War at the Ice Cream Store: Mustachio Pistachio vs. Bully Vanilli is a social issues picture book for children, grades k-3, written by Cheryl DaVeiga and Dave Gibson and illustrated by Sarah Krogman, Dave Gibson, and Jay Petsko. The Frozen Frogg ice cream store was...

Get to Know Your Body, written and illustrated by Ananya Prechavut, is a children’s picture book that takes an analytical look at the human body from a child’s perspective. Prechavut tells the facts of life in a way that children can understand. Get to Know...

Does Grandma Remember Me? by Evita Sherman is a sweet, endearing children's book about dementia that comforts and informs. It tells the story of a young child wondering and worrying about the changes in Grandma, how she is changing, and what she (the child), can...

Last Star Standing is a dystopian science fiction novel written by Spaulding Taylor. When they came for him in the middle of a class he was teaching, Aiden Tenten’s heart sank. How had the Xirfell found out about him? He was almost relieved, however, when...

We Are Akan: Our People and Our Kingdom in the Rainforest — Ghana, 1807 by Dorothy Brown Soper is a blend of historical and coming-of-age, a story with a gripping setting that features life in the rainforests of Ghana in the 1800s. This book follows...

Made With Love: Culinary Inspirations From Around the World by Elizabeth Lee is a fascinating book for all food lovers. This professional yacht chef provides readers with mouthwatering, delicious recipes that have been developed keeping in mind they can be made in the smallest of...

The Reunions is the third installment of Tina Hogan Grant's Tammy Mellows series. Tammy Mellows continues to fish for crabs off the coast of Malibu alongside her boyfriend, Dwayne, while raising her son, Matt. As the years pass by, Tammy is constantly reminded of her...

As much as I consider myself an avid reader, there are still books that can surprise me with something new. Backstories by Simon van der Velde is one of those books. A collection of short stories set in the Sixties and Seventies between the United...

In Reality by DC Wince, The Game is about to begin, a game where there can be only one winner, and the losers' fates will be in the hands of the Watchers. In the searing heat of the Sahara desert and the African savannah, four...

Do you wonder what skeletons lie in your closet? Have you studied your family history, or looked into genealogy to trace your roots? When William T. Packwood started looking into his family’s past, he was surprised to find his ancestors hailed from New London, Connecticut...

Jane the Astronaut: The Mystery of the Alien Dragons, written by Dianne Bateman and illustrated by Remesh Ram, is a children's science fiction/fantasy chapter book that follows a teen girl embarking on the adventure of her dreams. Jane comes home thrilled that she's won a...

Through A Forest of Stars is a work of fiction in the science fiction genre, and is the first book in the Space Unbound series. It was penned by author David C. Jeffrey. Set in a future in which Earth’s atmosphere is quickly losing its...

In this collection of short stories, prepare to be immersed in the day-to-day activities of some charming characters from different walks of life. David Joseph combines several romantic and dreamy themes in The Old Men Who Row Boats and Other Stories: boat rides, art galleries,...

Healing - Beyond Pills & Potions: Core Principles for Helpers & Healers by Steve Bierman MD is an engaging book on the topic of healing that shows a deeper sense of personal fulfillment in caregiving. The skills and teachings in the book are enriching for...

Primed to Kill is the second book in the Kill Crime series by Mike Slavin. It follows Jeff Case, a former Green Beret and two-war veteran whose soul is scarred by pain, loss, and tragedy. Life is quiet at his house, a ranch outside Houston,...

Brandon Goes to Hong Kong - Xiānggǎng (香港), by Eugenia Chu, is an 80-page adventure-filled children’s story starring Brandon and his family who travel to Hong Kong where lots of fun and adventure await. This American-Chinese family is from the States, and they visit relatives...

As soon as I saw there was a second Brody Cody book up for review I grabbed it. Brody Cody and the Haunted Vacation House by Toni Pike is another delightful tale. In the first book, poor Brody is faced with accepting a new mother,...

The mother-daughter bond is a special treasure. Daughters look up to their mothers and try to copy their example, to do what their mothers do. Daughters are full of questions: “how do you get to the moon?” and “where do you keep your money?” With...

A Stranger Killed Katy by William D. LaRue is the True Story of Katherine Hawelka, Her Murder on a New York Campus, and How Her Family Fought Back. On August 29, 1986, a stranger arrived in town. Just hours later Katy Hawelka, a pretty sophomore,...

A Story of Karma: Finding Love and Truth in the Lost Valley of the Himalaya by Michael Schauch takes readers on a fascinating and insightful journey with the author and Chantal, his wife, to the remote Himalaya of northern Nepal - a desert of snow...