REMOTE iT!

Remote iT!: Winning with Freelancers by Michael Brooks is a survey for business owners looking to secure and retain the burgeoning market of independent contractors. A number of industries are tapping into the exceptional array of workers operating on their own time and terms remotely. The author highlights a number of benefits to hiring freelancers, including “that they are essentially self-employed and running their own businesses… they have a level of enthusiasm and drive often unmatched in the traditional workforce” and, in many ways, they can assist business-owners to propel “products to market earlier and increase your company’s profitability in many ways.” These workers showcase a variety of skillsets, making them ideal for short-term virtual positions such as designers, writers and developers, assistants, engineers, marketers, and SEO experts. These cover only a few of the many roles available to virtual work, providing both freelancers and business owners with a number of short-term and long-term advantages. These types of contracts afford independent contract workers flexibility in when and where they work. Simultaneously, business-owners experience reduced overhead costs, no longer having to pay for worker-related costs such as insurance and payroll taxes, office space, or infrastructure fees. This structure provides all those involved a healthier working relationship that fosters creativity, intersectionality, and productivity. Brooks shares firsthand knowledge of this model, having employed this structure with a number of freelancers for his expanding global business. Particularly interesting are the insights Brooks offers on remote corporate retreats, 3D virtual meetings, and global currency challenges. The author wraps up his synopsis with relevant, informative case studies, an applicable checklist for new business-owners engaging this structure, and resources to expand on the discussed topics. Apart from the insights this text affords business-owners, freelancers will learn what to expect and how best to perform for their clients to encourage repeat customers and avoid industry pitfalls. Brooks’ section on verifying a freelancer acts as a concise blueprint of materials to prepare in anticipation of a project for independent contractors. Employers and freelancers alike will appreciate the guidance and effectiveness Brooks provides from beginning to end. Brooks’ survey is overflowing with engaging and applicable information great for readers of all backgrounds and levels of experience. His comprehensive overview on a number of relevant areas earns this work a 5-star rating. Michael Brooks’ Remote iT!: Winning with Freelancers is a forward-thinking survey of the infinite options that can unfold when working with independent contractors. Readers will find the discussed themes and additional resources invaluable in expanding and sustaining their business in an ever-growing remote world.


Dasher and The Sleigh-Train

It’s nearly Christmas, and Santa fears there won’t be enough room in the sleigh for all the children’s toys. The requests he’s received have been countless this year. While he’s sharing his concerns with Mrs. Claus, Dasher approaches, sneezing and announcing that he’s not feeling well. Though Santa desperately needs his help on the busiest night of the year, he sends him off to the infirmary to see the nurse. Santa calls a meeting with the elves to troubleshoot the situation. Though they aren’t in favor of it, he decides to use a toy train to pull the sleigh in Dasher’s absence. He sprinkles the presents with his special dust, and they magically rearrange themselves in the sleigh, fitting perfectly, despite his previous worries. He and his lively green helpers take the locomotive on a trial run and determine it to be fit for the job. Upon their return, the reindeer plead to be a part of the journey. So, Santa agrees they may join the rest of the crew. They set out on their expedition toward the towns and cities. Santa and his crew catch a glimpse of the nighttime sky filled with beautiful stars and the brilliance and flashing of the Northern Lights. Once the gifts are delivered, they return to their homestead. They check on their dear friend Dasher and sing him their favorite holiday song, brightening his spirits just in time for Christmas.

Dasher and the Sleigh-Train is an original festive treat. Unlike many others, it's not a rendition of an already-told tale with a few new twists and turns added; its storyline is unique. The prominent illustrations sweeping across its pages are equally distinctive. They’re filled with brightly colored hues and have a soft, textured appearance, almost like that of velvet. They resemble pictures created from a rich array of markers, blended with a touch of pastel-colored chalk. Young children will likely find them unusual and intriguing. They’re apt to be a topic of discussion.

A sense of thoughtfulness and compassion are woven into the contents of this picture book. Parents and teachers may be especially fond of this aspect of it as they are so often trying to instill these qualities into their children and students. The way Santa, his elves, and the other reindeer respond to Dasher being ill and having to stay behind is touching. The story is written at a second- to third-grade reading level. It’s most suitable for youth ages 5-9, though some even younger, namely preschoolers, might delight in it, too. It’s relatively short, only 30 pages from front to back, making it a quick read. The font is smaller and less kid-friendly than it ideally would be, but this factor alone isn’t likely to detract many readers. The overall quality of the text is good, and the price is extremely reasonable. It will make a great stocking stuffer or pre-holiday surprise.


Meditation Station

I really enjoyed the book Meditation Station written by Susan B. Katz and illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyn. What I liked about it was that there’s yoga. And I liked that they used animals. It’s a calming book, with lots of trains and things. And birthday cake for breakfast sounds amazing! (Even though we learned on Sid the Science Kid about why it’s not healthy to eat cake for breakfast.) I like that in the end there’s a picture of the bear with his trains.

This book helped me learn how to think about meditation and calm my busy mind in a yoga pose. It’s easy to feel frustrated or upset, but deep breaths help and that’s it, just that easy, meditation. When my mind gets busy, I like to think about it like a train, like in the book. And when my brain gets too, too busy, I try to remember to take a deep breath and slow it down, like the bear does. This is a really good book and I really liked the pictures.


A Cloud of Outrageous Blue

I chose this book because the title appealed to me. After all, blue is my favorite color, and what is 'outrageous blue'? It turns out that the protagonist is a girl with synesthesia. The author explains what that is at the beginning and again at the end of the book. Synesthesia is when somebody's perceptions get mixed so that one sense has a sensation that usually belongs to another sense - like the color blue having a sound, or piano music having a smell. The heroine, Edie, is an orphan. She lives in the Middle Ages, during an outbreak of the bubonic plague. Edie's brother sends her to a priory, like a convent, where she learns to read and write Latin. Edie is an artist, and she learns how to make pigments to color the illuminations (illustrations) in medieval books. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful, and really help you imagine the world of the priory. Unfortunately, the story did not hold my attention. I enjoyed flipping through the book to see all the pictures, but I really had to push myself to read the story. At the end of the book is the author's note about her research. It's interesting and I enjoyed reading that. the author as a person sounds really interesting. So if you do love reading novels set in the Middle Ages, or living in a convent sounds like fun to you, definitely check out this book and its beautiful artwork - the pictures alone are worth it!


Frozen 2: One for the Books

Frozen 2: One for the Books is a story mostly about Olaf. Olaf is with Anna, and they are going to the bookstore in Arendale. Along the way, Olaf is telling Anna lots of facts about animals that he knows. When they get to the bookstore, they see that the librarian is getting ready to close it because he is going to be gone; this makes Olaf sad because he loves the library and learning new things from the books. Anna gets the librarian to keep the library open and let Olaf be in charge. Olaf is so happy and makes some changes to the library. When the librarian gets back, will he like the changes?

If you like the Frozen movies, then you'll like this book. When you start the story, you might think that you'll only see Anna and Olaf, but by the end of the book, you'll get to see all of the main characters. The story is easy to understand, even if you don't know the people. The pictures go with the story well, and if they made a short movie about this book, I would watch it! Kids of any age will enjoy this story.


The Last Tiger

In The Last Tiger, a fable written by author and illustrator Petr Horacek, a prideful tiger roams the jungle grounds. His peers warn him when hunters come near. With arrogance, he ignores their sage advice to hide, for he is the strongest and most powerful of all. After devising a clever plan, the men return to the jungle and capture the tiger. They display him in the city for all to see. Behind the metal stakes of his enclosure, he falls into despair and gradually loses what he savored most - his strength and power. Once his body becomes nearly half the size it was, he squeezes through the bars, escaping to freedom at last. It becomes his most precious commodity.

This is a thoughtful book centered on a timeless message - the blessing of freedom far outweighs that of strength and power. In the end, those mean little in contrast. A secondary lesson can be extrapolated from the text as well: Arrogance often leads to undesirable ends. These valuable truisms taught through simple words and elaborately illustrated pages, provide young children with a rich source of wisdom. This tale will appeal to children ages five to nine. The brevity of it as well as the uniqueness of the illustrations will be likely be their favorite features. Horacek’s style has some resemblance to that of Eric Carle, a beloved author and illustrator of young children’s books.


Pirates Escape Game: A High Seas Mystery

This is a cool, fun puzzle game. You wake up on a pirate ship with a bump on the head. The captain is missing, and you don’t know how you got here! This game is really two books in one because it has a main book with the story and the puzzles, and a separate clue book in the back. It also has the answers! This game-book will be good for vacations, maybe while you are driving, or sitting on an airplane. Figuring out the clues and decoding the messages will take a long time, so it’s a great way not to get bored.

Some of the problems are hard. There are mazes, secret codes, math puzzles, a clue book where you find stuff, picture puzzles. The pictures are good, and really bring you the feel of an old-fashioned pirate ship. Some pages look like old maps or old-fashioned letters. The printing looks like it’s written in ink. It’s a good math book, too, because you have to use your brain to get around the clues and solve sequences. Kids who like puzzles and who study cryptography for fun will really like this!


Geraldine and the Space Bees

Geraldine and the Space Bees is the second book in the Geraldine series. In Space Bees, the book begins with Geraldine watering her mom's flowers. She notices that there aren't as many bees flying around the plants as usual. The next day at school, her teacher says that they are going on a field trip to the space museum; this is exciting to Geraldine! At the space museum, she learns about different things in space and has a homework assignment to create something to send into outer space. Back at home, she uses her imagination and makes something helpful that will hopefully help save the bees.

