Voicings by Carroll Blair is a collection of poems that takes readers through a range of emotions, thoughts, and feelings. The short poems are constructed with much skill and they stand on their own, balanced in their thoughts and flow. The rich verses capture readers...

Black Rain by Joshua Caine is a very Twilight-Zonesque tale of horror, with a brand-new, unique boogeyman monster. Arlene was heading to Reno, after walking away from her loser boyfriend and apartment earlier in the day. In the middle of a barren yellow desert, her...

I think A Silent Prayer by Samreen Ahsan is destined to become a classic in the romance genre. I rarely read pure romance novels. I like my romance blended into an action or adventure story, otherwise it gets a little boring for me. This story...

It Stinks to be Pink!, written and illustrated by Kathryn L. Novak, is an excellent children's book focusing on the topic of self-esteem; whether someone is struggling with self-esteem or someone just needing reminders as to why he or she is special. Spotty is a...

The tales in The Princess Fables have a special meaning. Author Marc Clark’s young daughter did not want to go to school, so he told her these stories while getting her ready for school. It was later when he wrote the stories down that this...

A Place To Call Home: Toby's Tale by G.A. Whitmore is the story of Toby, a dog born to a breeder who saw no value in him or his sister because of his color. The breeder felt because Tara and Toby were white German Shepherds...

The Great PJ Elf Chase: A Christmas Eve Tradition by Judy Voigt and Karen LoBello is an endearing story for small kids with Christmas as the backdrop. The Christmas Eve tradition at the Taylor household is that when the boys go to take their baths,...

In Isabella Babysits Baxter, part of The Wunderkind Family Children’s Book Collection by Melissa Perry Moraja, little Isabella gets a big girl job when her mom asks her to babysit their dog Baxter after he gets into trouble by making a mess while her mom...

If we’re sick, we have medicine and doctors to treat us. What about the otherworldly creatures? Where do they go for medical assistance, if they ever need it? David Gelber’s Night Clinic is a series of short stories set in an inner city clinic, where...

Calamity Chick is moving to a house in the countryside. He packs up all his belongings and begins the trip to his new home. Along the way a few misfortunes (or calamities) happen to him, but in the end he picks his head up and...

Have You Ever? is a picture book filled with outrageously funny sentences and illustrations. I can guarantee that you have not even thought about the hilariously crazy situations that this book presents. For example, can you honestly say that a toupee-wearing tortoise taunting a tarantula...

Dori's Gift (a Mom's Choice Award Recipient) by Angie Wilson is the tale of Dori, a young girl who is celebrating her seventh birthday and hoping for a birthday present from her parents. The family live in the mountains and have to work hard every...

Alcoholism and mental illness. Unfortunately, these are two things that often go hand in hand, and way too many people have to deal with them, either by having these issues themselves, or by having a loved one suffering from these illnesses. In Cape Maybe by...

Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Four Spooky Short Stories is surreal and its haunting theme will keep readers turning the pages. The collection opens with Ghost Brother; the tragedy of a man named Bobby, who’s manipulated by the ghost of his dead brother, Gerald. I sympathize with...

A Simple Guide to Socratic Parenting by Laurie Gray is an excellent overview of a Socrates-inspired approach to parenting. For readers who are worried that this book will be complicated due to the philosophical title, there is no need to worry, since Laurie writes in...

Moral Infidelity by Rebecca Warner takes on the controversial topic of abortion and a woman’s right to her own body. Governor Michael Romano is on the verge of changing the laws of the State of Florida by bringing forth an abortion law. He starts his...

Slaughter Us All and Make Our Blood a River: Cyprus Poetry and History by Andreas Antoniou Melas revolves around the long history of Cyprus where people have suffered repeatedly under foreign conquerors. The poet gives readers adequate background about Cyprus to comprehend and appreciate the...

In What's It Gonna Be? by Cassandra Piat, Lucy knows she needs to make a change. Though head over heels in love with her long-time boyfriend, Matt, she can’t be truly happy knowing Matt won’t ever take the plunge and marry her. She understands that...

Oldenglen, Volume One is a young adult and preteen fantasy written by Robin Mason and Michael Mason. Jackson Wolfe is not at all impressed with his parents’ decision to move from the London flat where he’s lived all his life to the woods of southwestern...

The Tall Tall Giraffe by Le'Marqunita Lowe is the cute little story of Ringo the giraffe. Ringo is very tall and he finds it impossible to play indoors. James comes up with the idea that they should play outdoors, have a picnic on the grass,...