ASHLEY’S UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER by Grace Reddick

Ashley’s Unforgettable Summer
Author: Grace Reddick
Publisher: Xlibris
Rating:
Reviewed by: Dorothy Thompson

Who wouldn’t love to own a monkey even though she sure could get into a lot of trouble!  That’s the premise of Grace Reddick’s new children’s book, Ashley’s Unforgettable Summer.

Ashley goes on a trip with her parents, only it’s not quite the vacation she thought it was going to be.  Instead of a tropical desert, it’s the wilds of Africa where Ashley has to stay in a hut instead of a nice, air-conditioned hotel room.  But, Ashley rather enjoys her unfamiliar surroundings and makes the best of it.

Her dad takes her to the largest pet shop in the world and lets her pick out an animal to take back home.  She chooses a cute chimpanzee and named her Tina.

Arriving back home, Tina turns out to be quite a handful, getting into all sorts of trouble and leaving Ashley scrambling to clean up her mess before her parents found out.  All in all, Tina turns out to be Ashley’s best friend and that summer turns out to be Ashley’s most unforgettable summer.

I really enjoyed this book, but I didn’t want to stop finding out about more trouble the little chimp could get into.  Perhaps there’s a second book so I can have my Tina fix? ;o)

Ashley’s Unforgettable Summer by Grace Reddick is sure to be a hit with the pre-school crowd and monkey lovers alike!

THE 3 SECRET PILLARS OF WEALTH by James Burns, Esq.

The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth: How to Crack Your Wealth Code Using the Tools of Self-made Billionaires
Author: James Burns, Esq.
Publisher: White Diamond Press/Arbor Books
Rating:
Reviewed by: Dorothy Thompson

Who wouldn’t want to know the secrets of getting rich? That’s the premise of a new book by James Burns, Esq. titled THE 3 SECRET PILLARS OF WEALTH: HOW TO CRACK YOUR WEALTH CODE USING THE TOOLS OF SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRES, but James is quick to point out that this book isn’t a get rich book. It’s more of a primer for learning how to plan for the future by changing your traditional ways of thinking.

James explains that we have to change the way we’ve been taught to think about making money and we need to understand that successful people leave clues and that’s what we need to pay attention to.

I particularly liked his statement that investors see money as a tool and to people who are financially broke, investing is not a priority and in order to become financially secure, we need to get into the investor mindset. This definitely made sense to me.

As a baby boomer facing retirement in the next ten years, I found that James’ philosophies right on the money. By reading his book now, it’s opened up my eyes to the real world of becoming financial independent in years ahead. It’s a wake up call and I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking to invest in your future.

Beneath a Buried House

Beneath a Buried House
Author: Bob Avey
Publisher: Deadly Niche Press
Rating: 
Reviewed by:  Cheryl Malandrinos

If you enjoy unusual mysteries with multiple twists and turns, then check out Bob Avey’s latest novel, Beneath a Buried House.

Tulsa Police Detective Kenny Elliot has a keen sense for the unusual. The death of a John Doe from an overdose seems like an easy case–to everyone except Elliot. He’s sure there is more to it than meets the eye. His mission to discover the truth finds him deceived at every turn and makes him the target of an unknown danger.

In this second book of Avey’s Detective Elliot series I found much to enjoy. The characters are well-developed and complex; the plot thickens as the list of potential suspects increases; and I never expected the ending.

I haven’t read the first book in this series, Twisted Perception, but now I’m more curious than ever to see where Elliot got his start and how he solved his first case.

This book started off a bit slow because it is told from several points of view. The reader is introduced to eight characters who play a significant role in the book within the first six chapters and there is also a reference to a person from Elliot’s past that plays a role in forming Elliot’s relationship with women. But at a certain point the story picks up as the clues come together and Beneath a Buried House becomes a real page-turner. I couldn’t put it down until I finished the last page.

My only disappointment is that Avey ignored an important event towards the end that intefered with how the rest of the story played out. No matter how I tried to get around it, I couldn’t, and it spoiled what could have been a perfect ending.

Beneath a Buried House is a thrilling, suspenseful mystery that will have you waiting to see what case Elliot has to solve next.

 

 

35 Miles From Shore

35 Miles From Shore
Author: Emilio Corsetti III
Publisher: Odyssey Publishing, LLC
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Gary Mack

In a straight forward investigative style, Emilio Corsetti  III delivers a substantive and thorough examination of the “error-chain” that caused the ditching of ALM Flight 980 on May 2, 1970. Like so many other calamities that end tragically, Corsetti poignantly details how the mentality of corporate profits over the safety and well being of passengers sets off a horrific chain of events.

