One Man in His Time...: A Memoir

Michael Audain has lived half a dozen packed lives in his eighty-five years. His story comes from a lonely childhood in England to a spell in jail when he joined the Civil Rights Movement in the American South to a series of careers in education and then takes a sharp right turn to property development.

Along the way, he traveled the globe in the less familiar places to stay on Ireland’s magical Achill island and to barely miss the impact of the 2004 Thailand tsunami that killed over 200,000 people.

Still in the prime of life, he took on the challenge to become Vancouver’s leading urban property magnate. He shared his personal art collection by opening a museum and was later invited to serve on the Board of the National Gallery of Canada.

With maybe a little support from friends, he penned a memoir in a series of short bursts of memory. His enthusiasm undiminished suggests Mike Audain might blow his own trumpet, but this can be denied unequivocally. The pages reveal disarming humility which, mingled with his sense of humor, shows his ability to laugh at the bad times he encountered along the way, making enlightening evidence of what a long life can accomplish.


Batch But Better: 3 Meals From 1: More Taste + Less Waste

Leftovers can feel boring, but not with this cookbook! For example, leftover Baked Salmon leads to a lovely Omelette and some Fishcakes; extra Roast Chicken adds heartiness to Mushroom Risotto or a Chilli Stir Fry. Each main recipe is followed by two extension recipes, but each can also stand on its own if you prefer.  Most recipes indicate that they “serve 4, plus leftovers”, which I found to be the case. The Sticky Almond + Honey Tart made a generous nine-inch pie which led deliciously into a filling for Stuffed Baked Apples. Do be aware of serving sizes and amounts; the Rich Chocolate Mousse gave me eight delicious portions but if I'd wanted leftovers to make Chocolate Fridge Cake, as suggested,  I really could only have served four. (I will just double it next time though!) The amazing photography that accompanies each recipe is reminiscent of paintings by old Dutch masters: “Still Life with Cranberries and Braised Red Cabbage”. Some of these you want to frame and hang on the wall! It's a beautiful book and a fun way to cook that keeps mealtimes interesting and enjoyable even when leftovers are on the menu.


The Book of Rules: A Picture Book

Did you know that there are lots of rules you need to follow when reading a book? Apparently, if you don’t follow the rules, you will get eaten by a monster named Dennis. Be sure to follow all the rules!!

If I were one to judge a book by its cover, I would say that this would be a really funny book. However, after reading it, it seems that it more about teaching kids to sit down and be calm when reading a book or else they will get eaten by some monster named Dennis. What kind of name is Dennis?

I wanted to like this book and I hoped it would be very funny, but it is not a favorite. The illustrations are cute and colorful and help to demonstrate the rules. I think this would be good for very young kids who need to learn how to read a book.


Pearls Awaits the Tide: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury

Pearls Awaits the Tide is a collection of comic strips written and drawn by Stephan Pastis during the year 2018–2019. This treasury includes a personal commentary by Pastis, which is a nice bonus. The comic strips are about the everyday lives of a group of characters, including Rat, Pig, Goat, Crocodiles, Zebra, and Pastis himself. Pastis uses his comic strips to joke about his take on modern issues that are going on in society, including political stances, social media, journalism, and technology, to name just a few.

Fans of the Pearls Before Swine series will delight in this new collection, which includes personal commentary and bonus introductions by the artist. Pastis is obviously a very talented and funny artist. His use of puns, wit, and dark humor is very funny and clever. I really enjoyed seeing a tribute to Charles Schulz with the Peanuts comic strips. I love how Pastis incorporated the actual Peanuts strips into his comic. It was interesting to learn that Pastis draws with his left hand when he wants to make his characters look bad. Fans of Pastis will really enjoy this treasury!


Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill

Dive into the ocean and travel with krill from the time they begin their lives as tiny eggs until the day they reach far into adulthood. Learn how they descend more than a mile into the depths of the sea and then ascend upward, squiggling and wiggling their way free, transforming into six-armed ovals. As their development progresses, they grow shells that cover most of their bodies. Discover the countless number of them they’ll lose and replace over their lifetimes and how they continue developing without eating their first meal for weeks. Finally, uncover the secrets behind survival among the ravenous predators that surround them.

This is a delightful book filled with fascinating facts about these little-known crustaceans of the Southern Ocean. They’re considered the “keystone species” of that region, delineating their significance in the ecosystem.

Youth will be entranced by the originality as well as the layout and design of the book. It’s large in size and features detailed, striking illustrations of krill and the environment in which they thrive. Light-hearted sentiments are threaded through the narrative, adding a humorous element. Readers will feel as if they’re reading an intriguing fictional tale rather than a real account of a species’ lifecycle.


Arctic: Life Inside the Arctic Circle

It is said that pictures speak louder than words, and the amazing arctic photos in this collection prove that point. Travel writer Claudia Martin guides the viewer through what seems like the pristine wonderland of the Arctic Circle. With scenes from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, the viewer is mesmerized by the stunning views of the northern lights, the tundra, icebergs, native fauna and flora, rivers and parks, the native people, and the general landscape.

Brief descriptions accompany each of the full- or double-page stunning illustrations. Learn about the Sami and their reindeer, the Inuit, and other Arctic inhabitants. View wildlife such as the arctic hare, muskox, gyrfalcon, walrus, and of course, the regal polar bear, along with so many other intriguing creatures. Check out the industrial endeavors, fishing ventures, research stations, tourist impacts, and other activities taking place in this frozen environment.

Glance at these phenomenal photographic recordings of a still-frozen environment and consider the environmental changes that will assault and modify this landscape and the life of this region as the climate changes.


Rivers: From Mountain Streams to City Riverbanks

Rivers, which are found on every continent, flow through big cities and small towns, huge sections of empty countryside, mountains and valleys, carrying fresh water to farms and forests, in addition to carrying boats and ships that fuel the economy.

This book will carry readers around the world to see many of these magnificent streams, with gorgeous photographs taken in all seasons and at various times of day, from close up or some distance, from above or at the same level, focusing on bridges or waterfalls or lighthouses or islands or anything that helps to tell the story of the particular river.

The photographs are sorted into five sections: North America, Central and South America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and Oceania. Each photograph is accompanied by a short paragraph containing interesting information such as the economic use, the history of the place or structures nearby, or even what the future might bring.

The stunning photographs are certainly the heart of this marvelous book, but the writing is also excellent and well researched. This will be a welcome addition to anyone’s library or coffee table. The inclusion of a few maps showing the rivers would make it perfect.


North American Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the Continent

I thought this book was going to be more about all of North America, but instead it is mostly about the states in the United States; there is very little about Canada or Mexico. So that was disappointing, and not what I was hoping for.

That being said, it is an informative book that covers many different aspects of this area. There are chapters about Geography, Politics, Nature, Culture, Populations, Lifestyle, and Industry, with lots of maps in each. Many of these are not interesting to me at all, but there are others that are more interesting, like the one that shows the most common last names in each state, or the hours of daylight in each place.

One very interesting but rather sad map shows how few places are left to stargaze without light pollution. Some others that I found interesting show which states people are moving to and from, where the largest public libraries are, and the greatest dinosaur fossil finds. Whatever your interests, you are sure to find many surprises as you browse through this book.


Reclaiming Wellness: Ancient Wisdom for Your Healthy, Happy, and Beautiful Life

The health and wellness industry will benefit from the enhanced representation of diverse practitioners, who champion traditions that are sourced from various indigenous cultures. Afro-Latina Jovanka Ciares, a certified wellness coach and educator, breaks down seven fundamental wellness concepts that integrate healing of mind, body, and spirit. Ciares invites readers to reclaim age-old practices that are rooted in one’s ancestral and family traditions: plant-based eating, meditative practices, movement, and connection with community and nature. She discusses experiences and reflections about holistic practices from her Puerto Rican background, while also presenting best practices from practitioners of color who emphasize decolonization.

Reclaiming Wellness attempts to advance diversity and inclusion in the wellness industry by encouraging people from all backgrounds to remember and reclaim ancient traditions that supported healthy lifestyles for millennia. Ciares writes broadly for people from diverse, multicultural communities who struggle with chronic and life-threatening conditions. By showing concrete examples of common strands of healthful knowledge that occur in many cultures – for example, herbalism, meditation, and movement practices – Ciares opens the door for mindful cultural exploration. She invites a deeper understanding of the history and meaning of popular practices, to ensure that new practitioners tread responsibly in their pursuit of optimal health.


Gussy

Gussy has spent her whole life training to protect her home from the Great Doom. When an urgent message summons Grandpa Widow, her mentor and town Protector, away from the town, it means Gussy is all on her own to perform the rights and rituals that will keep them safe. She knows she can do it until she breaks the biggest rule there is; never open the gates after nightfall. Then everything starts going wrong.

This middle-grade novel is a story about responsibility, trust, and that sometimes authority figures don’t know everything. It's a cute story that I enjoyed reading, but started to have to push through to finish. The characters are bland, the story more plot-driven than anything else. Cricket is my favorite; he has a lot of personality just like any dog. Gussy struggles with wanting to know what happened to her parents and I keep wondering what it would have to do with the plot, as it turns out, nothing, it’s just a distraction. The point-of-view is confusing; it is written in first person, but Gussy constantly narrates to “you” as if she’s telling the story.


History Roundup

As Carl Sagan (1980) noted, “You have to know the past to understand the present,” and all five books included in this roundup can help you to develop just such an understanding. Examining subjects as diverse as an apparently doomed expedition to the South Pole, art portraying the American Revolution, the history of emotion, libraries from around the world, and the legacy of slavery in contemporary US society, these fives books are sure to both educate and entertain.

