As J.M. Ney-Grimm’s tale begins, Sarvet is filled with joyous anticipation. The fifteen-year-old knows that the day about to dawn is no ordinary one. For it is Other-joy and, rather than the drudgery of regular chores, there is celebration. However, several things threaten to lessen...

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...

What do you do when everything everyone has ever said about your relationship turns out to be true? That’s the question Shelly must ask herself after her husband Cal betrays her, in the most clichéd of ways, after a Vegas bachelor party. With six years...

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,...

Young Wayne Gamm has a special connection to horses and other farm animals – innocence and an open heart. Fate Twister: The Story of Wayne Gamm by Owen Jones follows Wayne from his birth one stormy night in June to his early twenties. His mother...

His PhD is in Hypocrisy: And Other Poems about My Crappy Ex-Boyfriend by Tayo Oredein is a book of poems that revolves around a Muslim guy named Steven. The author used to be madly in love with him, and she takes us on a poetic...

Sinister Sentiments by K.C. Finn is a collection of tales with dark endings featuring various monsters and ghouls. In The Maybe Man, Gregg makes a Faustian deal with a mysterious man for power and glory, but it comes at a price. In The Demon's in...

White Mountain by Sophe E. Tallis is the first book in the Darkling Chronicles series. An epic tale of good versus evil, White Mountain follows the arduous journey of a wizened powerful mage, Marvalla Agyk, as he seeks to destroy the evil changeling who stole...

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...

Jane Ellen Freeman has written a lovely story for preteens called Jeremiah Lucky and the Guardian Angel. After Jeremiah’s father died, he tries to be more responsible by helping his mother with the chores. His mother, a nurse, often leaves before Jeremiah wakes and returns...

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...

Britain at War 1939 to 1945: What Was Life Like During the War? by James Lingard is a chronicle of the second World War through the eyes of a British (universal) citizen of the period 1939 to 45. It begins with the discernible preparations for...

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...

In Miscarriage of Justice by Bruce A. Borders, Ethan Rafferty clashes with Marianna Clark. Ethan has been imprisoned for fifteen years for a murder he didn’t commit. District Attorney Marianna Clark, keen for victory in her first major case, found evidence that he was innocent...

Nani is a young girl and badly injured when she is brought to Dr. and Mrs. Miller, missionaries in an isolated part of Brazil. Nani doesn't know who she is or anything about her past. The stranger who brought her tells the Millers that he...

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...

Comedy Shorts is a book of four short stories written by Robin Storey. Addicted to crime novels, Angie loses her job as an administrative assistant and considers becoming a private investigator. When one of her neighbours (Beryl Markwell) dies, Angie is convinced that the death...

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...