This is a book of fiction with fictional characters, but you could say, however, “You could’ve fooled me”, it’s ripped from today’s news headlines! This is a thriller with contemporary vibes that has a political bent. A lot is going on that plays into the hand of this engrossing storyline. The book Trigg writes takes us, the reader, through what a toxic subculture might put the general public through, with characters that have politically inspired ideologies, that are passing along misinformation on a chain of online accounts, and relevant and timely platforms that are entirely based on today’s online culture.
I enjoyed the characters and their relevance to the storyline. They were interesting and engaging and the reader can see things from the character’s point of view. They were very well-written.
The inclusion of things like crypto, technology, day trading stocks and bonds, online platforms; social media, and forum-run sites, appeals well to younger adults who may themselves spend a major part of their own lives on these types of internet platforms.
Trigg’s placement of red herring and multi-narration drives the story and intends to keep the reader guessing what may occur next, with the reader undoubtedly wrong until the very last chapter is brilliant.
Mike Trigg brings us a well-written novel with contemporary themes and a fictional story that might actually be taking place on some level as I write this. I can recommend this book.
5 Stars for character development and a great storyline.
On Sale April 16, 2024, and available widely.
Author Mike Trigg wrote Bit Flip (2022) and it has received critical acclaim. His work is also featured in Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, and Literary Hub.
The first two chapters will hook you with Moore’s explosive writing. This political thriller kept its intrigue the entire book. The author presents us, the reader with a great storyline and great depth of character.
The story opens with two jaw-dropping events, and with the short and trim chapter lengths; I quickly turned the pages. The main character is Rep. Madison Gladstone, a first-term congresswoman who has deep long political ties in her family. Her mentor in the story meets with an untimely passing, **No spoilers are given out here.** Then the congresswoman teams up with a mysterious FBI agent, who seemingly appears from nowhere. He is snooping around asking a myriad of questions about Gladstone’s mentor. She has nothing to lose or does she?
Together the two undercover an amazing and shocking network of clandestine “intelligence” designed to embolden a small group of political insiders unbeknownst to anyone outside the group. Without giving away this story’s plot, author Moore keeps the platitudes and fear going with complexity as his story grows deeper and the characters grow more conflicted with the unfolding events before them. The sudden fast-paced movements within the small group of insiders make for a compelling tale. The plot pushes the reader to examine what they might do in place of the characters. What choice would Madison Gladstone make?
The was a great story that held many meandering clues that were done in an artful way to keep the reader engaged. As both a reader and reviewer I found this remarkable.
This book is a solid 4 Stars. An American Conspiracy has character depth, plot, and intrigue. The ending was slightly anticlimactic. I cannot wait, however, for Alan C. Moore’s next fiction novel.
This book is available widely at all mass marketers and at the author’s own website at:
This delightful story takes us, the reader, on a journey of true struggle with emotion and experience. The author Craig Hastings pulls at our heartstrings by embracing his written characters with depth and credibility. He shows depth with their emotions and their decisions, and we instantly care for them.
The main character, Jazmine Strake faces incredible odds as she endures the great loss of her parents when her mother dies at the young age of five, and then again when her father goes to jail when she is only twelve years old. She becomes a foster child. She is sadly broken as she moves on through life.
She graduates college and finds herself in a small town in Wyoming as she follows, what she thinks is her soulmate and future husband. She is stunned as he has moved on and left her in an empty and bland studio rental house.
Shortly after spending time in tears and reflection, she meets Sadie. She is a sweet grandmotherly/mother figure that has the pulse of the small town. She becomes a facilitator of God and a welcome family member to the saddened Jazmine. Enriched by this relationship Jazmine meets Sadie’s son Jason.
*Spoiler alert* Jason and Jazmine eventually are linked in a sweet and slow-moving romance.
This is an endearing story that takes the reader on a wholesome journey where perhaps “All things are possible for God”. You’ll find a happy ending with a story of adversity, faith, and a foundation of loving characters.
Author Beth Merwood writes an intriguing mystery. This historical story is based on, and around a group of local children finding their way through a legendary tale, or is it? For the book’s main character Wendy, it is the summer of 1969 and she’ll not soon forget it.
**There are NO spoilers in this book review**
Children are explorers and these town’s children are mesmerized by the eerie woods nearby. They challenge themselves to go further past the fields in which they already play, into an area perhaps they’d be trespassing in.
Beth Merwood entices us with beautiful and descriptive writing that “shows us” the scenes vividly, and these descriptions help to keep the pages turning. I, as the reader, put myself right into the pastures that Wendy and her friends are “hanging out” in easily. And Merwood gives us the perfect amount of chill as she puts us into those eerie woods. This small group of neighboring friends, including 9-year-old Wendy, play extensively together and as with most children of the 1960s era, all of them definitely used their imaginations!
When the children are first to uncover some strange things, they become unsure of whom they can trust. Could things just be part of the legend? When another tragic event happens their carefree innocence is suddenly ripped away, and this little coastal English town has now been changed.
I as a reader enjoyed being along for the mysterious ride. I as a book reviewer know that Ms. Merwood has put together a nice suspenseful debut novel. I enjoyed the “point of view” from 9-year-old Wendy’s standpoint. I enjoyed the glimpse into the childlike wonderment of adventure, along with the dark incident and how she and the children handle this. Great story.
I want to thank author Beth Merwood and Bookstagrammers.com for supplying this book for a real and true review.
4.5 Stars
This book had great descriptive writing and sense of place, great depth of character, and story plot.
Set in Great Britain, the gruff capable ex-cop turned P.I. Michael McLaren, takes on a three-year-old case. The case was not only not solved, but the trail was also nearly cold. There were absolutely no new clues or no new evidence. McLaren was just the person for this type of case, he liked a challenge and loved to solve a mystery.
Luke Barber went missing from his little village with little or no trace. After waiting for three years with no closure, Luke’s father Gary Barber knew it was time to bring McLaren on the case. McLaren has a history and was known on the force for being gruff, forward, strong, and had ways of getting the answers he needed. Now Mr. Barber knew that with McLaren no longer on the force he might be able to get the answers for him while others couldn’t.
McLaren begins to poke around and follows up on some obvious and simple trail of bread crumbs when suddenly he finds himself the victim of vandalization of his car windows and is attacked by an unknown assailant that beat him up and put a ligature around his neck. Previously, McLaren proposed to his long-time girlfriend and they are making plans for their wedding and she is afraid for him. But still, he forges ahead and continues to interview his list of suspects, and develops a timeline for the missing Luke Barber.
McLaren enlists the help of a young officer named Jamie Kydd to help him get the “technical stuff” that McLaren no longer has access to. He and McLaren eventually become friends. McLaren tries to teach the “cop’s sixth sense” to Kydd and McLaren gets the information he needs. McLaren is a bloodhound and continues to unravel the mystery that surrounds Luke Barber.
I found that near the end of this story I was feverishly turning the pages when a surprising twist happens that you will NOT see coming! I assure you.
Author Jo A. Hiestand weaves an intricate web as she develops her characters, each with a bit of complexity. She takes the reader through twists and turns, and believable subplots. Ms. Hiestand builds her story in layers, she has a flair for writing some likable characters, and we, the reader, root for them. Hiestand entwines the quaint village of Langheath, along with descriptive landscape, and provides us with an immediate visual story. This book was written to appeal to all who enjoy not being able to figure out what will happen next in true “whodunit” style.
This book is a** 4.5** Stars rating! For character depth, good plot, great reader engagement, fantastic descriptions, and settings. 1/2 point less for a slow beginning. *Bonus: Cast of Characters page to refer to if you forget a relationship in the story.
Thank you to Ms. Jo A. Hiestand as I received this book in exchange for a real and true book review.
Ms. Hiestand can be reached at her website to buy her book and other information on her McLaren Series. This was Book 6 in that series https://www.johiestand.com/
Two people have the irresistible urge to travel and two people are in a state of wonderment about the world, finally meet each other happily wondering with backpacks on their backs; this is the story of Stefanie and James Wilson. This book is an endearing life story of two young travelers each on their own separate adventures.
This book is divided into three parts with chapters written by the co-authors separately; each with a true and innocent account of events of their past travels, which I found engaging.
Stefanie is a true teacher, smart, responsible, and accomplished in her own right, yet she needed something else; she had the desire to go abroad, to travel and experience cultures other than her own. She filled a backpack, and from Pittsburg USA, she headed off to Spain to begin her journey.
James, however, felt stuck. He felt overpowered and with much debt, along with the fact that he had a less than stellar relationship with his father, and was filled with guilt about this; he made a decision. He sold a lot of his belongings and with a tightened chest he grabbed a backpack. From his home in England, he headed to Bali to start anew.
The co-authors tell the story of events from their own view and this helps pull us, the reader; along. We get to experience their true life in their own words. The Wilson’s description of travel, staying in hostels, working at different jobs along the way, and tourism, was highly engaging. Some things like the condition, food, culture, and even medical needs were addressed good or bad.
This was a great read filled with fun story quips, personal mishaps, funny happenings, and the interesting people met along their paths. This book kept me interested and the pages turning. A couple In love with travel, freedom, and eventually each other was endearing.
5***** for story, engagement, likeability, and depth, also there is a cute bonus Glossary that contains words and phrases that are used in the UK and the United States.
The Back Pack Years Two Memoirs One Story is available through Amazon. For more information please go to their website at: thebackpackyears.com
Thank you to both Stefanie Wilson and James Wilson for supplying this complimentary book for the purposes of this real and true review.
Thank you also to bookstagrammers.com for putting this together to make the book launch happen.