I think I will like the books in the Geraldine series! She is close to my age and thinks up exciting things to do and make. I did not know much about bees, besides them being important for plants, before reading this book. I now know how important they are and will remember to not be scared of them. Space Bees is for any age of reader who likes colorful illustrations and a fun story.


Hawthorn Woods

Like so many other sleepy suburbs, Hawthorn Woods is manicured, polite, and social on the surface, but beneath the polished veneer of the picture-perfect community, secrets and scandal rumble in Patrick Canning’s novel Hawthorn Woods.

After her marriage ends, Francine retreats to her sister’s home to recharge and re-evaluate her life. She’s certain she can’t trust her own judgment given the way she’d misread her ex-husband, and the quiet, sun-dappled world of Hawthorn Woods feels like the perfect place to reset. While her sister is traveling in Italy for a belated honeymoon, Francine holds down the fort and mingles with the neighbors. Snotty Lori Asperski and her crew of hens rule the roost while Laura Jean—the best friend of Francine’s sister—adopts and shepherds Francine through all the summer festivities, including a July 4th barbecue and the infamous garage sale day.

But behind all the seemingly mundane moments, there is a current of danger. Something is off with the other summer resident, Michael Bruno, who commands Francine’s attention and her suspicion in equal measure. There is a mystery in Hawthorn Woods that Francine must solve, if only she can determine who she should trust.


A Wild Winter Swan: A Novel

Laura Ciardi can name all the reasons she’s an outcast before she ever gets out of bed in the morning. She’s being raised by her aging grandparents thanks to a father who died before she was born and a mother in an institution. She’d rather read fairy tales to elementary school kids than make friends her own age. And, she’s not allowed to speak to the workmen in the house because her Nonna and Nonno don’t think it’s proper. Gregory Maguire’s A Wild Winter Swan reveals all of Laura’s eccentricities and her gifts over the course of a few snowy days near Christmas in 1960s New York.

Ciardi’s Fine Foods and Delicacies is a staple in Manhattan, but recent competition from another business is affecting their bottom line, so Mrs. Ciardi invites her sister Geneva, and Geneva’s rich new husband, to the Feast of the Seven Fishes. A dinner so opulent, Mr. Corm Kennedy—no relation—will have no choice but to throw in as an investor and help save the business from ruin. It is in the midst of the preparations for this feast, and on the night itself, that Laura is pushed to her limits. A mysterious visitor wings into the house and she must hide him or risk her family losing it all.

As Maguire has so often done before with books like Wicked and Mirror Mirror, A Wild Winter Swan is a delight of fantasy and the grotesquely beautiful in all of us.


The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X

The dark presence of intolerance took shape early in the life of Malcolm X. Born Malcolm Little, his family battled the racist maneuverings of the Ku Klux Klan in Omaha, Nebraska. His Father Earl and Mother Louis were uncowed by subjugation and resilience. They eventually relocated from Omaha to Milwaukee before settling in Michigan. The Littles were active in Civil Rights, members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The fortunes of the Little family were irreversibly altered when Earl Little was killed in a tragic accident in 1931. Louise Little was left to raise a large family during the back-breaking days of the Great Depression. The poverty took a toll, and young Malcolm eventually shirked his education for more lucrative forays in petty crime. As Malcolm matured, his exploits got him jailed, where he found Religion and emerged as Malcolm X. As an early ambassador for The Nation of Islam, Malcolm’s charisma and intellect gained converts and strengthened the organization. Yet as his star rose, internecine conflict, racism, and corrupt government overreach would do their utmost to tear him down.

The Dead are Arising is a powerfully moving book about an oft polarizing figure. Malcolm X was a man who emerged out of turbulent times, gave a voice to the ignored and downtrodden. The research done by the late Les Payne is exemplary and noteworthy. He makes the past come alive for every reader to behold.


Feel Better in 5: Your Daily Plan to Feel Great for Life

Feel Better in 5 is all about making small changes in your daily routine that lead to lasting results. The book is divided into three sections: Mind, Body, and Heart. Within each area, Dr. Chatterjee presents what he calls "health snacks" designed to make you feel better throughout the day. By devoting five minutes thee times a day to his suggestions and exercises, you an create a new routine that will positively benefit your mind, body, and heart. By finding time in the day that works for you, whether it is before your day begins or at the end of the day, these tips are designed to have a ripple effect in your life. Once you start to feel good, you will want to incorporate more of the exercises into your day; at least, that's the idea. And I'm happy to say that there are many interesting options listed throughout the book. I enjoyed the physical exercise snacks the most.

If, like me, you are one of those people who start diets and exercise programs only to give up a few days or weeks later, Feel Better in 5 presents a new way of addressing health and fitness. It's easy to follow and it doesn't require a lot of time or willpower. As far as I'm concerned, that makes this one a winner.


For Whom the Book Tolls: An Antique Bookshop Mystery

When Jenna Quinn arrives in Hokes Folly, North Carolina, to stay with her uncle Paul and help out around his antique bookstore, she finds him dead at the bottom of the stairs inside the store. To make matters worse, the police suspect Jenna had something to do with the death. Jenna is already trying to move on from a troubled past so, she doesn't need the police breathing down her neck. On top of trying to find a killer, she also has to decide if she wants to stay in the small town and run the bookstore uncle Paul left her.

For Whom The Book Tolls started a bit slow, but as I read on, the action picked up, and the story turned out to be quiet exciting. It's full of delightful characters and enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing who the murderer could be right up to the end. Hopefully, there will be more to come in this series.


A book of poems deserves a few quotations, reaching out to garner the sentiment no less than their words and messages. The poet’s grandson declares his love extravagantly demands a response:

What can I say? Stars are too distant,

Flowers too small, and fragile. Stumped,

I reply, ‘I love you that much too.'

In her new collection, Birds of San Pancho and Other Poems of Place, Lucille Lang Day fits two genres between the covers. The first shares postcard messages, souvenirs of exotic views, restaurants, small setbacks like broken sneakers.  They’re likable, but beg the question, are they poetry?

Poetry has ‘poetic qualities however mentioned, ‘and ‘poetic spirit or feeling.’ So even if our schooling left us believing the likes of Keats and Milton defined poetry, we must allow credit to a new world, a topsy-turvy world, where poetry is unafraid to talk to us as equals, in a language we recognize.

Oh, what can we do to save

this world where people fear

a necklace might blow up

Donald Duck, or bring down a plane

Then, a deeper dimension, a lasting memory of Old Bill, a tribute to a dying friend of long ago:

I don’t believe in your death or mine,

but in colors and sky, all the possibilities

reflected in your hazel eyes, which glittered

Like emeralds the night we danced naked.

Should sentiment come later, as it has done here, or perhaps come into the early pages so travels can assuage emotion?


Murder in the Bayou Boneyard: A Cajun Country Mystery

It's Halloween in Pelican, Louisiana, and that would be great if Maggie Crozat were a fan of this spooky holiday, but she isn't. Nevertheless, the Crozat family has decided to add some special events at the bed and breakfast they operate in the small town to attract more guests. The Crozat family are also expecting to meet some long lost cousins who are arriving from Canada. But when one of them turns up dead at a Halloween event hosted in a cemetery, Maggie is not only surprised; she's the main suspect. Which means she now has to find out who is behind the killing if she's going to stay out of jail. But it's Halloween and there are far more tricks than treats in this story, and Maggie will have to dig deep to find out what's going on.

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard is a fast-paced, fun, cozy mystery with a great deal of atmosphere. I enjoyed the story and the main characters. I especially like the sense of place in this one. I felt like I was in a Louisiana small town the whole way through. Plus, the author included a few recipes in the book as well.


Murder at Hotel 1911: An Ivy Nichols Mystery

Ivy Nichols is proud of her job at Hotel 1911 and is determined to keep working at the reception desk despite her panic attacks. The hotel keeps her connected to the family she's long since lost and allows her to work closely with her friend George, whose role is in the kitchen. The hotel receives a new guest when Amalia Swain comes with an attitude and an important warning: she has a severe allergy to shellfish. But when Amalia is found dead, George is the main suspect, with everyone believing that he made a mistake in the kitchen. Ivy knows that George would never make a mistake, but when no one believes her, she has more to fight than panic attacks. She must search for clues and uncover the identity of the real killer to prove her friend innocent.

Audrey Keown delivers a charming debut that is a brilliant kick-off to a series with this addicting cozy, a mystery that surrounds a hotel, and an amazing protagonist. The hotel is an important character in itself as it presents a grand history to the story and gives a connection to Ivy's own familial past. The writing is lovely and gives elegant descriptions of the hotel that take you back to 1911, as Keown has a true talent for capturing the essence of the story. Everyone believes that Ivy's friend George is guilty, which is the drive that pushes Ivy to solve the case herself. Ivy is a charmingly flawed character that captures the voice and struggle of someone living with panic attacks in a genuine and honest way. It's refreshing to see such an honest character at the helms of an investigation and explore a genuine approach to living with anxiety. She's a grounded character that is driven, compassionate, and clever, which adds fun and lightness to the story as she takes the lead. Murder at Hotel 1911 is a great whodunit mystery that has a Clue flare and a charming setting, in a mystery that gives a much-needed voice to the struggles of anxiety and panic attacks.


Apocalypse Yesterday

Many people are nostalgic for days gone by. Fewer people are nostalgic for the four months where civilization collapsed in the wake of a zombie uprising. Rip is one of the few. He thrived during the end times, truly finding a place for himself as a zombie hunter. But when civilization returned, Rip was lost again. How far will Rip go to recapture his glory days?

