Book Reviews
All the Lights That Have Shone
Paul McCormack’s All the Lights That Have Shone is a quietly ambitious collection of short stories. Read On
Conquer Your Love
Meeting Jett was like bad luck. Dangerous. Unpredictable. And better avoided. In his game, the stakes are high. But are they worth the risk?
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Honeymoon for One
Being ditched at the altar is the least of Lizzie Mancini’s problems. Sitting in a Caribbean jail cell accused of murdering her “pretend” husband, however, is at the top of the list. Read On
The Mine
A know-it-all guy named Joel finds a time portal deep beneath the Earth and gets stuck in 1941, affecting many lives and ultimately becoming a very different person.
Alabaster Houses
A time-jumping, multigenerational, multiethnic saga, centered around death, spirituality, love, and forgiveness. Read On
Rock with Me
Rock With Me is a romance involving Leo Nash, front man for the rock band Nash, and Samantha Williams, sister of a famous actor, who is tired of dating celebrities and has promised herself never to do it again. Read On
Suddenly Royal
Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her hands dirty. Working toward a master’s degree in wildlife biology while helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. Read On
The Silver Sphere
The Silver Sphere takes place on the world of Azimuth, a planet with elements of both fantasy (mythical creatures, swords and sorcery, cloaks and horses and all) and science fiction (space ships and star darts). Read On
Patalosh: The Time Travelers
Orion Spence is the son of the Captain and Science Officer of the time- traveling Taloshian starship HMS Exploricus. The Taloshians are a race of powerful and highly technically-sophisticated beings (of multiple forms – some are plants, some cats, some bats, spiders, humans, or other species) who inhabit the island of Patalosh on the planet Lumina in another universe. Read On
Enchanted by Starlight
Three women, as teenage girls, are given magical gifts by shooting stars, leaving them Enchanted by Starlight. Read On
The Castilian Suite
The Castilian Suite is a detailed and intimate biography of a man’s growth from a rather spoiled and entitled youth to a disillusioned but dedicated middle age. Read On
Cochabamba Conspiracy
The Cochabama Conspiracy takes place in La Paz, Bolivia, where Lt. Col. Tom Callahan, Air Force flying ace, has been sent in order to undo some political and diplomatic damage done by his predecessor in the Military Group. Read On
Talk to Me: Workplace Conversations that Work
“Talk to Me” mixes fictional situations that highlight the principles illustrated in the stories and offers practical exercises as a follow up.
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Chattanooga
Told entirely through monologues from various characters, “Chattanooga” keeps the reader engaged and off balance. Read On
I Didn’t Kill Jesus
Author Naomi Haber highlights the lasting effects of the Holocaust on three generations, while educating others about the horrors in order to stop such violence and senselessness from occurring again. Read On
The Colony
Blaine C. Readler’s science fiction novel, The Colony, creates a terrifying antagonist in picturesque rural Wisconsin. Read On
Troll or Derby
Fifteen-year-old Debra is trapped in a small town, doomed to spend her life taking care of her beautiful drug-addicted sister Gennifer and their alcoholic mother, when all she really wants to do is skate in a roller derby. But things are never what they seem—they’re worse. Read On
My Last Summer With You: No Fanfare for a Withered Rose
This endearing first novel opens in 2010 but quickly segues into an extended flashback to 1977 and the college years of Joseph, a 17-year-old foreign student who has left his country to attend a small university in North Carolina. Read On
Beside My Doorstep
Author Chloe Zola’s story weaves together elements of her mother’s Mexican and her father’s Jewish-American heritage blend of rites, rituals, language and personalities into her nomadic upbringing. Read On
Wright for America
Wright for America is a political farce about a far-right-wing radio talk show host, whose motto is “hate sells,” and an actress who seeks revenge after an attack on her gay twin brother, which she believes was inspired by his vicious political commentary. Read On
Brightest Kind of Darkness
Sixteen-year-old, Nara, has a secret; she sees the future. Since the age of seven, she nightly dreams her entire next day and her dreams are never wrong. Read On
The Last Falcon
Erynn, a 14 year old girl, is hiding in a cave after watching her father murdered by thieves. Read On
Carl, Willi and Blanche
Carl, Willi and Blanche, in the process of traveling across Mexico (having left the US to protest oppressive wars and cruelty on the part of our government), are stranded in a small village by a car breakdown. Read On
Fallen Too Far
Blaire becomes entrenched in family secrets and turmoil when she falls for her bad boy stepbrother, in this sexy story of love, family and betrayal. Read On
Interview with a Jewish Vampire
Rhoda is a 41-year-old Jewish journalist, who gets picked up by a Jeff Goldblum lookalike who wants her to write his life story. Read On
Blood From A Shadow
Con Maknazpy leaves his New York home for Northern Ireland thinking he will be helping his dead friend’s mother, but instead finds himself navigating dangerous international intrigues. Read On
Ambril’s Tale, The Return of the Dullaith
A coming-of-age story of a teenager investigating a corrosive family secret. Read On
The Twenty and One Nights