When this book became available, I ran to get it. This is a poetry collection by a poetess named Amanda Gorman. I am as riveted and completely blown away by this book as I was when I laid eyes on her for the first time at the 2021 presidential inauguration. There Amanda Gorman poured her soul upon anyone within earshot, as she so eloquently presented us with the poem “The Hill We Climb”. She left us breathless and with chest heaving asking for more.
Here in this book, Call Us What We Carry, again she leaves the reader asking for more but giving us collective feelings of sorrow, grief, and yet full of love and of healing. She writes us to heal. Ms. Gorman shares with us our history and a chance to feel faith and atonement, all the while embracing the memorial of a place in time.
I felt the grit and angst and I’m feeling as a reader/reviewer, that we are witnessing, at least for me, the glory of the written word; the poetic stylings of a beating heart.
This collection of poetry is about all of us. It is about our history. It is about where we have come from, it is about where we have gone and finally, it is about where we are going as a nation and as a people.
In her Faith & Fury Chapter, I’d like to point out that she gives us lines and bits & quips that fill her and us with the love of country and humanity…like
…Language matters… grief gives us gratitude…black lives are worth living; worth defending, she calls these a smart prank then there’s …scars & stripes… Benevolent but bold… and finally, fierce & free… With these parts of lines in the poetry I pulled out she lays our collective hearts on the line. Ms. Gorman continues to pull us
On page 161 “The Truth in One Nation”
…”a nation’s cold pride will kill
choke us on the very spot we shadow
this is also called Chauvin[ism]
In her Resolution Chapter on pages 203 & 204 Gorman solidifies “What We Carry”
…words matter, for
Language is an ark.
Yes.
Language is an art.
An articulate artifiact.
Language is a life craft.
Yes.
Language is a life raft.
Further on page 207 in “The Hill We Climb”
… We lay down our arms
so that we can reach our arms out to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Lastly, I felt she’s now walked us (the reader) into the healing process after showing us our visceral, intense personalities for on page 211 she brings us…
…the new dawn blooms as we free it
for there is always light,
If only we’re brave enough to see it
If we were brave enough to be it.
I think as readers and of poetry lovers, we feel immense pride to have this newly established poetess/writer in our community. She will give strength, hope, and resolve to those that read and witness this moment in time.
I highly recommend this book and the works of Amanda Gorman. This book is 5 ***** stars.
Amanda Gorman is a true wordsmith, she is a Harvard University cum laude graduate. She is the first person to be named a National Youth Poet Laureate, has written for the New York Times, she has numerous prestigious awards and appearances including attendance at the Obama White House, and Poets & Writers and Barnes & Noble writing awards. She currently has three upcoming books with Penguin Random House.
This novel of fiction is set in Cape Cod where a family summers every year. Their cabin home is picturesque with endearing landscapes where one could become one with nature; they have nicknamed it The Paper Palace. *No spoilers will be given* *This book comes with a trigger warning* Scenes of sexual nature, rape, and incest are mentioned.
The main character Elle Bishop returns to the cabin as a 50-year-old woman and married with her own children. She narrates and relives her story as she takes us, the readers, on the long and winding path of memorable events that took place in her life as she comes to age and adulthood. The author, Heller is clever as she intertwines the two narratives of the present and the trail of “one day in the past”.
Ms. Heller weaves this story poetically and her characters are deep thus, leading the reader to enthusiastically keep turning the pages.
Elle unwinds her memoir before us, and while some readers may have felt some scenes to be overly gratuitous; I felt that perhaps it may have been truly necessary. We, readers, felt the acrid sorrow after the unwanted sexual encounters, rape, and memories of the familial abuse situation; they are layers and layers of dizzying circumstances. They are profound and horrible. Ms. Heller’s story was written to ask the reader to feel deeply with each and every choice that Elle makes; whether flawed or not.
This is a deep and emotionally driven story. Elle will even be forced to make a decision to stay with her husband or with the boy she grew up with. As adults, they all reminisce of adolescence of summers spent together, or of times when relationships were new and fumbling in an effort to really get to know the other.
The ending may keep you guessing, or wondering of the significance of the symbolism placed on the front porch of the cabin for the reader to ponder. Many things are true to this novel, the travel through trauma and life-altering tragedy, along with this author’s prolific writing leads to a drama-filled page-turner that I had a hard time putting down. The vivid writing alone garners 5***** from me and it is also the reason this was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Choice and an optioned soon-to-be miniseries on HBO.
Miranda Cowley Heller grew up in NY and is a Harvard grad. She became a book editor and ghostwriter only to finally land as a senior VP and head of a drama series on HBO currently. She oversaw and developed the likes of shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, and Big Love. This is Ms. Heller’s debut novel.
Her novel can be purchased widely where ever books are sold.
This debut book was a captivating read. The main Character, Sabre Brown is a juvenile court attorney and the author takes us on a journey into her world of cases that involve things like custody and the best interests of children. But Sabre Brown finds herself in a place where her life gets mysteriously intertwined with a case she’s working on. The case is that of a ten-year-old named Alexis Murdock. The author, Teresa Burrell hooks us into her immense story that includes a lot of twists and turns. Sabre’s story, ***While I won’t give out spoilers***slowly unwinds as she enlists the help of one Detective Carriage. While doing a background check on the little girl Alexis’ father, it leads suddenly to her own back story regarding her missing brother.
The story develops into a complex and even treacherous peril for Sabre as she continues on into the investigation of the child’s family. This leads to more intrigue and mystery, thrill and danger.
I thought this was a great work of fiction. The characters were compelling and helped to drive this story. I thought this was an interesting subject matter to write about. I was engaged and felt for the juvenile character Alexis all the way to the end. I would be interested to read her next book in the twelve-book series.
The author Teresa Burrell is indeed an Advocate and an attorney for a family court system in her real life. She truly has dedicated her life to children’s issues, her novels have been inspired by her many legal cases.
4****
I received this book for a #realandtruereview I’d like to mention Bookstagrammers.com for making this possible along with the author Teresa Burrell.
This book is available through the author’s own website at: teresaburrell.com/bookstore and at all booksellers. The author can be found on all social media channels including Facebook.com/teresaburrell
This book is a work of fiction that is set in 1993 where the two main characters, Jay and Colin are high school friends. They’re in their Senior year and are about to graduate when they happen to stumble upon a floppy disk that will change them forever.
These two friends were considered “underachievers”, but are extensive gamers and computer geeks. The floppy disk they found inside a gamers magazine was a game named “The Build”. This game was an exact simulation of their very own small Oregon town named Bickleton.
**Without mentioning any spoilers** Jay and Colin become the heroes of this story. They come of age and rescue the town from utter destruction. The Build game was perpetrated by one guy from Bickleton High School named Hal.
There are many twists and turns and scenarios of “geeks vs. jocks” bullying, there’s a prom and some police, and plenty of 1990’s nostalgia peppered throughout the story. This helps to levitate and pull the story; I found myself smiling a lot. The references were cute and funny. Some book reviewers found a philosophical bent, “what is the meaning of life” kind of thing, but I personally found it entertaining with characters that drove the story, but otherwise not too deep. I found some scenarios slightly lengthy, but for those with no gaming expertise, it made sense.
Overall, In Beta_ was interesting and had great usage of pop references that readers could relate to. The gaming references are also well thought out with relatable subject matter for those that do/did game.
Mr. Harvey did a great job with this novel and the story, he engaged me and made me think as I tried to guess what might happen next to his characters and this little town of Bickleton.
I’m giving this 4 Stars for the story, idea, and references, One less star for a small hinge of close to”nearing cliche” in some spots.
The author Prescott Harvey is a copywriter who has extensively contributed to gaming brands like Osmo, Crackdown 3, EA Motive Studios, and Shadow of War. In 2010 Harvey wrote The World of Warcraft Guide To Winning at Life; a Chronicle Books publisher.
Mr. Harvey can be found playing Xbox Sea of Thieves. I am hoping that he continues to write as I am a non-gamer and I found his writing verging into the Sci-Fi community, and gaming quite refreshing.
*I received this book complimentary for a real and true book review.
Poems, Reflections, and Quotes for a Meanigful Life
Review
Tears of Change
Poems, Reflections & Quotes For a Meaningful Life
By Debbie A. Monteggia
2020
Christian Faith Publishing Inc.
Meadville, PA 16335
64 pages paperback
ISBN 978-1-0980-1176-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-0980-1178-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-0980-1177-2 (digital)
This is a book of poetry, and it is divided into 16 inspirational pieces of a spiritual and emotional journey the author Debbie A. Monteggia take us, the reader, on.
As the author opens in her introduction, she states that poetry is an expressive and creative form of awareness within oneself. Poetry is also a very healing venture. For those who need to write it and a true experience for those who deepen their souls by reading it. Here the author MS Monteggia truly traces a spiritual journey by channeling her feelings, even those of the unhappy times, as she charges forward with honesty, self-awareness, and heartfelt awakening.
Each poem is preceded by an inspiration that brought forth the stanzas of tears, hope and laughter. This enables the reader to further understand more about the chosen poetic steps through life that the author is enduring. Scattered among these are also simplistic quotes by notable people to further enhance her transitions.
Being venerable makes emotional pieces resonate with a reader and we feel this many times,
for example from the poem on page 15 Honor Your Tears…
…”with each new teardrop shed
A small door within, opens ever so slightly
Emotions connect your soul.”
And with the continued guidance of her faith, MS Monteggia was brought to a happy new place, she called, “rebirth” and has published this gift of her true heart with each of us.