Apocalypse Yesterday is unexpected. You expect a Zombieland-style romp through zombie hunting, and you do get a little bit of that. But you also get a genuinely empathetic look at what it feels like to not fit in the world and the depression that follows newfound success. You may not get Rip, but you get what he's going through, and you can't help but root for him to find a way forward (even if it's not the insane path he chooses). Not only that, but Adams manages to pepper some poignant commentary on consumerism, climate change, and human nature along the way.

Apocalypse Yesterday isn't as hilarious as some zombie books, but its unique mix of humor, heart, melancholy, and deliciously gory detail helps it to stand out from the pack. In a genre full of groaners, Apocalypse Yesterday speaks.


It Will Just Be Us

The Wakefield mansion is haunted by ghosts and memories of both the past and the future. Sam and her mother live there alone until Sam’s sister Elizabeth shows up eight months pregnant. Sam begins seeing a new ghost, a faceless one who harms animals and the other ghosts. He seems to know her and tries to hurt her constantly. There is something familiar about the boy and Sam is horrified when she figures out who he really is. She is going to try to stop it from happening, but little does she realize that you can’t stop the future, only set it in motion. She learns too late that in the end, It Will Just Be Us.

This was a fantastic ghost story. Every part was great. I loved that the house had a mind of its own, as well as the backstories of all the ghosts and the Swamp Witch. It was also interesting how the house would show you memories of the past and the future. You can’t help but feel bad for everyone who has lived in that house. They either die, are tortured, or go mad. I guess haunted houses will do that to you. Overall, a book you should probably read during the day, but definitely worth your time.


Retrograde: The Darkness

"In Retrograde: The Darkness, Godmasch brings us a vividly rendered vision of a far-off planet facing an ancient, supernatural enemy. This book isn't just flights of fancy; however, the characters are all as real as anyone you might meet in your day-to-day life, bringing human strength and vulnerability in equal measure to a world that could only exist in the imagination." — Jo Niederhoff, San Francisco Book Review


El Camino Drive

“A very old vendetta was about to be fulfilled.”  Detective John Valentino is haunted by the murder of his father on El Camino Drive when he was six years old. The fact that the murderers were never brought to justice weighs heavily on him. The absence of his father has defined his life and turned him into an angry alcoholic which destroys his family.  No one has more reason to avenge the death of his father, or so he thought.  That is until his father's killers start turning up dead. Of course, the first suspect is John, but with airtight alibis, the investigators are running in circles. Meanwhile, John is dealing with his own demons.

When we are introduced to the main character, Detective John Valentino, he is suspended for violently assaulting his partner. The only reason he wasn’t fired is that his commander has a soft spot for him. At first, this character is hard to like. He’s angry, mean, and sexist. As the story progresses he does get a bit more likable, especially when he interacts with his sons. The writing style of this author is not typically what I prefer, It’s dry and matter of fact, but the storyline itself was interesting and unpredictable. It reads like a gritty big screen police drama. At first, the story starts a bit slow with a lot of background information but picks up about halfway through. There were many times where I had no idea where the story was going and I like that. Some of the characters I felt were too complicated and there is a secondary storyline that seemed unnecessary but despite that, the story was easy to follow. I did find it fascinating that this was based on a real case, on El Camino Drive. The author did a great job with the "what if" scenario in exploring that case. The funeral scene for John’s mother was very well written, definitely evoked empathy for the grief the characters were feeling. The chapter endings had a good impact and made me want to keep reading. The killers reveal fell a little flat and didn’t have the impact a good climax should have. I also felt more was needed to wrap things up so the ending left me a bit unsatisfied. Overall, I thought this was a good crime novel with an interesting plot and characters.


The Algerian Hoax

Michael Vaux used to be a journalist, but for the past many years he has been working as a part-time rent-a-spy for Britain’s famed MI6. He had been recruited, perhaps against his better judgment, more than twenty years earlier. He is still at it when called upon for special jobs. But now it seems some people at the agency think Vaux has been double-dealing, and they want to catch him in the act. Vaux picks up a woman in a bar, one young enough to be his daughter, and takes her home with him. In the morning, when he needs to leave, she says she would like to sleep a little longer, and seemingly without a second thought, he leaves her there and goes on his merry way. When he returns later, it never occurs to him to check for bugs or anything that might be missing. The people who think Vaux is a double agent decide to catch him in the act and send him to the south of France where they have people ready to surveil him, and they have a phony job for him that is bound to get him to show who he really is. Vaux has some people in his corner though, and it is a good thing he does, but will it be enough to save him?

Author Roger Croft has done his homework on the British spy game and has what should be a very compelling story to tell. But there are some writer's problems that could be resolved with a couple of good rounds of developmental editing, copy editing, and following some tenets of writing in this genre. First, Croft has chosen an omniscient point of view. By letting the readers see everything that is going on and what everyone is thinking, he erases any real chance of building tension, and thrillers really need tension on every page to work well. The old adage of show-don’t-tell seems to have been thrown to the winds. The book abounds with info dumps disguised as memoranda and conversations with phrases like “as you know” (p. 39), “as you may have gathered” (p. 40), “as you already know” (p. 40), and “as you know full well (p. 53) identifying them as info dumps. A good copy editor would find and fix problems such as saying the same thing with different words in the same sentence (“Thursfield’s overall ennui and boredom) and details that pull readers out of the story like having Vaux with his gun in an underarm holster on page 168 and pulling the gun from the holster firmly attached to his waistband three pages later or sipping his rum-and-coke then, three paragraphs later grabbing his old-fashioned. This has the possibility to be a pretty good book with some serious re-writing.


Crossing the Digital Faultline

We live in a time where changes are happening in the digital world nonstop, not just month to month, or week to week, but day to day, and sometimes even faster than that. It is crucial for a business leader to be up to date and prepared for these changes as they happen, so they are not caught by surprise and at risk of harming their business. There are those who believe that they’ve crossed the “digital faultline” by making sure they have a good website and email, and are ready for anything. They couldn’t be more wrong. Fortunately, Sri Manchala’s Crossing the Digital Faultline has the suggestions, advice, and answers you need to be a successful business leader in the digital age.

As someone who doesn’t read many business books, I was expecting the reading to be significant challenge, but was pleasantly surprised. Manchala has a clear and easy-to-read voice throughout the book that doesn’t feel overbearing or overwhelming ever. The reader doesn’t get the sense that they’re drowning in details and numbers because the book is skillfully divided in clear, distinct parts and chapters and sections to make it far easier to digest bit by bit or quickly find a particular subject or detail you’re looking for.

The book is divided into four parts, which are then broken down into further chapters, which are divided into sections with subheadings, all easily indexed and found through an extensive table of contents. The first part, “The Digital Faultline,” goes into detail explaining this concept, and where the world, and most importantly the business world, stands with regards to the Digital Age. The second part, “The Privilege of Being a Leader and the Persona for Success on the Digital Faultline,” explains the important of your role as the leader of a business. Without you doing what is needed, your business very well may fail, or at least get left behind in this fast-paced world. In the third part, “The 10 Rules of Leading and Succeeding in the Digital Age,” the ten rules are explained clearly and thoroughly. Some of them include: Rule #3 - Replace Assumptions with Data Analysis, Rule #7 - Strategize and Execute in Quick Iterations, and Rule #10 - Be Aggressive, But Set Realistic Stakeholder Expectations. The fourth part, “Applying the 10 Rules,” goes into detail on how you apply the ten rules to your business and your success.

Crossing the Digital Faultline is brimming not just with important details and data but also numerous graphs and images explaining the terms and goals and putting everything in perspective. It is a slim but important book that is invaluable to any business leader looking to stay on top of all the changes happening in the Digital World. There is also significant advice on the subject of Covid-19 and how the business world has been changed by this pandemic.


The Secrets To Living A Fantastic Life

This book shows that life is not about what happens to you but how you respond to the things that happen. Both authors experienced events that changed their lives. Dr. Lycka was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and given only a short time to live, and Harriet Tinka was kidnapped and beaten by a stalker. By examining their lives and thinking about how they could make the most out of their experiences and challenges, they have come up with thirteen golden pearls that they feel could help others lead a wonderful life. These golden pearls cover a range of issues, from letting love into your life to finding inspiration and purpose, as well as feeling grateful for what you have now.

I enjoyed the section about non-negotiables because that is an important area we sometimes neglect. I also found the chapter on intention very useful, especially Harriet's questions for finding purpose. By following the thirteen pearls, the authors hope that readers will learn how to deal with life's challenges and find meaning and fulfillment every day.

The authors use their own stories and others to inspire readers to slow down a little and see what life has to offer. What makes this book a bit different from other self-help books that I've read recently is that it is structured in the form of a conversation between Dr. Lycka and Harriet. This made the book seem more personal and engaging, and I got the feeling almost immediately that they were genuinely hoping to help their readers. They weren't interested in just their own stories. They incorporated many others, along with engaging and inspiring quotes as well. The story of Amber was particularly moving. I think this is a book that readers, myself included, will want to consult again or return to when they need a specific golden pearl.

I enjoyed the book and the message that you don't have to accept life as something that happens to you. You can choose what you do with the life you have. I appreciated Harriet's idea of empowerment being a desire, plus confidence, plus action. Believing in yourself can be the best kind of empowerment. Overall, the positive tone and warm, friendly feeling that came through made this a useful book. And I don't remember reading one that encouraged readers to send their own stories for the next book the authors intend to write incorporating more golden pearls.


