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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 16, Number 11 November 2017 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Economic Studies Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Business Shelf Fiction Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Biography Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Sports Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Money/Finance Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

United States of America, Government, Religion, Christianity, Law, Illegalities; God 1st Priority~ His Rightness, Provided Rights, Holy Bible; Not Self-Idol Selfishness
Anthony Sheffield
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781512774368, $49.95, PB, 436pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Every concerned citizen will enjoy and be very encouraged by the good and accurate historical records of the United States of America. Lies have infiltrated so vastly and so deeply into the society that even the educational institutions have become deceived and warped, so that the students are then receiving passed-down versions that are, as said, lies.

Some folk are deceived innocently, some willingly; some know it and want it. Many folk are so busy with all the cares of life that they passively accept it. A false peace has set in, and yet it is not peace as we are so alertly observing. Values of the heart need care, as to whether they are right values, and those values are then displayed by posts of the government.

Every citizen needs to know what the true historical experience and record is, what governmental structure was established in the USA, what it is all about, and how it really is and operates. Because we are all interested in the spiritual activity of life, then we will be so inspired therein. This is a very different and correct account of the real USA Government, its history, and its establishment.

Critique: Holding to one's Christian values in today's divisive political era requires a thorough understanding of how American government works. Anthony Sheffield's "United States of America, Government, Religion, Christianity, Law, Illegalities; God 1st Priority~ His Rightness, Provided Rights, Holy Bible; Not Self-Idol Selfishness" should be brought to the personal attention of each and every member of the Christian community regardless of their denominational or political affiliation. As thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is inspired and ultimately inspiring, this extended treatise is unreservedly recommended reading.

Robot Fashion Show
Nola R. Hintzel
http://nolahintzel.wixsite.com/nolahintzel
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781548378677, $8.97, PB, 84pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Nola Hintzel loves the challenge of creating interesting and amazing images and illustrations using geometric forms and shapes along with construction and architectural symbols and industrial elements. She has always loved working with numbers and geometry, and can find herself in awe of the angles of a semi truck while stopped next to one at a stop light.

Nola intends to create more geometry themed coloring books, as well as some others she has in mind beginning with "Robot Fashion Show: A Geometrical Coloring Book Experience", which features 30 original robot images make up a unique sci-fi themed coloring book about an intergalactic fashion show where the robots model their specially designed outfits on either futuristic stages or their space ships.

Coloring images are on one side only, and on the opposite/left page, the robot's name is provided along with a fun fashion and educational description of the robot and robot's outfit.

Critique: "Robot Fashion Show" is a whimsical and entertaining coloring book that is recommended for ages 9 to 90. It should be noted that some of the images may be too detailed for younger children. "Robot Fashion Show" also includes 4 bonus coloring pages from the artist's coloring book "Planet Geometry: Symmetrical Patterns of Proportion and Balance". Offering hours of contemplative fun, "Robot Fashion Show" is unreservedly recommended for all coloring book enthusiasts.

To Lose the Madness
L. M. Browning
Little Bound Books
c/o Homebound Publications
PO Box 1442, Pawcatuck, CT 06379-1968
https://homeboundpublications.com/little-bound-books
9781947003903, $12.00, PB, 84pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "To Lose the Madness: Field Notes on Trauma, Loss and Radical Authenticity" is a career-defining work by Leslie M. Browning that explores the breaking point every mind has after finding his or her own limit during a gauntlet of traumatic events.

Pulled out of this blast-crater moment in her life by a friend, Browning is brought away from the insanity and deep into the snowy Sangre de Cristo Mountains where, standing in front of a herd of wild buffalo, she comes face to face with the terms we all must come to surrounding the loss we face in this life.

Offering no answers and seeking no pity, Browning lays herself bare in this radically authentic offering. She carries restricted subjects such as miscarriage, mental illness, and suicide out of the silence by offering her own private journey as an example of the power of transcendence.

Critique: Impressively candid and articulate, extraordinarily honest and insightful, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "To Lose the Madness: Field Notes on Trauma, Loss and Radical Authenticity" is an inherently compelling read from cover to cover. Thoughtful and thought-provoking from first page to last, "To Lose the Madness" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library collections.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Economic Crisis & Solutions
Theodore D. Kafkas
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781544223056, $19.95, PB, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: We are still in an economic crisis that began with the events of what has been dubbed 'The Great Recession'. One of the main causes of the continuing economic crisis is the huge employment bubble which is the result of technology changes and population growth. We saw this before with the Industrial Age and the Great Depression. Now, we are seeing an economic crisis with the Information Age.

The Federal Reserve and our U.S. government are not correctly dealing with these effects. The bank bailouts and the approx. 20 trillion dollars of official U.S. debt have not corrected the problems. More, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government are not just mishandling our economic crisis.

Instead, history shows us that the existence and power of the secret Federal Reserve, and our U.S. government's spending, are also large causes of our economic crisis. The bank deregulation mistake, mysterious Plunge Protection Team, petrodollar, BRICS, world banking, and other issues that affect our economy are also analyzed in "Economic Crisis & Solutions: Unemployment Bubble, Technology, Federal Reserve and Government".

