The burden of achieving social acceptance and outward, physical beauty can be crushing for a teenage girl. But then there are the victories, both small and large; little feats of independence and larger, inward self-acceptance. Jacquelyn Eubanks in The Last Time showcases a sympathetic and...

What a wonderful story about love, lost love, and taking the thumps of life and daring to bounce back! To Tuscany with Love by debut novelist Gail Mencini is an absolute gem for those wanting to guess at the intricate ins and outs of love....

We often take the food that we eat for granted, forgetting that at some point someone took the time and trouble to create it. In this delightful tale, Cinnamon Diamonds, Mark Piper gives a fictionalized account of the man accredited with inventing the hole in...

A murder mystery in Tursenia, Italy, interrupts the week off that Chase Williams had planned in Into the Killer Sphere by Stefania Mattana. Hoping to get away from the office and take some much-needed time off, Chase is suddenly called upon by his friend, Inspector...

Wow! I haven’t read such fast paced, well written speculative fiction in a long time. Digital Wax by Loron-Jon Stokes is a roller coaster ride of clear crisp writing. Digital Wax is cyber punk at its intense best. It is the story of Ronelle, a...

In 1945, after Germany surrendered, the American army sent soldiers there, but not to fight. Their job was to find art stolen by the Nazis and return it to the rightful owners. They were also sent to rebuild German monuments, thus they were called the...

Out of the Depths is a songwriter’s attempt to bring the biblical Psalms to life. As he explores his own existence, not withholding his deepest, sometimes intimate thoughts and ideas, Rick Lee James draws you into a lifestyle of worship and praise. His analysis of...

As J.M. Ney-Grimm’s tale begins, Sarvet is filled with joyous anticipation. The fifteen-year-old knows that the day about to dawn is no ordinary one. For it is Other-joy and, rather than the drudgery of regular chores, there is celebration. However, several things threaten to lessen...

Raising a special needs child seems to be like nurturing a rose with many thorns. Holding onto the stem is painful, but the bloom can be spectacular. Michele Gianetti, R.N., writes I Believe In You and she shares her worthwhile, but sometimes painful journey. Michele...

A Planet for Tristan Wolf by Mariana Llanos is the adventure story of Tristan Wolf and his friend, Red. Bored with his life and fed up with sharing his room with his brother Billy, Tristan leaves his home. He is looking for a new life...

The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain by Anna del C. Dye is another tale of the Elf kingdom with a very satisfying conclusion. I have to be careful of spoilers, because I’d really like to tell you all about this story, but too much information...

Beautiful Evil Winter by Kelly K. Lavender speaks about international adoption and the complications that can arise if it is done from an unsafe country like Russia. Ethan and Sophia go to Russia to adopt a baby boy. When they arrive, they realize that they...

The Unbreakable Spirit of the Unbreakable Man by Maxine Steele is an inspiring and uplifting book which tells the story of Nicholas Steele who was paralyzed from the neck down when a lightning-struck tree fell on him. What follows is a series of setbacks in...

What do you do when everything everyone has ever said about your relationship turns out to be true? That’s the question Shelly must ask herself after her husband Cal betrays her, in the most clichéd of ways, after a Vegas bachelor party. With six years...

There is hope for winning the battle against Fibromyalgia/CFS. Rebecca Richmond has developed a 'go to' reference for helping those suffering from either or both of these debilitating syndromes in My Guide: Manage Fibromyalgia/CFS. As Rebecca lays out the causes and symptoms of both syndromes,...

I am a fan of Rebecca Richmond. I have found her books to be comprehensive, well written, and most of all, useful. My Guide: Manage Chronic Pain is no exception. It starts with a brief description of her life then zooms in on the moment...

Sandy Peckinpah has been through any parent's worst nightmare. Losing her son at the tender age of sixteen to an unexpected illness, within a day's time was not what she had ever thought about. The sadness and overwhelming grief that she had to deal with...

The Adventures of Flapjack: The Collar of Courage by Dan Cohen is about a dog named Flapjack, who is being bullied. Flapjack loves going to the big green park where he can play with his friends, but there's one dog that he hopes will stay...

At the End of the Line is a historical novel written by Kathryn Longino. It's also a coming of age story set in the 1950s and 1960s, featuring Beanie, a young Mormon girl who is forced to marry an older Church Elder at the age...

Most of us have heard of “Mad Cow Disease” but few of us are familiar with Creutzfeldt- Jacob Disease, or CJD. In Kingston’s Project by Carrie Beckort, readers will learn of the devastating effects of CJD on victims and their families. The “mad cow” form...