The Secrets To Living A Fantastic Life


Lovecraft Country: A Novel

Now an original series on HBO, this book is getting the reprinting treatment, so that readers have another chance to get the book while the series is in its early run. As I have seen the first couple of episodes of the series I can say so far that the book and series are completely different. Atticus gets a letter that his father has gone missing in a strange place not far from Boston. Determined to find him and possibly have a chance of gaining redemption Atticus and his uncle George, set off to find him. This book is a combination of Freemasonry, Jim Crow in the 1950s, and H.P Lovecraft. Though oftentimes the Lovecraft angle pops up its head every once in a while. Frankly, the chapters feel more like little stand-alone novellas with a single underwriting thread of the threat of a powerful family of natural philosophers and their quest for, well that is never really spelled out as the book is told from Atticus, his family, and friends. Those people watching the series will find past the first chapter that things are completely different. The book does end on kind of a letdown though.


The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World

Other than the moon, there is no celestial body that captures the imagination like Mars. That mysterious red sibling of Earth, tantalizingly out of reach, full of mystery and potential. Mars isn't just the home of extraterrestrial exploration... it's often the inspiration for new journeys.

The Sirens of Mars is really two books in one. It is a chronicle of attempts to scientifically understand the red planet, detailing the incredible amount of work and forethought that goes into every Mars mission. But it is also the story of one scientist and how she came to be.

 That mix of styles, tones, and narratives shouldn't work -- and it has failed in the past -- but The Sirens of Mars is a home-run success. Sarah Stewart Johnson doesn't just share her story, her inspiration, and her growth as a scientist, but she manages to distill that intangible essence of scientific wonder that inspires us all, and ladle heaping spoonfuls of it into our mouths as we read.

If only more science books were this informative and heartfelt all at once. We'd probably already be on Mars by now.


The Pull of the Stars: A Novel

It’s 1918 and the Spanish Influenza is raging, through Dublin, Ireland, as well as across the rest of the world. But for nurse Julia Power, the world has narrowed to the hospital where she works in the fever maternity ward, caring for expectant mothers who also are fighting off the deadly virus.

While a small story, just one woman and those she meets in a three day period, this story grabs readers by the throat and refuses to let them breathe. An understaffed hospital and a doctor on the run from police. A nurse torn between the hospital and home. And a young volunteer called Bridie Sweeney, who will change how Julia sees the world, as well as herself. By the end of the three days, nothing will ever be the same for Julia.

This is the type of book that seems slow, but keeps you reading on the edge of your seat, heart in your throat. Its breakneck pace, with “the bone man” always lurking, The Pull of the Stars is tightly constructed suspense from start to finish by a masterful storyteller, Emma Donoghue. Powerful, haunting, disturbing, and eerily timely, this is a fantastic book by a fantastic storyteller.


Work Mate Marry Love: How Machines Shape Our Human Destiny

We normally do not think of technology changing our social behavior, but both influence each other. The underlying premise of this book is that technological advances influence our most basic human interactions – our definition of a family. The underlying assumption throughout this book is that invention dictates not only society but also family life. The book is divided into three parts: the first part surveys history and attempts to show how the invention of the plow, the Industrial Revolution, and the proliferation of home appliances influenced our ideas of dating, falling in love, and family. The second part probes contemporary society, specifically in vitro fertilization, contraception, the advent of the internet and online dating, and the use of artificial intelligence in decision-making.  The third part envisions the future: more personal human-robot interactions, and extending life by extending consciousness.

While the discussion is intriguing, some aspects need broader consideration, and some of the underlying assumptions need closer examination. For instance, one assertion is that the invention of the plow shaped gender bias, and lead to patriarchal societies. It fails to consider gender roles in societies such as Mesoamerica, and Ancient Persia. The narrative holds that invention influences society, rather than open the possibility that societal norms may also influence innovation. Readers may find other assumptions that need better support. Despite its drawbacks, the book does draw a relationship between areas that are typically regarded as related. For that reason alone, it is well worth reading, questioning, and contemplating.


I Am Sheffrou

Tamara Walsh is a wife, mother, and physician. In general, she is a perfectly ordinary woman. However, she finds herself in an extraordinary situation when she falls through a wormhole and lands on another planet, a place populated by aliens with unfamiliar biology and even stranger customs. Though she yearns to be back home, there is little chance of her being able to return without another wormhole. So until one appears, she will have no choice but to wait and do her best to acclimate to her new home. Luckily, she finds a close friend in Maashi, the alien who first found her and devoted himself to taking care of her. Somewhat less luckily, her feelings for Maashi soon grow complicated, evolving into an attraction even she cannot understand.

Overall, I Am Sheffrou is a fascinating book and an impressive debut for the author. It reminds me of the classic science fiction stories I read when I was much younger, when explanation was far less necessary than exploration. The aliens (whom Tamara calls Chamis, a shortened version of their true name) have a well-thought-out culture and history, both of which are necessary to the plot. Tamara serves as an everywoman, showing readers the aliens' culture through a human lens, with all the various human biases that entails. Unlike an average everywoman, however, Tamara has more desires than just to get back home, and she acts on those desires. She may not always have full agency (it isn’t easy to when you’re treated as a curiosity and pet) but all the agency she does have, she uses to her best advantage.

But why only four stars, if I’m so impressed? I enjoyed the book a great deal and am excited to see where the trilogy goes next (keep an eye out for book two, Betrayal). However, at times, I found myself underwhelmed. I would have liked to see more introspection from Tamara, especially regarding her shifting attitudes toward the world she was trapped on, and some of the story beats felt oddly placed. Neither of those things bothered me enough to make me dislike the book, though; they were only occasional, nagging annoyances. On the whole, I enjoyed how the story was so different from what I’ve come to expect from science fiction. I said before that it’s heavier on exploration than explanation, and exploration takes up the vast majority of the book. Most of it is also devoted to Tamara learning about the Chamis’ culture, and if you enjoy thought experiments of that nature, I Am Sheffrou is not one to miss.


El Camino Drive

This suspense novel, set in a rough-around-the-edges Detroit, is told in two timeframes. We move between the contemporary era of Detective Johnny Valentino and the 1970s of his father, Antonio, who was gunned down on El Camino Drive decades ago. Johnny begins the novel an alcoholic with a violent temper that gets him suspended from his job and divorced from his wife. Left with little but a bare apartment and plenty of time, Jonny begins the process of reviewing his father’s case and bringing his murderers to justice. This takes him on the road to recovery. Many of Johnny’s personal problems are linked to the need to deal emotionally with this murder that the perpetrators never paid for.

Although Johnny lives in the same city as his father, he leads a vastly different life. Johnny chose a life of law and justice, an orderly life with a wife and children, until recently. His father, however, inhabited a world of organized crime that Johnny knows only peripherally. The investigation of his father’s death takes him into a world of gangsters and mob bosses, of decades-long vendettas. It was this community through which Antonio Valentino’s murder sent shock waves that continue to reverberate in the present. Johnny’s mother still grieves; his uncles remain committed to carrying out the vendetta placed on the murderers so long ago. At the same time Johnny begins the process of getting his father’s case reviewed and the perpetrators who had never stood trial brought to justice, a serial killer begins targeting the murderers. In addition, Johnny is drawn into an elaborate embezzlement scheme by a new girlfriend. Detective John Valentino, responsible for helping convict many criminals, finds himself on the other side of the law.

The prose, a little awkward at first, takes off with the suspense of Johnny navigating his broken life as he deals with two crimes. The more he learns about his father’s case, the more determined Johnny becomes to carry out the vendetta even as a serial killer begins targeting the perpetrators.

Some plot points strain credulity. The main one is that the killers all fled town and rebuilt their lives in different places in the United States as if the past can be erased that easily in modern times. In addition, Johnny’s uncles could have easily located them to carry out the vendetta rather than wait forty years for the perpetrators to return to town. Forty years in some places are treated like two or three. There are some editing issues that are distracting at times, but overall this is a satisfying story where all roads lead back to El Camino Drive.


Dreaming of California

Grant Collier, Illustrated by Stephanie Lowman

Begrudgingly, Pandora the Pelican flies back to her nest beside the sea. Mother says she must get a good night's rest. She dozes off, and her dreams carry her to an ancient world in which little land exists. The oceans are inhabited by vibrantly colored aquatic life and the Shonisaurs’ that rule the domain. Pandora journeys on to a new capsule in time. She sees animals of all sorts, some familiar, some not, and soon reaches an era closer to her own. The humans are mysteriously clothed in deerskin and build homes out of trees. As the morning nears and before she wakes from her slumber, Pandora travels on to one last era of the past in her homeland, California.

This is a fascinating book in which the author craftily blends historically accurate chronology in California’s history with elements of fantasy and adventure. The illustrations are masterful and were created from sketches carefully constructed from hours of research studying fossils of prehistoric creatures as well as current-day ones. This focused effort contributes to the richness and overall quality. Though the text is not long, spanning only forty pages, the storyline is somewhat complex, making it most suitable for children ages six to ten. They will likely extract more meaning from it than younger ones.


I Love My Fangs!

Dracula loves his pointy, sharp fangs. They are a family trait and make him who he is. His friends know that. But what happens when his fang falls out? Can he tape or tie it back in?

Illustrations: The illustrations were phenomenal. I love the round style of the characters and the color choices for a book about a young Dracula. I loved the family pictures on the wall in Dracula’s room. That his bed was a coffin was one of my favorite things. I loved the tooth fairy and the scuffle between her and Drac. The solution at the end was brilliant.

Words: I loved the word usage. There were not a lot of words, but the words chosen were fang-tastic. They gave you enough to read the story, but also to enjoy them right along with the detailed pictures.

Lessons Learned: Tooth care is shown by Drac, showing how to keep his fangs healthy. Losing a tooth is a different time, but nothing to be afraid of.

Ways to use this book: Halloween, tooth care, talking about loosing teeth

Age Range: 3 to 8 years

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers


Snow Day for Groot!