A Human History of Emotion: How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know by Richard Firth-Godbehere

In A Human History of Emotion, Richard Firth-Godbehere sets out to answer a couple of very weighty questions: How have emotions shaped the course of human history? How have humanity’s experience and understanding of emotions evolved with them? A major distinction that is often drawn between humans and other living creatures concerns the fact that humans are said to be rational beings, capable of reasoning and calculating in order to survive. However, even the quickest glance back at human history reveals events and situations that appear to disprove this apparent rationality, clearly hinging on emotions rather than on facts. In light of this, Firth-Godbehere guides readers through the highly important yet often overlooked roles that emotions have played in human societies across both time and geography. Drawing on fields of research as diverse as psychology, art, neuroscience, and theology, he explains how the understanding and experience of emotions have changed over time as well as how human beliefs regarding emotions have shaped both the species and the world in which people live.

Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton

When the Belgica set sail in August 1897 hopes were high for the voyage and the crew were looking forward to being the first scientific expedition to reach the snowy wilderness of the South Pole. However, hope fairly quickly turned to despair when the ship became stuck in ice in the Bellinghausen Sea, making it likely that the crew would have to endure an Antarctic winter and the associated months of endless polar night. Things managed to get even worse when an unidentified illness swept through the crew and, coupled with growing fears about the numerous rats that were attacking supplies in the hold of the ship, took an extremely heavy psychological toll. In Madhouse at the End of the Earth, Julian Sancton explains how two officers––Frederick Cook, the ship’s doctor, and Roald Amundsen, the first mate––hatched a daring plan to free the Belgica from the ice, a plan that would either save them or doom them all. Sancton draws on diaries, journals, and the ship’s logbook to bring to life a perilous Antarctic adventure worthy of a thriller.

The Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen

With The Library: A Fragile History, Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen offer the first major historical investigation of the library as both a concept and an institution (and perhaps as an obsession, too). Libraries nowadays come in all shapes and sizes, from former phone boxes to brutalist 1950s structures to glorious conversions of historical buildings, and they cater to a wide range of tastes. They also now fulfill many functions that would cause the librarians at Alexandria to scratch their heads. However, the quiet and thoughtful atmosphere that typically characterizes libraries belies their turbulent and sometimes controversial history. Pettegree and der Weduwen explore that fractured history, taking in famous collections from the ancient world, personal archives, cash-strapped contemporary resources, and everything in between. In doing so, they introduce some of the famous and infamous individuals who have contributed to compiling the world’s greatest book collections, track changing trends, and reveal the sometimes extreme lengths people have gone to in order to secure particular manuscripts.

Liberty: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War by Don Troiani and the Museum of the American Revolution

American artist Don Troiani is famed for his historical paintings, which principally focus on the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War. Known for being highly detailed and realistic, his oil and watercolor works have been featured in numerous history books, art compilations, and military and government exhibitions. His most famous paintings portray crucial moments from American history, such as the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill and the American and French victory at Yorktown in 1781. Liberty: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War serves as the catalog for the exhibition of Troiani’s work currently being held at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which runs until September 5, 2022. Highlighting key moments from America’s revolutionary history and elucidating Troiani’s research and artistic processes, the exhibition matches forty of his paintings with forty artifacts from various collections, which are all beautifully reproduced in the catalog. The book also features Troiani’s latest work, a painting of African American sailor James Forten watching as Black and Native American Continental Army troops march past Independence Hall on their way to Yorktown.

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

When an unprepossessing ship carrying enslaved people from Africa arrived in the British colony of Virginia in August 1619, it marked the start of the barbaric practice of human chattel slavery in America, which would continue for around two hundred and fifty years. This practice has been described as America’s “original sin,” and its impacts are still being felt today. The New York Times Magazine launched the “1619 Project” in an effort to reframe understanding of American history by situating slavery and its ongoing consequences at the heart of the narrative. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story expands that initial project by collecting eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in contemporary American society alongside thirty-six poems and narratives that portray instances of struggle and resistance. Together, these works speak directly to the present moment, situating long-standing systems of race and oppression in the context of daily life today. They shine light on overlooked moments from the birth of the country as well as on upspoken issues within the constitution, and they elucidate how the legacy of slavery continues to cast a shadow over American life.


Fear No Evil (Alex Cross, 27)

Fear No Evil is another exciting thriller from James Patterson starring Dr. Alex Cross, investigative consultant to Metro PD and the FBI. In this book, we find Alex caught in between two groups of dangerous men (and women). One is the cartel, although the leader of the cartel has been in prison for a while now with no communication to the outside world. Then there is a vigilante group who is killing CIA and FBI agents who have betrayed their country. Behind this group is someone known as "M", or Maestro. No one seems to know exactly who "M" is, however. As Alex and his partner, John Sampson go to investigate how "M"'s group and the cartel are related, they find themselves caught in the crossfire. Both groups decide that Alex and John are the enemies.

Just like all of the other Alex Cross books, this one is packed with action that makes it movie-worthy. A final battle set in the wild forests of Montana has all characters trying to dodge bullets, hide behind boulders, and stay away from the grizzlies. Recommended for fans of Patterson as well as Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. This book will have readers on the edge of their seats.


Birds of Prey: Stunning Photographs of the World's Great Hunting Birds

In the hands of the right photographer, no creatures are more photogenic than birds. This is borne out in Birds of Prey, Tom Jackson’s tribute to the birds around the world that depend on hunting for their existence. Whether feasting on small vertebrates or carrion, they show a range of lifestyles as easy to distinguish as their appearance and behavior.

Jackson has divided his book into sections, drawing the species together in pairs or as stand-alone individuals, showing how the sameness within each group and between groups are features demonstrating their hunting skills. Birds of prey have extra-sharp eyesight, allowing them to look down and spot prey from high above, talons on their claws, and curved beaks to tear their victims. His chapters bring together eagles and kites, hawks and harriers, falcons and kestrels, all alert in daytime, along with the snowy owl in the Arctic north.

The photographs are clearly captioned, providing  a mini-bio of each. Although Jackson describes vultures as “unloved, ugly and filthy,” one senses a secret respect for them, matching his admiration for the beauty of so many others, such as the Javan beagle-hawk and the skinny-legged Secretary bird.


Prisoners of Geography: Our World Explained in 12 Simple Maps (Illustrated Young Readers Edition)

Based on the bestseller for adults, Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall has compiled this condensed and simplified version, Prisoners of Geography: Our World Explained in 12 Simple Maps, Illustrated Young Readers Edition, to introduce geography and history to a younger set of readers. This volume distills down the original ideas for a younger audience, but it is no less informative or compelling. Understanding how the physical world shapes our experience helps make learning about geography and history a joy, sparking interest and new understanding even in older (see—Adult) readers.

There are a lot of wars and other stuff, but knowing the geography helps understand where and how they were fought. It helps understand how everything has gone and all the pieces of the world fit together. Each piece of the puzzle is needed to get a full picture and then, well, it’s the entire world! It makes better sense that way. Reading this book more than once would be a really good thing to do. There’s always more to learn!


The Keeper of Night (The Keeper of Night duology, 1)

Ren is neither British Reaper nor Japanese Shinigami, and yet she is both. Living in London with her little brother and collecting souls, she's dreamed of traveling to Japan and finding her mother. When a turn of fate causes the High Reapers to hunt Ren, that dream may finally come true. But to become a Shinigami she must complete an impossible task. Or maybe it isn't so impossible with the help of her little brother and a cast-off Shinigami who's more then he seems.

I really don't like Ren, but her character arc is fantastic. Neven, her little brother, is a sweetheart, more capable than he's given credit for, and Hero, a Shinigami who helps them in their quest, is hiding many things from the beginning. Together they make for a wonderful story with a fantastic ending that, to me, almost shouldn't have a sequel. Yet I can't wait for it.

One thing that really bothered me was how Ren dismisses Neven's discomfort and constantly says he doesn't understand not belonging, when he has understood it his whole life. If Ren would listen to him, the story would be different and this key element is what makes this story such a tragedy.


Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight (2nd Edition)

Everything dark and mysterious about Batman is found in the content of Langley's Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight. Think about it - both Batman and psychology have a way of messing with someone's mind and they can both be in themselves, or lead to, a dark place in someone's mind and life. Langley, like many people around the world, is infatuated with the character known as Batman, and given his background in psychology, has compiled and updated information about the man in black regarding his persona and crime-fighting techniques.

The information presented is on par with textbook-level material, but presented in everyday language with the scholarly jargon explained appropriately and usefully, helping the reader to feel they understand post-graduate material without the degree. Regardless of the reader's interest in the subject, they will get something out of it - maybe it'll be a deeper insight into a character you thought of as surface-level, a better understanding of a superhero highly acclaimed by many, or an introduction to psychology and the inner workings of one's mind. Batman and Psychology will make you think, but also has everything spelled out, and maybe it won't be just about Batman that is speaking to you.


Cabin Porn: Inside

A cabin in the woods is a dream many have that they never fulfill, but some lucky ones find the perfect place and build the perfect little place to get away from it all. This second book from the Cabin Porn people has ten in-depth stories of cabins around the world — England, Japan, Scotland, Rivers of North America (a shanty boat!), California, Greece, South Dakota, Mexico, Norway, and Idaho — with information about how their builders chose the place and the project, what materials they used, and even the motivation for the project. In addition, there are seventy-five mini reports of two to four pages with only a small amount of text describing the project. The photographs are gorgeous showing a lot of the details inside the cabins. Some of these cabins are quite simple and are made from found materials. Others are quite elegant and created with very sophisticated materials. The writing is lively and the stories are quite interesting to anyone with a fascination with living off the grid and in tiny homes. Make sure you bring your reading glasses. All of the type in the book is tiny, perhaps in a nod to the subject matter.


