single vase. Her descriptions come out in briefer segments: one line here, another there. She doesn’t paint details so much as she paints a feeling, with just enough precision that it becomes real nevertheless. Her words are chosen precisely, showing a distinct shade of blue or a particular floral scent. There is no laziness in her lines.

The one place where I felt the poems fell short was that some didn’t feel like love poems until the end. From time to time, I would find myself reading along eagerly, enjoying the descriptions and the lyricism, only to find the last two lines referring to a lover who had been not been mentioned anywhere else in the poem. I don’t mind at all poetry having a twist at the end, but these felt tacked on, as though at the last moment she had wanted to make it into a love poem. Had this been an ordinary collection of poetry, with some poems about romance and some not, I feel it would have been stronger.

Overall, this book is a delightful collection to have and a beauty to dip in and out of, whether on lonely nights or with a loved one. Not all the notes ring true, but those that do stand out and left me with echoes of them for the rest of the day. Fans of modern poetry will definitely enjoy this book.


Ice Queen

This book should get pushed to the top of everyone’s list. In a world where social media has taken over and everyone has smartphones, there are still rules and regulations that we all have to follow. This book, although told in a story format, touches upon a topic that I feel is not addressed enough: teen sexting. Kids are kids, and sometimes when they do things, they don’t understand the repercussions. Back in the day a game of spin the bottle or seven minutes in heaven were the taboo games kids played without their parents knowing. Now, it’s being taken online.

The main characters in this book, Blair and David, are actually very innocent in this case. David takes a picture of Blair while she is changing clothes and she tells him to make sure he deletes it. He tells her he will but somehow that picture is sent out to several people as well as the police. And that is how David and Blair get arrested on several counts of crime. David didn’t send the picture though. Why would he do that? And Blair is convinced that he was scheming with his ex-girlfriend nicknamed the Ice Queen to do this to her.

The story is excellently written and really makes a person think about things they’ve done that have completely innocent intentions that could be considered illegal child porn or sexting. Where is the line drawn? When a minor sends another minor a picture of themself in a seductive outfit or pose should they get in trouble? These are things we don’t think of because the intent to commit a crime is not there. So are they wrong? Well, they are certainly punishable by law.

This story digs deep. The characters are all well developed and could all be real people. You have the Ice Queen and her Things who are the mean girls. She rules the roost and divides everyone in the school into classes: Class A, B, and C. Blair is obviously Class C, and the Ice Queen is disgusted when Blair starts dating her ex-boyfriend. High school drama is just that. But with the internet in the palm of your hand, the mean girls get even meaner. This is bullying and cyberbullying explained well.

Ice Queen is a book that adults and teens, including preteens, should read. It gathers the right amount of information and makes the readers think about the consequences. I also really liked the discussion questions at the end of the book and found myself answering them even after finishing the book. A great read for many reasons.


Man of War

July 14, 1755. We find ourselves in the thick of a sea battle between the English ship, Boudica, and the French ships, Chevalier and Culloden. When the day is done, not only is there a new captain aboard the Boudica, but also four rescued passengers with a multitude of secrets.
Lieutenant Merrick assumes the role of captain following the valiant death of Captain Berrington during the battle. Merrick, originally press-ganged into service, has risen in the ranks. Many feel he is not worthy of the rank he has been given, none more so, it seems, than Merrick himself most days. He is a man with a difficult past, whose present is about to get even more complicated, thanks to the arrival of the mysterious hostage, Caroline/India. Not much is as it seems, and it takes a careful and attentive reader to keep up with the plots and twists.

J.T. London’s novel Man of War is the prequel to her Rebels and Redcoats Saga that is comprised of The Tory, The Traitor, and The Turncoat. I, however, must judge this novel on its own merits for the simple fact that I have not read the other books. Honestly, I am unlikely to carry on past Man of War. Though I cannot fault London’s writing style or character development, there are a few issues that I have with the book which I find difficult to get past.

