Meticulously researched and comprehensively annotated, this volume of neglected Americana history, The Civil War Soldiers’ Orphan Schools of Pennsylvania 1864-1899, heavily illustrated with fascinating photographs, drawings, and period documents, is particularly well-attended to by its author Dr. O. David Gold. In a somewhat disingenuous introduction...

Destiny (Forever and Always Book One) by Cindy Springsteen is about young love. Cassidy is shy but incurably curious about life. When Danny appears, she is smitten. She considers him to be her soulmate. Her one and only true love. However, fate has different plans...

Star is Happy by Marion Brownlie is an adorable book for children that conveys a beautiful message of finding joy in all the simple things in life that we see around us. Star is happy. There are so many nice things to see. Star laughs,...

That Year is a memoir by author Sevda Khatamian which chronicles an autobiographical year in the author’s own life. Though it’s unclear where exactly the year is set, it appears to be a country such as Iran or Turkey where a perceived ‘degenerate’ lifestyle is...

On June 24, 1981, two Bosnian teenagers, Mirjana, then 16, and Ivanka, 15, were walking near their nondescript village of Medjugorje in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, when Ivanka told her friend she could see an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mirjana told...

Harcourt’s Mountain by Elaine Dodge is historical fiction, but mostly it is the love story of Hope and Luke. It is 1867 in a small frontier town. Luke has ridden into town to purchase his supplies. Hope has no memory of her past and only...

Just Another Race Horse is an animal story written by Marion N. Seidel, based on true events as told from the viewpoint of a horse named Sonny. Sonny was not one of the small, elite minority of racehorses that were born to be great and...

Maya Rising (Last Call for Caviar) (Volume 2) is the second installment in a dystopian series by Melissa Roen. American Maya Jade is trapped in the south of France, trying to survive the dark apocalypse around her. She’s been reunited with Julian, her estranged lover,...

Gwyn had just joined her parents in Israel for a holiday. As they toured the country and visited places of historical significance, Gwyn - a history major at university - could not help but dream about how amazing it would be to go back in...

Past Sin by Hilary Murray is an exciting story of love and bravery, and one man’s struggle to come to grips with his past. Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous period in distant 12th century Ireland, this novel narrates a gripping tale of a...

Racial Realities and Post-Racial Dreams - The Age of Obama and Beyond by Julius Bailey is a gorgeously written, exceedingly intelligent, impeccably nuanced polemic against the current state of race relations in America. Dr. Bailey includes a bibliographical reference list by chapter that securely establishes...

Seer of Souls (The Spirit Shield Saga, Book One) by Susan Faw opens with Mordecai the wizard saving the souls of two infants from the poison that killed their mother, Princess Gwendolyn. They are born again and live as twins, Cayden and Avery Tiernan, in...

From a Broken Land by William R. Herr is an epic adventure about a soldier and a princess from opposing countries, drawn together to face an impending disaster. A devastating blight is destroying everything and everyone in its path -- regardless of rank or allegiances....

Guardians of the Worlds, The Descendant by Ally Capraro is a delightful fantasy/sci-fi romance that begins with the evil ruler of Xemlix, Slith, conferring with his assistant, Tiluk. His plan is to invade Earth through a dimension portal and cause the inhabitants to lose themselves...

Christine Keleny’s Intrigue in Istanbul, An Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure is the American version of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce. It begins with the early death of Agnes’ father while he is away on a business trip. Agnes is puzzled by something her Uncle Bob...

In Rebirth by Travis Starnes, John Taylor is an ex-soldier, a prisoner of war, and a caring person. He was held and tortured for three years before he was able to find the perfect chance to escape. He spent over six months in the hospital...

Chike the Invincible by Dr. Ogo Okoye-Johnson is a beautiful story for young readers with an excellent message. Chike lived with his parents, Chief Ike and Chi-Chi, in the village of Awor. Chief Ike was powerful and he always won the biggest yam and archery...

Celeste Fletcher McHale has done the near impossible. I cried while reading. I have always thought people who were brought to tears over written words were perhaps a little overly emotional. Apparently it just takes a great author, and that author is Celeste Fletcher McHale....

As someone who has spent a great deal of her life in Australia, I'm Not Your Baby took me by surprise. Fortunately for me and my daughters, none of us encountered Aussie males the likes of those the author, Joy Jennings, had the misfortune to...

Max, the son of a Swabian noble in the service of Otto, King of all of Germany and later Holy Roman Emperor, loves horses. Carried on the Wind by Tom Nelson begins when Max is a child, and spends his days at the horse farm...