I am hoping that MS Monteggia will continue to write poetry and deepen still her discoveries of life’s different stages, and I am hoping that she’ll continue to share them all with us.
4.5 Stars.
Thank you to @Books_That_Make_You
@Blackchateau @Bookstagrammers @BreeSwider and
Christan Faith Publishing for supplying me with this book complementary for review purposes.
This poetry collection leaves the reader to evoke imagery of sails to the lee, and the touch of a moss- filled forest on the fingertips. Mr. Watson brings us romance, love, and nature singing right through all of his poetry.
This poetry collection is separated into “books” One through Ten. Each chapter is accompanied astounding artwork from various renowned artists that further enhances the reading experience.
Romance and boats sail on moonlit serenades throughout the beginning of the book with thoughts on life as seen on pg. 21 in the poem Leaf After Leaf in the Pure Wind
(excerpt)
…trees and skies-
the generations grow
from leaf to leaf…
Showing the reader the full circle of life.
Mr. Watson continue to sing songs of jazz in Book 4 Percussion Mind pg. 64 in a poem entitled Subway to the Center of the Earth, one can hear the rhythm as you ride on this transitional poem
(excerpt)
Groaning men
and tracks
or women who know
the carnal gaze
of tattooed jazz
in deep bass…
And these beats go on as Frank Watson explores that dances of light we can feel his enticement. He revels in sweet poisons as he continues to meander on in Books 6 & 7 with raven’s caws and the power of the wolves and the moon that haunt his dreams. We feel the cold and death in the stanzas built on graves. By Book 8 we are raptly planted in his Tarot Garden. There are magical moonlit skies and eagles that fly. I adore Watson’s depiction and clever word play with “smiles a crescent moon” in the poem entitled High Priestess (pg. 157) and again in “he had her in checkmate at first glance” in the poem entitled Emperor(pg. 161) and one more “she plots the battle like a game of chess and leads the pawns to certain death”… in a poem entitled Chariot (pg. 167).
Mr. Watson continues to spin our spirits in Book 9 & 10. He brings out the cauldrons and witches where tattoos, darkness and light guide us to where lush green forests meet the clouds.
I especially loved the poem Bohemia (pg. 211) I could feel the texture here as a reader, it filled my heart with the forest.
(excerpt)
Filling me, the scent
of cedars and pines
along the rocks of centuries,
the beaches of summers
that never cease.
Frank Watson is a true troubadour, a lyricist that writes poetry like musical arrangement. He has great artful inner voice and creative energy that shows itself in musical fluency. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who has a love of poetry. Frank Watson has also written The Dollhouse Mirror, Seas to Mulberries, and One Hundred Leaves.
Poems For Life A Special Collection of Poetry Selected by E.L. Doctorow. Allen Ginsberg. David Mamet. Tom Wolf. Joyce Carol Oates. Stephen Soundheim. Kurt Vonnegut. Elie Wiesal. And many more.
With a special introduction by Anna Quindlen.
Arcade Publishing
is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
New York
1995
The Nightengale-BamfordSchool
ISBN 978-1-61145-350-8
Well, this was a wonderful for book for so many reasons. The Number 1 reason of course is poetry, and the number 2 reason it was great because of who contributed a piece for this book, and thirdly it involved children hungry for art and entertained by having meaningful literature in their lives!
This book comes as a project for a 5th-grade class at the Nightengale-Bamford School. Poetry is part of the curriculum there (also another great thing). This project took two years to complete. The students wrote to people in many fields, such as actors, authors, and politicians. The students asked of this chosen person to submit their personal favorite piece of poetry. The second part of the question was why? Why did they like it and why did they find the passage a meaningful one.
The children and teachers found it utmost entertaining as the students received their piece and then gleefully read it outloud to the class. Then the students had to learn about that particular poem/poet.
The second layer of the project is that the students from class V (from 1993 and 1994) compilled all the poetry into a collection for this book. The goodness continues; then the teachers and the student sold the book and chose to donate ALL the proceeds from the book to benefit the International Rescue Comittee, and to benefit a division within the group called the Women’s Comission for Refugee women and Children. The spirit of social service is also part of this 5th-grade cirriculum. (great again!).
Each of the senders submitted a beautiful note with their pieces to each student.
Joyce Carol Oats submitted a very profound bit of wisdom, as she shared
Emily Dickinson here;
“Tell all the truth, but tell it slant~ success in circuit lies
to bright for our infirm delight, the truth’s suburb surprise.”
“As lightning to the children eased with explanation kind, the truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind”.
This was a fantastic project by thoughtful teachers and to teach this into the 5th-grade spirit makes a truly 5 ***** star book. It is something these children will never forget and I’m hoping they’ll all grow up with a deep love for poetry and literature.
This poetry book contains eleven poems and five prose poems. Gregory Orr takes us on a true journey through some of his very painful life experiences. He took them and turned the incidents into lyrical poetry and into his depth and renewal during this introspective search.
He demonstrates there are truly dark times and that poetry can save us. He sets free a torment and poetry is like a life raft, there to help save us safely from falling further into dark depths.
But Orr goes on as he oft mentions other worldly types of things like angels, God, stars and memories to continue to bring us closer to ourselves.
Orr has written twelve other poetry collections, a memoir, several books that contain essay and criticism.
Now retired, Gregory Orr was an established professor for forty years at the University of Virginia. He established the MFA program there.
He has lists of awards. He has won the esteemed Award in Literature from the Academy of Arts and Letters. He has had Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and The National Endowment for the Arts.
This book was thrilling in that one could feel the feelings of this author as you read glimpses into the truths that make for the reason a soul has to write. I give this book 5 ***** stars out of 5. This book was a quick read, but this book also made me go back and read several of the poems over again; they were that good.
*This book was a public library book, that I borrowed on my personal library card. This review is for the sheer pleasure of my readers. This is a real and true review.
Ms. Quinn writes a stunning novel! The Alice Network quickly became a New York Times and a USA Today best selling novel.
*This book review may contain story spoilers. Ms. Quinn takes us on an epic journey with her two main characters, Charlie St. Clair and Eve Gardiner, as the two courageous women take to a time of war and of sacrifice.
The Alice Network is a powerful and intriquing story about how Eve Gardiner joins the fight against the Nazi’s as part of an intricate network of women spies. Based on some truth of real war time women spies; Eve and her network forge forth with extremely daring plots right beneath the enemy’s nose.
Ultimately, The Alice Network becomes uncovered and many went to go on to prision terms charged with war crimes. There is huge loss and sorrow and left most involved completely stung and remorseful. When suddenly Charlie St. Clair is on the trail to find herself and her history and this brings her into another epic journey; many truths are uncovered as a result.
Kate Quinn launches, us the reader, on a realistic journey that is filled with loss, female friendship, esponage, and historical unsung valor.
This book was easy to read and the chapters were heart-felt and there was even some humor amongst the sad times of war. Guaranteed a 5 star reading experience.
This book is part of my personal library and was read as part of my “Book Babes” book club.
This book is the winner of the Costa First Novel Award and the British Book Awards Book of the Year, and it was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and has been chosen to be a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick as well as optioned to become a major motion picture.
Author Gail Honeyman writes a sweet heart-tugging introverted character as her main character Eleanor Oliphant, in this her debut novel. Her character is visceral and loving yet there’s so much you may not like about her as well. She’s a hardworking, yet nonsocial and even cold at work. Eleanor is a creature of habit; she is quirky and lives completely by herself. She has absolutely no idea that she is the damaged one.
Eleanor and the IT guy named Raymond at work begin a
friendship and this friendship blossoms into a deep and endearing one. Raymond
is as lonely as Eleanor is. He cares for her and helps mend her own heart.
Raymond helps Eleanor recognize that only “being completely fine” may not
really be completely fine.
WHILE I WON’Tgive out spoilers, this is quite intense and drama-filled. Eleanor is struggling to find and to mend her heart from her childhood relationship with her mother that was, to say the least; weird and creepy. Raymond champions this cause. He brings Eleanor into his life and together they have an unspoken bond.
We as readers do feel deeply toward Eleanor too as the story unfolds and we understand the nature of her quiet and awkward personality. We too, will care and pull for her success. As the layers of Eleanor peel away, yet another layer to Eleanor’s style is revealed. She has an uncanny ability to have light-hearted joke telling and it’s almost sarcastic, yet endearing. Also, this is a way that this novel will have you scratching your head, but you most likely will have a smile on your face because at that moment realize that this novel you’re reading will become one on the rise and that it’s undoubtingly about to become a very beloved story. The ending is heartwarming and one wonders what will be next for Eleanor.
This is a “completely fine” debut novel, that I will give five stars ***** for the depth of story, the interesting characters, and the absolutely believable story. I recommend this novel.
This book is a part of my personal library and was a selection from my own book club, called The Book Babes. We read widely and over many, many genres.
What can be said for this beautiful stunner of a
debut novel? Delia Owens has us enthralled on page one. Ms. Owens has an easy
style of writing that is presented with poetic flair. In fact, poetry plays a
big part in this coming of age murder mystery.
This book is set in Berkley Cove off the North Carolina coastline. The area is all marshland where the main character Catherine Danielle Clark, nicknamed “Kya” lives. She basically grows up on her own. Kya’s mother left when she was little, and her father, a chronic drinking man, disappears from time to time leaving her to fend for herself. Kya lacks a true formal education and becomes a much whispered about outcast by those in the nearest town.
Kya learns the beauty of life from observations on the marsh and the marsh life of animals. What she learns of life is that it can be harsh there and in order to succeed and thrive, her own survival is based on the fittest, such as with nature.
