I love Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol: it is a must-see every year during the holidays. John C. Derr has written Another Christmas Carol, which is a modern update to the classic story. This time, the character that has a chance to be redeemed is...

A Mother's Tale & Other Stories is an amalgamation of interconnected stories set during the Vietnam War. Written by Khanh Ha, the book contains eleven short stories loosely connected by the characters and themes. "Heartbreak Grass" focuses on a newly recruited soldier of the North...

A Canoer of Shorelines is a work of fiction in the supernatural drama genre. It is suitable for all ages and was penned by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak. The story follows Julie and Rachel, whose lives revolve around Meadowbrook Acres, a place where they have found...

Sometimes, a really good book will convey the same kind of human warmth embodied by close friends gathered together on a cold winter’s day. Such is the case with Jeff Turner’s heartwarming (heartrending) novel, A Rescued Soul. While his narrative literally includes those familiar winter...

As the Pizza Burns by Nick Powers is a story told from the perspective of Tony, yet another unhappy employee of Pizza Corp, a nationwide chain of fast-food takeaway and delivery conglomerate. We meet several of his fellow workers, none of whom want to be...

A mother's reticence and secrets haunt a young woman throughout her life in the extraordinary literary novel, Alice Black by J. Schlenker. When Alice is six years old, her father and brother disappear on the same night. From the moment they vanish, Alice's mother withdraws...

In All Things Small by Norman B. Schwartz, we first meet protagonist Nathan Epstein in 1961, with a guidebook of Rome in his hand as he settles at a cheap table in a cheap restaurant in the Eternal City. Trying to read the menu after...

A Lifetime of Men by Ciahnan Darrell presents a dynamic coming of age quilt with each character contributing threads to strengthen development into a creative masterpiece. Tolan is unable to get direct answers from her mother on the history of her family. Tolan inadvertently comes...

And Lately, The Sun is an anthology of works centered around current events, with touches of speculative and science fiction, compiled and edited by Calyx Press. Containing the works of some twenty authors which showcase a planet of considerations for the future and tackling issues...

A Robert Levin Reader is an eclectic mix of entertainment by jazz writer Robert Levin. Part essay, part short fiction stories, and part commentary, this volume will make you an instant fan. Levin uses irreverent humor, but I found his work to also be poignant...