Brendan Deneen, Illustrated by Cale Atkinson

When the battle is done, what does Groot do for fun? A snow day of course. Groot hops on a spaceship and heads for New York to meet Spiderman for some great New York fun. They travel across the city swinging, making snow creatures, and seeing the New York sights. Groot notices at the end that Rocket has been following along but feels left out. Groot makes him feel at home and does the last activities with him to remind him that Groot still considers him his best pal.

The text is so much fun to read. Fantastic word choice, rhythm, and rhyme. I loved the care the author took with the text.  I also appreciated a great story with the book. Well done!

The illustrations were colorful, fun, and cartoony. This is perfect for kids just being introduced to the Marvel universe. The details were fantastic you could tell right away who the characters were and what location they were at in each panel.

My six-year-old loves Marvel and approved of this clever story including Groot, Spiderman, and lots of other Marvel characters. My three-year-old liked the story and the detailed pictures.


All Our Broken Idols

640 BC-Nineveh lay in the heart of the cradle of civilization. Aurya is a young woman struggling to survive the perils of the day to day world while looking after her older brother Sharo. Their father is a Mason, whose ideas are big, but whose appetite for the bottle is bigger. Sharo and Aurya’s lives are haunted by the untimely loss of their Mother, who was dragged from them by a lion. Aurya and Sharo seek an escape from their daily grind, especially hustling for food. A violent act soon provides just such an opportunity.

2014-Katya is an Archaeologist of Iraqi-English persuasion. Her life’s work involves plumbing the depths of the earth for lost History. The untimely disappearance of her Father has left an indelible imprint on Katya. Her work provides answers to mysteries that still elude her. However, her new assignment in Iraq provides peril, as post-invasion Iraq has succumbed to looting and wanton violence. Katya and her team unearth a spectacular artifact, which might provide answers to the previous History, yet the surrounding violence imperils everything and everyone.

All Our Broken Idols is a gripping Drama from start to finish. The two parallel narratives blend well, as the story shifts between Aurya and Katya. The dangers faced by both protagonists are grave, yet they are distinguished by their strength and resilience. Author Paul M.M Cooper has crafted a thrilling and fascinating read.


The Algerian Hoax

The opening scene of The Algerian Hoax is fun. A man brings home a beautiful woman from a bar and she, in turn, lets her associates in to bug his home while he’s out. It’s a great start to a spy novel.

Roger Croft, the British author of The Algerian Hoax, has a lot of personal experience with world events. He was a journalist and, according to his biography, worked in Cairo, Morocco, and Montreal, among other places. When he worked at The Economist, it was revealed that his boss was an MI5 agent. Croft clearly has gravitas when it comes to spies and international intrigue.

In The Algerian Hoax, Croft reprises the character of Vaux from his other novels. Vaux is a good character. Not surprisingly, he is a journalist turned spy, without a lot of polish or pretense. He is being framed for being a traitor and must outwit his framers. The plot involves MI6, Mossad, and many more characters. It’s a complex story.

Craw is the British deputy director of Department B3. He suspects that Vaux is a traitor and so creates Operation Mascara to ensnare him. He also has a personal vendetta against Vaux. Dawson is an Australian who gets accidentally involved in the plot. There are three female characters, one plays an important part in the story and has mysterious loyalties. These females are rather one dimensional, unlike the male characters.

The writing style is easy and quick, without a lot of exposition. This writing style is well suited to a spy novel. The pace of the story is very fast and authentic in its insider look at the world of spies, counter spies, and international intrigue. When Vaux waits patiently to be contacted, for example, his boredom and quiet waiting seem true to the craft and interesting. Croft has a knack for telling readers just enough about a character to give him or her some memorable features, like the Aussie Dawson, without lengthy descriptions that might slow down the pace. The reader feels the urgency of the story.

However, the story is convoluted. There are some elements to it that push the bounds of realism, at least for me. At times, I also felt that the story felt flat, as if the author had a great plot device and ideas, but without the human element needed to make it a great novel. It reads a bit like a report rather than a novel. But, for fans of spy novels and British MI6 intrigue, it is certainly a cool story with a good ending.


Cupid is a Psychopath

One of the most creative books I've read in a long time, Cupid is a Psychopath is sure to leave readers with many chuckles. I am not a fan of grocery store romance novels; however, the main character in this book, Wetta Vane, absolutely loves them. In fact, she has been reading a book in a series about wealthy billionaires and how women marry them by making the billionaire fall in love with them. Wetta is a very silly girl and, while discussing it with her Aunt Gertrude, she tells her aunt of her plan to woo the man who owns the trailer park they live in so that she can save her aunt's home and become the wife of wealthy billionaire Veego Drake.

Wetta is a virgin and is saving herself for Veego. She has a list of rules that she knows a good lady always follows. But, as Wetta makes her way to Drake, everything that could go wrong does. Drake's assistant/bodyguard has plans to destroy him, there is a mass salmonella outbreak in their city and, on top of that, when Cupid strikes Veego, he has a very comical and delusional reaction to Cupid's arrow. He thinks he is the main character in Wetta's book, Prince Giannis Constantinopoulous, and confuses his cleaning lady for the main character in the book.

The story is easy to follow and features a cast of characters that will keep you guessing. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading it but soon I was hooked into the plot and wanted to see how everyone would end up. Veego Drake is your standard cocky billionaire, and Weeta is the dumbest of all dumb girls. I was laughing out loud while reading this book because the characters were so funny, both in their actions and their dialogue. The author even threw in a group of dwarves to further stir the pot.

Cupid is a Psychopath is a fun adventure that is part fairy tale and part modern-day billionaire versus thug story. The overweight cleaning lady, Myrna, is also quite funny, as she also has her own motive for being involved in Veego's life. It is a book that will have you chuckling until the very end. A great little piece of comic relief when you want to escape the real world. I would recommend it to fans of parody and slapstick.


Arlo & Pips, King of the Birds

What is the best bird, or King of birds? Arlo the Crow, thinks crows are the best birds in the world. Arlo wants to prove to his friend Pips how great crows are and show him why he is the King of Birds. Crows love shiny things, and can fly and pick things up,  Crows are black, shiny, and beautiful, and they sing wonderfully with a KA-KA, but Pips isn't so impressed. The two friends constantly compare one another's talents and each makes a statement on how what they can do is better. Finally, the best part about crows is they can use shiny things like tools to reach food. Most importantly Arlo is kind to his friend Pips and shares his treasures with him. This book is a very fun chapter book! The colorful illustrations show the funny birds and their antics when trying to show one another which is the best bird. Who knew little birds could be so funny! The text is easy to read. I hope to see more books in this funny series. I will tell my friends about this book.


I have read a lot of Berenstain Bears books, so I was excited to get The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Theater! In this book, Brother, Sister, and Honey Bear go with Mama and Papa to an old theater in town because they need summer jobs, and the theater is hiring. The three cubs get jobs cleaning. When they are in the back with the props, they see things like a big witch's cauldron, statues, and a stuffed bird. When Brother starts playing with the witch's cauldron, the cubs hear a spooky voice repeat what he said. They run to the manager, and he tells them that they just heard the Ghost of the Theater. He takes them backstage, and they get to meet the ghost and realize there's no reason to be scared.

This story is just as good as the older ones! Some of the words in the story I don't know yet, but I'm sure by the end of the year, I'll be able to read it myself. There are fewer words on each page than the older books, and the pictures are colorful. Kids who like reading the Berenstain Bears will for sure like this one too.


Pea, Bee, & Jay: Stuck Together

I really liked the book, it was the perfect length for me. I liked that it was a comic book. The pictures are colorful and they help me picture the story very well. I like how the word bubbles change shape and designs and different font sizes are used. The characters were super clever! Who would have thought you could name something Pea Bee and Jay and it would be names and a sandwich that kids love! HA! I liked how each character has their own part of the story to themselves and then the main part includes them all.

The book was super funny and I REALLY liked it! I really laughed out loud. Thank you for letting me review this wonderful book. I think a lot of kids my age (nine years old) would read this and love it too.


Jefferson Measures a Moose

What I think about this book (Jefferson Measures A Moose by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by S.D. Schindler Thomas)— It’s a very moosey book! And it has learning in it. In the end, I really liked how they have questions with answers so you don’t need a grownup to know if you got it right. Thomas Jefferson used numbers to show the Frenchman that he was wrong. The Frenchman hadn’t even seen an American moose! He said nothing was that big. But Jefferson used numbers and proved that was not true and he hadn’t even seen America or measured it. That was so amazing! And there’s a squirrel in the book. That was cool. Jefferson loved asking questions about numbers and figuring the answer. Jefferson loved numbers and so do I. Other kids who like numbers or Thomas Jefferson will probably like this book too. I give it all the stars. He used numbers to prove his point about America to the foolish Frenchman who had never even seen America. It’s a great book about numbers and a little bit of history too.


The River Home

Sisters Eve, Lucy, and Margot Sorrell haven’t been together in ages. So when Eve and Margot receive a message from Lucy requesting their presence at her wedding taking place in a week, they make their way home uneasily. Home is Windfalls, a shabby but beautiful house in England, where their mother, Kitty, still lives. Their father, Ted, lives not far from Windfalls with his new wife, Sibella. The relationships among all the family members have been strained for years, thanks to a shocking betrayal committed by a teenage Margot--who burned down Kitty’s writing studio, destroying an important manuscript. Once the family is together, the old hurts flare, but new heartache is about to touch them all--proving that the time for keeping secrets is over. Only the truth matters now.