When the body of a popular town’s person named Chase
Andrews was found in the swamp, naturally most blamed Kya.
This book creates a gripping and masterful whodunit and it is a magnificent page-turner. The story winds us through the intertwining relationships of each of the fierce and noble, as well as interesting characters that Ms. Owens has penned. These characters you will fully embrace with full force.
You, as the reader, will root for the characters and
be engaged in the predicament that the characters undergo. You will be
engrossed and be compelled to feel hope and empathy for Kya’s situations. All
the way to its surprise ending, Kya will touch you as well as write the poetry
of the marsh.
This book is a 5-star stunning debut novel, and it is proudly part of my personal library. It has become a book club selection by my own personal book club, The Book Babes. This book has spent over some 44 weeks on the NY Times Bestseller list, #1on the Amazon Charts, and #1on Indie Bound charts. Where The Crawdad’s Sing was the top-selling print book of 2019; selling over 1.1 million copies of the print edition!
Delia Owens lives in the North Carolina mountains. She has co-authored three other bestselling nonfiction novels about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa. She has won the John Burroughs Award for nature writing.
I as a reader and a reviewer cannot wait for Ms. Owen’s next novel.
This book has also been chosen as a Reece Witherspoon top book club pick and has been optioned as a movie by her studios.
In this the sixth novel, author Sally Hepworth reveals her masterful skill of the layered storytelling she is astoundingly good at.
In this novel, she has turned up the heat by entangling the depths of her characters with heart-tugging familial relationships.
While I won’t report spoilers here in my review, the tense family encounters will keep you not only on the edge of your seat, you as a reader, will continue to guess and wonder who or who could not commit a crime.
The push and pull between family members, especially the female ones, will take the reader into their own family and reflect quickly on their own dynamics and relationships.
There is death, inheritance, and struggle. Hepworth will have you turning the pages as the characters that she builds begin to take on similarities to those we may have known, or are currently in your own family. We begin to care for them.
We know too, that this family is hiding something, and the continual weaving by Hepworth is stellar.
This is a 5 star ***** read.
This book was chosen by the book club I belong to called the Book Babes. This book was also borrowed from my local network of libraries.
Ms. Skaja’s book Brute is dedicated to the women of her life and anyone who is venerable to flight.
Her poetry is scathing, it is fraught with finding the answer to broken pieces and unfinished business. In her poetry, Ms. Skaja tries to understand the depths of her soul by listening to the way her bones creak. It is about listening and actually feeling the sting of darkness and going back into the light.
Ms. Skaja’s book is a collection of singular poems divided among chapters, using topical subject matter and with this colorful content, she creates a thousand pictures.
This book is the winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets 2018, was selected by Poet Laurette Joy Harjo.
This book is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. The Walt Whitman Award is given annually and is a competition of American Poets who have NOT published a book of poems.
This review was based on my personal love of poetry and belongs to my local public library.
This memoir is about existence. This is the author Dr. Izi Stoll Ph.D. debut novel. Here she explores her existence or the lack thereof.
Dr. Ms. Stoll takes us on a journey of her life’s
most poignant times, some of them unsettling at best. Her story delves into the
fragility of relationships and the layers of them. Like the title and the cover
of the book, The Pomegranate, is an exotic yet common fruit that bears seeds
with notes of sweet and sour. Her life story too is filled with happy and sad
moments.
Ms. Stoll begins with snippets of her childhood and brings us through her educational and career experiences. Ms. Stoll’s curiosity and conscious feelings of the unknown grew into a true love of biology and the sciences. While her struggles were many, she sought a degree first in psychology and she continued to forge ahead leading to a Ph.D. in neuroscience.
I, as a reader, learned some things about science and brain tumors and how testing is done, but surprisingly I also learned how the process of grants, monies distributed, and the treatment of individuals and females within these programs were/are. Once, Dr. Stoll became divorced from her scientist husband, (who was in the same testing research program and became the lead by happenstance) was able to wield “control” over her testing continuation, progress and even whether she could stay in a country when her Visa expired.
Dr. Stoll made significant discoveries for her research
and won awards for it; yet even that was not enough.
While Dr. Stoll was searching for closure and trying to regain her footing on her own, she once again revisited her childhood. She faced the odd abuse situations she endured with her own mother and the relationship between her mother and father and to them with her. The fragile relationship with her mom was physical, as well as passive-aggressive. Her soul searching resulted in confronting her parents, finally, she spoke out loud. Dr. Stoll needed to fully be truthful of her situation in order to go on.
This book was written as part of this cathartic journey. For the author who only aspired to reach her dreams, this memoir became part of her enduring truth. Dr. Stoll realizes that this memoir can help other women and those who were marginalized in a field such as hers, to help ease the pain and help them to realize that it is more than okay to feel. That everyone has their truth and that it is their own. She hopes that one can move on, overcome hurt, end shame and come to realize your own personal peace in the end.
Dr. Stoll no longer whispers into the void of the
unknown. She has found her inner strength out on the balcony for which she
wrote this novel.
*This novel does contain some technical chapters on
the research she has done.
5 *****
This book was given to me for a real and true review for the author Izi Stoll
Bonus pages: Acknowledgements, Reading List,
Appendix A & B, and Index total of 189 pages.
This book is part of my personal reading collection given to me by a family member as they know I enjoy reading about true experiences. This is a story of the personal near-death experiences and reflections by a prominent neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander M.D.
Mr. Alexander is a highly trained scientist and academic neurosurgeon who becomes a patient in not only the hospital in which he is employed but his case befuddles his colleagues as they try to help Dr. Alexander with the mysterious ailment that is causing so much illness.
This book takes the reader on a very scary journey where Dr. Alexander undergoes a violent transformation into what ultimately becomes meningitis. Dr. Alexander goes radically into deterioration and then into a serious coma.
This book takes the staff of doctors as well as Dr.
Alexander himself into the processes of the brain. It looks at our systems of
belief, and how medical illnesses of the brain are treated. It looks at the possibility
of the unknown. It is a mystery how Dr. Alexander contracted the disease, it
looks at all the analytical views, the fully functional science as well as the possibility
of other dimensions and realms.
Still, after Dr. Alexander’s conscious and unconscious experience, we are still left with so many questions. What is a human beings soul, is there an afterlife, reincarnation? Are there answers that our incredible minds have that are locked into another capable place.
Dr. Alexander comes to many possible conclusions as
he has studied and devoted his life to science, he must open up to the fact
that there are things he felt and “witnessed” within his illness that leave no explanation
at least scientifically.
Dr. Eben Alexander goes on to inexplicably fully recover from his coma and beyond and is considered a modern medical miracle. His recovery is astonishing. He knows that what he experienced is NOT a fantasy, he can show his actual records as proof. Using medical data and monitoring he can site that he emerged from some type of super-physical existence.
He is passionate about his work and continues on with care and research. It has helped him view the world in a different way than the way he did as only a doctor could see it. He has gained an entirely new existence. He created a mission to advance research, to educate, and apply programs called Eterna. One can visit the web site to further your own spiritual or transformative experience at www.eterna.org
Softcover 275
pages plus bonus 4 pages reading guide
Fiction
A cute and charming tale, spun with compassion and
perhaps whimsy.
This is a story of Anthony Peardew, main character,
who kept bits of secrets behind a locked door.
He was a collector of found objects which he kept on
shelves neatly with spun short stories for each. His hope was that one day he
might find the true owners of the lost or discarded item. It would become his
life’s mission.
This is Ruth Hogan’s debut novel and it was cute in
the premise, but somehow I (and the reader) may get lost among the dual
narrative. The character driven story has me caring about the characters and
although it was so endearing in many parts, it falls just a bit short for me.
Mr. Peardew is getting old and is in need of a
housekeeper. His house has become way too large to manage as he had become a
widow. Enter Laura who has been recovering from a divorce and has been deeply
depressed; she applies for the job after seeing the listing. Laura meets Mr.
Peardew and she was hired immediately. Anthony was left truly brokenhearted by
the loss of his wife Therese. He vows redemption when he loses gift that
Therese had given him, thus creating the hobby of cataloging and writing his
stories about finding the people whose items he had found.
Laura and Mr. Peardew develop an adoring
relationship, and she caring deeply as she is beguiled with the home, its
contents and of course the objects that are behind the closed door.
The Keeper of Lost Things is charming in that the
objects are fulfilling the needs of each of the characters as they work to find
the owners of the objects, they also find themselves. After Mr. Peardew’s
passing, the character Laura and her now beau Freddy (the gardener of the home)
and the Sunshine (the neighborhood child) work as team, a lost family of sorts.
Together they fulfill Mr. Peardew’s mission to help the ghost of Therese rest
gently. The story’s dual narrative with the characters Eunice and Bomber was
enriching but, the story lines and the many stories within the story was
jumbled and even hard to follow at times.
I give this book 3.5 for the charm alone and the
very cute concept.
(Upcoming book Available Winter 2019, Berkley
Publishers)
ISBN 978-0-399-58668
This is a fantastic book, filled with romantic passion and with the accompanying strife during the war times of Cuba. This book is beautifully told in a dual narrative with the main character, Marisol Ferrera, going to Cuba as a travel writer/journalist. She grew up hearing the stories of her Cuban born family and only dreamed one day to actually go to the land she was so immersed in. Her family fled Cuba sixty years prior, and now her grandmother Elisa Perez, who helped raise her, has now passed away and requested that her ashes be distributed in Cuba; the land she loved.
Marisol arrives in Cuba and has her breath taken
away at the beauty of it all. It is as she has heard, beautifully romantic.
