"The Jackal and the Giant" is a fantasy adventure story with Seth as an unlikely hero. He enters a different world after escaping from a bully. The story unfolds as his hiding place number seventeen at Stony Brook Middle School is discovered by Jacklyn, also...

"The Flight of the Griffin" by C.M. Gray is a great book for a child or young adult with fun themes that resound through the book. The five main characters who are living in an old boat called The Griffin end up becoming heroes at...

In "The Grave and the Figure Eight," author Tucker has taken the reader to the post WWI era. Terence Garth has just returned home from battle. Being wounded emotionally, he has returned to his uncle's home in Kentucky, seemingly to rest before a return to...

After reading Solomon Huriash’s book on science and Judaism and John L. Leonard’s book on science and Christianity I was curious whether Ahmad Hassan’s on Islam and science was as good. Neither of the three proved to me that God existed, but each made their...

The protagonist of Lynda Stephenson’s novel "The Southern Chapter of the Big Girl Panties Club" is a sometimes sassy, sometimes sarcastic, and always unpredictable sixteen-year-old girl from Clover, Texas, named Frankilee Baxter. The story opens in 1958 on the first day of freshman orientation at...

"The Entrepreneur's Guide to Time Management" by Kristin O' Donovan is for anyone who feels they could be more productive. It is scary to learn in the book that workers waste up to 40 per cent of their time every day. The book is very...

"The Dark Is in the Light" is the life story of Maurice Mayberry. He grows up in an abusive household with a drug addict for a father who continually abuses him verbally and physically. Together with his sister Janet, he has to watch helplessly as...

"The Year of the Horsetails" was first published in 1967. It is a brilliant historical novel that is most probably set in the vast Eurasian steppe, during the early Dark Ages, or late Middle Ages. The novel unfolds as Bardiya, a Saka tribesman, escapes from...

The life of a cardiac surgeon is, not surprisingly, full of challenges, drama, heartache and, on occasion, miracles. "The Spirit of the Heart" by Ismael N. Nuno M.D. takes the reader through a lifelong journey filled with all those elements, told in a close-up, very...

“If you want to eliminate suffering in the world, eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself.” That is a powerful statement that is only part of the wisdom Victor Byrd shares with readers in “The Bare Bones of the Buddha’s Teaching”. This book...

The Gift of the Ladybug, by Carole M. Amber is a touching tale about love and parenthood. In a small village there lived two horses that were in love and longed to have a child. One day they were blessed with a baby boy. They...

Did you play 'pretend' when you were younger and hope that the worlds you imagined could actually be real? Then The Strings of the Violin by Alisse Lee Goldenberg will be a book you'd enjoy a lot. Carrie and her two friends are taken on...

Written by Andy Garner, The End of the Line is an anthology of short stories and a couple of poems. The stories are diverse, ranging from tragedy to humor, even children’s tales. The book includes a number of award winning pieces, including the prize winning...

The Old Man And The King by Joe Corso is an action packed entertainer that revolves around Lom, a seventy-two-year-old Korean War vet, originally from the hills of Tennessee, who is now settled in New York after being discharged from service. Toby, the King, meets...

Nikki Harper always seems to be wherever trouble is. It seems she can never escape the paparazzi as the daughter of a famous actress; but she also never seems to shake off the watchful gaze of Detective Dombrowski, especially since she keeps turning up at...

The Secret in the Compost Bin by Margaret Pearce must be one of the loveliest children's books I've read in a while. It is the story of a boy who would like nothing more than either having friends over to his place or a pet....

Roger and Suzanne Bowman go to Uruguay to celebrate their friend’s promotion to police captain. The day does not end smoothly when the couple finds the dead body of an old acquaintance in their motel room. Their main suspects are from the police force. Roger...

There are many variations of the classic tale of The Tortoise and The Hare, and this version by Jerry Pinkney is one of the most adorable I've seen. Instead of using the words, Pinkney uses his awesome illustrations to tell this story. There is a...

When Irene, a young girl in her early teens, moves across the world to Normandy, the rugged beauty of the land captivates her. She loves everything about it, including a handsome local named Ishmael. However, a local toy maker has a dark and mysterious past,...

The Very Fairy Princess is the latest in the Princess series by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. It is beautifully illustrated by Christine Davenier and the colorful pictures help to facilitate the understanding of the story for younger children. Geraldine believes herself to be...