Two dysfunctional families try to cope with work, bills, divorce, and teenage maladjustment. But the book is not as depressing as that summary might suggest, largely because of the interesting characters that people it, especially Hestor, the quirky narrator. Read On
Let Me Be the One
In LET ME BE THE ONE, the brand-new book in Bella Andre’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling series about the Sullivan family, an unexpected friends-to-lovers romance might not only turn out to be so much hotter than anything bad boy pro baseball player Ryan Sullivan has ever known…but much, much sweeter, too. Read On
The Secret of Spruce Knoll
Eren Donovan is a sixteen-year old girl who, after the death of her parents, moves to Spruce Knoll to live with her aunt. Here she discovers a secretive community of people with special powers and realizes that she too has channeling powers that have been hidden from her until now. Read On
The Mothers of Country Day
Torre Messina is a gifted 12 year old who earns a scholarship to a prestigious private school. But the shy and brilliant Torre does not fit in with his new classmates, who, aside from being older, are mostly children of economic privilege. He’s not the only one. Read On
Holiday Chick
Holiday Chick, by Amber Carter, begins in the first person perspective of Aden, a 21-year old Bible camp counselor. After her father is in a life threatening accident, Aden is compelled to return to the sleepy Minnesota town of Holden, where her family now calls home. Read On
The Toy Sorcerer
Fourteen year-old Alice Towers has awful dreams…nightmares really, where she is unable to walk. We are tossed into this scenario, which quickly moves from to unstable to surreal. It seems that Alice is trapped in The Realm of Dreams, where human dreams become reality. Read On
The Price of Guilt
The Price of Guilt begins with a flashback, as Thomas Walsh sits in a jail cell and tries to come to terms with how he got there.
Transcender-First Timer
Jaden Beckett is a 17 year-old girl whose mom has died. She lives with her dad and older brother, Drew, in Madison, WI. She’s 5’10, a Tae Kwon Do champion and trying her best to deal with her dad’s detachment after his spouse’s passing. Read On
Beautiful Disaster
Abby Abernathy (aka Pigeon) from Wichita, Kansas, is a freshman at Eastern University, trying to escape a disturbing past; there, she meets campus stud extraordinaire Travis “Mad Dog” Maddox, who sidelines as a prizefighter, sports a buzz cut and a wealth of tattoos, has a lifetime supply of condoms in his apartment and a string of “clueless bimbos” lined up to try them out. Read On
Birdie Down (Rebellion)
It is 2210 and a rebellion is underway in the outer reaches of human settlement. Earth doesn’t know about that yet, as the rebels have disabled the long-distance communication infrastructure. Read On
New Leash on Life
New Leash on Life is the tale of Lieutenant Spencer Watley, a good, albeit cranky cop who, after a surveillance case that goes awry, ends up reincarnated as his police dog. Read On
Essential Nourishment
Visually stunning and packed full of mouthwatering recipes, Essential Nourishment puts the emphasis on an appreciation for the sensual pleasures of natural foods with a sensible approach to nourishment. Read On
Ladies of the Borobudur
Barbara Haines Howett’s eleven interlinked stories take us into the lives of ex-pat women in Indonesia in the early 1970s. There are two worlds to explore here: colorful Indonesia and the claustrophobic world of corporate wives–before feminism made its mark. Read On
Her Dear and Loving Husband
An alluring paranormal romance about Sarah Alexander, who has relocated from Los Angeles to Salem, Massachusetts, where she discovers James Wentworth and the secrets from both his and her past that will free her from the visions that plague her sleep. Read On
January Kills Me
Samantha Rialto, a recently divorced, defensively snarky middle school music teacher, has taken up surveillance photography as a way to fill the gaps in her educator’s salary. That is until a particularly cold week in January when Sam finds herself entangled in a mystery involving dead people, copious amounts of cash and a nutty Tai Chi enthusiast. Read On
Fuffys: F**ked Up Fairytales
Some tales are takeoffs on the familiar models–Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, except here Rapunzel is incredibly horny, her prince well endowed. Read On
Tagged fucked up fairytales
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The Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood
Weaves a heartrending portrait of lowered expectation: of a man eschewing, and ultimately embracing, mediocrity. Read On
Her Last Letter
The discovery of a hidden letter left by our narrator—Gwyn’s dead sister, Kelly—sends Gwyn searching for answers about Kelly’s recent death. Read On
Alternate Ending
Josh Miller is a high school sophomore and tennis-pro wannabe. When his physics teacher presents the theory of alternate universes Josh wonders if it’s possible that there’s another world in which he’s not such a nerd. Read On
Besserwisser: A Novel
Like a double wheat dark brew in a Munich biergarten, Steve Anderson’s latest book goes down easily. It is the loving tour of Munich you never got to take in your twenties. Read On
Whole Truth Eating and Recipe Guide
Designed to give the reader a deeper understanding of food and its effect on long-term health and vitality. Read On
Tagged cook book, iFood.tv
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The Braces Cookbook
Fifty comfort-food recipes perfect for tender-teeth days, including stay-soft cookies, soothing drinks, and delicious dinners. Read On
A Girl Like You
The sixth book in the Donavan Creed series opens with Creed on the hunt for his kidnapped girlfriend, Rachel Case. Read On
Tagged A Girl Like You, John Locke