Marisol also discovers that her extended family is rooted in secrecy, revolutionaries,
and love. It is a passionate story about familial loyalties and even one of
exile.
This story flows beautifully with the descriptions
of the breathtaking landscapes and the gripping yarn of long enduring
friendships and the holding of secrets.
I was completely hooked, and smelling the salt of
the sea and feeling the sun on my back along with Marisol.
MS Cleeton endears us with the touching story of close sisters and the hardened lessons of heartbreak, with a tight-knit family dynamic and the views of yore.
This is an engrossing novel, with historical fact, that ticks every box for readers of so many genres in an epic way. It is a tale of courage, fear and love affairs wrapped in peril and even danger. It is refreshing MS Cleeton has woven a chapter filled tapestry that is worn in spots and gently loved in others.
This book is included in Reese Weatherspoon’s Book Club list, and I see why! I was a reader first, and a reviewer second was enchanted with this saga. This book included an excerpt from her next novel due out called When We Left Cuba due out in the winter of 2019 from this publisher. I can say now that this novel will come highly anticipated if it reflects this story currently.
I really enjoyed this story and I recommend it highly. This is a five-star novel.
This book hinges on the classic “who done it”. It
was suspenseful; however, it was a slow page turner until approximately two
thirds into the book.
The lead character, Laura “Lo” Blacklock is an
unlikeable character. She has quite a few flaws, a tired junior travel writer
with tendencies of being slightly inebriated and claustrophobic. She accepts an
assignment from her boss colleague friend, to write a story and review of the
debut sailing of the Aurora luxury ship.
Before she can get comfortable, Lo Blacklock believes
she witnesses a crime. She gets “trapped”
in a missing person or possible murder mysteries aboard the ship. Despite her
best efforts to undercover what exactly has happened, she becomes deeply
involved within the net of the crime itself.
Lo Blacklock’s fragile personality allows her to let her guard down. There are a number of suspicious characters and quite a few twists and turns. But the absolute payoff comes in the final chapters. While many reviews put this book as a half read or don’t bother (mixed reviews), you simply must read the whole book.
Lo Blacklock gets closer to the truth and intense
drama ensues. The characters become deeper in these last chapters and suddenly
I care about the Blacklock character as I should’ve at the beginning, without
submitting to spoilers, there is a fulfilling surprise ending.
There was a lot of hype surrounding this book. It
may take a bit to get going, but hang in there the end is the true payoff.
This book was optioned by Reece Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Film company. I give this 3.5 stars for readability and surprise ending, and a full 5.0 stars for the over hyping!
This book is part of Mary Caliendo’s private library. I have not been compensated for this review.
Ms. Christina Strigas dedicates this book Love &
Vodka to all people who believe with their hearts and to angels in her daycare that
showed her the true meaning of a miracle. Poetry, to me the reader, is an art
form that produces emotion and stirs the pot of imagination, and I thought it
was poignant to mention that here.
Contained within this book are 88 total poems set up
in “chapter style” parts with beautiful and intriguing heading titles like:
“I loved you for a thousand years and missed you in
all of them”
and now I want to keep turning the pages.
As a reader and a writer myself I am feeling the
angst of this prolific poetry writer, as she explores with us the soft and the
hard edges of life.
Examples start off with page 7 & 8 entitled I
Want You Mamma, here Ms. Strigas writes,
…All I can think of is how your little hands were as
tiny as pebbles are to mountains.
And now my heart tugs.
In Part 2
I feel the poetess reaches in and pull out her soul;
in doing this she writes her truth like this on page 35 entitled You Sense My
Storm
…you sense my storm and lock down your windows tight
but I am already inside
~you carry me.
There is a poetic storm brewing and no matter what,
Ms. Strigas wants you to experience her thunder. The reader heads into the
storm.
Part 3 Modern Love
For the lover of poetry and the writer in all of us,
often times our words go into the universe never ever being heard, Ms. Strigas
dictates on page 57 & 58 in the poem
The Wind is the Sign That Hope is Alive
…no one heard her cries
except the
WIND
…till finally she saw the
SIGN
…but also full of
HOPE
…and finally he saw me
ALIVE
This poem was a clever poem that even a loved one
close to her recognizes her as a writer and poet.
Part 4 Talk Dirty To Me, in this chapter Christina
gives us a bit of the heat of her relationships and realism that is spicy and
filled with word-gasms not suitable for work but in the piece that inspires the
title of this book
page 79 Love & Vodka
… I drank all of you
and wanted more…
We thirst at this point for more of our own
relationships with love and sex. We, as readers can relate to having deep
feelings for someone still knowing
…the cigarettes destroyed me
but your love
it fucking created me.
This brings us to Part 5 Tug Of War, in this chapter
the poet explores the waning of relationships with self and others and the
lonely conversations fighting in and out of our own private wars deep within
us.
The Appointment on pages 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89 Ms.
Strigas blows me away. Here her focus is on the ever changing female spirit
that adapts as our bodies change and we bear witness to her struggles as we
relate to it.
on page 85she writes:
…I am checking my uterus
for any sign of death
paying for pap smears
without blinking an eyelash.
And she continues with the strength of all women on
page 86 with,
…I have the eye of the tiger
in my deep jean pocket.
She then pulls harder at our emotional selves on
page 87 by creating a true and visual picture with,
…and my open-stretched legs
baring all
and the child-bearing years
slowly dissipating…
Ms. Strigas sums up the female population in more
than one way. We continue to feel the author’s growth and maternal instinctual poetry
peeping through the layers as life advances. She continues to keep me turning the pages for
the next leg of the journey to bring me to Part 6 See You Anon, for this final
part of the Love & Vodka travels, we end out with many “stand out” poems.
On pages 156 & 157 Christina thwarts us to Broken Glass; it offers
reflection and memory survival. We’re all skilled at this, especially when we’re
all shattered.
Broken Glass
…I drink and then it comes back
and cuts me up
inside with its sharp double edges.
The sharp edges that life provides us with and what
we choose to explore or ignore.
Ms. Strigas lives her truths and presents her third
poetry book. She has the gift of capturing her voice so that the reader not
only hears it, but feels it as well. I’m glad she’ll continue to delve deeply into
her soul while as she puts it “words pass through me and I try to grasp them
all.”
Ms. Strigas writes novels and poetry. She currently
lives in Montreal with her two children and her husband. Her other poetry book
titles are, Your Ink On My Soul and In My Own Flood, and her novel titles are
Crush: A Paranormal Romance Novel, Althia’s Awakening, Althia’s Calling and
Althia’s Journey.
This is the poetesses third work of poetry and in
this book Ms. Flynn embraces her words with beautiful photography.
Ms. Flynn has an eye for the beauty of nature and her love of being out in it as her words embrace each and every photo. The landscapes of this creative can be seen immediately as she catches the sky, the sea, and the strength of trees and then deftly hugs them with her words.
Her perspectives show depth and sheer love of her surroundings.
Ms. Flynn takes us on a trek into nature as we examine our souls with her
journey connection. She joins together her talents and soothes us as we bear
witness to our soul landscapes as well.
Her words color in…
She wakes
his soul in water whisper
quickened…in
the blue.
Risen
shadows, cast…an untamed fate
poetic
latitude.
For me the poetess and those who love poetry her
words satisfy greatly and deepen our love for songful lyrics in:
Oracles,
that drip…to pages
softly
sates, my only need.
Poetry, from
scriven clouds
became
Enough…for me
For me the reader, it was a pleasure reading her
book and it is truly a bonus to view the creative photographs in this poetic
collection endeavor.
Ms. Flynn is a huge talent. My review is five stars
for both the poetry and the creative use of the photography.***** This book is
part of Mary Caliendo’s private book collection.
Ms. Flynn’s other works of poetry are:
Pieces of Poet, and Inner Identity…Of Poet
She has both words and photo collaborations with
Indie publications Light Lines and This
Time Around-Quest.
I was lucky to meet this author at a writer’s event
at my local library, and I’m so glad I did!
CL Gibson is an emerging author who wrote The Urge
as one in a series of books she’s entitled “The Devil’s Rules” series.
The impact of the first chapter is chilling! As a
reader I am hooked, the author’s attention to detail and forensics knowledge
leads the reader right into the underbelly of the crime with her exquisite
scene setting.
I could not stop turning the pages, immediately I am
ensconced in caring deeply about the characters she has written. Ms. Gibson
gives the reader a full sense of the utter depravity of each of the situations
the main characters Woody and his sister Vette go through. This prompts us to
root emotionally for the choices that the young character Woody makes as he
justifies his secrets. There are many twists and turns and without giving away
too much in this review, it is a unique brand of justice served as cute as a
breakfast muffin could get. The book will take you through the years in the
lives of Woody and Vette as they grow up and face their pasts.
This complex psychological thriller will keep you
guessing as Ms. Gibson skillfully takes us on the journey until the satisfying
end. You will agree The Urge is a stellar debut novel, and I cannot wait for CL
Gibson to continue to add to her “The Devil’s Rules” series.
I highly recommend this book. 5 Stars *****
Bonus: As part of the purchase of The Urge, you’ll
get a sneak peek at the next four chapters of her next book The Grudge. The
Grudge will be released in the fall of 2019.
Get Ready Starting 12/5/18, I will have a giveaway for this book Ready Player One By Ernest Cline. Please see the Rafflecopter and follow ALL the directions and there is a chance this book can be yours if you do! Fun, quick and easy. You could even give someone special this brand new book from Broadway Books. It was a blockbuster movie directed by Steven Spielberg!