Ancient Egypt: The Cradle of Civilization

Ancient Egypt showcases some of Egypt's most fascinating antiquities and cultural sites. Among the one hundred and eighty photographs showcased in this book, the reader will find familiar scenes of pyramids and temple complexes known the world over, along with less recognized structures and artifacts from this unique culture that lasted more than two thousand years. Beginning with the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BCE) and ending with the Greco-Roman Period (332-395 CE), Mr. Mavrikis takes us on a photographic journey that truly shows the ingenuity and artistic sophistication of the time.

One of my favorite photos is of a high official during the Old Kingdom, Rahotep, and his wife, Nofret. Perhaps the preservation of the vibrant paint colors helps these two figures come alive. I also found that the photo of a wooden chair once owned by the daughter of Amenhotep III, Sitamun looked strikingly modern. With so many ancient wonders revealed in this book, it is easy to appreciate the treasures left behind by such a dynamic and creative culture. This is one of those books that would make a marvelous gift for those who have an interest in Egyptian culture and those who love learning about the past.


Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases

Paul Holes is best known as the detective who solved the famous cold case of the Golden State Killer. In Unmasked, he describes not only his career investigating California’s toughest unsolved murder cases, but also the toll dedication to his career had on his marriages and family life. This memoir details grisly cases as well as Holes’ ascent through the ranks of criminal investigation. But it also depicts a sensitive and often lonely man whose sole purpose is to help families move on from losing their loved ones to horrible murders.

Unmasked is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how obsessed Holes became with solving cases. It is also sobering, considering that his sole focus on his work created emotional detachment with his family and a crippling anxiety. It was fascinating to follow Holes as he spent years digging in the weeds to uncover clues that would reveal the identities of killers. He is highly intelligent yet socially awkward and comes to terms with his appearance of emotional detachment from his work. In truth, Holes is painstakingly committed to helping victims' families find closure, and their pain causes him unspeakable grief. This is a must read for true crime fans!


Richard Wagamese Selected: What Comes from Spirit

What Comes From Spirit is a collection of poems, thoughts, and non-fiction short stories by the late author Richard Wagamese who passed away in 2017. This collection delves into his past as he recounts some of the time he spent in the Canadian foster care system and the rediscovery of his Ojibway family and his native culture. All the while reminding us of the wonder of life during the good and the bad times. He shows us that there is magic in this world if we are able to open all of our senses and experience it. And if we learn to slow down and look, we will come to understand that we are all an interconnected part of this grand universe.
Anyone who has had the privilege to read his work will know that he was a gifted storyteller. His writings are always honest, profound, and illuminating. And while his soul has moved on, his spirit remains to help guide us on our journey through life. What Comes From Spirit is one of those books that you will want to read again and again for the comfort of Wagamese's wisdom and inspiration.


The Rising Tide

Found adrift off the North Devon coast with no one on board, the Lazy Susan is towed into Skentel Harbor. Lucy Locke’s fear for her husband Daniel’s life in the icy Atlantic waters grows by the second as the worst storm in living memory intensifies. Miraculously, he’s pulled from the raging waters, unconscious but alive, only for the tension to ratchet back up; Lucy’s daughter from a prior relationship and her young son with Daniel are missing. Were they on the yacht with Daniel?

From his hospital bed, a recovering Daniel claims the children were not with him, while a desperate Lucy rallies the locals and the coastguard to mount a search. Through flashbacks, though, details emerge about Lucy’s wild youth and her first pregnancy, and about Daniel’s failing business, which raise worrying questions. Can wife and husband be trusted?

Whether implicated or not, Lucy and Daniel face despairingly demanding challenges and monstrously cruel choices as the story unfolds. Given the enormity of the plot’s climactic events, the history that drives them is far from convincing, but the desperation, the horror, and the evil that jump from the page make The Rising Tide a powerful, heart-stopping read.


More Mediterranean: 225+ New Plant-Forward Recipes Endless Inspiration for Eating Well

America’s test Kitchen has produced another excellent cookbook that also aims to educate readers. The “Why This Recipe Works” section at the beginning of each recipe not only provides readers with a basis for understanding what makes it a good dish, but also a basis for substitutions and modifications. In this regard, More Mediterranean does not disappoint. Each recipe lists the ingredients, why it works, and a step-by-step guide to preparing the dish. There is also a full-color picture that illustrates what the final product should look like.

The book is divided into three sections (Plants, Grains & Beans, and Meat, Fish, Tofu & More). Within the first two sections, the recipes are divided along traditional lines (soups, salads, sides, main, etc.). The last section is divided based on which protein is part of the recipe. The layout is uncluttered, the instructions clear, the full-color pictures stunning, and the recipes delicious.

However, there are two drawbacks: First, Mediterranean cooking is traditionally an act of family bonding, and hence the food preparation process is involved. Even the “simplified” recipes take time. Second, the ingredients may be more difficult to obtain in supermarkets. Ethnic stores may carry them, or they can be ordered online. However, the recipes are flavorful and well-worth the extra preparation.


Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds

In Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds,, Paul Farmer almost singlehandedly rescues Ebola for history. His astounding account of the disease, focusing on the 2014 epidemic in northern West Africa, the largest recorded epidemic of the disease, is published as Covid steals the headlines.

Farmer, a physician and anthropologist based in Boston, is packing his case frequently to travel and report on the world’s health trouble spots. He became well-known for his unsparing narrative of post-earthquake Haiti.

The epidemic’s affected countries comprise Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Despite unlike backgrounds and contemporary situations, the three countries are not easy to differentiate by readers unfamiliar with the region. Urbanization is mainly coastal; the interiors are crossed by multiple rivers, and swathes of land with border areas often casual, invite the spread of the disease.

Farmer insists adequate medical care, unavailable for both patients and caring staff, would have stymied the epidemic and saved thousands of lives. Instead, the geography, poverty, and warfare fostered by ‘swollen military aid,’ ethnicity, and tribalism enabled Ebola to become rampant.

Television newscasts sometimes warn a report ‘may be graphic.’ In Farmer’s account, these words would constitute an understatement. The book is illustrated with photographs and maps.


Britannica's 5-Minute Really True Stories for Family Time: 30 Amazing Stories: Featuring baby dinosaurs, helpful dogs, playground science, family reunions, a world of birthdays, and so much more!

This book is a fun way to expand kids’ learning without them ever realizing they are getting a little dose of education. Each story can be read aloud in about five minutes, and they are written at a level that will keep youngsters (kindergarten through second or third grade) engaged. The older end of these ages will enjoy reading these excellent stories on their own.

There are thirty stories that cover such topics as how birthdays are celebrated in a variety of cultures, what are considered to be proper table manners around the world, how did amusement parks come to be and how have they changed since the first one in the 1500s, and what kind of games have developed in different countries. Of course, there are also some wonderful stories about animals, both land and marine animals, how they are born, how they live, and how they move from place to place.

All the stories are extremely well researched and written with a real sense of fun and liveliness. Youngsters will probably wear this book out, reading the stories over and over. This is a winner.


A Curious Collection of Dangerous Creatures: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Curious Collection of Creatures)

There is no end to animal books, so bringing out a new one, especially at the middle-grade level, requires something really unique in order to stand out. This book takes a good look at sixty animals that are dangerous and scary. The Blue Dragon, a sea slug that is beautiful and small, has a sting that will cause welts, swelling, increased heart rate, and vomiting, while the Golden Poison Frog is so toxic that if it licks a person, it can kill him or her, and its skin has enough toxins to kill twenty people!

Each of the animals covered is quite dangerous and interesting, and each has its own spread with a close-up illustration, a paragraph with general information about the animal, its specific danger and why it’s so dangerous, what its conservation status is, what it eats, where it lives, and fun facts about it. The writing is lively and conversational. The illustrations are excellent and realistic, and the graphic design of the pages is attractive and designed to hold the interest of youngsters.

Once kids (and adults!) get their hands on this wonderful book, they will likely read it over and over. This is a real winner.


An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language: Learn to Hear What's Left Unsaid (Bad Arguments)

Using examples of loaded language, Ali Almossawi shows how words can be and are scored and arranged to influence the reader’s emotions, opinions, and reasoning. Accompanying the text and illustrating the cited examples are exquisite pen drawings of rabbits and badgers, along with other pets, that strongly remind one of Beatrix Potter’s drawings. The animals substitute for any parties that may be associated with the practices that illustrate how language is often used to influence the perception of personality or events through vagueness, biases, misdirection, and other techniques that mask the correct details.

There are a wealth of examples that exposed this reader to an Alice in Wonderland-like experience of bewilderment and amazement at the myriad ways news reports, advertisers, politicians, and anyone else can exploit language and befuddle the reader. Clearer directions for strategies to recognize the manipulative operations that employ language as weapons for mind control and ways to offset the damage would be helpful. This book should be required reading for all students, with more examples of the practice of using “loaded language” to twist words into distorted sense, along with the processes required for correction.


Me Tomorrow: Indigenous Views on the Future

The Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island would like the rest of the world to know that they are not gone. In fact, they are parts of thriving communities that are here to stay. While in the middle of a global pandemic, climate change affecting the whole of the earth, racial injustices, and other hardships, our Indigenous neighbors have a message for us. Just as the first settlers needed the help of the native tribes to survive in the new world, the original inhabitants of Turtle Island are still here, looking to the future with ideas on how to move forward and help themselves and everyone else.