First, though, you may call it personal preference, I found it hard slogging through all the technical ship terms. Are they necessary? Perhaps. Do I enjoy it? Definitely not. No more than I enjoyed wading through the countless chapters of whaling bits in Moby Dick. The most serious problem I have with this novel is with the character of Caroline/India. How can a woman who is so horrifically brutalized and physically and mentally assaulted move so quickly into a sexual relationship with a man? It just begs belief. I loved the chemistry between her and Merrick. I really did. I just thought it moved entirely too fast to be believable or remotely realistic. Perhaps in the later novels, their romance makes more sense.

	Having taken care of the negatives, the best part of the novel was certainly the depth of London’s research. I cannot fault her there. Her facts are accurate, and the historical fiction that she builds around them is realistic and seamless. The world these characters exist in, and their place within, is entirely believable. That is truly a mark of a great writer of historical fiction.


Beyond The Utmost Bound

"Pulse-pounding adventures, true and tested friendships, and exotic locales are all part of a young man’s quest for enlightenment in this coming of age story. Seeking answers to age-old questions, our sardonic narrator ultimately discovers the journey is within and achieved by understanding and balance, rather than mind-expanding drugs. This well-conceived narrative is fast-paced and told with humility, humor, and just the right amount of irony, to make it entertaining, as well as insightful." — Rod Raglin, San Francisco Book Review


The Kingdom

If you are a fan of author Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series and are expecting the same type of read, The Kingdom will come as a surprise to you. To say that this is a dark book would be an understatement. At its heart, this is a story about two brothers, Roy and Carl, abuse, and the lengths one brother will go to in order to protect the other. As the plot unfolds and more light is shed on the motives of Roy and Carl, the reader is likely to find themselves uncertain of each man’s likeability. Carl’s wife, Shannon, is the wild card with goals of her own.

Coming in at just over 550 pages, this is a slow burn of a book where the characters’ backstories are revealed one layer at a time and often your suspicions are wrong. The Kingdom is a heavy read because Nesbo’s writing enables the reader to feel the regret, guilt, and burden of its main character. Full disclosure, the copy given for review was rough, which could have been the result of the translation. That being said, the pacing is uneven and there are several parts that could have been shortened or even omitted.

Readers who enjoy plots involving families and their long-buried secrets and who are not easily triggered by difficult content will enjoy The Kingdom.


Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World

Not everything falls easily into a political camp, as the sordid history of the atomic bomb attests and as Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace demonstrates in this fast-paced book. His interviews with the few remaining witnesses offer a fresh look through a weathered window in time. Rather than focusing on an unwittingly produced bomb-grade radioactive material, the top-tier scientists find themselves torn between the excitement of new revolutionary discoveries and the blood-guilt associated with what those discoveries may mean in terns of destruction.

After the fall of Nazi Germany, international tensions grew between an unseasoned American President, British Prime Minister Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. Churchill lost the election just before the Potsdam Declaration was broadcast to Japan, and Stalin was gobbling up as much of Europe as he could. Wallace reminds us that nothing was certain: there were so many untested, unanswered questions about whether or not to even use the first weapon of mass destruction, and if so, how to deliver it to the enemy.

Peppered throughout the pages are photographs, some previously unpublished, and copies of letters that turned the tide of history. Well researched, beautifully concise, and exceptionally fast, this book will leave you wanting more.


America's First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster

This is the first that I’ve heard of Jane Toppan or as originally named Honora Kelley, tried in the beginning 1900s for the murder of a family and by her own admission of too many others but the title piqued my interest. There have probably been other similar female serial killers, but this one is loudly proclaimed and a novel produced from the skimpy evidence available. As a nurse, Jane Toppan had ready access to morphine and atropine, drugs that were used on her patients with deadly results. The author attempts to recreate the events that influenced this orphaned child along the path that eventually resulted in her death in a lunatic asylum. Unfortunately, her characters come across as two-dimensional wooden figures, there is much repetition about the subject being orphaned at a young age, and her father is perceived as an unbalanced Irish drunk. This sociopath murderess is said to have  been jolly, charming, hard-working, industrious, intelligent, but unfortunately, she was born Irish and on the wrong side of the tracks which led to her perverse behavior. The sequence of events running through this ‘true crime’ novel is often confusing and contradictory, there is too much repetition of incidents, and none of the characters display any vitality dead or alive.