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A Crack in Everything
A Crack in Everything introduces us to Tamina, a sex education counselor with unconventional addictions and a phobia to mismatching colors. Read On
Lily Hates Goodbyes
The story was written to help younger children cope with the absence of a parent–in this case a father’s deployment in the military. Read On
Weaver of Song: The Birth of Silent Night
In the beautifully illustrated Weaver of Song, Mary Helene Jackson tells the fascinating story of “Silent Night” composer’s Franz Gruber’s struggle. Read On
Tagged brio, Silent Night
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The Broken Past: A James Buckner Mystery
Set in Prohibition-challenged 1923, Corinth, MO is turned upside down when two murders are discovered the same day. Read On
Tangling with Tyrants: Managing the Balance of Power at Work
Tangling with Tyrants provides field-tested, practical solutions drawn from actual scenarios in a variety of corporate settings. Read On
In Spite of the System
A truly frightening story about mistaken identitiy that will keep you turning the pages. Here is a Kafka-esque experience that really happened. Read On
More Letters From Pemberley 1814-1819
More Letters From Pemberley is a continuation of Jane Dawkin’s first Letters novel. We again find Elizabeth Darcy, at her writing desk. Extending from 1814 to 1819, Elizabeth’s letters are no longer that of a homesick young woman finding solace with her younger sister. Read On
Toxin
A fanatical right-wing religious group is threatening to destroy the United States from within and set up a religious oligarchy. It is up to a junior moderate Republican Senator, Jake Telemark, and the daughter of a famous politician, Dora Hathaway, to take down this group before their plans can come to fruition.
The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Online Dating
This charming and helpful book is perfect for anyone new to the online dating experience, and especially women in their fifties and older. Read On
The Call of the World
A travelogue/memoir full of great descriptions; interesting tales; and insightful reflections on people and places.
Spam & Eggs: A Johnny Denovo Mystery
A PI novel, in the tradition of Raymond Chandler, but set in the 21st century with a tech-savvy hero.
From the Abuela’s Window
From the Abuela’s Window is a story of ordinary people doing what they can to help each other and in small ways undermine a brutal system—it is about staying human when faced with inhumanity all around. Read On
To Love Mercy
To Love Mercy takes place in racially segregated Chicago, circa 1948. Most African-Americans live in poverty, are denied upward mobility, and must deal with the prejudice of white people. The book is filled with authentic detail and prominent figures of the period and nothing is white-washed. Read On
Kandide and the Secret of the Mists, The Calabiyau Chronicles, Book 1
Perfect for the 8-12 year old set, the book tells the story of Kandide, whose perfect childhood is ruined when her wing is injured and she is segregated with the rest of the Imperfect fairies. Read On
Stewards of the Flame
If you were tuned into the recent U.S. debate about mandatory health insurance and universal healthcare (and who wasn’t?), Stewards of the Flame is a particularly scary read. Read On
If You’re Ever in Key West
When Olivia, a 57 year-old Brit, is widowed by her American husband, she decides to move from New York to Key West, Florida. She considers herself content, until—on a visit to New York—a dashing attorney and a fellow Brit 15 years her junior falls head over heels in love with her. Read On
True Detective
Seen through the eyes of two New York City police detectives, True Detective is an edgy murder mystery and a meditation on truth and faith in our post 9/11 age.
Love, Fate and Afghanistan
The author looks back on his heady youth in this hippy-era memoir of travels across the Middle East and India.
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A Suitcase Full of Faith
A Suitcase Full of Faith is about traveling the world while listening to one’s heart, even when the obstacles may seem insurmountable. Read On
A More Obedient Wife
A series of entertaining fictional diary entries by two wives named Hannah, both married to early Supreme Court Justices. Read On
Wing Walking
In the spirit of Gordon Gekko and the big dogs of Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker, Wing Walking’s chief characters are egomaniacal, but with significant depth.
Eat When You Feel Sad
Twenty-two year-old Zachary German’s debut novel, Eat When You Feel Sad, is blowing up all over. Read On
That Same Summer
From “capture the flag” game to nighttime commando operations, That Same Summer is a magical and wondrous world of sleep-away camp. from color war to judgment night, Ari takes the reader into Read On
Summer Sleep Away
Sweet and innocent, Summer Sleep-Away will keep the 10-12 year olds engaged and remind adults what it felt like to be a kid far from away from home for first time.
Spring House
Historically accurate, Spring House brings the mores and manners of early American history alive while telling the story of Scots-Irish families, struggling to find happiness on the new frontier. Read On
Accidental Lessons
A memoir by Chicago journalist David W. Berner is a heart wrenching and inspirational account of self-discovery. Read On
Horsegod: Collected Poems
A shocking, powerful collection of poetry in which the author tells his life story in exquisite verse. Read On
Able Was I
A gay protagaonist with a universal plight whose story unfolds against lovingly drawn, evocative depictions of New York City and Italy.
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