Me Tomorrow: Indigenous Views of the Future is fourth in the “Me” series, a collection of books exploring aspects of Indigenous life. Curated by Drew Hayden Taylor (Ojibwe), a Canadian playwright and author, this book looks into what the future might hold. This is not a dystopian view of tomorrow, on the contrary. Featured writers see a brighter future with Canada’s First Nations leading the way. Essayists include teachers, students, elders, leaders, storytellers, advocates, and activists. As a White American reviewer, I find this is a very important book for everyone to read. With all the crises happening in the world, we can look to ideas and solutions from the Indigenous peoples to see a way forward.


Home Is Within You: A Memoir

Walk in Another’s Shoes

One of the best ways of learning valuable life lessons and solving complex problems in life is by learning from others. Memoirs offer helpful advice as well as revealing ways that other people tackle problems. These five biographies will appeal to you if you are looking for eye-opening stories and the opportunity to jump into another’s shoes.

Home Is Within You: A Memoir by Nadia Davis

Home Is Within You introduces us to the traumas in Nadia Davis’ life that led to addiction, dysfunctional relationships, and a tenacious fight to get back on her feet. As a high-profile lawyer and former wife of California’s attorney general and treasurer, she was very much thrust into the public eye when her abusive relationship became known. She reveals the struggles of dealing with public shaming, arrests, and the ensuing lack of privacy as a mother, and she rightly calls out the damaging policies against families struggling with mental health issues and addiction. Davis points out that more compassionate measures should be taken instead to achieve a better solution overall. This is very much a courageous telling of her journey toward healing with the help of spirituality, therapy, and pain management, amongst other things. It is a truly powerful memoir!

Ain't That a Mother by Adiba Nelson

Disability rights activist, freelance writer, and public speaker Abida Nelson provides an entertaining and relatable account of her motherhood journey that will have you laughing out loud. Afro-Latina Nelson had a complicated relationship with her very religious, headstrong, and spirited mother, which shaped her views of the world. She unexpectedly became pregnant and succumbed to the same relationship patterns as her female parental figures, something she never thought would happen to her. She gave birth to a beautiful daughter with cerebral palsy, but she soon became burdened with high medical bills that threw her into a life of hardships. Rather than caving in to the new pressures she was under, Nelson decided to take on the world and find herself in the process, for both herself and her child. Ain’t That a Mother is a brave and bold account that shows us how, with the right mindset, anyone can turn their life to their own advantage and overcome the highest of hurdles.

Bird Brother: A Falconer's Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife by Rodney Stotts

Bird Brother is the ultimate story of second chances. In it, Rodney Stotts shares his journey to becoming one of the few Black master falconers in America. Growing up on the streets of 1980s Washington D.C. during the crack epidemic, Stotts faced a grim future as nothing but a criminal. However, as a young adult, Stotts wanted to get his own apartment, and the only way to do that was to get a real job. With a group of other young people, Stotts was given a lifeline when he landed a job with the Earth Conservation Corps in 1992. His grueling restoration work on the Anacostia River quickly became a passion, and with the improvements made, he was able to reintroduce bald eagles to the region. This was when Stotts befriended an injured eagle called Mr. Hoots and worked very hard to gain his respect. Following this, he trained to become a falconer and devoted his time to building a raptor sanctuary. Stotts’ journey of self-discovery is an astonishing and heart-warming account that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

Entrenched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go by Linda Lee Blakemore

Entrenched is a powerful and heart-wrenching account of a woman coming to terms with workplace sexual assault, partner sexual assault, and child abuse. Linda Lee Blakemore wears her heart on her sleeve in this vulnerable but empowering story. She takes you through her years of heartbreak from broken relationships and her own destructive patterns when it comes to matters of the heart. After a couple of affairs, one that ended in sexual assault and happened to be with her boss, Blakemore found herself in a precarious situation with her second husband leaving her every two years, although she would always take him back. Eventually, she found a way through this pain by exploring the trauma from her past. This enabled her to let go and learn to love herself as her own person. Blakemore writes for all the victims of abuse and proves that you can get past the pain with some courage.

Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang by Ken Croke

Undercover alcohol, tobacco, and firearms agent Ken Croke offers his account of infiltrating the infamous white supremacist Pagan Motorcyle Gang in this book, and it will leave you on the edge of your seat. Twenty years into his career, he came across a chance to go undercover, turning himself into the axe-wielding protector of the gang, “Slam.” In two years, his hard work and dedication to the gang had him taken on as an official member and chosen as Sergeant-Of-Arms. He was also the first person working in law enforcement to infiltrate the gang. Surrounded by some of the most savage and deranged gang members, in Riding with Evil he tells of the violent and paranoid world that the gang lived in, with leaders constantly monitoring gang members, sometimes with unthinkable consequences. This is an anxiety-riddled story. You will wonder how Croke survived, and you will find it impossible to put the book down until you find out.


Little Bear: An Inuit Folktale

The world loves folktales. Like food, shelter, and water, they meet an elemental need: a need for connection. They are also a great portal into different cultures and nations. Little Bear: An Inuit Folktale delivers on all these counts.

The story beings with a lonely old woman taking in an orphaned polar bear cub. The cub gradually becomes part of the village, beloved by children and hunters alike. Unfortunately, when the bear ventures out of the village, he encounters fear and hostility. The old woman then has a choice: does she keep the bear close to her, or does she send him away to keep him safe?

The story is written simply, much like it would be told out loud, but the text is still descriptive. The illustrations are a wonderful co-medium for the story. I learned that illustrator Amanda Hall first uses watercolor ink and then fills in with pencil, pastel, gouache, or acrylic as needed.

The story is retold by Dawn Casey, who is not an Inuit author, but she has retold numerous tales. The book does have a foreword by an Inuit author, Kelly Berthelsen, and portion of the proceeds from the book sales will be donated to Polar Bears International.


She Kills Me: The True Stories of History's Deadliest Women

She Kills Me is a collection of forty true stories of women who kill. Their reasons and methods differ, as well as their number of victims, but each one has murdered or killed someone, at least allegedly. Some were convicted and executed, while a few were found not guilty even after admitting their crimes. Some were even praised for their deeds. The main thing they have in common is that these are all women who defied the idea that women are incapable of killing unless coerced by a man. While that may be the case in some instances, women are just as capable of evil deeds or of fighting for glory as men, as is seen in these true stories. There are examples from all over the world and different eras ranging from poisoners, black widows, rebellion leaders, and warrior women. Basically, the idea is, never underestimate a woman and what she’s capable of.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Full of interesting facts and side notes, I learned about a lot of women I had never heard of and more about some I had. There were some great women to epitomize, like Virginia Hall, but more to avoid becoming.


Dreams Lie Beneath

Clementine Madigan is a young magician who will someday take over her father’s position as Hereswith’s dream warden. Every new moon, a strange and terrible curse brings nightmares to life, and only magicians can stop them.

But Clementine’s father falls ill on the same night that two other magicians come and challenge them for the territory. When they lose their home, Clementine vows to avenge her father and their honor. But there is more to the story than Clementine knows, and she must ally with one of the very magicians who ousted her and her father if she wants to free the realm of Azenor from the shadows that threaten to devour it whole.
This book was complex, entertaining, and had plenty of magic! Clementine was an interesting character, and she had a good story arc. Her relationships with the other characters in the book were well-fleshed out. I particularly liked reading scenes between her and Phelan. The story itself was thrilling, complicated, well-woven, and had twists I didn’t see coming. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a dark, exciting fantasy adventure!


Cat Ninja: Time Heist (Volume 2)

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a cat became a ninja? If so, this book is for you! This is a very funny story about a group of animals who get more than they bargained for when they find an egg and decide to take care of it. The egg hatches and then a feathered owl emerges. Ninja Cat and his sidekick must use try to use time travel to save his owl friend from the villain of the city. Will they be successful?

This may possibly be my new favorite series. I love the bright and colorful illustrations that show the actions of Ninja Cat and his crew. The funny storyline makes this a series I would love to see continued.


Shaded Pergola

"Fall into a kaleidoscope of poignancy and beauty as the pages unfold in this delightful read. Eloquently written and gorgeously illustrated with hand-crafted artistry. Haiku poems and delicate prose lull the soul into a world where little exists except purity and succulence." --Jennifer Padgett, Manhattan Book Review


Halfway to Schist

Halfway to Schist by Peter Bridgford is a beautiful story of self-discovery. The main character, Jane Rogers, or “Red,” is the daughter of two passionate geologists. Unfortunately, Red has been raised by her father for most of her life, as her mother committed suicide during Red’s childhood. Red’s father, a former military geologist in World War II, had already been deeply mentally wounded by his war experiences. Having dug deeper and deeper into himself to cope with PTSD, Red’s father was already disconnected from his family well before his wife’s death.

Needless to say, the devasting and sudden loss of his partner changes Red’s father’s life once again. He decides that both he and Red must move away to escape their ghosts, telling her that they will be relocating to his deceased uncle’s fishing lodge to restore the business. Red is beyond upset about this move; already having had so much taken away from her, she cannot bear the thought of leaving the only friends she has left in Buffalo. Despite her persistent refusals, soon enough she finds herself whisked away to Canada, staring at what appears to be a hopeless restoration project. Little does Red realize, there is not only hope in fixing the fishing lodge, she will also find life changing friends along the way.

The story follows Red and her account of her Canadian adventures. Being a teenager is hard enough already without being thrown into a completely new environment. As Red manages summer jobs, boys, friendships, and the futile lodge restoration project, the reader watches Red find herself and what really matters to her.