Told in alternating points of view, The River Home brings the Sorrell family to life in vivid scenes of reunion as well as episodes from the past. Truths emerge slowly, effectively mirroring the Sorrells’ unwillingness to acknowledge past traumas to others and themselves. Though the sadness in this novel is ultimately unsurprising, the emotional buildup is thoughtfully rendered, and the members of the Sorrell family will stick with readers for a long time.


Before You Go

Popular Reads

The best seller lists can be a great source of new reading material, pointing interested readers toward popular, award-winning, and worthy books. The five titles included in this roundup have all won a heap of praise and sold incredibly well, and they are all highly recommended.

The Silence by Don Delillo

Don Delillo’s The Silence is a frighteningly prescient novel about an all too plausible global catastrophe. On Super Bowl Sunday in 2022, a retired physics professor and her husband are preparing to host a dinner party at their Manhattan apartment. One of the guests is a former student and, as kickoff looms, the three of them await the arrival of a couple who are due to fly in from France. Then, during the last commercial before kickoff, an unexplained disaster strikes: digital devices worldwide cease working, leaving people with no electronic means of communication and connection. Unfortunately, for those at the dinner party at least, the inability to rely on digital communication seemingly reflects a lack of interpersonal communication skills, although Delillo ensures that they have weighty monologues and plentiful internal strife to share. It’s an unusual take on a post-apocalyptic situation as the characters embrace the mundanity of societal collapse rather than seeking out the cause and solution.

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina

Everything in Yui’s life reset on March 11, 2011––the day a devastating tsunami hit Japan. It was the day she lost both her mother and her daughter. Sometime later and still consumed by grief, she hears a rumor about a disused phonebooth that bereaved people have started to visit so that they might talk to and about their lost loved ones and, it that way, begin to heal their pain. Yui decides that she will chance visiting the phonebooth, but once she gets there, she feels unable to actually lift the receiver and start talking. Instead, she meets a grieving widower whose daughter has stopped speaking in the wake of his wife’s death. Yui’s journey through heartbreak and loss is deeply moving and, ultimately, uplifting as it portrays how those touched by tragedy have to live with the resultant feelings forever, while the rest of the world is able to move on. Laura Imai Messina’s The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World is a beautiful exploration of grief and healing. Its meditative tone makes for a quiet yet profound read.

Stolen Things by R.H. Herron

What do you do when it appears that everything you have always believed in might just be founded on lies? That’s the question that Jojo Ahmadi has to face in Stolen Things by R.H. Herron, a crime story based on real-life events. Jojo’s dad is the chief of police in her California hometown while her mom is a 911 police dispatcher, so it’s no surprise that she’s always considered the members of the police department to be her family. It’s also no surprise that when Jojo is found drugged and in pain in the house of Kevin Leeds, a professional football player, the whole police department rushes to investigate. Also in the house is the dead body of Leeds’ trainer, while Jojo’s best friend Harper is missing from the scene. Leeds seems the most likely suspect but Jojo is convinced he would never hurt her. She embarks on her own investigation and, in the process, learns far more than she bargained on. The crime and Jojo’s subsequent investigation make for a shocking thriller that certainly packs a punch as a host of secrets and lies are revealed.

Before You Go by Tommy Butler

Tommy Butler’s debut novel, Before You Go, is a life-affirming work of speculative literary fiction. It follows Elliot Chance from childhood through to adulthood as he gets ever closer to understanding why he has never felt that he belonged to this world. Although he doesn’t know it yet, the answers he seeks lie back in the time beyond memory, when humans were created with a hole in their heart and their creators didn’t realize their mistake. In the present, he finds a pair of unlikely allies in his quest for understanding in Sasha, a young woman who is compelled to send coded messages out into the ether, and Bannor, a man who knows far too much about the future. With the support of his new-found friends, Elliot at last feels able to get on with the business of living, but the problem of the hole in humanity’s heart will not be so easily solved. Elliot’s journey through depression and disenfranchisement to awakening to the beauty and possibility of life is uplifting, while the sense of magic realism that characterizes his world elevates the story to something really special.

Privilege by Mary Adkins

A timely tale of campus life and both gender and social politics in the #MeToo era, Mary Adkin’s Privilege is set in Carter University, allegedly the “Harvard of the South.” Annie Stoddard was a big fish in the small pond that was her Georgia high school, but now she’s enrolled at Carter, she realizes just how marked she is by her economically underprivileged upbringing. Similarly, Bea Powers is wondering if she made a mistake by putting aside her fears of being a biracial student in the South and deciding to attend Carter, especially as everyone seems to have a different idea of what justice and equality mean. Meanwhile, Stayja York works at a campus coffeeshop and has to cope with serving Carter students all day as she attempts to save for her own education. The lives of the three women unexpectedly intersect when Annie accuses a male student of sexual assault, and they will all be profoundly changed by their encounters. Told from the alternating perspectives of all three women, the story is thought-provoking and surprisingly tense, mixing contemporary real-world concerns with campus fiction tropes.


Grow: Secrets of Our DNA

One can only call this book amazing and rave about the text explanations while enthusiastically applauding the skillfully rendered watercolor artistry accompanying the story. Introducing the mystery of the master molecule DNA to youngsters can be challenging, but author Nicola Davies, along with illustrator Emily Sutton, have made this journey into a pleasure trip. Starting out by showing that all living things grow, and how the patterns of growth are determined by the environment, they introduce the concept of adaptation while avoiding that term. They show how bodies change with growth by following a chain of instructions known as a code, which is DNA. Different patterns of the building blocks form genes and, incredibly, about six and one-half feet of DNA, or more than twenty thousand genes, work together to make a human body. The eye-catching artwork invites children to ask questions, and the accompanying storylines generates wonder in this outstanding science book. This mysterious DNA connects all humans, and clearly, the message comes across for the youthful reader that all life has been written in one language: that of DNA.


Sing Some More!

What do birds do all day long? Sing and Sing Some More! A group of birds tell about why they sing the songs and then repeat the phrase, “We sing some more!” They also use a variety of singing terminology which is great at expanding kids’ vocabularies. Excellently written. The repetitive phrase is so much fun for kids to repeat over and over. My kids were fighting over who gets to say, “We Sing Some More.” Because they think it is so much fun. I can go on for days at how beautiful the illustrations are. The birds are beautiful and realistic. The people are well done as well, but I think the illustrator shines the most in their drawings and paintings of animals. This is a fun information book. There really is not any conflict.
My kids, three and six enjoyed this book so much. They asked to read it over and over again. I think from the text to the illustrations it is worth adding to your collection. This will be a book I will treasure. I recommend it for children three to eight years old.


Raccoon's Perfect Snowman

All winter long, Raccoon practices the art of building snowmen, and he’s become a master at his trade. So, one day when he invites his friends to join him, he mistakenly assumes their skills will be as finely attuned as his. When he goes to check their progress, he observes the dirty snow in Rabbit’s and how Fox’s is leaning on its side. Poor Mouse ran out of decorations, so his is quite plain. As Raccoon’s friends start to leave, feeling discouraged by his criticism, he cheerfully invites them to build one last snowman. They all set out to work together, and this time the end product is far from flawless, but the joy of working together far outweighs any imperfections that exist.

Raccoon’s Perfect Snowman is a sweet tale about friendship, acceptance, and togetherness. After building the perfect snowman and critiquing the work of others, Raccoon feels awful as his pals turn to head home. He learns that settling for less than perfect, when it means keeping and building relationships, is far more important than creating an immaculate product. Children can be so critical of one another. So, this lesson is an especially poignant one for them. They will adore the characters of this story and will love the original array of illustrations that sweep across its pages. Author and illustrator Katie Wish uses a unique combination of gouache, watercolor, pencil, and ink to create their colorful displays.


Bobby Babinski's Bathtub

It’s bath time in the Babinski house, but Bobby does NOT want to take a bath. His father asks what the problem is, and Bobby says he just hates to climb into the tub. Well, Dad has an answer for that. He gets busy and builds an amazing slide so Bobby can slide into the tub. That goes pretty well, but as soon as he is in the tub, Bobby is really unhappy. When Dad asks what’s wrong, Bobby says he doesn’t have anything to play with. Dad has an answer for that as well. He brings a huge pail in, and readers won’t believe what he has for Bobby. But, of course, it brings even more complaining and more reasons not to finish his bath...

Author Judy Young has written a perfectly charming story in clever rhyme with a rocking meter. Young readers will be completely engaged by this silly rhymer. The bright and witty illustrations by Kevin M. Barry are the perfect complement to the story. Loaded with imaginative details, the illustrations will keep your little one's eyes on the pages while they listen. This is a book that kids will ask for over and over.


Tails from the Animal Shelter

I loved this book. It’s called Tails from the Animal Shelter and it’s written by Stephanie Shaw and illustrated by Liza Woodruff. This book is all about shelters and the animals that you find there. There aren’t just dogs and cats in shelters, and some animals that you find in shelters may surprise you! It’s a really awesome book and it has pets in it. There are even farm animals! People give pets up because the pets are hard to handle or have health problems or the humans move and some places don’t allow pets. Always make sure you can take your pets with you when you move. Some animals, like parrots, live a long time and outlive their owners!

I’m glad we read this book because it helped me learn about shelters and shelter animals and how we can help. Animals need homes too, and this book helped me learn about all the animals that need homes. The pictures were cute and the dog called Lucky was really funny. He only had one eye!


Tip and Tucker Paw Painters (I Am A Reader: Tip and Tucker)

Tip and Tucker are a pair of chubby little hamsters that live in a cage in Mr. Lopez’s classroom. The children are having an art day. First, they paint with marbles by rolling them around inside boxes. Then some children build a rocket of cardboard for the hamsters and put it in the cage before going outside for recess. But Tip and Tucker discover climbing the rocket is a perfect way to escape their cage. Tip and Tucker think it would be fun to try their hands…er, paws at making their own art. With paws full of paint, they explore the room and look for something to eat. When the children and Mr. Lopez come back, they are in for quite a surprise.