 

From the beginning chapters, Corsetti puts us in the minds and board rooms of those responsible for making the decisions that put ALM Flight 980 in Harms way. Though Corsetti is careful not to point out who the true villain is in his gripping tale, his early treatment of ONA CEO and President G. F.Steedman Hinckley clearly delivers a nod.

 

Hinckley’s driven ambition to create a route from New York to St. Maarten minus a third fuel tank for the sake of maintaining face, casts Hinckley into the dark shadows of aviation history.   

 

Corsetti delivers vivid scenes chapter after chapter. He takes you into the cockpit, into the rafts that carry the surviving passengers, onto the helicopters that dropped the slings and rescue seats as they hovered above the swells of the ocean. Corsetti’s riveting paragraphs are at their best when he immerses the reader into the ditching of the plane and the heroic rescue efforts of the crew and the Coast Guard.

 

Like Harry Evans, I must admit I suffered a little “cognitive narrowing” from the dizzying amount of characters Corsetti introduces paragraph after paragraph.  By the middle of the book, one is so overwhelmed with the constant bouncing from one character to another; it’s hard to concentrate on the task at hand. Corsetti would have been better served if he would have told the story from the perspective of a handful of people – like Balsey Dewitt, who palpably is the most interesting and courageous character in the human drama. Just like fiction, non-fiction must move along and keep the readers attention. I wanted more of Balsey, his life, his emotions, his thoughts and feelings as he humbly did his duty as a professional pilot. In the end, it was his efforts that allowed people the chance to survive.

 

Still, one cannot come away from this account unimpressed with Corsetti’s talent and his attention for detail. Because of his pen, the ditching and rescue of ALM Flight 980 comes to life, and heroes we never were aware of emerge.  

 

Emotionless Souls

Emotionless Souls
Author: David S. Grant
Publisher: Brown Paper Publishing
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Elaine Raterman

 

 

 

 

Emotionless Souls by David S. Grant is a wonderful collection of 20 vaguely surreal short stories, written in succinct, tight prose that perfectly sets the mood for each and every one.  The collection starts with the account of two couples spending New Year’s Eve in Dublin and ends with the account of one couple vacationing in Paris.  Between these two we encounter (among others) a poker game gone wrong, an office prankster who goes to extremes, a one-hit-wonder, a white-collar pickpocket, and an accountant who isn’t quite as boring as she first appears.  Unexpected plot twists abound and make each of the stories truly remarkable.

Crash!

Crash!
Author: Mayra Calvani
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Cheryl C. Malandrinos

 

 

Children will love reading about Marcelo and his new puppy in Crash! by Mayra Calvani.

Marcelo’s parents surprise him on his fifth birthday with a golden retriever puppy–the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world. Thrilled beyond all belief, Marcelo must now learn how to take care of his new puppy: feeding him, walking him, playing with him. But all that is easy compared to finding a name for him.

Crash! is a charming story about a boy and his dog and the special relationship that develops between a child and his pet. Author Mayra Calvani shows off her storytelling talents once again, as she did with The Magic Violin. Calvani has a way of getting right to the heart of children with her touching stories.

Kudos go out to young illustrator, Anna Pylypchuk, whose beautifully drawn illustrations bring Calvani’s story to life. My children each had their favorites drawings from the story.

I can’t wait to see what Mayra Calvani’s next children’s book is all about!

 

 

Honor Due - Review

Honor Due
Author: D.H. Brown
Publisher: Big River Press
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Lamees Siddiqui

Honor Due is a gripping story of an ex- Special Forces vet who retires from the life of politically orchestrated killings and retreats to a life of peaceful solitude in the Pacific Northwest…..until, hunted by ex-colleagues from Special Operations and Homeland Security, the Major, our protagonist, finds the gruesome memories coming to life, from his war shattered past.

 

The instinct for survival takes precedence and soon a mysterious plot bridging the past to the present, starts to unravel. The Major’s new assignment is to ensure his own as well his Rhade family’s survival while giving the fallen Warriors, the ‘honor due’.

 

It is a well written thriller, the mere tone of which is enough to raise the hair on your back. The casual narration of repugnant killings, gives the book an eerie quality. The electronic wizardry, the web of security firewalls and high tech computer jargon are enough to make Mr. Bond cringe with envy. The graphic descriptions are vivid engaging all the six senses, definitely tickling the taste buds and fanning one’s appetite; however, in some parts of the narrative, the repetitive details of routine chores, tend to drag somewhat.