What truly sets this novel apart are the chilling entries Red recounts from her mother’s journal after her suicide. These stories were left for Red, meant to guide her through the stages of her life and to teach her invaluable lessons that her mother can no longer bestow in person. Geologically themed, these stories connect nature to humanity, showing how the processes of our natural environment are, in fact, similar to human behaviors. Red learns these stories and their messages by heart, using them to cope with her mother’s death and every other challenge she faces.

Red’s story is profound and impactful; she is the epitome of someone determined to make the best of their situation, despite the many, many challenges they face. I recommend this book to anyone who may have a story similar to Red’s and to other readers who enjoy more serious fiction.


Kings of a Lonely Kingdom: Earth Day Essays, Poems, and Musings on Nature

Kingdom: Earth Day Essays, Poems, and Musings on Nature is born out of David C. Mahood's concern about climate change and loss of biodiversity. Though climate change is not a newly discovered concept, the pace at which the world is responding to the call for switching to cleaner and more sustainable choices is disturbingly slow. David raises the idea that caring for other species is a way of caring for humans as our survival is tied to theirs. Parents who want a great life for their children are admonished that depriving them of the natural gifts of this planet is a complete failure. These and more issues related to preserving the environment and humanity are discussed in the book, including Covid-19, racial protests, the unfair treatment of Native Americans, natural disasters, possible solutions, plastics and ocean pollution, greedy corporations, and more.

In this expressive, educative, and pleasingly artistic work, David C. Mahood calls to all individuals, groups, governments, societies, non-governmental organizations, and corporations to make more environmentally friendly decisions. David C. Mahood's essays and poems express, with deep empathy and concern, the path to follow to avoid the reality of an unlivable future for our children and the generations to come as the present world is already experiencing the adverse effect of depleting the planet.

I found the book quite educative and revealing as I learned some new words—like anthropomorphism—and discovered the plight of Native Americans in the US, which I found seriously concerning. Readers are provided with relatable analogies that reveal the intensity of some environmental problems. For example, the idea that the drastic decline of monarch butterfly population could be linked to the elimination of milkweed is compared to being stuck in a place where all gas stations are closed and in a time before cell phones. I enjoyed reading the poems, and my favorite one, "Lessons from the Soccer Match", is inspired by the author's son's soccer game. It explores the spirit of collaboration in sportsmanship and teamwork.

As a passionate lover of nature and biodiversity who never stops talking about simplifying life and preserving nature to those who care to listen, I feel the world needs more heroic and visionary individuals like David C. Mahood, who take out time to inform the world to care more about preserving our planet. A world where everyone makes sustainable choices, as suggested in the book, is one I hope to live in. Every mature individual should read Kingdom: Earth Day Essays, Poems, and Musings on Nature as the important issues raised about preserving our planet in the book concern us all.


All Sorrows Can Be Borne

All Sorrows Can Be Borne is a heartwrenching story inspired by true events. The story follows the main characters, Noriko and Ichiro, and starts in 1964 when the couple is bringing their toddler son, Hisashi, to the airport to go live with Ichiro's sister and her husband. Noriko and Ichiro live in Japan and Ichiro's sister lives in America in the State of Montana. It is a long way for a little boy to go. Readers will wonder why the couple is giving their son up, but the story then rewinds to Spring of 1943 when Noriko is just a little girl. We then follow her through her timeline to when she meets Ichiro. The story takes us through the bombing of Hiroshima and explains the horrible deaths and illnesses the Japanese people incurred because of this event. Noriko's father owns a successful sushi restaurant and after the bombing, he and many other Japanese citizens must work hard to rebuild their fallen businesses and homes. Noriko strives to make her family proud and become an actress and singer. Her father pays for her lessons and soon, at seventeen years old, she is ready to audition for the Takarazuka Academy. Unfortunately, Noriko ends up failing her audition. In an attempt to pay her father back, she goes to work for her older sister, Setsuko, at her family's tearoom. It is there that Noriko meets tearoom manager, Ichiro. He is several years older than she is but they fall in love. He is a hard worker and a very intelligent man, not to mention very handsome. Noriko and Ichiro get married and Noriko becomes pregnant with their son. While Noriko is pregnant, Ichiro finds out that he has tuberculosis which is the same disease his mother died of. The doctors say he must have contracted it in utero and that it was most likely dormant until this point.

Ichiro falls very ill and is in and out of the hospital/sanatorium. From here, depression sets in as he does not know how he is going to take care of his family. It is heartbreaking to see Ichiro try and try again but feel like such a failure as he has difficulty keeping a job. Through it all, Noriko never stops loving him and even agrees to send Hisashi away so that their little boy may have a better life.

Emotionally gripping with themes of true love, sacrifice, depression, and perseverance, All Sorrows Can Be Borne will give its readers so much to think about and be grateful for in their own lives. This is a beautiful, carefully written, detailed story filled with historical events and wonderful descriptions of Japan and Japanese customs.


All Sorrows Can Be Borne

All Sorrows Can Be Borne was absolutely beautiful. Loren Stephens writes the heart-wrenching story of Noriko and her husband Ichiro, a young Japanese couple who give up their son to American relatives. The plot follows the story of how the pair ended up making this choice by following Noriko and Ichiro from childhood through into adulthood. This novel was truly moving; I felt their families’ pain radiating through the pages and I sympathized with both parties on all accounts. Readers who enjoy more serious novels would not want to miss out on this read.

Noriko and Ichiro were both survivors of the Hiroshima bomb, set off in 1945. They were just elementary school children when this horrific event altered their lives forever. Noriko was lucky; her papa saved her from the rubble at her local school and the only mark left on her was the scar on her forehead. With their family house still intact and her loved ones safe and sound, it is easy to say Noriko got the better end of the stick. Ichiro was not nearly as fortunate. His father died in the bombing, leaving him and his sister to an abusive stepmother who abandoned them. Ichiro and his sister were forced to provide for themselves, unable to finish school due to the need to make ends meet.

At the age of fourteen, Ichiro found himself working at a local tearoom, eventually making his way up the ladder to restaurant manager. This tearoom is where Noriko and Ichiro meet. Having had very different lives and opportunities due to their circumstances after the bombing, they are on different paths with different beliefs. Noriko has dreams of becoming an actress and has thus far been very successful in her endeavors. A fearless, independent young woman, she is determined to make her family proud and herself wealthy. Noriko starts working at the tearoom to help pay her father back for her schooling, and Ichiro just happens to be her manager. Despite their differences, young love always seems to win, and they find themselves happily married.

Unfortunately, the rest of the novel isn’t as bright. As beautiful dreams fall apart, depression and ill health enter the story. Lack of money and resources further contribute to their downfall, and the couple finds themselves in seemingly impossible situations. The story of Ichiro and Noriko is one laced with so much passionate love and so much unfortunate hardship.


A Stoma Named Stanley: Reflections From A Brief Nursing Career

When I saw this book was available, I have to say I did a little happy dance. As a fan of television medical "reality" shows such as Untold Stories of the ER and Trauma: Life in the ER and books written by First Responders that give first-hand accounts of everyday on-the-job hazards, I was really excited about getting a copy of A Stoma Named Stanley. What I found equally fascinating is the author, JD Moore, decided that nursing would be her "retirement" job. Some people go to work at their local library or deli. This lady became a nurse!

The stories Moore tells in this book may not be what the average person will think they are getting themselves into. For the most part, there is nothing too over-the-top graphic or gross and Moore describes everything with a kind of professionalism that you would only find from someone who has integrity and a true love of humankind. Of course, there is some blood and other human bodily fluids, but that goes without saying in a hospital environment. Some of her stories are not medical-related at all but instead show how the sympathy and empathy she has for some of the people admitted into her hospital makes her such a gem of a nurse. She is patient and understanding and genuinely cares for the people who are in her care.

One of the stories that was really startling was the one where the husband was in the hospital and when Moore asked the wife about her own incapacity to walk, the wife told her that she wished he husband was dead sometimes. The reason the woman couldn't walk was that the husband had her holding a ladder to cut down a branch and the branch landed on the wife, disabling her. I'm sure doctors and nurses see so many horrible accidents such as this one.

The stories in the book are short and to the point and are actually from JD Moore's nursing journal. She changes the names in the book which is understandable, however, what I don't understand is why she put "Ms." or "Mr." in front of the patients' first names. For example, "Ms. Amara" or "Mr. Darren". I feel like this may be common practice in other countries but in the United States, I felt it was odd.

If you are a fan of medical stories, this is the book for you. It's interesting and at the same time endearing and heartfelt. I would love to see a follow-up book by the author.


Garden Variety: A Novel

If you enjoyed The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, you’ll enjoy this sweetly charming and beautifully descriptive tour through the seasons of life in a community garden. The novel centers on Lizzie, a lover of order and abider of rules who keeps as tight of a hold on her garden keys as she does on the keys to her heart. Coming off of a recent heartbreak with the plot owner next door, she struggles with making connections to her fellow gardeners, especially the handsome new tenant who makes her heart rail against the neat little drawer she’s filed it away in. With a revolving cast of characters with chapters dedicated to their own stories and perspectives on their seasons in the garden, it’s easy to get sucked into the collective social web Wilhelmi has woven throughout the novel. Readers who enjoy slice-of-life-style narrative arcs will enjoy the myriad of personalities and perspectives presented, and seasoned gardeners will love the detailed descriptions of the trials and tribulations of trying to create something beautiful out of nothing but seeds and soil.


