When I read poetry, there’s always something that stands out above all else. Even poetry about romance and love has some element of surprise that captures my soul and my imagination. I am always fascinated with how poets use or describe eyes. The eyes are...

Mia’s Reflections by Ginger Marks is an attractive book with colourful illustrations. The theme is that of a young girl learning that looks are not everything; it is important and very appealing to be “nice on the inside” – to think of others, human and...

Author Michelle Layer Rahal has brought us a stunningly honest and frank portrayal of the life of a Vietnamese boat person in the 1970’s. In Straining Forward we read the biography of Minh Phuong Towner, as she is caught up in the tumultuous events of...

Missing: Never Forgotten is a contemporary mystery novel written by Leila Kirkconnell. It was in 1952 when eight-year-old Hank Yates came home from school to find his family forever and tragically changed. While his mom was hanging laundry in the backyard, someone had stolen Hank’s...

Dunstan, A Knight of Crozby: A Romance Novella is an epic historical romance written by Ronnda Eileen Henry. Dunstan, an orphan raised by his aunt and uncle, would probably have remained a farmer living on the land in the foothills of the Fells, in the...

Pillar of Frozen Light is a work of science fiction written by author Barry Rosenberg. Our central character is Jonan, a man for whom life is a series of excesses and pleasures. He certainly doesn’t live mindfully of others or of the greater purpose of...

Rideshares, Wrecks, and Sex: Confessions of a Convicted Uber Driver by Joe F.N. Schmo is a non-fiction book in which an Uber driver talks about his most memorable experiences on the job. The book is an entertaining read and is basically a collection of the...

Lexie Leaps: A Help From My Friends Story by CA Martin is a short story about a woman named Lexie and her close friend Kat. After embarking on a cruise to catch up on the five years of separation, the two friends encounter a storm...

When Isaiah’s mother tells him that they are going to visit a botanical garden, he is not impressed. He would much rather stay home and play video games. He doesn’t even know what the word botanical means. When she uses his given name rather than...

Windhollows Trilogy Book 1: Air of Vengeance is a teenage action/adventure story written by Trayner Bane. What if ever since birth everyone considered you a worthless, useless nobody and everyone you knew made fun of you and treated you as if you were a doormat...

Windhollows Trilogy, Book 2: Darkness Falls is a kids' action/adventure story written by Trayner Bane. Billy Molskin, a thirteen-year-old boy who has finally found true friends, is beginning to learn who his arch enemy is, and the reason for all of the mishaps that have...

Growing up can be challenging. During our teenage years, we're more aware of the world around us. In Dreaded Dinner Party by Destiny Henderson, Aucuria 'Curi' Andrews is learning a lot about herself, her neighbors, her parents, and their friends. Curi's parents frequently have parties...

Splintered Dreams: Dare To Love Series is a contemporary romance novel written by Diana Lynn. While it had been only seven months since her husband of thirty years had died of a heart attack, Crisa was not the grief-stricken woman many might have thought her...

Wild Hunt by Erik Henry Vick is the kind of stuff I love to read; bold and wild, the kind of fantasy that creates worlds in the reader's mind. Hank Jensen sets out to save his family, and that is all that matters. At least,...

Martyrs al-Sabra by Dan M. Kalin is one of the best books I have ever read. What a remarkable thriller and what a talented writer! Let me begin by saying I usually avoid really long books, especially those involving politics and terrorism. So many of...

Rufus: James Agee in Tennessee is a biographical work put together by Paul F. Brown. Focusing on American writer James Rufus Agee, most famous for penning the classic novel A Death In The Family and the screenplay for The African Queen, Brown chooses to home...

While the plot of Broken Humanity by Karine Vivier is based upon child trafficking, this compact psychological thriller is actually more about the characters in the story than the events…in particular, three characters: Denis Papin, a convicted child molester; Andy, the kidnapper; and little Alice,...

There are immortals living among ordinary humans, hidden and blended well into society. However, their concealed existence is disturbed by the death of one of their own. They called him The Wanderer; a mentor, mystic and a friend who was brutally murdered. They gather in...

Loner Collette Aeglaeca is a unique-looking teen with long silvery hair, a marked left cheek, and star-shaped pupils. Without close friends, she has deeply bonded with her family’s two Great Pyrenees. When she turns 18, she learns about her family’s tribe's centuries-long curse. Worse yet,...

Anka had been raised to fear relics; touching them was taboo. Their power had razed cities, and had destroyed the bridge between worlds. So when one called out to her by name she knew true fear. She was a warrior in her village, brave, quick,...