Garden of Monsters

For this book, you will need a spreadsheet, a long memory, and the ability to quickly get used to many similar-sounding names. Overall, the concept of the book is not a bad idea, a changing landscape in late twentieth Century Tuscany, Italy. Family codes, morals, and political allegiances all changing as those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder start moving on up, and those who families by virtue of blood stood at the top not wanting others coming up. The story follows fifteen-year-old Annamaria, who not only struggles with her name, which she dislikes but struggles to find her place in society. She encounters artist Niki de Saint Phalle, who is creating an outdoor sculpture garden near where her family lives and which provides an escape for Annamaria.

This book makes so many digressions into the past, into other families, and the like that it is difficult from one chapter to the next whose story we are on. It might have been better just to read the chapters of each character instead of reading it in normal order.


Zombie, or Not to Be

Edda is a zombie who lives in the state of Deadmark. Recently, her mom, who is the Lead Scientist, went missing. Oddly, her evil Aunt Agonista has become the new Lead Scientist. Aunt Agonista is the owner of several environment-destroying businesses, and she only cares about making money. Could Edda’s aunt have a part in the mysterious disappearance of her mom?

When Edda’s friend, Bram, tells her about a mysterious phone call he’s been getting, he and Edda look at it together. The image is grainy, but it looks like… Edda’s mom!? And she’s human!! What wicked magic could this be? Edda decides to try and kick her Aunt Agonista out of the Lead Scientist position, but that’s not going to be easy. Will Edda and her friends be able to restore the rightful Lead Scientist and save the environment? Or will they all be forced to live with the desolate land that pollution brings?

Although the storyline seemed exciting, I did not really connect with this book, and I had a hard time getting through it.


When No One is Watching

People are disappearing and Gifford Place is changing When No One is Watching. Well, Sydney Green is and she was born and raised in this Brooklyn neighborhood that seems to be gentrifying overnight. There seem to be much darker undertones to this gentrification than what people would have you believe it means. She finds an unlikely ally in Theo, who is one of the few white people willing to help her get to the bottom of the disappearances. All they know is this is their neighborhood and they’re not going without a fight.

I didn’t realize how uneducated I was until I actually had to look up what gentrification is. Even though this is a work of fiction, I understand that there were a lot of truths about Black history and it was very informative. It is incredibly sad that things that human beings will do to one another, regardless of skin color, but is even more heartbreaking when that is the reasoning for it. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the situation from both Sydney and Theo’s perspective. There is a lot of swearing and some graphic sex scenes, which I’m sure I should have expected since the author often writes romance stories. I would recommend this if you would like more information on gentrification and redlining, but would also like to read a thriller at the same time.


Sleeping Beauties: An Inspector Tom Reynolds Mystery

Another edge-of-your-seat thriller from Jo Spain, Sleeping Beauties stars main detective Tom Reynolds as he searches for a local serial killer. After the discovery of the body of a young woman, more bodies are found at the site. Meanwhile, another young girl, Fiona Holland, goes missing and it doesn't take long for the police to connect the cases.

Tom, Ray, Laura, and Michael are back as the unstoppable team who put their lives on the line to find the killer. As they go through the interview process, they piece together the lives of the young women and try to figure out how they are connected. Everyone is a suspect and they must determine who is lying and who is telling the truth.

One of the things I love about Jo Spain's Tom Reynolds series is that the main characters are all so likable. If you've read any of the other books in the series, you'll notice that there are storylines that are threaded through the main mystery, such as the relationship between Ray and Laura as well as Tom's amazing relationship with his wife and daughter.

