As someone who runs memoir writing workshops, I've always maintained that a memoir, just like fiction, needs dialogue to reveal character, move the story along quickly and sustain reader interest. In Alabama Blue, Toni K. Pacini has shown that isn’t always true. Hence, I’m still...

A little girl likes being her Daddy’s princess as he swings her through the air. But she really doesn’t think she could be a princess all of the time. You see, a crown is hard to wear and she’d have to sit on a throne...

I loved Essence of Existence by Paul Roman. The subtitle is Brief Story of Matter and People. In fact, it is a clear but very condensed history of the universe. A while back I wrote an essay calling for the addition of a course on...

Elle has an allergic reaction to wheat. In this colorful children’s book, Living With an Allergiosaurus by Naomi Greaves, you will discover that wheat is in everything. It may be hard to conceive, but wheat is even in things like gum, ice cream, paint, and...

Letters: Building an Alphabet with Art and Attitude (ABC… the Art and Poetry of the English Alphabet Explained in a Philosophical Verse of Rhythm and Rhyme) by Peter N. Liptak is a light-hearted discourse on the twenty-six letters that make up the English alphabet. Cleverly...

Between Baby Dolls and Boyfriends: How to Successfully Navigate Your Daughter’s Tween Years by Debi Smith-Racanelli and Kendall Racanelli is a useful tool for all parents, especially moms, to bring them closer to their tweens. The years 9-12, the tween years, are challenging for most...

Oubliette: A Forgotten Little Place, an offering by debut author Vanta M. Black, is a dark and twisty story that kept me up way past the time I should have been asleep! What is an "oubliette," you might ask? It's a hidden dungeon, one that...

Tainted Love is the first book in the Lovestruck series written by Lane Hart. Tired of being alone after the breakup of her cheating boyfriend, Bryan Davis, 26-year-old Josie Carter and her best friend, Reagan, find themselves being read by psychic, Madam Tess, at a...

Myst: An Isle of Myst Novel by Stacie Wilson is a fantasy tale featuring magic and the eternal battle between darkness and light. Unknown to her, Brianna St. James is destined for great things. In fact, she holds the power to the fulfillment of the...

A More Deadly Union: Peri Minneopa Mysteries, Book 4 is a private investigator mystery written by Gayle Carline. Private Investigator Peri Minneopa’s main concern at the moment was keeping her client, friend and personal assistant, Benny Needles, from spending his entire insurance settlement on Dean...

In a simply delightful memoir penned by author Lisa Fleetwood, Destination Dachshund: A Travel Memoir - Three Months, Three Generations and Sixty Dachshunds, readers will be treated to a fun, funny, heartwarming and even an educational retelling of the travels of the Fleetwood family through...

Constant Guests by Patricia Nedelea is a complex story with multiple themes, and, as a debut novel, it is little short of a masterpiece. Isa’s story covers so many centuries, involving a tarot deck from 1389. It isn’t until the time of her real mother’s...

Snowglobe Reunion by Christina Lorenzen is a charming and thoroughly enjoyable story about love, romance, and God's perfect plan and timing. As Carrie attempts to get home in time for Christmas, her efforts are thwarted by a blizzard and cancelled flights. While waiting, not so...

True Mercy by Idelle Kursman is a riveting and suspenseful thriller about a girl's attempted escape from modern slavery. It was early morning in Chisinau, Moldova and Marina was on her way to the station to catch a train. At the quiet and empty station,...

I Dare You to Try It is a contemporary romantic novel written by Elie Jerome. The gentleman worked several jobs to help his younger brother, Gabriel, finish his schooling. Since their parents died, the gentleman took it upon himself as his responsibility to take care...

Love, Bill: Finding My Father Through Letters from World War II by Jan Krulick-Belin is a collection of heartrending and poignant memories the author has of her father, Bill, which she shares with readers through this book. The author’s love for her father is evident...

Bad Memories by Douglas Sandler is John Miller’s story and his memories are of death on a cataclysmic scale. Working as a doctor in an asylum, he was held responsible for mistakes that resulted in the demise of many inmates. The story is told from...

It’s that time of day, or should I say early evening. The time when, with pyjamas and slippers on, children can curl up on their bed or on the living room couch next to Mom, Dad, or a grandparent – or all of the above...

Step One, Step Two, Step Three and Four by Maria Ashworth is a beautifully written and illustrated children’s book about co-mingling families. One day a mother told her daughter that she was getting married. Her daughter began to wonder if she would have to share...

No Longer an Orphan: A Story of a Dog and His Adoption by Trisha Conklin is the charming story of Lucky, an adorable black puppy who is lost, wounded, and needs a home. When Lucky is found, he is taken where he can receive...