I enjoyed reading Losing the Dollhouse by S. Jane Gari. This is Jane’s story of how, after dealing with years of sexual abuse by her stepfather, she finally works up the courage and tells her mother. Instead of protecting her daughter, Jane’s mother turns against...

Lexicon Chase and the Riddle Song by Jonathan Fore is a fast-paced fantasy novel with a lot of strong and evocative characters. We are introduced to Lexicon Chase, the princess, at the beginning of the story as she recounts her companions from previous adventures and,...

Tomb of the Triceratops: Fossil Explorers Book 1 is an action and adventure novel for young adults and preteens written by Michael Ajax. Gabriel and his friend, Leo, were amazed to find that his older brother, Daniel, had left his bedroom door unlocked. He never...

Where the Lion Dwells by Robbi Perna is a beautiful story of love, loss, and redemption. Joanna Sansone is still mourning her fiancé, Renzo Moretti. She’s finally coming home, hoping to live a quiet, peaceful life after her stint in Iraq as a political adviser....

Oh, to be free! To be able to run across the wild prairie without a care in the world, free of danger, free of injury, free of hardship and starvation. The wild Mustangs have run free for generations, but not without the fear of predators:...

In Beyond the Screen Door by Julia Diana Robertson, Nora Lee Sutter is a seven-year-old girl living in the small Washington State town of Hoquiam in 1945. She has been able to see spirits since she was four years old. That summer, Nora hasn't spoken...

Supernatural Hero and the Zombies by Eran Gadot is a fun preteen book, book 3 in a series. We meet Andy again as he is getting ready to spend his summer with Zoe. Andy's 'to do' list involves things like going to the beach with...

What does it feel like to be in constant contact with the pain and misery of others, to touch the brokenness and fragility of another human being — the strangers, the homeless people brought straight from the gutters of life, the ones glued to their...

Jorie and the Gold Key by A.H. Richardson is the sequel to Jorie and the Magic Stones; the book would appeal most to children and young adults that enjoy fantasy books and who have read and enjoyed Jorie and the Magic Stones. The setting of...

Like many 16-year-old girls, Kyla Marine is not sure how she fits in with the people around her. Also, like many girls that age, she has secrets, fears and insecurities as well. Kyla tells her story in Beyond the Waterfall by Eryn Flynn and shares...

Sympathy for the Devil by A.J. Aaron is a powerful, humorous novel that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of fantasy. The author creates a compelling and controversial character in the man known as John. This is a man who easily gets bored, who is lonely,...

Intriguing The Viscount is set in London in the period shortly following Waterloo and Napoleon’s final exile to St. Helena. While it is an excellent Regency-era romance, it also delves into some of the social issues of the day, including the grinding poverty experienced by...

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...

I have read a couple of good books this year where the hero is somehow transported to a fantastic realm by mysterious and magical means. It’s an angle I like as a reader. I like the magical and fantastic landscapes, but it’s nice when the...

If you're looking for a good murder mystery, try Murder By The Collar by T Jerome Miller. This former PolyGram, Motown, Capitol, and Warner Music Group entertainment executive has turned his creative juices into creating a life, music and corruption masterpiece. The marriage between the...

Seattle detectives Nick Winston and Pat Strom are not prepared for the devastating murder scene to which they have been assigned. Not only is the victim dead, she has been butchered beyond any conceivable definition of the word. Beautiful young party girl Kylee Harris is...

I loved this book. For me, it was a walk down Memory Lane. Just looking at the table of contents, I knew it would be meaningful for me. Palo Alto and Stanford University. I've been there. Seoul, South Korea, 1988. I was there working for...

Life, even in a royal palace, can be difficult. Especially for teens who are trying to come to terms with their changing bodies and changing feelings. It takes courage to grow up. It takes courage no matter where you live. For Toby and Olive, it...

With I, the Sun, Janet Morris comes close to a biography of the Hittite king, Suppiluliumas, whilst creating a captivating story, and that is a brilliant achievement in fiction where only one character, Titai, a slave girl, is fictitious. At the opening, Tasmisarri, heir to...

Once in a great while, a book of profound insight comes along disguised as a collection of stories about magic. Joseph Campbell penetrated the familiar great world myths to reveal an incredibly rich and complex psychological reality in the lives we live, and thus made...