Critique: Theodore D. Kafkas is an attorney in Wisconsin with more than 20 years of legal experience. His experience includes Constitutional law, financial law, real estate law, estate planning and general practice. He also worked in finance, Wisconsin government and other positions. In Economic Crisis & Solutions" he deftly presents some predictions that could occur if the economic crisis is not solved, then goes on to offers some 'real world practical' solutions. Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking, deftly written, organized and presented, "Economic Crisis & Solutions" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Economics Studies collections. It should be noted for students, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Economic Crisis & Solutions" is available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Basic Accounting: Concepts, Principles, and Procedures, Vols. 1 & 2, second edition
Gregory R. Mostyn
Worthy & James Publishing
PO Box 362015, Milpitas, CA 95036
www.worthyjames.com
Volume 1: 9780991423101, $58.00, PB, 822pp
Volume 2: 9780991423118, $58.00, PB, 950pp amazon.com

Synopsis: Volume 1 (Building on a Conceptual Foundation) is an introduction to financial accounting using the simple proprietorship framework. This first volume contains both a standard introduction and an optional step-by-step enhanced introduction to key business and financial accounting concepts and procedures the enhanced introduction also contains an optional alternative learning style (integrated story feature). Introducing accounting concepts and procedures using the basic service proprietorship (non- corporate) structure, and this first volume also continues with the following major topics: How to visualize and analyze transactions; What is a basic accounting system; Accountants and accounting organizations; Using debits and credits; Using journals and ledgers; The four required financial statements; The relationship between financial statements; The conceptual framework of accounting; An in-depth discussion of corporate transactions; Partnerships; Financial statement analysis.

Volume 2 - This second volume of "Basic Accounting Concepts, Principles, and Procedures" (Applying Principles and Procedures) completes the accounting cycle and discusses how to apply accounting procedures to key accounts. Major topics include: Detailed discussion of how to adjust the books at period-end; How to close the books for all business types; Cash basis accounting compared to accrual basis; Worksheets; Merchandising operations for both major types of inventory systems; Financial statements of merchandising companies; Accounting systems and special journals; Cash and the three cash control procedures (internal control, cash budget, statement of cash flows); Receivables; Inventory costing; Long-term assets; Payroll procedures; How to prepare and analyze a statement of cash flows; The use of accounting software and an accounting software checklist; and Bonds.

Critique: Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, each of one of this two volume set is a user-friendly, academic-level instructional textbook. Each volume is designed to be used independently according to each user's needs. Each volume is built on a research-based instructional design that improves clarity, learning efficiency, and reduction of reader stress. Together, both volumes are specifically designed to be an easy-to-use comprehensive introduction to financial accounting that bridges the gap between dense academic texts and simplified general trade-level books.

There are more than 900 end-of-chapter questions and problems with answers and solutions fully viewable in text, disk, and online with no access code required. The chapters include cumulative vocabulary reviews and cumulative self-tests with solutions and guidance to relevant content. Templates on disk and online provide a wide variety of accounting forms (working papers) needed for problem solutions and general use. Includes extensive ethics case studies.

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Basic Accounting: Concepts, Principles, and Procedures, Vols. 1 & 2" is unreservedly recommended for professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Accounting instructional reference collections and curriculums.

The Compass Solution
Tim Cole
The Compass Alliance
https://thecompassalliance.com
9780999057100, $17.99, PB, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It is interesting to note that most people will spend at least 100,000 hours building a career for themselves. This represents the greatest financial investment of their life. Unfortunately, a great many consider that investment with the same degree of critical thinking as they might the purchase of a lottery ticket -- thereby effectively gambling away their future.

"The Compass Solution: A Guide to Winning Your Career" was specifically written by Tim Cole for those who want to win their career, not just endure it. "The Compass Solution" is the definitive guide to successful career navigation. A practical resource that balances personal experience with proven theory. A guide for both the newcomer struggling to get started, and the veteran lost and effectively wandering.

"The Compass Solution" introduces the four cardinal points of The Compass. These are the basic principles that can be used to change a career trajectory; explained in practical terms and brought to life with personal stories.

But "The Compass Solution" is more than just a career survival guide. The latter half focuses on three keys that can accelerate a climbing career. Master them and move far beyond the masses!

Author Tim Cole is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Compass Alliance. His experience is exceptionally broad - across sales, marketing, human resources, training, market access, and leadership development.

He has enjoyed a number of senior level positions in the pharmaceutical industry - literally managing billions of dollars in portfolio and thousands of employees over the course of his career.

He played an instrumental role in the growth of a small Midwestern firm into one of the largest healthcare companies in the world.

Along the way he's been intimately involved in sourcing and developing talent and his mentorship of scores of individuals who have gone on to assume senior level roles with other companies has earned him industry wide accolades.

He's helped launched 20 new brands to the market and played key roles in 6 legitimate blockbusters. He is a multiple winner of Excellence in Leadership Awards and is regarded as one of the most highly respected veterans in the healthcare arena.

He is the architect of Strategic Performance Planning, has contributed to multiple books on leadership and the future of healthcare, and is himself, a published author. But much of his journey transcends the roles assigned. He counts among his most significant accomplishments - the ability to survive and thrive in the face of over 2-dozen restructures and 5 mergers and acquisitions, becoming (over time) one of the few industry veterans to successfully weather the waves of downsizings that swept the pharmaceutical world.

Critique: In "The Compass Solution: A Guide to Winning Your Career" Cole draws upon his years of experience and expertise to help others plan and implement their own job career strategies and goals. Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, as 'real world practical' as it is inspired and inspiring, "The Compass Solution" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, corporate, community, and academic library Jobs/Careers instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Compass Solution" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).


