Kids and adults alike often take a ribbing for the way that their name sounds or the nicknames that can be formed from the use of their names. At times, those added names can be mean. However, What’s In a Name? written by Terri Kelley...

Because most people in today’s society believe that beauty is only skin deep, I Am Beautiful by Terri Kelley and illustrated by Ana Zdravkovic, is a way to start children off right, believing that their worth and their beauty is found in the many things...

Tongue Twisters are a fun and memorable part of childhood. Who doesn't remember Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers? In Terri Kelley's new book for kids aged K-3rd grade, we get to experience tongue twisters all over again. There were the classics like...

Come Fly With Me! by Terri Kelley tells children about traveling in a plane. Traveling by plane can be a scary experience for many children, especially if they are going in it for the first time. The young boy in the story tells us his...

The loss of a loved one is unfortunately something that touches everyone’s life at some point. In this compassionate and endearing children’s book, Thank You, Shadow, Terri Kelley broaches this painful, yet important, subject. The story starts with the direct and poignant lines, “Today is...

A Meeting of Clans by Kathleen Flanagan Rollins intrigued me all the way through. This fictional fantasy takes place 14,000 years ago and explores the migration of a small group of people who, for one reason or another, either have been exiled from their homeland,...

Soul Secrets by Miki Jacobs is an interesting and useful spiritual guide meant for people interested in contacting their soul "team," which includes spirit guides, guardian angels and departed ones. What I love about this book is that it is a simple guide which first...

Set in 1941 New York, Death of a Diva: From Berlin to Broadway by Brigitte Goldstein is a noir mystery novel about the death of Stella Berger. A famous screen and stage star, the veteran actress was brutally murdered at a Broadway theater. A swift...

King Boogie is written by N.D. Byma and illustrated by L.A. Harper. This is the story of King Boogie and his daily routine, as he is looked after by his royal caretakers, “N” and “M”. King Boogie lives in the royal tower at the top...

The Legacy of Tallow Manor is an entertaining tale based on the romance between Benjamin Rawlings and Elizabeth Gatcombe. This childhood romance blossomed at Tallow Manor in Britain. Elizabeth was from a family of high ranking and Benjamin was the son of the farrier. They...

I once had a dog that I rescued from a shelter at the age of seven that had epilepsy, which is one reason I chose to read and review this book. I researched a great deal about canine epilepsy after his adoption to be prepared...

Motions and Moments: More Essays on Tokyo by Michael Pronko is a collection of essays about life in Tokyo, and particularly how it deviates from the life Western people might be used to in engaging with Eastern culture. Each essay is like a self-contained explanation...

Brian D. Ratty’s Voyage of Atonement answers the age-old question, “Why did I live, while others died?” Three distinct men, all soldiers of World War II, take separate paths to achieve their atonement. At the close of 1944, a secret brotherhood known as Odessa is...

To say that A Woman Of Vision: A True Story of Courage, Determination, and Vivid Blindness by Joanna Rivera Stark is anything less than an experience worth treasuring would be the understatement of the century. Having lived a life of over ninety years, Betty knew...

A Los Diggities Christmas by Jeanie Cunningham and Elisabeth Thormodsrud has a Christmas theme as the backdrop. Oso, the youngest of the Los Diggities pack, is completely taken by the Christmas decorations. He finds the Christmas lights and music enchanting and, along with Xena and...

The Last Faith: A Book by An Atheist Believer by Karmak Bagisbayev asks a lot of difficult questions about life and its elusive meaning. Why are the social and behavioral distinctions between men and women being rapidly erased? Can a world without violence exist? If...

Sizzling Cold Case by Buddy Ebsen and Darlene Quinn is written in the vein of the Barnaby Jones murder mystery TV series from the 1970s. In this case, Barnaby revives the cold case surrounding the mysterious death of Lori London, who has a personal...

Kristin Fulton's historical novel Sisters of the Soul is about the lifelong bond between Elizabeth Dumond and Sophie Washington. The story begins in Louisiana in 1837 and ends in California in 1906. Elizabeth is the adopted daughter of Hugo and Lucille Laurent of the Sweetbrier...

Breeda Looney Steps Forth is the debut novel from author Oliver Sands. It takes us to a rural seaside village in Ireland, where Breeda Looney has been caring for her aged and dying mother. When her mother passes, Breeda is left all alone and lost...

If I Could Live Again by C. Ingrid Deringer starts in 1925, spans three generations, and begins with the story of eight-year-old Margaret McLean who lives on a farm in Nova Scotia with her family. The little girl loves to write songs and rhymes...