Authors Ann Ingalls and Sue Lowell Gallion have created a fun set of characters and stories for emerging readers. Delightful illustrations by André Ceolin complete this enchanting story perfectly. As youngsters start to become independent readers, they will enjoy having a cute series of books just right for their level of reading that will challenge them and satisfy them at the same time. This first book is a great starting place for them.


The Appointment: A Novel

Do you have a friend who likes to monologue? Say shocking things in the midst of her rant to bring you back to attention to her? This long one-sided conversation is such verbal diarrhea. The main character talks through an appointment for a procedure attended by a taciturn doctor. Like the author, the character is German, living in London. Her conversation is blunt, shocking, and unstoppable. Hitler’s sex life features in many of her fantasies which she details as time passes. She muses philosophically about the reparation that every German must make in atonement for the holocaust. She also tells of her adulterous affair and the degradation which is the major part of it. As she transitions through the procedure, the reader waits for her to catch her breath, emotionally collapse, or for the quiet Dr. Seligman to respond to the unbelievable nonstop confession.

If it is true that one is only as sick as one’s secrets, this character has managed to out herself in every conceivable way. This book may fascinate some, but if you do have such a friend, it may prove a long read.


Lightfall Book One: The Girl & The Galdurian

In Lightfall a cautious, overthinking girl named Beatrice ("Bea") embarks on a journey to find her Grandpa. Cadwallader ("Cad") is a very adventurous, fun-loving, fearless and optimistic amphibian. The unlikely duo team up to find Bea's adopted Grandfather. The Grandfather is the famous Pig Wizard who has gone senile in his old age. Cad wants to find Bea's Grandfather so he can translate the Gauldrian language. On their journey, Cad and Bea come across various people, a rat thief, and villains. On their quest to find Bea's Grandfather, the duo will most likely end up saving the land of Irpa.

I like the book--it's a light read, but it has enough complexity within the story to keep you interested. I felt the story ended too abruptly for me. I know there will be a sequel to this book, but I wish the story ended with a proper ending. The illustrations and artwork are stunning and breathtaking! I absolutely love the artwork and all the interesting fantastical beings in the story! I recommend this book to children or adults who enjoy fantasy with a little bit of magic and a little bit of adventure.


Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg grew up with his parents, both college professors, in South Bend, Indiana. When in high school, he ran for class treasurer but lost. Next, he ran for senior class president and won. He worked hard and was accepted to Harvard University. There he studied languages and learned French, Spanish, Maltese, and Arabic. He went on to study in England where he learned philosophy, politics, and economics. When he returned to South Bend, he ran for state treasurer but lost. Then he ran for mayor of South Bend and won. His term was interrupted by being called to serve in the war in Afghanistan. But it was during his second run for mayor he made his most important personal decision.

Author Rob Sanders covers a lot of ground in this terrific, well-written, and well-researched biography with perseverance as an important theme. Telling the story for young children of a politician, especially the first openly gay mayor of a large city, is difficult, but Sanders handles it deftly and will keep readers attention. Illustrations by Levi Hastings support the story with lots of good details. This is a wonderful and timely picture book.


Birding in the Glass Age of Isolation

Beautiful poems! Lovely sentiments! Curtis LeBlanc’s Birding in the Age of Isolation charms from the first narrative episodes to the shorter poems, equally captivating, some undeniably sentimental but never corny, not even slightly.

To begin, he offers a short account of himself, then a tribute to his father, in the poem of the book’s title, a role model inviting the reader’s complicity.

Time plays a role throughout, memories for the most part good ones, The Fair Oaks summer, not a word wrongly placed:
‘A part of me
as still asleep in the spare room of that summer,

afraid of the ache of being elsewhere.’

And LeBlanc chases back to Wild Blueberry Pie, set in the few breathless weeks before his wedding. But he’s not so self-absorbed he can’t speak of Old Joel’s long-ago marriage. The old man’s wife who has ‘misplaced all recollection of her life,’ took the wheel of the truck, drove to the store, lovingly created the pie, then slid it into the oven and returned to bed, a recipe for disaster they were spared.

There’s a sadness, just shy of melancholy, empathy moving swiftly to sympathy,
‘Before the beautiful young people I knew
began to accidentally die, I didn’t need
a path to the clearing of my mother’s heaven,
only knowledge of a destination intended.’

Such a collection is more than enough to make the cynical reader, who tends to disclaim modern poetry, retract the accusation and respect a poet able to share the melody of emotion.


Body Count

If torment can be translated into poetry, Kyla Jamieson’s Body Count is it. Suffering, perhaps lastingly from post-concussion stress, Jamieson reaches through a series of "effing and blinding," or incautious words, angrily but proudly, a sequence of unromantic sexual encounters taking her from the Physics of Atmospheric Misogyny to a newer stage, Victims of Captology (most likely derived from the Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary entry: "'captor,’ a person who has captured a person or thing"), though the identity of the captor is seemingly the accidental circumstance itself sharing the blame for her anguish and entrapment.

The pages express self-indulgence. That is not intended as an accusation, just the very nature of the form. Probably chronologically sequential, the poems lighten a little, and as a contribution to those painfully hiding their own experience, she can admit,

"With my
Concussion comes tunnel vision
This is not a metaphor.
The periphery disappears."

The photo image beside the acknowledgements to those who guided her towards recovery shows an undeniably beautiful young woman, (an irresistible though politically incorrect comment) who belongs to a fistful of minority groups. Some she can resist, others accept.


Without: Body, Name, Country

Meg Johnson's Without: Body, Name, Country is her third collection. Touted by its cover and interior blurbs as poetry, it’s split between verse and creative non-fiction.

"Vaudeville," the first of two sections, covers the themes of the collection's title. Free verse focused on Johnson's maladies (canker sores, menstruation, homelessness, under-employment) are balanced against psychic distress (self-loathing, failed relationships). President Trump and Vice-President Pence come under attack, and our world faces societal collapse. Filling the divides are nods to Sasha Velour, Josephine Baker, and Dangerous Nan McGrew.

The second section, "Diagnosis," uses flash non-fiction to continue the memoir format, and focuses entirely on matters of health. First up are a nine-page piece relating Johnson's trials as an early-developing adolescent, "On Growing Up Too Fast," and a shorter companion, "Breasts." These are followed by twenty pieces, on her illness and recovery from Guillain-Barré Syndrome. A "Final Note" ends the collection by assuring the reader, and perhaps the author, "I am not sad about my sadness."

This is a well-crafted memoir of pain, physical and emotional, from beginning to end. Heavily weighted with what Johnson calls "vintage sadness," it’s buoyed by the variety and quality of its poems.


Willie Nelson: A Graphic History

Texans see Willie Nelson as one of their own. His profession and his lifestyle are familiar to all. But a new book about him, a graphic history no less, is every bit as welcome as any previous account. In fact, more welcome than many as it is cheerful and well researched with no baloney to fill in the gaps. Well, in fact, there are no gaps. Willie Nelson: A Graphic History, starts with the singer’s childhood, not an easy one, his struggle to get a firm footing exactly where he wanted it, and half a century or more of success, amid only a few setbacks in marriages, marijuana, and disputed taxes. And he’s invariably forgiven by his fans, and here, his readers. A great addition to the Willie Nelson annals reveals an amazing list of his familiar songs, magical haunting songs, with messages to share.

As a young man struggling to find a place as he moved east to Tennessee seeking a niche for his unusual style, to Canada, the West Coast, on the move until eventually, he came to Austin, Texas, our prodigal son. Once he hit the highlights, he was ready to give back and his Farm Aid benefit concert for struggling farmers and the annual Fourth of July picnics delighted vast crowds.

Several artists have banded together to present a coherent portrait, following the story written by T.J. Kirsch, who also took a hand in the illustrating. Even readers unaccustomed to a graphic style will get a kick out of this down to earth and endearing saga of Willie Nelson, an eighty-seven-year-old legend still singing, still drawing the crowds.


It Happened on Sweet Street

What happens when a creator of cakes, cookie concocter, and patisserie baker all move their shops to the same street? Chaos. Everyone has their opinion on which one is best and is not afraid to tell you about it. Then when the bakers try to prove their baked good is the best a wonderful thing happens. Check this book out to find out. The text is great. I like its playful nature. There are lots of great vocabulary works throughout. There are one or two places it didn’t flow very well, but other than that, it is a job well done. The illustration choice is odd. The style seems to be fit for an intense or scary book, but not for a book about battling sweet shops. The characters look very clown-like and not super appealing to kids. I did like the odd shapes of the buildings and the coloring was fun.

My kids, three and six, liked the story, especially the food fight, but didn’t ask me to read this book again. I recommend this book for children aged four to eight.


The Exiles

A governess turned attempted murderer. A midwife turned thief. A young girl turned human pet. The Exiles is a portrait of these three women and their intersecting lives in mid-nineteenth century Australia. It is melancholy and beautiful, achingly well written and meticulously researched, with detail that shows through on every page.

I call it a portrait because it doesn’t follow the traditional path of a novel. The women do not always have a motivation beyond survival, and at times even that seems hazy. The character arcs are not always resolved in a satisfactory way, or at all. This will not be to everyone’s taste (and when it came to certain characters, it frustrated me a little), but it does feel fitting all the same. History itself and its study can be uncertain and unsatisfying, and the novel’s ending feels fitting, even if it also felt less than it could have been.