This adorable book is a teaching aid that uses color-coding to highlight the vowel sounds. This systems teaches children in the early reading level how to recognize sounds and words faster. The result will build a young reader’s confidence.
A teacher of foreign language and a reading tutor, Ms Moore brings great expertise while wrapping learning into a great rhyming story.
The story is about how the main character, Aunt Mimi takes her nieces and nephews on a journey to their local amusement park for the entire day. She takes the young reader on different amusement park rides, while depicting the family in colorful pencil drawings. They are having great fun!
The author, Ms Moore, uses her extensive teaching expertise, to create questions that correspond to each of the pages to further the child’s learning as they are having fun.
This adorable workbook is the first in the series of Aunt Mimi’s Phonics Adventure.
The Author, Mary-Lynette Moore lives near Chicago and has fond memories of the local Kiddie Land (Melrose Park) she herself attended, that is the subject of this book.
Another great book note is that the illustrations of this book were done by the cousins of the author, Katarina Klinke, and Anastasia Klinke who at the time of publishing was 18 and 14 years old respectively.
This book is specifically for ELL and beginning reading students.
Did you know you can vote for your favorite GoodReads authors? The 10th Annual GoodReads Awards are going on right now. This is the only awards for authors that is completely decided by you the reader. Each genre is represented. The final rounds of voting happens between November 13 through November 26, 2018 and the winners will be announced on December 4, 2018. Please see this link to the voting: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2018?int=gca_eb
William Morrow, an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
New York
2017
ISBN 978-0-06-256590-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-06-266632-1(International Edition)
342 pages
This book was an exciting read. Sheena Kamal’s debut novel is a super page turning psychological suspense novel.
The Lost Ones
The main character is a very complex and emotionally troubled young woman named Nora Watts. The setting takes place in Vancouver, where Nora and her stray companion, a dog she named Whisper, who truly becomes Nora’s sidekick go searching for a daughter Nora gave up for adoption after she had gone missing. Nora, a semi-homeless street girl has the “street smarts” that hinge on almost a sixth sense of sorts; she can sniff out a liar and now she’s on a mission.
Nora becomes involved after the adoptive parents of her child call upon her to help in their cause to find their child they now have named Bronwyn, or Bonnie for short. The police have Bonnie listed as a chronic runaway and they simply know the police won’t help. They know this time she hasn’t run away, this time it’s different.
Nora goes on a scary trip into the underbelly from which she comes to trace down her missing biological daughter she has never seen. She encounters many life-threatening scenarios where she uses her street skills to overcome them. Like covertly slipping into a security agency to steal records, or being chased and beaten violently and with her perserverance and sheer will she keeps going. She continues to have flashbacks from her past that are filled with pain, violence and lots of desperation.
There are so many twists and turns in this dark and compelling story. Where Nora stands brave against the very convincing and life-like criminals characters. The gloomy setting of this story pulls you in and you become a cheerleader for the heroine Nora.
Ms Kamal shows so much depth in her story, and Nora will become the new subject of an upcoming series of stories that I cannot wait to read. Ms Kamal has an HBA in political science from the University of Toronto and was awarded a TD Canada Trust Scholarship for her community leadership and activism around homelessness. Ms Kamal also worked as a crime and investigative journalism researcher for the film and television industry.
This book is in response to an email to Ms Kamal and is part of my personal libray. I give this book 5 stars!
My signed copy
For further information you can contact this author at
Pillow Thoughts By Courtney Peppernell
Poetry
ISBN 978-1-4494-8975-5
Andrews McMeel Publishers, a division of Andrews McMeel Universal
2017
256 pages
This collection of poetry is geared toward a younger generation and focuses on relationships. It was heartfelt and was a genuine look at love and sometimes the imperfections of a relationship. It read easy and flowed well, but felt somewhat cliché at times. The book was broken down into ten “thought chapters” each one representing parts of a relationship, for example lonely, sad and reason to stay.
Under her Thought Chapter …If you are heartbroken
“Sometimes I wonder
out of all the goodbyes
you’ve ever said
If mine was the one
you can’t get out
of your head.”
Ms. Peppernell has become a Pinterest user’s dream, with many users pinning her writing for their inspiration.
Courtney Peppernell is an LGBTQ author and launched her poetry after first self-publishing her very popular novel Paper Cranes in 2015. Pillow Thoughts came out in 2016 and launched her into the bestselling category. She has a huge presence on social media and even garnered notice from the band The Chainsmokers, who left a blurb on her book saying that they believe in poetry because it plays a great role with song writers.
This book had several illustrations by Ryan Gerber
You can follow Ms. Peppernell on Twitter @CourtPeppernell at Instagram @itsonlyforever and any questions or comments can be directed to Courtney@pepperbooks.org
*This book is part of Mary Caliendo personal library.
The piles of TBR’s sometimes grow large, but the commitment I personally make is that I’ll read each one with care and review with thoughtful and I hope, inciteful and engaging reviews.
One other thing that reviewers can do is read an emerging author/writer. When an author first starts out, it can be the hardest time of all.
Here’s my new list and TBR please support and read.
Emerging Authors, check them out!
Adventures At Kiddie Land By Mary-Lynette Moore Authorhouse 2011,2013
ISBN 978-1-4567-4665-0
America Through My Eyes
Experiences of An Eqyptian American Muslim Woman By Rania Zeithar 2016,2018
ISBN 13: 978-1-5306-4584-8
ISBN 10: 978-1-5306-4584-0
Prodigal Son By David Allen Kivi Jr. 2018
ISBN 978-1-7324-0801-2
The Urge By CL Gibson Amazon & Kindle Fall 2019
My Blue Horse Publishing Co 2018
ISBN 978-1-7326-720-1-7 Hard Cover Edition
ISBN 978-1-7326-720-0-0 Soft Cover Edition
ISBN 978-1-7326-720-2-4 Digital Edition
You Are Mogul By Tiffany Pham Simon & Schuster 2018
ISBN 978-1-5011-9185-5
ISBN Ebook 978-1-5011-9187-9
Lazy Perfection The Art Of Looking Great Without Really Trying By Jenny Patinkin
2017 Running Press, An Imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, A subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-7624-6144-8
ISBN Ebook 978-0-7624-6145-5
Once Upon A River A Novel By Diane Setterfield Emily Bestler Books Atria An Imprint of Simon & Schuster (ARC Copy) Available 1/1/19
ISBN 978-0-7432-9807-0
One Day In December A Novel By Josie Silver Crown, an Imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York
(ARC Copy) Available 10/18 ISBN 978-0-525-57468-2
Ebook ISBN 978-0-525-57470-5
(audio available)
The Drama Teacher A Novel By Koren Zailckas 2018 Crown, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penquin Random House LLC
ISBN 978-0-553-44809-2
ISBN Ebook 978-0-553-44810-8
(audio available)
This is a reblog from her site and I found this as I was just about to post on this subject manner. I am approached to review often, and I review many different genre. The review is NOT whether I personally like the book. It is about the story,the flow, the grammar, the take away. Please see below the thoughts of another reviewer.
I have been criticized by bloggers, friends for putting up a negative review of a book or using strong words to dislike a book. I have been thinking for so many months as to what is wrong with that?!! When I can gush about a book and recommend it and give it the highest rating, […]
Imperfect Courage
By Jessica Honegger
Waterbrook, imprint of Crown Publishing Group
A division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
New York 2018
Hardcover ISBN 978-0-7352-9129-4
E-book ISBN 978-0-7352-9130-0
240 pages
Personal Growth/Motivational Genre
The author, Jessica Honegger is the founder of the Noonday Collection. The Noonday Collection is a fair trade fashion brand that was founded in 2010. It has become one of the most successful in the world. In the span of only 5 years, INC Magazine would name it as the 45th fastest growing businesses in the United States. Ms. Honegger has also accepted the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Currently the business has a net worth of $17 Million.
This book tells the story of the very humble beginnings of the Noonday Collection, and somewhat autobiographical with the spiritual story of Joe & Jessica Honegger and the international adoption of their son.
Ms. Honegger’s journey is one that proves being frightened can teach courage where there is none. It is an empowering journey that inspires and brings forth vulnerabilities that all of us face at one time or another. The Honegger’s were pulled by a calling and signs of their spirituality to this adoption and they chose courage in the face of all the stops presented to them in this Ugandan adoption.
Feeling desperate and with no money, Ms. Honegger finds herself in a pawn shop in Austin Texas handing over her grandmother’s and her mother’s gold jewelry to help raise money for this adoption.
From the beginning, when Jessica and her husband Joe were working for the Food for the Hungry Organization, they both realized that helping the most impoverished in countries where people lived with the most of severe injustices was a true call to their hearts. Soon they were married and still had the desire to own their own business. They entertained a short-lived house flipping business in Austin. But the pair became immersed in finding solutions that involved sustainability to help relieve those who were impoverished. As Jessica was in Uganda she held a child and realized the couple both also had a calling to become adoptive parents.
Introduced to local artisans Jalia & Daniel, they saw such beauty in their works of art; Jessica became interested in selling their goods in what she called “trunk shows” out of her home, a rummage sale of sorts that highlighted the artisans work. She faced her fears that no one would even show up. She began having more trunk shows and it started booming, but it became much more than a sale of a few things made by Ugandan artisans, it became support.
Her journey helps us to recall our own worthiness as she faced her own. She embraced her own fears and found
“It is ok to be enough to know we can/should embrace our individuality.”