The Business Shelf

The Return on Leadership
D. L. Brouwer
https://dlbrouwer.com
FastPencil Publishing
9781499903096, $24.93, HC, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When everyone has access to the same technology, skills and markets, how do you successfully compete against such near universal competition? New research shows that Creative Leadership, centered on Vision, Engagement and Execution is key to success.

As an executive at a $1b IT services company, D. L. Brouwer led the turnaround of a global network services business, but before that he hopped freight trains, served as City Editor of a daily newspaper, and found a Soviet submarine in the one place it wasn't supposed to be - two miles from USS Enterprise. All this and more is chronicled in "The Return on Leadership: A Three Step Plan to Navigate Change and Unlock Hidden Growth".

"The Return on Leadership: A Three Step Plan to Navigate Change and Unlock Hidden Growth" is comprised of illustrative case studies ranging from elite military units to Internet services, and shows how leadership saves lives, unlocks growth and drives what Brouwer calls a Return on Leadership.

Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, deftly organized and presented, "The Return on Leadership: A Three Step Plan to Navigate Change and Unlock Hidden Growth" is an extraordinary read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Return on Leadership: A Three Step Plan to Navigate Change and Unlock Hidden Growth" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Leadership from the Mission Control Room to the Boardroom
Paul Sean Hill
Atlast Press
9780998634302, $30.99, HC, 360pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Failure is always a possible outcome to any corporate or scientific endeavor -- and so is choosing to lead your team into an environment that helps them avoid catastrophe and pull off miracles is to be fervently desired. For more than fifty years, NASA's Mission Control has done just that.

"Leadership from the Mission Control Room to the Boardroom: A Guide to Unleashing Team Performance" by Paul Sean Hill takes the ultimate insider's look at the leadership values and culture that made that track record possible. Hill paints a vivid picture, candidly portraying the critical cultural connections in human spaceflight triumphs and failures. By demonstrating how his Mission Control team learned to steward this culture into their management roles, Hill provides a guide for any organization to boost their own performance by leveraging the core ideas and values that have delivered "impossible" wins for decades.

Whether failure means cost and schedule overruns, quality escapes, loss of market share, bankruptcy, or putting people's lives at risk, how we lead can determine whether even small mistakes snowball out of control and destroy an enterprise.

Author Paul Sean Hill is a leadership evangelist - an executive consultant and speaker whose candor and passion have inspired leaders across many industries. He spent 25 years in NASA's iconic Mission Control, learning and living the values he now evangelizes. As Director of Mission Operations from 2007 - 2014, he is credited with revolutionizing the leadership culture, dramatically reducing costs, and increasing capability, while still conducting missions in space. Before NASA, he was a U.S. Air Force satellite operations officer and an aerospace engineer from Texas A&M University.

Critique: Impressively well written, exceptionally informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' and an inherently engaging read from cover to cover, "Leadership from the Mission Control Room to the Boardroom: A Guide to Unleashing Team Performance" is unreservedly recommended as a critically important and essential addition to personal, professional, corporate, governmental, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Leadership from the Mission Control Room to the Boardroom" is also available in a paperback edition (9780998634319, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Fiction Shelf

Peace in the Valley
John Eric Vining
Page Publishing Inc.
101 Tyrellan Avenue Suite 100 New York, NY 10309
www.pagepublishing.com
9781640820982, $22.95, PB, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Mark Gamble is one of the greatest sharpshooters in the Civil War's Confederate Army of Tennessee. He is well-known on both sides of the battle line: revered by his compatriots and feared by his enemies. Mark's own fear is that his soul is lost forever as his lust for killing increasingly takes over his entire being.

After he is severely wounded at the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, 1863, Mark is captured by Union soldiers and placed in a federal military hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There he is nursed back to health by the lovely Ruth Taylor, a Quaker nurse/volunteer at the hospital. Falling in love with the gentle and caring Ruth, he eventually wins her hand in marriage. The war ends. Mark converts to the Society of Friends, and Mark and Ruth settle into what would seem to be a "happily ever after" life of farming in the lush valleys of the Appalachian Mountains near Allentown, Pennsylvania.

But Ruth feels a call in her life to serve as a missionary to the Brule Lakota (Sioux) in Western Nebraska--a tribe that is slowly being decimated by white encroachment. With deep misgivings, Mark agrees to accompany her, and the couple moves to the West to answer Ruth's calling.

Can Ruth survive the tough, brutal life of a Great Plains wife and missionary? Can Mark serve as both a companion to his wife and a mentor to the distrusting Native American tribe while withstanding the pressures inherent to an Indian agent? Most importantly, can Mark, with the grace of God and a spirit of self-forgiveness, find redemption for his many transgressions as a missionary to a dying race on the bleak, windswept barrens of the western Great Plains?

Critique: An extraordinarily entertaining read from cover to cover, "Peace in the Valley: A Quest for Redemption in the Old West" showcases author John Eric Vining as having a genuine flair for deftly crafted and memorable characters embedded in a truly engaging storyline. The result is a novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While very highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Peace in the Valley" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Celine On Fire
Dale Allan Pelton
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781539486176, $24.95, PB, 828pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set in Paris and Eastern Europe in the 50s and early 60s when France was engaged in the bitter Algerian War for independence, "Celine On Fire" explores an existential moment for France.