On the whole, I greatly enjoyed The Exiles and am eager to look up more of Christina Baker Kline’s work. It is not an easy read, nor is it always pleasant, but it is beautiful and it feels true, both of which are vital to a novel.


Dress Coded

The entirety of the Fisher Middle School eighth grade hates Olivia Bonaventura. Olivia broke the school’s strict dress code, and now the eighth-grade camping trip is canceled. But Molly Frost witnessed the incident and knows the real story. So Molly starts a podcast to give Olivia and other girls a voice as well as to call out the unfair practice of getting dress coded. Other students begin coming forward who were also unfairly targeted by the dress code, including high schoolers, and Molly soon becomes the school’s rabble-rouser. This costs her some friends and puts a target on her back. What's more, Molly is already dealing with some major problems at home. Her older brother, Danny, is addicted to vaping and has been selling vaping pods to eighth graders. Her parents are fed up and keep threatening to move away.

Carrie Firestone’s latest novel, Dress Coded, gives readers a modern tool—the podcast—for challenging old issues: the objectification of female bodies and gendered policies that unfairly target girls for growing up. The story is timely and empowering, with a diverse cast of characters, including a student with disabilities. Firestone also digs into the complexities of female friendships—the good and bad. This is a book with a powerful and positive message for young women.


Will You Be My Friend?

Little Nutbrown Hare wants to play but Big Nutbrown Hare is busy. Little Nutbrown Hare asks if he can go exploring. She says he can. He finds a puddle and sees a hare in it, but it is just himself. He sees his shadow and tries to race it, but it is just himself. He finds his way to Cloudy Mountain, and there he meets someone, someone who is real! It’s a Cloudy Mountain Hare named Tipps. The two of them chase around in the heather. They dig a hole and build a pile and have a great time together. They race up Cloudy Mountain and decide to play Hide and Seek, but they forget to clearly communicate something very important about the game.

Author Sam McBratney has written a very sweet book about friendship — finding friends, making friends, and being a friend. This is a quiet book and perfect for any time of day and even bedtime. The real star of the book is the absolutely enchanting illustrations by Anita Jeram. They are all in soft colors and have great details. Little ones will be searching every page for those details. This is a charming story that kids will love.


Action Presidents #4: John F. Kennedy!

This graphic novel is all about John F. Kennedy's life before and while he was a President. Kennedy grew up in a very rich family with a dad who pushed him into becoming the President one day. Kennedy wanted to be a writer, but after his older brother died, his dad wanted him to be a President. You learn all about how a sickly child grew up and became the thirty-fifth President of the United States. This non-fiction graphic novel is very educational and fun to read at the same time. Some parts were pretty funny too. I really like the <em>"Diary of a Wimpy Prez"</em> part of the story. I like that the author and illustrator tried to make this educational book fun to read for kids. It can be hard finding educational books that are not boring. I didn't know much about Kennedy, but after reading the book, I feel I have learned a lot about him. I highly recommend this book to non-fiction readers, people who like history, and graphic novel fans.


Action Presidents #3: Theodore Roosevelt!

This is an educational comic book about Theodore Roosevelt’s life in a funny, cartoon style. Two kids who are scouts are lost in the woods. But when they find a geyser, it shoots up and out pops Noah the Historkey (History + turkey)! Noah tells the kids all about Theodore Roosevelt from beginning to end. Why did Noah tell those lost scouts? Will it help them find their troop? It’s a very funny and fun way to learn about Theodore Roosevelt! It takes a lot of time to read it though because it has a lot of silly drawn facts all at once in each panel. The funny cartoons with funny faces make it a little more enjoyable page after page. I did enjoy learning about President Theodore Roosevelt in detail, like how his first wife and his mother died on the very same day, an hour apart, and how he was an inspiration to the world-famous teddy bear, and more! I recommend this book to people who want to learn about Presidents in a funnier way.


Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai

It is quite the challenge to focus on a single day throughout a whole book, but James Carter rises to the occasion. Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai sets the scene for the final showdown at the Shanghai Race Club, joyfully patronized for generations by residents of the International Settlement. Only ‘foreign’ men though, as neither women nor, believe it or not, Chinese could become members.

The date was November 12, 1941, a point between Sun Yat-sen’s establishing the new order and the bombardment of Pearl Harbor. We are poised for Champions Day and taken back to the beginning of the international presence, as people from far away established themselves on the fringes of Shanghai, geared up for mercantile success with a colonial lifestyle.

Today, with so many options for leisure activities, on and off our electronic devices, we may look back with surprise at the options offered then. Horse and pony racing were the biggest draw, and Carter includes maps of Shanghai during the 1930s showing the location of the race track and the residential quarter, almost insignificant before the city expanded to the north. The three-day race meetings were held twice yearly and drew thousands of spectators.

While the racetrack and the parallel structure built by and for the Chinese to enjoy in the northeast quadrant of the city were the primary attraction, the book delves into so much more, including profiles of many individual citizens and their involvement in the city’s business and social life. The chapters provide an academic history and a striking glimpse of a small, privileged community doubtless unaware they had reached the end of their glory days.


Failed State: A Novel

Failed State is a dystopian novel. This takes place after the Second American Revolution. Donny Kimoe is our protagonist, our hero, and our main character. He needs to save a young heiress who is also one of his friend’s daughters. Due to this recent event, he switches sides in order to defend her before the trial. If he fails, the country would return to violence and chaos.

I really love many dystopian novels. In this story, we have a green utopia that is being built in the ruins of New Orleans. Dystopian means an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice. Whoever built this Green Utopia sees that whatever he is building is great and fantastic, while others see it as another broken society. I would also say this novel is a mystery novel. Donny needs to find clues or evidence to win the court in his favor.

The author tells us a lot about Donny and his actions. Every action he does helps us get a better understanding of him and the situation he is in. You shouldn’t get attached to some of the side characters, since Donny is willing to do whatever he wants in order to win that case--betraying his clients, lying, and so on.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy dystopian novels and politics. You definitely need to understand law, government, and so much more to understand fully what is happening in this book.


The Gamesmaster: Almost Famous in the Geek 80s

In the late 70s and early 80s, popular culture exploded as cartoons became vehicles to sell toys and the modern blockbuster rose to prominence in cinemas. G.I. Joe and Transformers are still influential properties today, but one name that helped craft both franchises (and many others) is probably unfamiliar to you: Flint Dille.

The Gamesmaster chronicles what Dille calls "The Geek '80s," his animation and pop culture heyday, exploring the birth, growth, and tumultuous developments behind Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, Transformers, the animated Star Wars shows Droids and Ewoks, and more.

As Flint shares his journey through the offices of TSR and the writers' rooms of various animated shows (both seismic and forgotten), you're given what genuinely feels like an outsider's view of Hollywood, a fan's glimpse of behind the scenes. Although Dille's not the most focused or artful storyteller (this feels more like a rambling series of conversations than a traditional autobiography), he is an immensely charming and likable narrator, happily sharing credit, admitting missteps, lamenting the bad luck of friends (the TSR sections are a tough read), and celebrating the legacies he played an influential role in crafting.


The Little Witch's Book of Spells

This is a fun little book! I enjoy this a lot because it’s a perfect spellbook for me because it’s for younger kids. I like how the crafts are cute, the drawings inside the book are beautiful and they describe each spell and symbol that makes the spells and potions inside easy to follow and understand. I like the apothecary index and the spring flower guide at the end of the book. Also at the end of the book, I also really liked the little witch’s reading list because it’s a list of recommended books about witches! And not only does this book show you how to do different spells and potions, but it also shows you how to make a wand, create an altar, give tips for your grimoire, (a diary-like spellbook), and to decorate your room with witchy crafts you can do at home! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to do spells and potions and is interested in magic. My favorite spells and crafts in this book are: “five simple good luck spells”, “how to make a magical star”, and “how to make moon water”.


Snowflake

Ben has had enough. Mother Earth has taken all she can take from the humans who should be protecting her, and she is about to let us all know about it. The evidence he has collected shows how close humans are to environmental annihilation and extinction. He doesn’t need medicine for his OCD, or a therapist for his anxiety, because he’s finally thinking clearly. Ben knows something must be done, something big, something that will catch the attention of every last person on Earth.

After considering several ideas, he comes to a final chilling conclusion. What else can Ben do but kill the Cretin (his nickname for the POTUS), who does nothing but encourage the exploitation and degradation of every valley and mountain on the planet he loves? Who authorizes waters to be used for oil drilling, cars to belch emissions without regulation, and businesses to run as profitably as possible regardless of the effect on the environment? Thus begins his plan to infiltrate the president’s inner circle and bring attention to the failing health of the world by assassinating the most powerful man in the country. He knows he won’t see his family anymore, won’t walk his dog, won’t go to college, but saving the planet is so much more important, for his family, his pet, and the environment that he loves.

This story touches on everything sleazy about America: consumerism, pornography, alcoholism, drugs, social media, and more. It is quite evident very early on in the story that the Cretin is someone specific and not just a character to fill a role. Readers will understand Ben’s obsession with the Cretin and the disappearing environment as he presents facts, figures, and headlines to support his concern, although they may soon tire of his ranting, which is fueled by his unregulated OCD and anxiety.

There’s no question that the author knows his literature and politics and has a strong opinion about the state of the planet. However, the lack of citations for the included information leaves one wondering where he found the information, regardless of the fact that this is a work of fiction, even as the facts and figures portray a terrifying state of affairs. This really is a case of "less is more" because so many of the 400 pages simply cover Ben's meandering thoughts, with very little action taking place to drive the story. The shocking conclusion thoroughly redeems the story, especially in the current charged political climate, but it’s a tough trek through Ben’s redundant and sometimes random thoughts.