This book is a winner from start to finish for fans of Jo Spain and suspenseful detective novels.


Hurry Home

In Hurry Home, Alex is surprised by a visit from her sister, Ruth, whom she hasn’t seen in ten years. Alex definitely isn’t happy to see her, when she has caused so much trouble in the past and especially when she finds out Ruth’s pregnant. She decides to let her stay, if for no other reason than to protect the baby, as long as Ruth promises not to ever discuss the past. It is hard to keep the past buried and as the months wear on, pieces begin to come out. Lies and secrets abound and those closest to these two sisters will have to unravel the web and discover which sister is telling lies. After the safety of a child is at stake.

I hammered this book in a couple of hours, it was that good. You start off thinking one sister is in the right, but as the story progresses you begin to question everything and put the pieces together. Chase and Sully, who are minor characters at first, begin to push through and have more influence on the decision in the end than it seemed they would at the start. This was a fantastic read that sucks you into family drama and the lies we tell each other and ourselves thinking we are protecting those we care about. The amount of manipulation one sister employed was incredible in order for her to get what she wanted. I highly recommend you add this book to your summer read list.


Life Behind Bars Vol. I

A coffee table book, exhibiting superlative photography; glossily hard-covered and glossy throughout. It is nine inches high, eleven inches wide, about a half-inch thick. Full-page photographs bleed to the edges of pages, lending impact to exhibited plates when the book is open. The binding allows open display.

Of course, emphasis is on confined creatures; though the text does make it clear that some are confined for emergency breeding of imperiled species, some for rescue purposes. The work is dedicated to PETA Business Friends, and each presentation of a species details the current extinction threat it is under. For example, the Chinese alligator is classified as critically endangered. (Full revelation: I never knew there were any alligators outside the Americas!) polar bears and African lions are tagged as vulnerable. Meerkats, prolific and vigilant little critters, rate under “least concern,” as do Japanese macaques, flamingoes, and, happily, grey wolves. The book obviously intends to Increase sensitivity to the plight of constrained beings.

And that intent is accomplished repeatedly and masterfully. Most telling are the shots that show us other intelligences in captivity, enduring constrained existences. Many elicit pity: a grey wolf striding, golden eyes observing, but with the shadows of chain link dappling its fur; an adult, lactating gorilla with her young one, seated in obvious boredom; a chimpanzee, our closest relative, staring soulfully through more chain-link fencing.

Returning to the photography itself, I must praise the texture, color/contrast, and immediacy of this presentation. As stated, full plates bleed to page edges, and where smaller illustrations occur they are most often bordered in black. This has some exceptions: giraffe faces are quite fittingly shown against the sky. The volume overall is a dark presentation.

This leads me to some negative technical observation necessary to mention in an honest review. The text is all too often a tiny white font on black. It’s obvious that its purpose was to avoid competition with the photo art, but It is difficult to make out what is written at the distance demanded by the photos, and, because of the glossiness of the pages, is very difficult to read under a reading lamp even with a lens. Where text is black on white it is, whilst similarly minuscule, much easier to read. This is the first of multiple volumes. Some editing would be helpful in future commentary/text. On pages 14 and 15 are wonderful pictures of African lionesses against a rock, but the accompanying text conflates African lions, which are of the genus Panthera, with American mountain lions, which are large cats descended from (Pleistocene?) small cats. That is why cougars retain the hyoid structure for sustained purring.

All negatives are trivial in this magnificent work of photographic art.


In the 1950s, parenting had not become the new age endeavor it is today, and “spare the rod and spoil the child,” was a popular  child-rearing philosophy, along with “children should be seen, but not heard.” Most parents weren’t their children’s best friends and that went both ways.

Such was the case in Jody A. Forrester’s family, and to condemn her parents would, in part, be to not understand the era. However, from that family dysfunction was planted “the earliest seeds of a self-destructive sense of shame that would become my [Forrester’s] lifelong shadow companion.”