Celine Colbert, 14, a dancer, her sister Yvonne, 28, professor of philosophy and history at the Sorbonne, share a taxi in the rain with Giovanni Sandretti, 23, an Italian-American, trumpet player born in Viterbo, Italy. In the Parisian worlds of jazz, flamenco, and tango, Giovanni becomes Yvonne's lover, and Celine's friend.

Haunting the clubs, cabarets and cafes, they endlessly debate the upheavals of the 20th century, during an era of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse and Audrey Hepburn, in sequences of ballet, jazz, ballroom, Latin and tango, and even reprising the 1950's musicals of Gene Kelly's "American in Paris."

After a shattering tragedy at the age of eighteen, Celine struggles to find herself as both an artist and a woman. Haunted by heartbreak, Celine is a resilient role model for young women trying to find themselves. Intelligent yet sensual, disciplined but burdened with grief (falling down then climbing back to her feet) Celine saves herself through dance.

On Giovanni's jazz tour behind the Iron Curtain, fans in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia share stories of their quest for freedom. Attila and Zizi in Budapest recount the terror of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Les Gordon, the leader of the group, an African-American living in Paris to escape racism, tells of the race massacre in Tulsa, and the heartbreaking Indian Removal under President Andrew Jackson confiscating the lands of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole and Muskogee-Creek nations, forcing them through snow and ice to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears where one out of four died.

In "Celine On Fire" author Dale Allan Pelton raises the question, how do we forgive mass murder? Is atonement possible for a nation's deeds in the past?.

Another question posed is why read history? Celine explores historical and philosophical ideas through the means of conversation. "Celine" shows how the Dreyfus Affair in France in 1894 resulted in the creation of Israel in 1948 and how the creation of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Palestine after World War One inflamed the struggle between Shias and Wahhabiya Sunnis, Palestinians and Israelis.

"Celine On Fire" also tells of Senator McCarthy 1950's witch hunt for traitors in our government, recalling the words of Michel de Montaigne, 'There is no passion as contagious as that of fear.' Fear is the mother of war, fascism and genocide. "Celine" shows how a demagogue can rise to power in a democracy by unleashing that fear, seizing power by creating a world of unreality. "Celine on Fire" tells a sweeping tale of romance and a passion for music and dance.

Critique: An original work of truly impressive literary caliber, "Celine On Fire" is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking, as deftly crafted as it is provocatively insightful. Exceptionally well written, "Celine On Fire" showcases author Dale Allan Pelton's genuine flair for interweaving historical elements into a fictional chronicle populated by vividly drawn characters. The result is a novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf. "Celine On Fire" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists that "Celine On Fire" is also avalable in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Windigo Moon
Robert Downes
http://www.robertdownes.com/index.html
Blank Slate Press
c/o Amphorae Publishing Group
www.amphoraepublishing.com
9781943075362, $17.95, PB, 330pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The great love of Blue Heron and Red Bear sustain an Ojibwe clan as it struggles to survive war, famine, and the coming of foreign explorers bearing deadly diseases.

The blood feud between two rival warriors over the love of Ashagi, a strong-willed woman of great beauty and greater determination threads through this story of one Ojibwe clan on the cusp of great change.

A young woman from a peaceful village, Ashagi (Blue Heron) is abducted in a raid conducted by the Sioux, the ancestral enemies of her clan, and made a concubine of a fat, slovenly chief who already has two wives. When she is rescued by Misko (Red Bear), an Ojibwe youth, the two fall in love and a lifelong bond is formed. But Nika, Misko's rival, demands that Misko surrender Ashagi to replace his brother who was killed during a raid involving the young warriors' two clans.

As Nika's pride and obsession with Ashagi eats away at his sanity, greater danger for the whole Ojibwe way of life creeps ever closer.

Warfare, vengeance, supernatural monsters, and strange spirits all claw at the edges of this love triangle, but the power of the clan and the love of family and tradition helps sustain a culture on the verge of harrowing times. Beginning in 1588 and spanning twenty-five years, "Windigo Moon" encompasses warring tribes of the Upper Great Lakes, the onset of the Little Ice Age of the 1600s, the diseases introduced by foreign explorers, and, always and forever, the great love of Blue Heron and Red Bear.

Critique: Impressively researched, exceptionally well written, "Windigo Moon" clearly showcases author Robert Downes genuine flair for originality and literary talent for creating truly memorable characters and an extraordinarily compelling, narrative driven novel. A simply brilliant work of historical fiction, "Windigo Moon" is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Windigo Moon" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Keystone
Bernard Leo Remakus
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781974001651, $19.99, PB, 540pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Peter Kaminski was six-years old, his mother ran away from home with a prizefighter, leaving Peter and his father, an immigrant shoemaker, to fend for themselves. From that moment, Peter's life became an uphill battle.

While in college, Peter learned that getting into medical school would require a near-perfect academic performance, something he was unable to achieve because of the time he spent working in his father's shoe shop instead of studying. He also learned about the favoritism given to the children of physicians, minority students, and politically-endorsed students by many medical school admissions committees.

Against overwhelming odds, Peter fought to make his dream of getting into medical school come true. Through his epic struggle, he relied on his father's confidence, the love of his college sweetheart, and his poetry, which allowed him to express his love, vent his frustrations, and keep alive the hope of following in the footsteps of his literary hero, Yuri Zhivago, the poet-doctor.