Ms. Honegger celebrates beauty imperfections and diversity. She asks us as readers to “widen our definition of beauty”. In her Noonday Collection business she continues to cultivate family noting that
“Her success does not diminish mine. She is not a threat. She is a sister.” She creates opportunities for the artisans while building compassionate belonging. She then reached out and began hosting “trunk shows” in other homes thus she created empowered and compassionate ambassadors in what she had dubbed “the sisterhood effect”.
Ms. Honegger feels those that are living in poverty and with injustice want the same things anyone would want or need, to be accepted, to be known, and to be loved.
By providing the exchange of artisan goods for a paycheck it empowers and supports these people to be able to feed their family, own a home, have access to healthcare, and educate their children.
At this writing, the Honegger’s have promoted sustainable livelihoods and positive impact for some 4.500 artisans in over 31 countries, and created over 2,000 Noonday Ambassadors here in the United States, some who have even gone on travels with Ms. Honegger to meet the artisans themselves, thus bringing their journey’s full circle.
I recommend this book; it will inspire and empower the reader.
Please find her book available at:
bit.ly/imperfectcourage
and at
*I happily received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair and true review, and it is now part of my personal library.
I Can’t Tell You Prose and Poetry
By Neithan Levi
ISBN 978 153 808 0917
Self-Published 2018 Neithan Levi USA
112 pages 89 prose/poetry/quips 9 Illustrations
Mr. Levi has divided his book into three sections. This book is about the trials and tribulations of young love.
“We’re all teenagers when it comes to love.”
As the reader starts to delve into Mr. Levi’s book, we can all relate in some way or another about the falling into love and the getting up after it’s over part; perhaps this is the hardest part and this is exactly where the poetry disseminates from. We have all been affected to all of the whiles that love offers.
Mr. Levi takes us through his Stirrings section where his words reflect the feeling of love and the sheer recognition of it.
…”we feel them in the pit of our stomachs, and where we lose track of ourselves and time.”
His second poem under Stirrings, the last line says it all concerning Love and being in it…
“It didn’t matter whether it was sunset or sunrise anymore.”
We can recount the way we personally relate to the Stirrings of love, when we just didn’t care if it was sunrise or even what day it was!
The reader can watch as Mr. Levi begins to grow as he writes his poems. They become deeper and more complex, just as love itself does. In the section of Heartbreak & Heartache, he begins to exhibit patience in his words, he shows here that time is literally relative, and that it can be cruel and that no one has any control over it.
In the last section of the book called Feel Again. Begin Again, He writes his most self -reflective poetry. He writes to a future lover…
…”Rather, the numbness of my viscera has at lost began to defrost.”
And
“We’re flawed but make the clock turn”…
Mr. Levi senses love by seeing his roads of poetry converge as he continues to grow in his writing.
Mr. Levi is currently working on an untitled chapbook as well a collection of short stories. I personally cannot wait for the future poetry of Neithan Levi.
This writer is one who exhibits true heart and feeling in his words, and is not afraid to be truthful in the parts that deeply affect his heart.
He can be found on Instagram with a wide following under the handle @byneithanlevi
ISBN 9780692929797
Self Published
Lexington, KY
11/16/17
Poetry and Photography
54 poems and 54 photos collection
This is C. Churchill’s debut collection of poetry and photography. The 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 square book is a great look into the heart and the talent of Cheryl Churchill. This should be a main staple on your coffee table.
C. Churchill has long been a poet of some elevation within the Instagram Community. She has assembled quite a following as she hosts many poetry exclusive #hashtag events, while building a true friendship with many a budding poet and emerging creative. Her words in concert with her photography are stunning. All of her photos coming from the heart of her beloved woods in her native Michigan and the words of the heart of an artist poured into her pages.
“I lay motionless
Wetted by fresh dewed grass
my heart lay beside me
I listen for the trees.”
Ms. Churchill is a survivor, a visionary, a dreamer and lover, and now photo poet, who will always chase the sun.
You can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/cchurchillwrites and on Instagram @c.c_writes
This book is available through Amazon.com
I highly recommend this book. 5 stars
* This book is part of my personal library and I am not being rembursed for this review.
Facing fears and being hopeful in uncertain times. Attack your anxieties by being faithful and courageous. Read Adam Hamilton Unafraid of solutions.
Please go to: https://adamhamilton/books
The DIY Home Planner
Practical Tips & Inspiring Ideas to
DECORATE IT YOURSELF
2018
Harvest House Publishers
143 pages
KariAnne Wood hits it out of the park again! This is an adorable book with ideas for making your house your home using practical tips. The illustrations in the book have a watercolor and pen and ink feel and are colorful and engage us with inspiration.
This book is a “how to” on the most important features of design. Starting with space planning KariAnne gets the reader going with an actual floor plan that you can interact with by placing the “furniture cut-outs” into an actual room. KariAnne introduces the reader to more aspects of design like wall treatments, flooring, paint colors, a lighting guide, and accessory styling to name just a few.
There are many inspirations in the book as you go along the way. KariAnne is a wonderful storyteller and when she’s telling her stories one can imagine that she is your next door neighbor having coffee with you. Her kind words are relatable as she embraces herself and her style, then passes this on to us as we imagine ourselves and what style we are. She sheds light on her imperfections, and readers again realize that we have made the same type of mistakes, and we are encouraged to embrace our design mistakes and in fact to emphasize them. KariAnne has worship and grace nearby and with that and her heartfelt Design for Life quips, you’ll surely feel a great amount of guidance as you decorate.
KariAnne’s book is a planner and will help you tackle those large jobs with how to measure, pros and cons of types of products, and questions to ask before one takes on a huge and often times costly home improvement job. There are even comparison charts on whether or not your choice is one that will be cost effective as well as fit into your lifestyle.
KariAnne’s book will show you inexpensive ideas that can transform your home and no one but you will know if you “hired someone for that!” She’ll show you variations of ideas, she’ll explain the skill levels it takes to complete the job, and even list the supplies you’ll need. She has the recipe for home improvement and design for your home.
The tips for color, curtain measuring, lighting at the correct height, pattern mixing are sure to have you inspired immediately. She even has a chapter on Accessory Styling that teaches us to put out things we love and to shop tag sales and even your grandmother’s attic to restyle, repurpose and upcycle accessories into art and vignettes that will be show stoppers.
Finally, there are gorgeous color photos of KariAnne’s previous home in the book that will inspire you even more. As a gift to readers for purchasing this book, there are pull out pages templates, a DIY craft, and several pages that can be framed for wall art! Using this planner will have you redecorating your house and the pocket keepers and self-bookmark will keep all of your pictures and samples nice and tidy and at the ready for your next project.
submit your pre-order receipt and you’ll be entered to win a one-on-one consultation with KariAnne Wood herself and access to a special eCourse!
*Also See Come out and see KariAnne Wood on her book tour at selected Kirkland’s (Your Home Decor Store)
MAR
3
Brentwood, TN Live In-Store American Artist Painting Event
Today 1 PM · by Kirkland’s
1624 Galleria Blvd, Brentwood, TN 37027-2925, United States
MAR
5
Southlake, TX Book Signing with KariAnne Wood
Mon 5 PM · by Kirkland’s
Kirkland’s (Southlake, TX)
Southlake, TX
Interested
MAR
8
The Woodlands, TX Book Signing with KariAnne Wood
Thu 5 PM · by Kirkland’s
Kirkland’s (The Woodlands, TX)
The Woodlands, TX
Interested
MAR
10
Fort Worth, TX Book Signing with KariAnne Wood
Sat 1 PM · by Kirkland’s
Kirkland’s (4678 SW Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth, TX
Interested
MAR
13
Buford, GA Book Signing with KariAnne Wood
Tue 5 PM EDT · by Kirkland’s
Kirkland’s (Buford, GA)
Buford, GA
Interested
MAR
17
Brentwood, TN Book Signing with KariAnne Wood
Sat 1 PM · by Kirkland’s
Kirkland’s (Brentwood, TN)
Brentwood, TN
Pre-order KariAnne Wood newest book! She’s a design rock star and author of So Close to Amazing, Stories of a DIY Life Gone Wrong and Thistlewood Farms Blog! You can find her new book here:
Happy 136th Birthday to Virginia Woolf. (1882-1941)
Virgina Woolf, Author and poetess pushed the narrative structure of the stuffy Victorian Era into an experimental place with her writing. She made great insightful observations on life, writing and femininity. She became a feminist icon.
She wrote what was on her mind in an era where women were thought to not have one.
“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there’s no gate, no lock, no bolt that can sit upon the freedom of my mind.”
“As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.”
Woolf is considered a foremost modernist author who used the stream of consciousness as a narrative device said
“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”
She suffered from depression and killed herself in 1941. Sadly, she waded into the River Ouse in Sussex, with her pockets lined with heavy stones to ensure she would be drowned.
Scout Press
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster
New York, NY 10020
2014, 2017
292 pages
ISBN 978-1-5011-4319-9
First, I wanted to thank Gallery Books for providing this book for me to read, enjoy, and review.
Second, as soon as I got done with this book, all I wanted to do was to hug my girlfriends! This fast-paced and action-filled novel written by MS Ferencik was chilling! The setting was a thick wilderness in Maine where four very best friends set out on an all-girl hiking and rafting trip.
Each character, whether it is Pia, Wini, Rachel or Sandra takes the reader to her very own circle of friends, identifying with at least one of them yourself and the personalities and dynamics of their friendships compared to your own friends. With misgivings aside, they set out for this fun and engaging raft trip where the girls could escape the regular rat race of life and bond together. This story puts to test the resolve of each of the girlfriends and their will to survive given the situation, the tough terrain of the wilderness and the rage of the waters. It gives them all they can handle, including the strength they didn’t know they had.