Forrester emerged as a teenager in the late 1960s when America was in turmoil. The war in Vietnam was as futile as it was unpopular. American youth were rebelling against the morals and lifestyles of their parents.

In college, Forrester found her “rebellious, defiant, and impulsive” personality was a perfect fit for the anti-war movement. When introduced to the more radical Revolutionary Union by her boyfriend, she was “relieved to find what I believed to be straightforward solutions to the complicated challenges of capitalist exploitation.”

But what appealed to Forrester the most was that “I found a family with whom I fit, a family who didn’t care whether my hair was straight or curly, or teased me for laughing too loudly. Nobody commented on my height, nobody looked askance at my teeth or feet. For the first time, I was forging my own way, definitively leaving behind my parents’ expectations and my erratic self-destructive past.”

For a while, Forrester felt she had found her niche. On campus, she gained a reputation as a persuasive speaker. “For the first time, I was proud of being big and loud, unchecked by the constraints of self-loathing. It felt good to identify the enemy and expose them for the tyrants they were. I had a sense of belonging to something bigger, being on the inside of a community of my own making, on my own terms.”

But gradually, the author became disenchanted with the clandestine meetings, the weapons training with live ammunition, the strict doctrine that prevented friendships outside the Party, and the guns under the bed – the real threat of deadly confrontation with authorities.

Guns Under the Bed: Memories of a Young Revolutionary is informative and entertaining. The story is well structured, the writing is seamless, and Forrester’s voice is authentic. The memoir is filled with pain, honesty, humility, and ultimately hope.

They say if you remember the sixties you weren’t there. Jody Forrester was there, and her recollection is of a vivid, intense, and turbulent time for herself and America.


A Journey To UltraDimensions

Journey to the UltraDimensions is a science fiction adventure story between Captain Houshmand and the Xinterrians and Mej-jazians. The story begins with Captain Houshmand's fiancée, Delaram, being kidnapped by the Xinterrian leader, Zieman Kahn. Captain Houshmand will need to rescue Delaram and save planet Earth from the Xinterra and Mej-jazian invasion. On his way back to Earth after he learned about the kidnapping, Houshmand ended up in a different dimension that resembled Earth. General Sherner, the leader of the UltraDimension station, explains to Houshmand why he is there. Houshmand, who possess special qualities, must right a wrong from the past. Houshmand returns back to Earth equipped with some great advice from General Sherner. An epic battle will ensue. Can Captain Houshmand save Delaram and Earth from an evil invasion?

The author obviously knows a lot about electronics and it is evident in the story. I like how feisty Delaram was, speaking incoherently when they beamed her out of the robot. Surprisingly, she then slaps Houshmand for taking so long to rescue her. However, that was really all the romance in the story, despite it being billed as a sci-fi novel with romance and comedy. I also found the comedic parts of the story lacking. I was hoping for more romance and humor, but it just wasn't there. I felt like the story and the characters needed to be more developed. The story is fairly short, with only 18 pages, so it felt rushed to me. I didn't really know the characters and I had a difficult time getting invested in them. The idea of the story is very interesting and sci-fi lovers would enjoy it, but the story and the characters need to be more fleshed out. Since the story was so short, I felt the introduction of all the Lieutenants and Commanders and Engineers was overwhelming. I felt like the author kept throwing new characters in the story, but they didn't really serve a purpose to the story.

At times, the story felt as if I'm reading a summary of the story. Instead of letting the reader experience the events in the story, the author tells the reader directly what is happening. For instance, the author tells us something is funny instead of letting us experience the humor, which is counter productive. Unfortunately, the book needs additional formatting and editing. The book reads like one long paragraph. There's barely any quotation marks and proper spacing, so it made reading the story very difficult and harder to follow. Proper formatting would help organize and make reading the story easier. Overall, the story has a lot of promise, but it needs some work.