After applying to medical school for a number of years and reading multiple rejection letters, Peter was finally accepted at the Keystone Medical College in Philadelphia. Although getting into medical school was a dream come true, Peter would eventually realize that his medical education was just another segment of his uphill journey through life.

A keystone is the most important stone in an arch. Similarly, Keystone Medical College was the most important building block in Peter's medical education.

Critique: "Keystone" is an absorbing saga of a novel that showcases author Bernard Leo Remakus' genuine talent for originality, deftly crafted characters, as well as a consistently engaging and multilayered storyline. One of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Keystone" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Keystone" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!!
Michael D'Agostino & Danny D'Agostino
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781548482374, $9.99, PB, 266pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Stanley Marczek is penniless, flat broke, sleeping in a cardboard box in a tent city on the South Side of Chicago. So why would NASA select him, a civilian and a non-career astronaut for their mission to Mars?

Obviously, living in a confined space for nineteen months for the journey to Mars, is one consideration. Another, his screening test results prove to be exceptional, better than all other candidates. And this is a man of grit and incredible courage. He accepts NASA's offer, seeing it as an opportunity to remake his life, earn a cool three million bucks, and return to Earth a hero.

But the story isn't just about Stanley Marczek, (aka Joksey), and the mission to Mars. It is also about his relationships with his loyal friends: Gnidek, a Viet Nam veteran, his dog Chichi, his girlfriend Hannah, and all his friends at tent city. His journey is clouded with almost insurmountable personal and technical challenges, and it is his friends who provide invaluable moral support; they are all in it together. But what is the catch? There has to be a catch!

The catch is that Joksey is a man of strong will who freely expresses his mind. So when the mission is complete, and Stanley Marczek returns to Earth, he publicly questions the wisdom of all manned missions to Mars, to the embarrassment of NASA. And he does not mince words. He tells it like it is, straight out!

Critique: Revealing a genuine flair for original collaborative storytelling by Michael and Danny D'Agostino, "NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!!" features realistic storytelling blended with ironic comedy and a very poignant, deftly presented argument about manned missions to Mars. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading list that "NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!!" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).


The Self-Help Shelf

Aging...Get Over It!
Anne Harbison Lucas
Gatekeeper Press
www.doityourselfaging.com
9781619845350, $24.95, PB, 324pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Aging...Get Over It!: Do-It-Yourself-Aging/A Survival Manual" by Anne Harbison Lucas is the first of the books Baby Boomers and GenXers will need to read in order to gain mastery over their later years.

"Aging...Get Over It!" eases the effort of facing the realities of aging and offers workable solutions. The lessons and exercises are divided into two categories and are further broken down into six tasks: Part l. Think Right: Healthy Mind, Satisfying Family Relationships, and Strong Faith Part 2. Do Right: Healthy Body, Financial-Legal Arrangements, and Rewarding Community and Care Planning.

Author Anne Lucas began her career in elder care in 1989 when she stepped out of graduate school and right into the management of large, independent, assisted living and memory care facilities. She moved on to become a "Mary Poppins" figure, swooping in to save the day for clients in her private geriatric care management practice. Working with individuals and their families as a trusted partner, Anne dealt with any number of difficult (and sometimes preventable) aging issues, including money shortages, psychological problems, legal wrangling, Alzheimer's disease, and difficult deaths. In this sense, Anne shared the journey to old age along with her clients many times over.

Critique: In "Aging...Get Over It!" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to produce this highly practical and gutsy survival manual for everyone over 50 who intends to maintain control over the rest of their lives. "Aging...Get Over It!" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, senior center, and community library Self-Help / Self-Improvement instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Aging...Get Over It!" is also available in a digital book edition (Kindle, $9.95).

Eyes on the Prize
Carrie Williams
RainShadow Coaching
http://rainshadowcoaching.com
9780692898222, $14.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As a 'real world practical' matter, Eyes on the Prize: A Kick-Ass Guide to Setting & Achieving G.R.E.A.T. Goals" is like having your own personal leadership coach by your side on your journey to success. Essentially, "Eyes on the Prize: A Kick-Ass Guide" is the definitive manual to becoming a kick-ass goal achiever and is based on two cardinal truths: You deserve to feel fulfilled and live your passion; You have the potential to make your dreams your reality.

In "Eyes on the Prize", leadership coach Carrie Williams provides the theory and daily practices to help you set and achieve goals that will revolutionize your life and provides the skills necessary to: Reconnect with your passion; Learn to set G.R.E.A.T. Goals; Shift your mindset for success; Navigate the process of change; Maintain motivation along the way; Become clear on your big picture; Focus on your next step.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Eyes on the Prize" is an impressively accessible and applicable, life-changing, life-enhancing instructional guide that is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Eyes on the Prize" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Only
Parker Sinclair
Rawlings Books LLC
http://www.RawlingsBooks.com
9780998405339, $12.99, PB, 234pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: One would think the sassy, sexy hybrid Earthen Protector and Healer Alex Conner deserves some downtime after all she's been through. But no. Instead, she finds herself trapped by the king of the Fae, and he's not letting her go until he gets what he wants. As alternate realities tangle her in confusion and bring her close to forgetting who she is and everyone she loves, will she unwittingly give the king what he craves? If she does escape, will she ever pick up where she left off with her sexy Adonis Ryan? And can she control the new power she never knew she could wield (one over life and death itself) or will she be entangled in a realm whose ruler is hell-bent on entrapping her and someone she holds dear, forever?