Geronimo Stilton Reporter #10: Blackrat's Treasure (Geronimo Stilton Reporter Graphic Novels, 10)

Geronimo Stilton Reporter: Blackrat’s Treasure is a good graphic novel. This book is about a hardworking and busy talking mouse whose relatives think he needs to relax. So, they tell him a story about a monster to get him to follow them to a ship. The ship belongs to a pirate named Blackrat’s. Geronimo, his cousin Trap, nephew Benjamin, and sister Thea become Blackrat’s crew. Together they sail the seas and land on an island to find treasure.

I like this book because of the action. None of it is boring or complicated. The bright and colorful art is fun and goes well with the story. Everything is straightforward and makes sense. It is fun to read, but I don’t think this book is as good as the other novels in the Geronimo Stilton series. Kids who have liked the other books will probably like this one too, but it is much shorter than some of the others. I recommend this book for ages six to nine. This book is best read for pleasure.


Will

Will Smith has been in the public eye for over thirty years. He has found success in the music industry (rap/pop), in the television industry, and as a bankable box office draw. However, the path to fortune and fame wasn’t an easy one. Will learned copious amounts of life lessons growing up in West Philadelphia, including striving for what one wants in life and possessing the fortitude to make a comeback after a failure or two.

Despite his mother’s educational plans for him, his interest and skill at ripping rhymes led to his partnership with DJ Jazzy Jeff. His likability as a rapper led to an offer for a television show. The popularity of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air led to opportunities on the big screen. Smith’s ability and work ethic led to more successes than failures. His charisma and dynamic screen presence have continued to yield prime roles.

Will is an honest and open assessment of the life of one of the world’s most beloved entertainers. It is an autobiography that is funny as well as moving, interesting, and absorbing. Smith’s straightforwardness in approaching his highs and lows in show business, family, and love render the book truly appealing.


James Madison: America's First Politician

It is surprising that James Madison was so young when he became involved in the Revolutionary War. He had just graduated from the College of New Jersey, now Princeton, and was swept up into debates about constitutions, independence, and how a government should function. Many of his contemporaries were known for their already established careers.

Since the founding of the USA, there have been quite a few, possibly hundreds, of biographies written about the Founding Fathers, with James Madison being one of the most popular due to the notes he kept during the Constitutional Convention, which he was not supposed to do. Biographies should give the reader a sense of why this person is important and what made them tick.

This biography only really meets one of those goals. This is strictly a political biography; you will not get any real information about what Madison was like in his personal life, amongst his family and friends. The vast majority of the story is about his political life and his failure as president during the War of 1812. If someone has already read a biography of Madison, there is little to no new information in this one.


A is for Oboe: The Orchestra's Alphabet

I really wanted to like A is for Oboe because I love music, but unfortunately this book disappoints on many levels. It’s clearly produced as a picture book for children, but it is not written for children. My younger siblings were bored to tears and I barely made it through myself.

The ABC book theme is kind of irrelevant because it seems more like the author was just curious if she could connect music to all the letters of the alphabet, which she sort of does, but not in a “let’s learn the alphabet” sort of way. What I mean is, like, the letter Y is for “yes” and for “you” and she goes on and on trying to justify why they are relevant.

There are so many run-on phrases that are barely poetic, like how keyboards “roar or pluck, prickle like porcupines, or lift us like a one-winged Pegasus with black and white keys to delight, unlock, and open the gates of wonderment.” It’s just too over the top to be interesting.

The cover is an accurate representation of the rest of the illustrations, which are okay but nothing spectacular. All in all, it’s a book marketed to kids but totally not for kids.


Wolf Hollow (A Lew Ferris Mystery)

If you are looking for a new mystery series and like the great outdoors, this might be what you’re looking for. Lew Ferris is police chief in the small town of Loon Lake in northern Wisconsin. When her brother’s body is found near a loon nest he is monitoring, it soon comes out he was murdered, and Lew finds out he was about to help file a lawsuit to protect the river from mining. Wealthy landowner Grace McDonough has a mining company interested in her land. She and her pervert son, though, are soon also found murdered, and as the bodies stack up, Lew is facing personal loss and professional landmines.

Victoria Houston is following up her nineteen-book Loon Lake series, which focused more on Doc Osborne than Lew Ferris, with a new series with the same cast of engaging characters, the same setting, and wonderful fly-fishing lessons while moving the focus to Lew Ferris. This book stands on its own, but it makes one hanker for future volumes and maybe a dip into the earlier series. The writing is crisp, the dialogue is snappy, and the story is very compelling. This is a winner.


Do I Know You?: A Novel of Suspense

Do I Know You? is a gripping psychological suspense novel. Jane has a special gift for recognizing faces. In fact, her ability gets her a job with Homeland Security. One day, she sees the woman named Bella who she knows was last seen with her sister Kit before she went missing. Jane ends up freaking out on Bella and her fiance, Will Pease, in the airport and is immediately fired and blacklisted. But Jane knows Bella has the answers to her sister's disappearance and sets out to find out what she knows even though the Pease's family attorney has issued a warning to not come near Bella or any of the Pease family.

Is Jane a mental case or is she actually really reliable? Who can she trust? Everyone seems to have secrets in this story. And with every twist and turn, Jane finds herself confused and questioning what is real and what is not. Perfect characters to love and hate, a twisty plot, and a beautiful coastline setting, Do I Know You? has all the right elements for a fantastic thriller.


Try Something New!

Whether you like thumbing through recipes just for pleasure or are looking for inspiration for meals, these five cookbooks will definitely spice things up. Through reading them, you will be introduced to new homemade soup recipes, Chinese baked goods, simple and healthy paleo meals, new ways of cooking with eggs, and recipes born out of foraging.

Soup Club: 80 Cozy Recipes for Creative Plant-Based Soups and Stews to Share by Caroline Wright

This is a cookbook unlike any other. It is not only about the recipes, but is also a heartwarming story of a community coming together and giving to a member during a frightening period of her life. Caroline Wright was given a crushing brain cancer diagnosis, and not long after this, she found herself really craving homemade soup. She told her friends, who started rallying around her, and then Wright started finding soup on her doorstep daily for several months afterwards. Thankfully she survived, and this book is a thank you to those friends and followers who were touched by her story. The recipes in this book are plant-based and sound very delicious. They are not the blended kind but more the chunky kind, and many of the recipes use nutritional yeast. The instructions are for cooking on the stove, although there is a section dedicated to instant pot instructions. There are also recipes for breads and salads and how to make your own spice blends. Some of the soup recipes that sounded particularly delicious were the Moroccan Vegetable Stew, Golden Borscht, and Cowboy Chili. Soup Club really is a must-have for soup and stew fans, and you do not have to be vegan to enjoy these recipes.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho

If you are interested in Chinese baked goods, then this book is for you! Mooncakes and Milk Bread is filled with Chinese bakery recipes, and it is made simple by the step-by-step instructions for the heavenly family-based recipes provided by food blogger Kristina Cho. If you are intimidated by the Chinese ingredients, Cho takes you through the experience of shopping in an Asian grocery store and explains the differences between ingredients and the equipment needed to create these recipes. The recipes included in this book consist of different types of Chinese buns and breads, cakes, cookies, dumplings, and drinks. Additionally, there are no-bake recipes for dim sum, pancakes, and potstickers. The pictures that accompany each recipe help to provide visual guidance, and all the food looks like it has been made by a modern Chinese professional chef/baker. The book is an all-round winner for fun and expanding your repertoire.

Nom Nom Paleo: Let's Go! (Volume 3) by Michelle Tam and Henry Fong

Michelle Tam and Henry Fong, the creators of the New York Times bestseller Nom Nom Paleo, offer a new Asian-inspired collection of paleo recipes in Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! There are even keto, whole30, and vegan-based recipes, and they are all full of umami flavor. Tam and Fong emphasize that the best and healthiest meals are the ones cooked at home, and this cookbook will give you the enthusiasm necessary to get going in your own kitchen. You will be surprised at how simple these recipes are and how they are perfect for when you are cooking for others. Your guests will be surprised by how tasty the food turns out, even though they are wholefood recipes and free of gluten, dairy, grains, and refined sugar. Some of the delights include Cantonese Roast Duck, Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole, and Paleo-Friendly Cream Puffs. You only need to be a novice cook and you can make food that tastes heavenly!

The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook: Over 100 Fabulous Recipes to Use Eggs in Unexpected Ways by Lisa Steele

Fifth generation chicken keeper and top-selling author Lisa Steele shows how easy and appetizing meals can be after adding eggs. The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook teaches you all about eggs, such as debunking certain egg-related myths and explaining what particular labels on egg cartons signify. Steele works with you, starting from the basics of cooking eggs and moving through all the different techniques. The photography in the book is fantastic and really inspires you to try the recipes. You can learn how to make a French Tri-fold Omelet, Swedish Egg Coffee, and Hand Pies, as well as other sweet and savory recipes, and they all come with Steele’s own modifications. This book is an inventive and exciting cookbook for a novice or an accomplished cook looking to branch out and discover new things every day.

Field Notes for Food Adventure: Recipes and Stories from the Woods to the Ocean by Brad Leone

Brad Leone teaches us about being resourceful and inventive in the New York Times bestseller Field Notes for Food Adventure as he seeks out the wonderful natural ingredients of the North East. Exploring all that nature has to offer, foraging in fields, rivers, forests, and the sea, Leone captures your imagination by providing outstanding ideas for inspirational home cookery. He introduces you to ramps, different types of mushrooms, and the various ways of preserving them, as well as to undervalued oceanic ingredients such as squid and seaweed. All the recipes have the Brad Leone stamp, with the Spicy Tomato Chicken, Sous Vide Mountain Ribs, and the Cold Root Salad seeming particularly appetizing, in addition to the recipes for drinks such as Fermented Bloody Mary and Sumac Lemonade. There’s even a simple recipe for Chile Hot Sauce. Voted Food52’s Best Cookbook of the Year, this flavorsome tome is not your typical cookbook, but it will certainly open your mind to exciting new ideas and ingredients.


