Drift and Hum: The Great Canadian-American Novel by Robert Martichenko surprised me in many ways. This is a story that beautifully showcases the themes of love, friendship, family, and the search for meaning, a story that spans fifty years. Readers are introduced to the incredible...

The Girl Who Hated Australia (Not So Serious Jack Series Book 1) by Jack Thompsen revolves around seven-year-old Jorie who is going to Australia. Jorie is unhappy and she tells her mother that she hates Australia. Her mother tries to convince her otherwise, saying that...

The Little Big Girl (Not So Serious Jack Series Book 2) by Jack Thompsen revolves around a little girl who lives in a little city. She lives in a little house and has little shoes. Her family is big, Mom, Dad, Sam the cat, and...

Readers get to see Emma coming back from school in a bad mood in The Listening Story (Not So Serious Jack Series Book 3) by Jack Thompsen. Her father wants to know why she is so angry and she tells him that no one in...

Blues Harp Green is a young adult novel by Nicole Schubert. The novel’s protagonist, Francie Millis - aka FM - is a 16-year-old girl who lives in LA. Francie’s dream is to become the ultimate tennis player. She tries so hard to focus on tennis...

Hayden and Briar meet in a most unlikely place to find love – a hospice center. Hayden Crewe is the pianist, singer and composer in the popular Australian rock band, Jackaroo. He receives a phone call that his mother, from whom he is estranged and...

The Violet Eyed is the second book in The Occuli series, written by Christie M. Stenzel. After having dreams about a stranger, Violet Kingsley comes face to face with the boy in her dreams at school, in the form of Drake. While their chance encounters...

When someone asks you to lend a helping hand at a time that is impossible for your schedule, can you say no? If you are heading out to relax at your favorite spot and your spouse asks you to instead change your plans to accommodate...

Can a Princess Be a Firefighter? is a children’s book written by Carole P. Roman and illustrated by Mateya Arkova. When a child asks her parent if a princess can be a firefighter, she is offered many occupational suggestions, some of which are roles usually...

Rocket-bye by Carole P. Roman is an enjoyable picture book that takes young readers on an exciting journey. It is about two people in outer space. They soar above trees and see cities look small. They see stars make up constellations, and soar past each...

One to Ten: Squirrel’s Bad Day is a fun storybook for children, as well as providing a coping mechanism for learning to deal with problems. Ranking a problem on a scale of one to 10 will help them to understand that bad things happen and,...

In Shady Place by David A. Byrne, we first meet Jim Phillips, a retired police detective, as he is preparing to leave the Philadelphia home he shared for many years with his now deceased wife; being urged on by his two adult daughters to move...

Pax is a yellow Lab; Jasmine is a Montserratian cat who really thinks she’s a princess; Gertie is a Montserrat agouti who speaks Montserrat Creole dialect. And, of course, there’s Mom and Dad. They’re the human members of the family, the ones who walk on...

A Super Hero Surprise by Danika Gordon is an educational children's book. The book is about a young boy. For his birthday, the boy receives a super hero t-shirt from his grandma, but he claims he doesn't believe in super heroes. His grandma tells him...

The illustrations by Siera Tomczak in The Color of Beauty are very realistic. She adds so many tones, shadows, and highlights that really give contrast and bring the illustrations to life. The poetry or musings on color by Goob are very well written. The author...

What does it take to be clean again after years of drug abuse? For William James, it could mean getting as far away as possible from one’s immediate environment, steering away from friends, and starting a new life. That is why the twenty-two-year-old man leaves...

An adorable book with a positive message, Can We Watch? follows Isabelle and her brother, Joe, as they continually implore their parents: can we watch television? But one day, when the electricity goes out, Isabelle and Joe spend the time not with electronics, but playing...

Voice in the Wilderness by H.L. Wegley is the opening book in the Against All Enemies series, a thriller with great spiritual and political undertones, and a stunning indictment of a system that fosters dictatorship and a mindless form of capitalism. The US is heading...

Ahe'ey by Jamie Le Fay is the complete collection of a series that takes place in a fantasy world segregated following a horrific war. Morgan is opinionated and strong-willed, speaking for empowerment and equality. When an event goes awry and her handsome guide saves her...

“Dreams are but a doorway to your heart.” Such are the powerful words that open this beautiful and epic tale and they are words that captured my heart and got me interested in this story that is filled with wisdom, action, and entertainment. A perfect...