Critique: "Only" is the third title in author Parker Sinclair's adult urban fantasy/magical realism series -- The Alex Conner Chronicles. Showcasing author Parker Sinclair's genuine flair for the fantasy genre, "Only" is an impressively engaging and entertaining read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fans that "Only" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Quantum Time Theory
Ned Huston
Chronoversal Exports Publishers
http://www.nedhuston.com/author.html
9781946090003, $14.99, PB, 402pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The invention of the Time Machine has created a veritable gold rush of greedy people bent on getting rich by Changing Time. But now Changing Time has been made illegal and so has Traveling to the Past without a permit, but Time Traveling criminals don't care! They're hell bent on using Time Machines to Travel to the recent Past so they can make a Change that will create a profit for them in the Present.

The only problem is one change leads to another, so come the present, millions of things have changed, not just one. The entire human race has been wiped out again and again and replaced with a new slightly different population. The Time Travelers don't care -- so long as they're getting rich. There are so many lawbreakers trying to get rich quick that they've had to form a Syndicate to coordinate their Changes, so now a Change comes every two to three weeks.

The Central Time Authority has been created to arrest and punish lawbreakers, but greed and corruption have prevented it from bringing Traveling to an end. Law-abiding Longtimers avoid being Changed by getting into short-range Time Machines called Safe Houses and Traveling around the Changes in Time. They have created a Society of Suvivors who inhabit the Fourth Dimension and fight against Timecrime.

Many of them live in Shawneetown, Illinois, a once great city made great again by a Change in Time. It is the second largest city in America and the headquarters of the Intertime Government and the Central Time Authority. It is also a hotbed of Timecrimers and Longtimers, the crossroads of Voiders, Pirates and the superrich Eloi.

So when the brothers and sisters of the Vann family, Shawneetowners of Reality 250, are approached by their oldest brother Amos to enter the Timeflow, they don't know what they're getting into. They don't want to be Time Travelers or Longtimers. They just want to lead their ordinary lives. Instead, they have to Adapt to the bizarre environments they find themselves in and make a new way of life in an ever-changing landscape.

Dexter Vann is just an ordinary guy starting out in life, but he and his brothers and sisters find themselves constantly starting over. They have to battle the Seven Dangers of a Time Traveler's life: Bystanders, Timecrimers, Time Changes, other Time Travelers, Time Travel itself, Bankruptcy, and Mental Stress. Dexter Vann wants to start a career, find love, and settle down, but there's just one problem after another. Can he and his brothers and sisters Adapt? Can they Survive? Can they too become Longtimers? Don't count on it, because the Timeflow is a Deathworld.

Critique: The first volume of author Ned Huston's 'The Nevertime Chronology' series, "Quantum Time Theory" is an impressively well written saga of a science fiction novel that clearly showcases the author's flair for originality, deftly crafted characters, and a multilayered storyline. An inherently fascinating and engaging read from cover to cover and highly recommended, especially for community library Science Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction enthusiasts that "Quantum Time Theory" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

City of Ghosts
J. H. Moncrieff
www.jhmoncrieff.com
Death Zone Books
9780987712936, $16.99, PB, 282pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On the day the villagers were forced to flee Hensu, not everyone got out alive. Jackson Stone is touring the abandoned Chinese city when he slips away from the group to spend the night, determined to publish an account of his ghostly experiences there. Then he meets Yuehai, a strange, soft-spoken woman who can tell him the city's secrets -- secrets that the Chinese government would kill to keep hidden. As Jackson uncovers the truth about Yuehai and the ghost city, he's drawn into a web of conspiracy, betrayal, and murder. He must risk everything to save himself and bring honor back to Yuehai and her family.

Critique: An impressively original, inherently compelling, consistently entertaining novel from cover to cover, "City of Ghosts" clearly reveals author J. H. Moncrieff's genuine flair for narrative storytelling. Exceptionally well written and one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "City of Ghosts" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections.

Pigs
John Henry Bennett
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781478360421, $13.95, PB, 392pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The Buncefield Oil Terminal Disaster of December 11m2005, was the largest explosion to take place on the UK mainland since World War II.

Investigations over the following 12 months by the Health and Safety Executive concluded that it had been an accident caused by 'overfilling'. Surprising it took 12 months to come to that conclusion. But what if it had not been 'an accident?'

SIS operative, Harry Baxter, originally ex-Army, is called back from holiday to investigate whether it was an accident, or deliberate; if deliberate home grown, or an act of terrorism?

This is a story that ranges from the UK to the Middle East and Gulf with active participation by MI6, MI5, Mossad, DGSE, and the actions of particular terrorist groups in Jihads against the West and Western interests, in this case, finally, UK interests.

Interwoven with this is a political scenario involving Ministers with axes to grind, and a slowly developing relationship between Harry and a sleeper Mossad operative.

The Jihadists move their operations to the Gulf following Buncefield as security is tightened in the UK, returning later to set up the operation to strike at the heart of UK democracy. Eastern European interests provide materiel for this operation and the UK security services MI6 and MI5 combine to try and thwart this action.

Hostages are taken by both sides which leads to a critical and tense final scenario as the attack is mounted.

