Sam’s Story: Book One (Skylar Trilogy) by Amy D. Crusan-Kramer is about 14-year-old Samantha Skylar from Boone County, West Virginia, who goes through a lot of life changing events in a very short time. The book starts out in the present and then goes back...

Gated II: Ravenhill Academy by Matt Drabble is another excellent novel by this exceptional author. It is not necessary to have read Gated prior to reading Gated II, but I strongly recommend that you do. Not only will it help familiarize you with the main...

In Creek House by Renna Olsen, Katherine Mitchell moves to Wind Valley with her young son, Danny, after her husband was tragically killed. She soon questions whether she made the right decision when strange and mysterious things begin happening at their new home that is...

Art Is Always an Impression of What an Artist Sees: Poetry by Martin Willitts Jr is a collection of story-telling poems which introduce readers to the Impressionist era of Ekphrastic poetry that started with Edouard Manet. The author shares with readers descriptive and enticing stories...

Lovingly crafted memoirs, when offered with honesty and true devotion, have a particular warmth and charm seldom found in any other kind of writing. Grandfather’s Uncle by Philip McQuillan is no exception. There is such a naturally conversational singularity of purpose in McQuillan’s writing that...

My Conversations with God by Carlos Aranda is an uplifting book that will draw you closer to God. The book tells us how God wants us to lead our lives and face the trials and tribulations that come our way. The author has used everyday...

Marionette by T. B. Markinson is the story of seventeen-year-old Paige Alexander. Paige is found in her home with slit wrists by her girlfriend. Her friend convinces her to undergo therapy. Though Paige does not think it is going to help her, she decides to...

It’s Just One of Those Days by Melissa Burke is a well written story that pulled me in immediately. The opening pages are about the main character Liz and she is talking directly to me, sharing her every thought. Liz is having 'one of those...

Stuck in his cabin alone on as a freak snowstorm descends, Stephen is already suffering from fatal boredom when he hears one of his friends arrive, hopefully with beer and cigars. It isn’t any of Stephen’s friends but rather a stranded motorist called Audrey. The...

We often take the food that we eat for granted, forgetting that at some point someone took the time and trouble to create it. In this delightful tale, Cinnamon Diamonds, Mark Piper gives a fictionalized account of the man accredited with inventing the hole in...

Half Popped is a really cute story about Kenny the Kernel. Kenny is upset because he is not popped like the other kernels, so he goes in search around the kitchen for something that will make him like the other kernels. But will Kenny ever...

Ski Bum Chronicles by Jeff Lyon is a complete delight. I never skied in my early years, and I never had the pleasure of working in a resort, but Jeff presents the episodes of his experiences as a resort employee and ski enthusiast with such...

Dogs of a Different Collar by Marti Regan is about two girls living in two different backgrounds. They adopt a poodle puppy from the same litter. Abby takes the pup with a green collar. Abby feels sorry leaving the pup with the pink collar back...

Raising a special needs child seems to be like nurturing a rose with many thorns. Holding onto the stem is painful, but the bloom can be spectacular. Michele Gianetti, R.N., writes I Believe In You and she shares her worthwhile, but sometimes painful journey. Michele...

In Bitter Nothings, Vicki Tyley presents another complex and thrilling tale of dysfunctional families, determined women, and mysterious deaths and disappearances. Graphic designer, Dervla Johns, and her brothers, Gabe and Emmett, are still missing their mother, following her suicide two years earlier. Several years before...

Fatal Liaison by Vicki Tyley is a good story. Dinner for Twelve is a dinner dating agency and the heart of this murder mystery. Megan, at the insistence of her best friend Brenda, attends a dinner against her better judgment. Brenda thinks it is a...

Poetry and Short Stories by a Bipolar Girl by Melissa Burke is at times beautiful and at times frightening in the vivid descriptions of the deep melancholy and self-destructive feelings of a teenager living with bipolar disease. The pain that she is feeling comes through...

Jacob Mendelsohn shines with his book of short stories. With themes ranging from leaving your past behind to redemption and the broken people on society's edges, All My Goodbyes is a real thought provoker. A boy is the only witness to a tragic crime and...

Shut Up and Talk - An Effective Guide to Communication Skills by Bill Calhoun is a helpful guide to anyone looking to improve their communication skills. The book describes the importance of having good basic communication skills and offers excellent advice on how to improve...

Find Your Passion: Simple Steps to Discover Who You Are, How To Choose a Career, and How to Find Your Purpose in Life! by author Derick Van Ness provides valuable insight into the discovery of who you are and how to use the gifts that...