To the rest of the world, 15-year-old Kate Baxter looked like a typical teenage girl, living life and eagerly waiting to make 16. Only she and those close to her knew the agonising struggles she was going through with nightmares that were threatening her sanity....

Surrounded By Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets by Rachel Pruchno Ph.D. is a heart-breaking memoir of a woman who loses both her mother and daughter to mental illness. It is an honest account of a woman's desperation and powerlessness in handling...

I just completed one of the most engaging reads of recent months: Long Live the Suicide King by Aaron Michael Ritchey. It opens with 17-year-old JD, who is troubled by an event that transpired just days prior while with his friends and under the influence...

Arizona Wildlife Notebook by Garry Rogers is a rather comprehensive checklist of wildlife species existing in the State of Arizona. This notebook provides a brief description for each of eleven (11) groups of wildlife, conservation status of all extant species within that group in Arizona,...

An Act of Kindness is a historical novel written by Ray Hobbs. Sylvia is a young woman who's signed up as a Wren to do her part during WWII. David, her fiancé, was killed in action. Sylvia's not really thinking about getting involved with another...

Intrigue builds as a missing exo-geologist on the moon sets many political, international and scientific wheels in motion in Cold Trap by Jon Waskan. Multi-billionaire Les Keppel has joined forces with NASA and the futuristic International Space Agency to explore the craters of the moon...

Motorcycle Dreams is a fascinating autobiographical account of one man’s journey through life as an avid fan and owner of motorcycles. Author Andreas F. von Recum is a German immigrant who relocated to Ohio, USA, later in his life, but always retained a fascination for...

Stephanie Tehan Patterson writes an inspirational book in Living Life with a Smile. This book walks you through many of life’s scenarios. Each chapter contains a realistic topic that each of us faces on our journey through life. Keeping it real, Patterson shares her own...

In Potty Training is Fun!, Alexa is excited because her mother thinks she’s big enough to be potty trained. They look at a book called “Potty Training Your Child” and Alexa likes the pictures which make the task look easy. Her mother gets the potty...

Manny Biro is surrounded by Hollywood glitz and glamour, but he does not want anything to do with the Hollywood way of life. He chooses the simplicity of a normal life over the pressure and expectations of Hollywood life, but this is not easy for...

How to Write a Killer SAT Essay: An Award-Winning Author's Practical Writing Tips on SAT Essay Prep by Tom Clements is a very useful book that gives tips on how to write simple, short and effective essays. The author encapsulates the essence of how to...

The Hypnotist by Alyssa Devine is a charming YA adventure, and a very good debut offering by this new author. Ms. Devine has created a dynamic pair of intelligent, musically gifted high school students who just happen to solve a decades-old cold case multiple murder....

The horrifying story of Valya Chervenyashka is one that you will not soon forget. Notes From Hell by Nikolay Yordanov and Valya Chervenyashka relates the story of the Bulgarian nurse who was kidnapped from the El Fatih Hospital, Benghazi, Libya in 1999, blindfolded, gagged and...

Following the story of a nineteen-year-old boy and his journey in search of the two brothers who abused and killed his cousin, The Demon Who Peddled Longing, set in post-war Vietnam, is a remarkable novel that offers readers a unique literary experience. Nam’s individuality is...

The Confessions of Gonzalo Guerrero is a brilliant book. Being taken into the mind of Gonzalo Guerrero and being able to understand what dilemmas he faced and what motivated him made for a very interesting narrative. The story begins with the young Gonzalo in Spain,...

Cicada Spring by Christian Galacar is a story of suspense set in 1979, Heartsridge, Massachusetts. An ordinary day in the lives of ordinary people, until 15-year-old Kara Price stumbles home, following a brutal attack and rape. The perpetrator? A highly public figure in the town,...

Forever Mine is a lovely romance traveling from the present back to the past of 1897. The story opens in the present when Victoria enters an art gallery to find a special picture and a very special man, though she doesn’t really know what they...

When U.S. Senator Tom Mariner is shot down and no suspects emerge right away, life goes back to normal for the Washington elite, including Judge Alexander who unsuccessfully tried to save him. But when Judge Alexander’s wife is arrested for the senator's death, he isn’t...

Oh my, oh my! I just finished reading Hysterical Love, the newest novel by Lorraine Devon Wilke, and I must say, I simply adored it! It follows the story of Dan McDowell, a 33-year-old photographer who is happily engaged to be married to his adored...

Murder, mystery, intrigue and the romantic lore of the Finger Lake wine country in New York State abound in A Taste for Death by Don Stevens. There's even a posh, dignified French inspector, Deville, to add elegance and prestige to the investigation. And this French...