Critique: A deftly written, multi-layered, inherently gripping read from cover to cover, John Henry Bennett's "Pigs" the first volume of a trilogy and is a simply extraordinary novel by an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven drama. While very highly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Pigs" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.50).

Porkies
John Henry Bennett
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781514823088, $14.75, PB, 402pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Porkies" the second book in author John Henry Bennet's trilogy, and continues from the end of "Pigs" as it follows the ongoing exploits of Harry Baxter, an MI6 officer, in resolving a terrorist attack at the centre of Government.

Baxter is subsequently posted to the British High Commission in Islamabad Pakistan, where local and international political intrigue hold centre stage within international terrorism. His long distance, continuing relationship with Anna Harrison, a Mossad agent, adds a personal and dangerous complexity to operations both in Europe and the Middle East.

The maelstrom within Lebanon is opened up again by a Hezbollah attack on the Israeli border, resulting in counter attacks and exodus of Embassy staff to Syria. In the UK a new Director General is appointed to head up the SIS (MI6), bringing political considerations to bear on operations and structure, this in turn creating internal stress on the basic requirement, Defense of the Realm. The operations in the Middle East cover relationships between the SIS, the American CIA, the Israeli Mossad, and the French DGSE, with the need to put partisan or political positions to one side in the face of a common enemy.

The picture drawn is of a battle to contain the virulent world-wide activities of related terrorist groups.

Critique: Although quite readily enjoyed as a 'stand alone' action/adventure novel in its own right, "Porkies" will have special appeal for readers introduced to the distinctive storytelling style of author John Henry Bennett. Unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, "Porkies" is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.95).

Lies, Damn Lies
John Henry Bennett
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781546488651, $14.75, PB, 414pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The third and final volume of author John Henry Bennett's trilogy, "Lies, Damn Lies" picks up from the end of "Porkies" with Harry Baxter, an MI6 officer, returning from Pakistan to Vauxhall Cross, London, MI6 HQ, for re-assignment in January 2007.

The Security Service, MI5, are desperately trying to track both Russian and Chinese agents within the UK, who are focussing their efforts on penetrating the major Energy companies, their gas routeing from Europe and insufficient storage facilities, potential power generation sabotage, with the risk of the lights going out in the UK.

Concurrently, the Russian Mafia, Bratva, are planning a multi-billion dollar heist on the Energy Futures Markets around the world. MI6, because of the international scope of the operations, are therefore working in concert with MI5.

Harry's relationship with Anna Harrison continues under pressure, with her assignment as Mossad Liaison Officer within the French DGSE in Paris. Interwoven relationships between members of the Foreign Office, Eurasian agents, Russian and Chinese State Security personnel and the Bratva, provide a fast paced, highly complex scenario, challenging MI5 and MI6, now operating under new Director Generals, to work together, as never before, in Defence of the Realm.

The matrix of complexity resembles a game of three dimensional chess, with internal competition within a number of the foreign intelligence communities, creating a further level of risk in an already high stakes game.

Critique: A 'must' for readers who have enjoyed the "Pigs" and "Porkies" (the first two novels in author John Henry Bennett's outstanding action/adventure trilogy), "Lies, Damn Lies" is a simply riveting read from first page to last. This is the stuff of which block buster movies and television mini-series are made! While especially recommended for community library collections, it should be noted that "Lies, Damn Lies" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.50).

Crevice
Janice Boekhoff
WildBlue Press
PO Box 102440, Denver, CO 80250
https://wildbluepress.com
9781942266549, $10.99, PB, 306pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Desperate to save her family's struggling gold mine, Elery Hearst orders her crew to dig a new tunnel in a last-ditch effort to intersect the original gold vein. Rather than saving her legacy, however, the tunnel collapses, killing one of her men. Initial reports blame the tragedy on faulty equipment -- an old machine Elery should have replaced.

Before she can come to terms with the guilt and regret consuming her, Elery's brother disappears in search of the Lost Dutchman, a legendary mine of vast riches, and what he believes to be the solution to his family's grave financial situation. To find her brother, Elery must now ask for help from the one man she'd rather avoid -- Lucan Milner, the twin brother of the miner who died in the collapse.

Still struggling with the loss of his only brother, rescue tracker Lucan Milner reluctantly agrees to help with the search. But when Elery insists on coming along, her presence forces his emotions to the surface. How can God expect him to forgive her? Then, Lucan's tracking dog is injured, bringing the search to a halt. Lucan and Elery realize the only way to find her brother is to find the Lost Dutchman Mine. And Lucan holds the secret that can help -- journal pages written by the Dutchman himself.

But sharing them with Elery not only rips open his grief-stricken heart, it puts both of them into the path of a killer. In these deserted mountains, they aren't the only ones desperate to find the lost mine.

Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Crevice" is an extraordinary and entertaining novel that reveals author Janice Boekhoff's genuine flair for original and memorable storytelling with respect to action/adventure sequences and memorably romantic relationships. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Crevice" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).


The Biography Shelf

How Not to Succeed in Hollywood
Marissa Thomas
https://marissathomas.net
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9780692924426, $15.99, PB, 436pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "How Not to Succeed in Hollywood" by Marissa Thomas will be prove to be of immense interest and help to anyone who's ever been fascinated by the magic of Hollywood, the thrill of performing, and the mystery of how to get the two concepts to cooperate and provide a career.