Servant Mage

Fellian is a special type of person known as a Lamplighter, which is a low-level  fire elemental mage that has the ability to create light. When a small group of Monarchists free her from her servitude to complete their forbidden five-arrow quiver, she knows she is about to leave behind everything she has ever known. But does her freedom come with strings attached? Fellian is faced with the decision to kill a royal baby and the last remaining Dragonborn in an attempt to wipe out the Monarchist movement. It forces her to choose between running and doing the right thing. If she fails, the Monarchist movement will be wiped out forever.

I liked this book because it was entertaining while not being too fast paced, and made me want to keep turning pages even when it was finished! It wove together the complex, fascinating society of a fully realized world with magic, creating something fun, mesmerizing, and sharp. I liked this book, and would read it again! I would recommend this book to magic-loving tweens!


Current Events

For those seeking to stay in touch with important events, movements, and campaigns currently occurring around the world, as well as to understand the historical and political backgrounds to such momentous things, the three books included in this roundup can provide some important insights.

Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America by Megan Kate Nelson

In Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America, Megan Kate Nelson vividly describes how Yellowstone became the first national park during a period of US history characterized by political turmoil and racial violence. The modern story of Yellowstone began in July 1871, when geologist Ferdinand Hayden led a team of scientists to Yellowstone Basin, which was one of the last unmapped areas of the United States. The team’s discoveries prompted the promulgation of the Yellowstone Act in 1872, which conferred national park status on the area. Nelson examines this development within the wider national context, highlighting how the national park project brought a sense of peace and accomplishment to a country that had very recently been fighting a highly destructive civil war. In addition to tracing the work and influence of Hayden, Nelson elucidates the roles of both Sitting Bull, who asserted the Lakota people’s claim to the land, and Jay Cooke, who spearheaded the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in securing the national ownership of Yellowstone. As such, the book presents a narrative of exploration and adventure that encompasses Indigenous resistance, Black southerners’ fight for racial justice, and American nation-building in the wake of a devastating conflict.

Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell

Following the murder of George Floyd by a serving police officer, calls to defund or abolish the police have become increasingly common in the US, although many remain unaware of what such abolition would actually entail. In Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom, Derecka Purnell relates her own path toward becoming an abolitionist. Her journey started in St. Louis, where she experienced periods of homelessness and food insecurity. These experiences, coupled with watching coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the murders of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, sparked her political awakening and prompted her to campaign for greater social justice. Eventually, her work at Harvard Law School caused her to recognize that true equality does not simply require better policing; rather, it requires the scrapping of the police force as an institution. This might seem like a radical stance, but Purnell justifies her position by exploring the history of the police as a tool for capturing runaway slaves and strengthening white supremacy, which has arguably led on to the over-policing of Black communities seen today. According to Purnell, contemporary police officers are fulfilling the roles historically envisioned for them when perpetrating violence against Black people, meaning that an alternative system is required to end such violence and ensure equality. It’s an enlightening and inspiring book about a bold idea with great potential to change society.

MeToo: The Impact of Rape Culture in the Media by Meenakshi Gigi Durham

From its beginnings on social media, the MeToo movement has grown rapidly and widely as advocates have sought to empower and assist people who have experienced sexual assault by highlighting and publicizing their own experiences of such violence. This has brought to light scandalous numbers of assaults, which have been perpetrated in settings as diverse as doctors’ offices, factories, and Hollywood film sets, and eventually brought down some of the perpetrators, perhaps most famously Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, through firings, legal actions, and protests. In MeToo: The Impact of Rape Culture in the Media, Meenakshi Gigi Durham examines the role of media culture as the setting in which these struggles have been played out. As Durham explains, the celebrities and media figures whose criminality initially sparked the MeToo movement can be viewed as symbolizing the complexities and controversies of consent and power dynamics. On the other side of the coin, the media have also provided a platform for women to speak out about their experiences, unify, and cooperate in an effort to secure justice. From the perspective of the media serving as a lynchpin for all these events, Durham elucidates how the media influence the formation of attitudes toward sex and sexuality, in addition to the role that the media play in exposing and challenging rape culture. It’s a timely and challenging book that offers a unique insight into the role and power of the media as well as the state of contemporary gender relations.


A Three Book Problem: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

In this  Sherlock Holmes-inspired cozy with historic undertones, we find Gemma Doyle smack dab in the middle of another case. Gemma, the proprietor of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, is excited to set up a weekend Sherlockian event at a stately country manor in West London, Massachusetts. Her friend, Jayne Wilson, is handling the catering, and her boyfriend, Detective Ryan Ashburton, is helping out. However, a fun weekend of Sherlock-themed activities quickly turns sour when the host is murdered. With a house full of suspects, many of whom seem out of place, they have their work cut out for them. Gemma puts her powers of observation to work to help solve this tricky case.

This would be a great standalone novel, and you do not have to be a Sherlockian to enjoy the series. This mystery definitely had me guessing right until the end. I love the characters and the atmospheric descriptions; it was a great book to curl up with on a cold day. The mystery itself did become a little confusing toward the end, but I just love this author’s writing style. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozies, mysteries, and Sherlock Holmes.


The Family

Naomi Krupitsky’s debut novel The Family considers the roles of young women born into male-dominated families with ties to the mafia. Through the friendship of Antonia Russo and Sofia Colicchio, Krupitsky delivers a searing narrative about what it means to have and hold power for young women in the 1940s and 50s.

Joey Colicchio is a boss; the men who work under him gather at the family apartment for weekend dinners as his daughters help their mother prepare and serve the meal. His eldest, Sofia, is hungry for the power she sees her father wield, and as she ages the need to be more than an observer grows wild inside her. It intensifies when her best friend Antonia’s father, Carlo—also a Family man—disappears. Sofia knows there is danger in what her father does, but she isn’t afraid of it. As Antonia and Sofia age, Krupitsky dives into the politics of WWII.

While there are a few predictable turns in the narrative, for fans of The Sopranos who always wanted to know what life growing up was like for Janice, or for readers who love strong female protagonists, The Family is a must-read.


Puzzlooies! Don't Feed Fluffy: A Solve-the-Story Puzzle Adventure

Do you like interactive stories? Check out this new kind of adventure in which you have to solve puzzles to figure out information imperative to the story. Get ready to solve the problem in this adventure in pet-sitting.

The text was good, but not great. It’s not quite like a full-length book, so I felt like there wasn’t a great amount of plot or description to the story. It was more like reading half of a chapter book with puzzles.

The puzzles were spectacular. I loved all the variety of activities and puzzles in this book! The creativity behind this was just amazing! The maze and all-around a pet were two that my son enjoyed.

If I could rate each element, I would give it three stars for the story and five stars for the puzzles.

I tried this out with my son, who is in second grade. He liked reading the text, but the puzzles were a bit hard for him. He didn’t want to finish the book, which surprised me. I would recommend this for third grade and up. I think this is a great way to get reluctant readers to enjoy something different.


The Every: A novel

Delaney is interviewing for a position with The Every. The Every is a global conglomerate that has eaten the world, in many respects. The pandemics of the past have destroyed small businesses, while also altering human behavior. The Every insists on the most sterile of environments for any employees, which means limited physical contact. Delaney answers any & all questions from her prospective employers while holding back her motive: She plans to destroy the company from within. The Every stresses its benefits for humanity, yet Delaney is appalled by its greed, paranoia, and unlimited power. As she moves further and further into the company, she roots for her ideas to take hold, but also clings to her dissipating hold on her sanity and humanity. Will she be the destroyer or the unlikely savior of The Every?

The Every is the latest Fiction opus from acclaimed author Dave Eggers (“The Circle"). Eggers’ vision of Brave New World on steroids is disheartening and grim, yet the satire is brilliant and biting for the reader to appreciate. The comparisons between the unregulated colossus of The Every and the current Too Big to Fail” behemoths are prescient.  A must-read for 2022.


Crimes and Covers: A Magical Bookshop Mystery

It's time for a Christmas wedding in Cascade Springs as Violet Waverly and David Rainwater are finally getting married. Their special day starts off perfect before being disrupted by the discovery of a body. The victim is a woman that had previously paid a visit to the bookshop with the strong resistance that Violet buy her first edition of Walden. The woman had a mysterious message written on her hand that sends them around in circles to track down the missing book and determine what it had to do with a killer.

The magical bookshop is another charming and unique mystery set against the idealistic background of Cascade Springs (near Niagara Falls) during Christmas time. This provides the perfect atmosphere for a wedding and sets up a bitterly cold setting for catching a killer. Violet has happily settled into her room taking over the bookshop, starting a happy life with Rainwater, has a relationship with her father who is a traveling troubadour, and has become a beloved member of the town. Amanda Flower continues to stun with her attention to details seen through rich writing, an addicting mystery, and a town so charming that you wish you could visit. Fifth in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series, Crimes and Covers delivers a top-notch cozy that weaves magic with quirky pets and a thrilling mystery.


The Midnight Lock (Lincoln Rhyme Novel)

Locks don't stop him. He sneaks in, moves a few things around, and leaves. Or does he? Given the nickname the Locksmith, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are put on the case. Until, that is, another case goes wrong and Rhyme is no longer welcome to consult for the police. That doesn't stop him from tracking down the Locksmith, who is eerily familiar. But danger is lurking around every corner, for anyone involved in the case.