 

Apart from telling a great story, the book also makes a serious and decisive statement about the ethics and the code of honor of a true Soldier; about the ‘War on Terror’ and how it is manipulated as a pretense for mysterious political contract killings on domestic soil.

 

 

 

 

Quo Vadis, Israel

Quo Vadis, Israel?

Author: H. Peter Nennhaus
Rating:
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Reviewed by: Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Well-written, intellectually stimulating, and thoroughly researched, Quo Vadis, Israel? provides the open-minded reader with a unique solution to a decades-long problem.

Since its birth in 1948, the State of Israel has been consistently despised and attacked. Numerous peace efforts by various countries and organizations have failed to bring about a long-lasting solution for Israel and Palestine.

But what if Israel were moved to a more suitable land in Europe?

This is what author H. Peter Nennhaus asks the reader to contemplate while providing an historical background of the conflict, the history of anti-Semitism, and the bleak outlook for the future in the Middle East.

For such a short piece of work (~ 110 pages), Nennhaus has managed to pack in a plethera of facts, figures, and important dates. It is obvious he is knowledgeable about this topic. He makes a strong case for moving Israel to a more suitable location–one where the State of Israel and its inhabitants wouldn’t be surrounded by a bunch of countries and people who wish them harm. Showcasing the abilities that the Jews have for turning wasteland into prosperous territory, Nennhaus believes the Jews will do equally well in creating a new home in a land that is in much better condition than the land they received in 1948. The author willingly admits that this plan will be difficult for many to accept, but this reviewer admires his convincing arguments.

In Quo Vadis, Israel? I found a probable solution that would finally allow the State of Israel and its people to live in peace.

The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)

The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)
Author: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Publisher: Enchanted Self Press
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Elaine Raterman

The Girl is in fifth grade, she’s in love with the new boy in school, she hates it when her parents fight, and she’s here to tell us The Truth. 

The Truth is 115 pages of observations told from the perspective of a young girl on the verge of adolescence.  She isn’t a girl growing up in the 21st century, she is a girl of a past generation, but she still talks about many things young girls today can relate to - boys, school, parents, siblings, friends, teachers, growing up. 

This is also a wonderful book for the parents of girls.  Sometimes it’s hard for adults to remember what childhood feels like, this book helps bring some of that back, and helps build understanding across the generations. 

Mistress of the Revolution

 Mistress of the Revolution
Author: Catherine Delors
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Well-drawn characters, gripping storylines, and rich descriptions fill the pages of debut author Catherine Delors’s Mistress of the Revolution.

Set during the years leading up to and through the French Revolution, this epic novel finds young noblewoman Gabrielle de Montserrat falling in love with commoner Pierre-Andre Coffinhal. Her brother forbids their union and forces her into a marriage to an aging and wealthy cousin who mistreats her.

After the sudden and unexpected death of her abusive husband, Gabrielle goes to Paris to make a life for her and her young daughter, Aimee. As the threat of revolution hangs overhead, Gabrielle becomes a kept woman and a lady in the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. When Gabrielle is faced with the guillotine, she reaches out to Pierre-Andre, who had fled to Paris to become a lawyer when he was denied her hand in marriage. The two lovers search for a way to hold onto each other, as violence swirls around them; pulling everyone and everything into its grasp.

Every so often I pick up a book whose hook has such dramatic impact that I must read it again. Such is the case with Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors. Many years in the future, the narrator, Gabrielle tells of the exhuming of the bodies of the late King and Queen of France, thereby setting the scene for all that will unfold in subsequent pages.

While a first person narrative often distances the reader from the story, Gabrielle never once distracted me from all that was happening in and around France in the late 1700’s. A tremendous amount goes on within the 450 pages of this fascinating and captivating novel. Fully explored were the relationships between Gabrielle and her family, Pierre-Andre, her lover Villers, Aimee, and the friendships she maintained and lost through the years. Rich and vivid details flowed throughout, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into a story that realistically portrayed the plight of the late 18th century woman and the tragic events that unfolded in France during the reign of King Louis XVI and beyond. 

My one and only disappointment is the cover. The artwork was taken from a famous painting titled, The Stolen Kiss, by Jean Honore Fragonard. The image was reversed so that the table and chair are on the left and the gentleman stealing the kiss on the right. I would much have preferred to have seen more of the image of the gentleman–which is hidden inside the book flap–than the furniture, but it is still a strikingly handsome cover.
 

Mistress of the Revolution is a story of impossible love pitted against the most tumultuous time period in France’s history. It is a novel that will reward the reader in every aspect and leave her desiring to read it again as soon as the last word is read. I eagerly look forward to the next book by talented newcomer Catherine Delors.