The Pelican by M. Naidoo tells the story of a young woman named Julia who receives the devastating news that she has terminal cancer. Only too aware of the terrible pain and anguish her mother had been through, having suffered the same condition, Julia vows...

The Yoga of True Wealth: Wisdom from a Heart on Wall Street by Francis G Bitterly is a non-fiction book that falls into two distinct genres: philosophy and religion/spirituality on one hand, and finance and investment strategies on the other. It is indeed hard to...

Although I didn’t read the first book in the Miller Hoffman series by Zelmer Wilson, this second entry, Next Best Thing, reads so well and it is absorbing. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the book is character-driven, and the internal conflict is superbly explored....

The Rampart Guards by Wendy Terrien is Chronicle One in the Adventures of Jason Lex. After Jason Lex's mom disappears one night, his dad decides to move him and his siblings closer to their grandma and the uncle their mom never wanted them to meet....

What Good Is Jesus? is an inspiring and captivating Christian non-fiction book written by Marv Nelson. Nelson writes the book from a fresh new perspective in consideration of today’s culture and ideas. He does not shy away from delving into difficult topics and questions that...

The Syrian Peddler by Linda Hanna Lloyd is a fictionalised retelling of the author’s forebears as they immigrated and settled in America in the early years of the twentieth century. Like so many Europeans, many people from the Middle East sought a better life at...

I read Gangs and the Military: Gangsters, Bikers, and Terrorists with Military Training by Carter F. Smith in order to learn more about this phenomenon as research for a work of fiction I have planned. I wanted to learn about the gangs associated with spreading...

November Third is the second volume in the Gatekeepers of Democracy series by Bill Lewers, a story revolving around election drama and featuring a strong conflict. The story follows Carl Marsden, who joins the team of county “rovers,” the group responsible for testing voting machines...

Faces Behind the Masks by Thomas J. Brodeur is a comedic tale full of action and adventure. Travis Warnofski is 12 years old and, as far as he is concerned, his uncle is nothing short of a superhero. That doesn’t mean that Trav likes him...

When you read a review that describes a book as “riveting” and/or “one that you can't put it down”, you think of books like thrillers or mystery fiction. You don't think of books like A Second Less Capable Head and Other Rogue Stories by James...

Adventure North is a nonfiction adventure memoir written by Sean Bloomfield. While most high school seniors were enjoying the last few months of their final spring semester, Bloomfield and his friend, Colton Witte, were setting out on the adventure of a lifetime. They had concentrated...

Compose Your Soul: How to Turn Your Daily Chaos into Calm Control by Angela Nuttle is an uplifting and insightful read about composing one's soul, which requires deep reflection, brutal honesty, and the willingness to accept that we have unique DNA. It works differently for...

Gregory the Spider: Romping through the Year is a children’s picture book written by Cynthia Dreeman Meyer and illustrated by Marina Saumell. Gregory the Spider doesn’t have a favorite month; he loves them all. In this brightly colored and cheerful book that explores those things...

Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee is a novel for children, grades 4-6, written by Tonya Duncan Ellis. Sophie was definitely not interested in participating in Xavier Academy’s spelling bee. The ten-year-old hadn’t intended that her parents know about it, as she realized they’d want...

Sophie Washington: The Snitch is the second book in Tonya Duncan Ellis’s series for children, grades 4-6. Ten-year-old Sophie has an awful secret that only her best friend, Chloe, knows. Sophie is being tormented by an older girl who is new to the school. Lanie...

Sophie Washington: Things You Didn’t Know About Sophie by Tonya Duncan Ellis is a children’s Grade 4-6 fictional novel; this is a book that would appeal most to a mixed audience of children, tweens, and teens who enjoy drama fiction where the main characters are...

The Gamer: Sophie Washington is a novel for children, grades 4-6, written by Tonya Duncan Ellis. Sophie’s in sixth grade now, and she’s beginning to understand more of what the pastor is preaching in church on Sundays. Today’s sermon was on resisting the temptation to...

In The Truth That Hides by A.J. Schmitz, Jack doesn't think of his job as spying. He's merely clicking away at a computer and rating the people he sees on their threat level to the organization. It's no big deal. But then he realizes the...

No Tougher Duty, No Greater Honor: A Memoir of a Mortuary Affairs Marine by GySgt L. Christian Bussler (Ret.) is a clever military non-fiction story of a Mortuary Affairs Marine. We meet the protagonist in 2002, employed as a postal letter carrier in Springfield, Ohio....

Coming-of-age, inspirational, and Christian romance are genres blended perfectly in a tale of mystery in Leslea Wahl’s debut novel, The Perfect Blindside. The reader is introduced to two gifted teenagers, Jake and Sophie. Jake is a snowboarder with an Olympic Silver Medal, proud and adored...