Within the first few chapters, I was confused. Then things began to make sense. There are too many cases running at the same time, many of which I didn't think had anything to do with the main plot. I did figure out “whodunit,” only to find out that every briefly mentioned case is important, leaving me confused once more. There's only one character I actually liked, everyone else was too perfect. The story is fair paced and the chapters short, so I did read a number of chapters in one sitting before having to take a break and come back later.


Amazing Temples of the World

The outstanding attribute of Amazing Temples of the World concerns how discrimination, as recognized in our daily life, is peaceably absent from Michael Kerrigan’s outstanding book, where art and worship are drawn together. More than a hundred images span the continents and centuries, some showing unexpected geographic juxtapositions: the Buddhist temple south of Paris largely funded by the regional Vietnamese community; the magical Sikh temple seemingly floating on water in Amritsar in the Punjab.

The pages feature synagogues from Asia to Africa, the Americas to Europe, some soberly dignified, others magnificent. Japanese temples are awesome in both design and colors, and multiple fourteenth century temples are mysteriously half-hidden in clouds in Myanmar. Each region is explored and illustrated in full color, and to the credit of both author and photographer, no overwhelming number of red-sky sunsets.

Readers will value the captions, not always so successfully integrated in coffee-table books.  Architecture, history, a range of construction materials, and unique elements combine to highlight a splendid display. It need not be mentioned that the photographs, taken and included with pride, are not simply of wayside chapels and warrant close admiration.


Seven Dirty Secrets

It's Cleo's birthday. It is also two days before the one-year anniversary of her abusive boyfriend, Declan, drowning in the river on her birthday trip. Cleo gets out of the shower to find a little white box with a green bow on it. When she opens it, she finds a piece of paper with a poem on it. A clue to the start of a scavenger hunt. But how did someone get into her bathroom while she was showering? As Cleo works with her best friend Hope and older brother Connor to find out who is behind the scavenger hunt, the clues point to Declan still being alive. His body was never found, after all. Has he come back for her?

This book was very engaging with the way the clues were planted. Cleo and her friends are smart and do a great job with it despite the fact that the situation is all too creepy. The twist at the end was predictable but nevertheless made sense. Perfect for fans of suspense and mystery.


The Year We Learned to Fly

This book was about a girl and her brother always being angry. They were also always bored in the house. Her grandmother told her and her brother to lift their arms, close their eyes, and imagine they could do anything. And they did, and it worked.

I really liked this book because there are so many Black characters and it talked about our history. Plus, it told us how to calm down when our siblings are very annoying. And that actually helps me too because I have three siblings. And my younger sister can be very annoying.

At the start of the book, the flowers that the illustrator drew were very beautiful. I loved all the colors put together to make very beautiful pictures.


Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most beloved characters from fiction. Come and see a different side of him in these Observations by Gaslight, which are told from the viewpoints of other characters from the world of Holmes. Instead of hearing only Dr. Watson’s version of events, you’ll hear of other cases and adventures from the likes of Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, Stanley Hopkins, and Mrs. Hudson, as well as from sub-librarian Lomax and former leader of the Irregulars, Henry Wiggins. You’ll witness the evolution of the relationship between Holmes and Watson over the years and learn how Holmes first met Wiggins and Hopkins. Getting to see more of these background characters is well worth your time.

Lyndsay Faye has done such a brilliant job of writing from six different characters’ perspectives that it is easy to believe her when she states she is just the editor and everything is true. I found myself forgetting that Holmes was a fictional character and imagined that all these journal entries were about actual encounters with him. Faye stays true to each character, even Holmes and Watson, as they are found in Arthur Conan Doyle’s works while adding depth. This book is a must-read collection for Sherlock fans.


Good Girls Die First

Catch Up on Thrillers

Packed with secrets, lies, and deadly danger, the five thrillers included in this roundup are tense, devastating, and likely to keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page through to the last.

Good Girls Die First by Kathryn Foxfield

“Eight o’clock, Portgrave Pier. Can you keep a secret?” When sixteen-year-old Ava receives this slightly sinister invitation, she immediately recognizes that the mystery assignation must be linked to a secret she’s been keeping, a secret that she’s being blackmailed about. Desperate to ensure that her secret stays hidden, she decides to risk keeping the appointment and, perhaps, discovering the identity of her blackmailer. When she arrives at the derelict carnival located at the end of the pier, she finds that nine other young adults have all received the same invitation, suggesting that they all also have secrets they want to keep hidden. As fog and possibly something supernatural result in the pier becoming cut off from the outside world, the ten teenagers start to realize that they might just have been given the opportunity to take revenge on both their blackmailer and unwelcome faces from the past. Once Ava understands that the others all intend to do what’s best for themselves, whatever the consequences, she has to decide how far she’s willing to go to protect her secret and ensure her survival. Kathryn Foxfield’s Good Girls Die First is a dark thriller tinged with horror and mystery, which is sure to particularly appeal to young adult readers.

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

Despite initial appearances, there are several decidedly sinister things bubbling away beneath the otherwise tranquil surface of Lower Lockwood, a picturesque country town worthy of being the setting for an Agatha Christie story. In the present day, barrister Richard Tanner QC tasks pupils Charlotte and Femi with wading through a large bundle of evidence––emails, text messages, and transcripts––in an effort to clear the name of someone who has been convicted of murder. That person has been in jail for a while, but it’s just possible that they might be innocent. Everyone featured in the documents is a possible suspect, and it seems like most of them have something to hide. Charlotte and Femi have to read through the conflicting evidence and determine what the Fairway Players’ rehearsals for their forthcoming performance of All My Sons and a charity appeal raising money to provide life-saving anti-cancer treatment for young Poppy Reswick have to do with a murder, which is likely to prove especially difficult given that they don’t know the identity of either the convicted murderer or the victim. With the novel format of The Appeal, Janice Hallett has crafted a fiendishly clever whodunnit in which it takes significant time and perseverance to identify both the crime and the criminal(s).

No One Notices the Boys by Michelle Birkby

Fed up of operating in the shadow of the great Sherlock Holmes, Mrs. Hudson and Mary Watson have established their own enquiry agency, which operates out of the kitchen of 221B Baker Street. In Michelle Birkby’s No One Notices the Boys, which marks the second investigation for the redoubtable duo of Hudson and Watson, an ill Mrs. Hudson has to cope with both the side effects of her medication slowing down her deductive reasoning and no one believing her observations about a spate of deaths of female patients on her hospital ward. Meanwhile, Mary has to deal with another problem that no one wants to recognize: the disappearances of several of the young urchins of have previously helped Holmes out with cases, homeless young boys whose presence people don’t like to acknowledge, let alone their absence. With Holmes and Watson unwilling to put aside more intriguing puzzles to look into these issues, Mrs. Hudson and Mary are the only ones left to follow the threads of the dying women and the disappearing boys and see how the two cases might connect. It all makes for an intriguing investigation and an exciting pastiche of the Sherlock Holmes adventures.

The Girl in Duluth by Sigrid Brown

With an atmospheric setting in a remote and densely forested patch of Minnesota adjacent to the Canadian border, The Girl in Duluth by Sigrid Brown tells the evocative and often troubling tale of a rural community populated by families with rumbling resentments and several secrets to hide. Following her mother’s disappearance and the local police force’s apparent inability to crack the case, eighteen-year-old June Bergeron decides to undertake her own investigation. She soon becomes suspicious that her mother’s case might be linked to a series of unsolved murders of women whose bodies were found dumped in the woods near Duluth, and as she investigates the matter further, she finds herself drawn into the hidden underbelly of the city, a grimy place characterized by poverty, exploitation, and abuse. As June comes to realize that many within the community are hiding disturbing secrets, she is forced to admit that she no longer knows what is true or who she can trust. While seeking to find out what really happened to her mother, she ends up finding out more than she ever imagined or wanted to know about the people of Duluth.

The Cage by Bonnie Kistler

On a cold Sunday night when people really ought to be at rest and safely tucked up at home, two employees of Claudine de Martineau International, a multinational fashion company, are burning the midnight oil at the Manhattan high-rise office. Lucy Barton-Jones, the head of human resources, and Shay Lambert, a newly appointed corporate lawyer, end up finishing their tasks and getting ready to leave for the night at around the same time. The pair enter the lift on the thirtieth floor together and prepare to descend, each preoccupied with their own thoughts and troubles. However, something goes wrong almost immediately as the lift stops, the lights turn off, and a gunshot rings out. Eventually, the lift starts to move again. When the lift’s doors open after it finally reaches the ground floor, one of the women is dead, but is it a case of murder or suicide? Bonnie Kistler’s The Cage is a suspenseful, action-packed, and tightly plotted legal thriller that starts with a bang and then whisks readers along on a breakneck journey full of twists and turns.


King of Battle and Blood (Adrian X Isolde, 1)

Vampires are back! Dark and decadent, this story seduces from the very first page.

Isolde, Princess of Lara, finds herself struggling with the confines of her role. As she strives to forge her own path and secure power, a chance encounter on the eve of war presents a marriage of opportunity. Sacrificing her future, she trades her freedom to save her kingdom, or so she believes. But all is not as it seems and we are reminded that history is often distorted through the perspective of those telling it.

Married to the enemy she once swore to destroy, Isolde is torn between the temptation of an all-consuming love of a monster and loyalty to her father and their people. This tension between personal desires and the idea of sacrifice for the greater good creates wonderful angst as the story progresses.

The rich characters and vivid imagery create a world that is equally treacherous and alluring, a place you simply don’t want to leave. The small teasers of a centuries-old subplot add extra intrigue and keep you on your toes while searching for answers. It certainly seems that the Warrior Queen has met her match with the Blood King.