In Richard Steinitz’s Kaplan’s Quest, Shmuel Kaplan is a young Israeli academic who has always been haunted by the figure of his great-uncle Samuel Kaplan, for whom he was named. Samuel, a German Jew, was a champion shot-putter and came to Tel Aviv in 1935...

Tacoma's whole life revolved around his 12-year-old sister Seattle. With an out-of-the-picture father and a crackhead mother, Tacoma and Seattle were on their own. He would do and sacrifice anything to give his little sister a chance at a brighter future. They were all each...

Mary Lee's The ABC's of Titles for Tiny Tales: Writing Prompts to Ignite and Excite a Child to Write is filled with marvelous full-color illustrations and catchy prompts. This book can be used as a workbook as the facing page for each illustration is lined...

This is How Much Oatmeal Loves You: A Collection of Stories is written by Stephen R. Wagner. The stories are prefaced by two introductions which serve to introduce both the author and the genesis of most of the stories. They were written, as the author...

Ten-year-old David Kingsley and his sister Chloe are spending the summer at their grandmother’s house, expecting it to be boring and dreary. However, David begins to see and hear things he never thought he would ever experience; shadows, the voice of a little girl and...

In Daryl Hajek’s Blood Blossom, Vivian Hutchins’ hope to reunite and restore her relationship with her younger sister, Christine, is ruined. Christine wants nothing but revenge – the dark feeling has not subsided, even after 22 years. She is hell-bent on going after their mysterious...

Child of Privilege by Ross Ponderson revolves around Dana who is surrounded by all the privileges of wealth, the trappings of high society, a closet full of expensive clothes and a luxurious life. That is the life she projects outside, a fairy tale existence which...

Caste - The Unexplored Territories by author JT is a good book on the exploration of caste. As caste is defined as 'a rigid social class into which members are born and from which they can escape or withdraw with extreme difficulty' by Lundenberg, JT...

In Ripple Effect by Kathleen King, Jenna, a college student at Michigan State, wanders aimlessly in the mounds of thick snow and sub-zero, bone-chilling temperatures. She's tired, scared and sleepy. Minutes later, she's dead. Her college friends Lexi, Abbie and Kim, did not have to...

Tilly and Nuella, A Lifetime Odyssey of Friendship by Michael James Stewart is about two friends who meet while working as domestics. Tilly grew up in England, and had endured nothing but violence in an abusive home. Nuella grew up in Ireland, but was reared...

Moira, an art student, along with her sister, Tabitha, and her brother, Dai, travel to Meini Hirion, a stone circle in Wales, just outside the town they live in. They go to perform a spell from Tabitha's Wiccan religion to try to contact their late...

Help for Hysterical Humans Who Hope to Be Happy in Heaven or Here by James Sterngram is a powerful collection of poems intended to be a "course in happiness” ― to use the author's words ― but the reader will immediately discover that this collection...

Letters to Loretta From The Radio Shack by Laura Lynn Ashworth is a collection of letters between two childhood friends, Loretta and Sal, during WWII. Through their correspondence, Loretta and Sal slowly blossom into sweethearts as Loretta writes from their hometown of Chicago, Illinois, while...

Cats Are Lucky! is a children's book written by Julia Todd Stone and illustrated by Nayan Soni. The narrator of the book is a border collie who sometimes wonders if being a cat is better than being a dog. The collie lists all of the...

In Emma: Desperately Seeking Baby by Joanna Butler, Emma has just married her long-time boyfriend Jeff and they decided straight away that they wanted to start a family. Only it isn’t happening for them. After months of trying, Emma decides that they need to try...

Google Brown - Boy Detective: Google Brown Mysteries, Volume 1 is a collection of short mystery stories for children and preteens written by Garry F. Taylor. Geoffrey Brown is an 11-year-old who lives with his older sister Susan and their parents in Thomasville. While his...

Whore of Babylon by Azaria Frost is a beguiling tale of love and loss during the time of oppressive conquerors and rulers in ancient Sumeria. Growing up in Nippur, Eliana and her sister, Kisha, have their lives shattered when Samsu, an invading prince from Babylonia,...

Massive Black Hole is a contemporary fiction novel written by Andrea Barbosa. It's the story of three very different women whose lives are forever changed by their time together in New York City. Agatha came from a broken home in Texas and was taken in...

The Death You Deserve is the first book in Wither The Waking World, a fantasy series by Jonathan Techlin. Its central character is Theel, a lowly squire who desperately wants to be in control of his own life. For now, at least, the orphaned Theel...

Replete Vivacity by Eugene Lucas is a streetwise, straight shooting, heartfelt vision of happiness and ultimate fulfillment in the presence of overwhelming odds - a defiant gesture of hope in a bleak and unforgiving universe. As a man, as a father, as a lover, and...