This story is a true thrill ride from the start to the finish and engages the reader into an adrenaline rush of their own. It keeps you guessing as the characters are pushed to the edge. MS Ferencik combines the very stark beauty of the landscape with unsavory characters the girls meet and the visceral pulsed story. It was a very superbly written thriller. I did not put this book down.
This book is half memoir and half self-help and altogether about the horrible opiate addiction epidemic. Tim Ryan can write this book because he’s lived it and then some. Tim Ryan takes the reader on a journey; his journey. Mr. Ryan shares with us the personal triumphs and the all- together complete lowlights to this journey.
I attended a Tedx Talk while the From Dope To Hope premier was being broadcast on A & E Television Network. It was an eye-opening event that highlighted the sadness that opiates can and have caused so much damage and devastation.
Tim’s book pulls no punches; he shares every bit of pain the drugs and alcohol have caused him. Tim also shows us how he found his faith and his now passion about recovery. Mr. Ryan shows us that it takes a lot to erase over 30 years of addiction! He tells us how this addiction especially his choice drug, heroin, basically stole away his life and sadly took his young son’s life to overdose as well. Soon after losing his son Nicholas, Tim became a man on a mission. He saw the signs. He writes that he started to see faith in many places and things. Mr. Ryan now looks at life as a gift. He believes that with life there is hope, and as long as you have breath, you have hope.
Mr. Ryan was a lucky man to not only cheat death but to have had wonderful support around him during his time of addiction, people just did not give up on him. He has an ex-wife, children, a wife and family, friends and now colleagues that have now joined him in his A Man In Recovery mission. Addiction caused Tim be a liar, a cheat, a manipulator and to steal from the closest of them. Mr. Ryan tells us details about his experiences and his awful behavior in and out of prison. Tim’s journey to recovery lets us know in detail even as much as how many bags of heroin he’d do, how he’d hide it and how he shamefully treated others during all of this. He describes to his readers the accidents he was involved in and his attitude of carelessness along the way.
At many times during Mr. Ryan’s lifetime he “had it all”, but alcohol and drugs sabotaged a wonderful life in the making. Mr. Ryan was once a highly touted business leader in the tech industry and a successful entrepreneur, making astronomical salaries. He was once a nationally well-known ranked barefoot water skier. Mr. Ryan took advantage of his family. He took advantage of friends. He took advantage of strangers. He simply took advantage.
In his at least eight overdoses, he’s also had two minor heart attacks and has been pronounced clinically dead three times. He was arrested more than ten times and yet taking heroin into the jail was ok in his mind! But his last incarceration finally broke him. He was losing everything on the outside of prison walls too, like his children, he finally had an epiphany. He attended meetings, changing his core beliefs, and finally embracing actually changing his life. He received hope and now he wanted to give it back. He now has faith. He has the gift of sobriety. He finally feels happy. He was ready to get clean and be honest and open-minded.
Mr. Ryan now is a public speaker and motivator. He is the founder of A Man In Recovery Foundation. (www.AMIRF.org) “mission to help one addict at a time transform their lives from dope to hope”
Mr. Tim Ryan had been given a gift and he shares it with his readers with detailed honesty, sincerity, and compassion. He has helped to raise awareness to the epidemic; he helps to teach about relapse techniques and continues to work on programs to keep addicts out of prison and into recovery.
Mr. Ryan has been featured in USA Today, Steve Harvey Show w/ Dr. Drew, and many, many radio shows. He was invited and recognized for his work by the U.S. President at the State of The Union Address in 2016.
Tim works with Congressman Bill Foster and Congressman Randy Hultgren, WGN Radio and Chiefs of police in towns of Dixon, Woodridge and Naperville all of Illinois, Naperville IL mayor and city council and detective Rich Wistocki to get the word out about awareness, laws, and recovery. Mr. Ryan is a partner with Suzette Papadakis MS, LCPC, NCC, CGT executive Clinical Director of the Banyan Treatment Center Chicago.
This book was a gritty look at addiction and was a great read for the high school level and beyond. I rate this book: 5 stars. *****
I was pleasantly riveted as part of the Advanced Reader Copy book launch. Author Joan Dempsey’s debut novel, crafts a timely story filled with characters that have depth. Immediately, as readers, we care about them. The novel takes us into thought provoking settings that exhibit and even mimic today’s current events. Ms. Dempsey writes a story that is compelling; her story breaches subject matters such as bigotry, intolerance, hate, and violence. Her characters are opinionated and exhibit some of those cultural and often criminal feelings.
The main character, Ludka Zeilonka, an 85-year-old art professor and matriarch of a well-known political family, becomes part of a religious discrimination freedom bill. This political fight brings on the firing of certain area teachers, including her grandson Tommy, who is gay. Spurred on further by a radio host named Warren Meck, who crusades this anti-religious freedom debate bias in public schools on his show, and becomes a key player, brought into the fray by local area Pastor Royce.
Deepening still is Ludka’s character who as a Catholic woman in WWII Poland, joined in her own secret lifelong resistance against Nazi War Crimes. She used her art drawings to depict and bear testimony to the crimes. Her family also sheltered Jews where she witnesses the death of her own parents in front of her for their efforts.
This novel is about free speech and the importance of having empathy. It is so applicable to today’s current events.
Author Joan Dempsey’s work has appeared in many highly regarded literary circles and magazines. Ms. Dempsey was recipient of a significant research grant from the prestigious
Elizabeth George Foundation. Ms. Dempsey is also the recipient of the 2017 Poets & Writers
Magazine’s Maureen Egen Writer’s Exchange Award.
I highly recommend this book for the reader who is looking for rich story content and character depth and suspense that feels ripped from the headline news.
Nothing makes me happier than doing a review, but doing with a launch team of like-minded women and a debut author that I’d love to call a friend, has me jumping for joy!
KariAnne Wood’s book So Close To Amazing was a very comfortable read. It is as if I pulled up a chair in the kitchen to sit down for coffee or tea, she made reading so easy. KariAnn, a long time blogger of the website Thistlewood Farm, brings readers her funny and true and endearing mishaps and adventures of her personal life. In her debut memoir, she recounts her DIY projects, some which failed badly, her humorous tales of learning how to cook, to her “just fitting in” with her new neighbors, and all the way to her raw inner struggles with weight. Her glorious spirit keeps me giggling as a reader, but I can also relate to her every story. Her in-depth look at feeling inadequate at times is so relatable. She takes the readers on a small inner self-journey, where you’ll want a few pieces of tissue to sop up the tears that well up.
KariAnn’s book also includes DIY projects, and she proves that any level of craftiness can do these projects. KariAnn’s book So Close To Amazing is a gem of a read. She explains that sometimes with a bit of gentle intervention from the Lord, you’ll be able to conquer many things!
Life Lesson #3
“True beauty is often just below the surface. You just have to scrub a little to see it.”
This book will have you secretly wishing the KariAnn Wood was your next door neighbor, so that you could spend time sipping tea and exchanging DIY ideas!( and of course garbage picking her garbage)
KariAnn Wood is an award winning lifestyle blogger who often writes her passages while sitting on a porch. She has been recognized by the esteemed magazine Better Homes & Gardens as one of The Top 10 Decorating Blogs. She has gone on to win the 2012 Country Living Magazine’s Blue Ribbon Blogger Award for decorating. She has also been featured in many more major newspapers, magazines, as well as Websites and Television.
Coming soon in Spring of 2018, The DIY Home Planner by KariAnn Wood featuring the artwork of Michal Sparks brought to you by Harvest House Publishers.
I wanted to do a quick shout-out to author John Comfort (author site: http://www.johncomfort.net ) and the website http://www.TwogalsAndaBook.com Thank you for having this contest and I can’t wait to get started reading your book Panther In The Sun!!
Mr. Confort’s book sounds like it will be deep and profound as well as emotion-filled and exciting. Thank again!
Mars Hill Murder is the debut novel by award-winning journalist Mary Tolan. This murder mystery novel is set in the dusty southwestern town of Flagstaff Arizona, where readers are taken directly to a murder within the first chapter. There is a host of different characters that the author introduces us, the reader to immediately. There’s the very highly unorganized reporter for the local newspaper named Miles Harper. His job is in jeopardy because of the aforementioned organization, and the fact that he doesn’t answer his phone when the boss calls him.
The mystery begins as the housekeeping woman for the local observatory, named Alejandra Lopez, comes up murdered on her overnight shift there. Harper wants to change his reputation and heads over to the observatory immediately to gather anything for an upcoming local story run. This is also where Harper runs into one of his long-time friends police chief Luis Ortega, and as he begins his investigation, he and Harper exchange notes and Ortega tells him to back off so he can investigate.
The author Tolan begins to bring forth several subplots that become interwoven together.
Miles Harper meets the new girl in town at the local coffee place, Maddy Sullivan, who is currently escaping from her own abusive relationship, but she is less than forthcoming and shrouds herself in mystery as well. Her dog Daisy helps to bridge the gap of friendship, however.
*There are no spoilers in this review, but let’s just say the trio of Harper, Sullivan, and Ortega become a sort of sleuth team on the way to solving the now three crimes in their little town.
I am giving this novel a 4.5 star rating because the author Mary Tolan’s attention to detail can’t be over- looked. Her writing historical events of hate crimes, gun violence, and protests into the storyline was brilliant. Tolan’s story was good and the subplots, although not directly related, brought even more depth to the plot. Her characters were well thought out and even endearing, think Ethel. Overall, the story was well-written and I cannot wait to read whatever is the next book for author Mary Tolan. This book is available widely, including Amazon.
Reviews 