Marissa loved the idea of living in Los Angeles, meeting new people, and going to auditions every day. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the real world always seems to want to tag along for the ride.

Anyone trying to penetrate the entertainment industry, from the outside, knows that you have to survive in the meantime. Not only paying your dues to the industry, but your bills to the collectors. If you're lucky, you'll find at least a few legitimate friends along the way.

Life happens whether you're on a set, or not. And, good, bad, or ugly, sometimes all you can do is laugh at it. "How Not to Succeed in Hollywood" is one girl's personal story of how not to succeed in Hollywood.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, "How Not to Succeed in Hollywood" is an inherently fascinating and candidly personal story from cover to cover. An extraordinary and insightful observational memoir, "How Not to Succeed in Hollywood" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone contemplating trying to make it in show business (whether in Hollywood or on Broadway), that "How Not to Succeed in Hollywood" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Triumph Over Tragedy
William H. Frishman
Science International Corporation
70 Forest Street, Suite 58, Stamford, CT 06901
www.scienceinternational.org
9780692665091, $19.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Triumph Over Tragedy: The Odyssey of an Academic Physician" is a remarkable memoir written by William H. Frishman, M.D., currently the Director of Medicine at Westchester Medical Center and the Rosenthal Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, positions he has held for almost 20 years. Dr. Frishman is a devotee of history and literature, and "The Odyssey" by Homer is one of his favorite books. In "Triumph Over Tragedy", Dr. Frishman details his own personal odyssey, and relays his experiences, through text and photos, as a son, student, soldier, doctor, teacher, husband, father and academic leader. A prolific writer and researcher, Dr. Frishman has participated in the development and editing of over 1,000 academic articles and 14 full-length textbooks, but "Triumph Over Tragedy" is his first personal account of how his early experiences, and personal family tragedies, shaped his life and career.

Critique: An impressively candid and inherently interesting read from beginning to end, "Triumph Over Tragedy: The Odyssey of an Academic Physician" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Triumph Over Tragedy: The Odyssey of an Academic Physician" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Ketone Therapy
Bruce Fife
Piccadilly Books, Ltd.
PO Box 25203, Colorado Springs, CO 80936
www.piccadillybooks.com
9781936709137, $16.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The ketogenic diet is one that is very low in carbohydrate, high in fat, with moderate protein. This diet shifts the body into a natural, healthy metabolic state known as nutritional ketosis. In ketosis the body uses fat as its primary source of energy instead of glucose. Some of this fat is converted into an alternative form of fuel called ketones. Ketones are high-potency fuel that boost energy and cellular efficiency and activates special enzymes that regulate cell survival, repair, and growth.

When a person is in nutritional ketosis, blood levels of ketones are elevated to therapeutic levels. In response, high blood pressure drops, cholesterol levels improve, inflammation is reduced, blood sugar levels normalize, and overall health improves. Low-fat diets have been heavily promoted for the past several decades as the answer to obesity and chronic disease. However, we are fatter and sicker now more than ever before.

Obviously, the low-fat approach has not worked. Our bodies actually need fat for optimal health and function more efficiently using fat for fuel. In "Ketone Therapy: The Ketogenic Cleanse and Anti-Aging Diet" by certified nutritionist, and naturopathic physician Bruce Fife you will discover how people are successfully using the ketogenic diet to prevent and treat chronic and degenerative disease.

"Ketone therapy" is backed by decades of medical and clinical research, and has proven to be both safe and effective for the treatment of variety of health issues, including the following: Alzheimer's disease Parkinson's disease stroke Multiple sclerosis heart disease cancer diabetes obesity metabolic syndrome Crohn's disease ulcerative colitis irritable bowel syndrome glaucoma macular degeneration migraine headaches sleep disorders

It doesn't stop there. Research is continually discovering conditions that are responding to the ketogenic diet. Many health problems that medical science has deemed incurable or untreatable are being reversed. Medications that were once relied on daily are no longer necessary and are being tossed away. People are discovering that a simple, but revolutionary diet based on wholesome, natural foods and the most health-promoting fats is dramatically changing their lives. It could be the key to changing yours as well.

Critique: Exceptionally informative and impressively well written, organized and presented, "Ketone Therapy: The Ketogenic Cleanse and Anti-Aging Diet" is an extraordinary read that will prove to be fully accessible to the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Health/Medicine collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Ketone Therapy: The Ketogenic Cleanse and Anti-Aging Diet" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.95).


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

No Thanks Mom
Elizabeth Stewart
Flandricka House Press
www.elizabethappraisals.com
9780998102535, $15.95, PB, 98pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A concise guide for parents of millennials, "No Thanks Mom: The Top Ten Objects Your Kids Do Not Want (and what to do with them)" by Elizabeth Steward offers sage advice on what to do with those objects 'saved' but not welcomed by the next generation.

Collections and treasured objects do not always span the generation gap, sustaining both high market value and the taste and style of the 21st century. Learn to downsize what formerly was valued without upsizing your kid's home. Of special note is an invaluable chapter, The Top Ten Objects Kids Do Not Want that discusses the current taste for once treasured objects such as formal dinner china.

Often a flashpoint between parents and heirs, objects are a reflection of lives and homes. Tales of 'stuff' not "in style" include market remedies for antiques, fine art, and collectibles: how and where to sell, what to donate, what to save, and what not to bequest to heirs.

Offered by an appraiser with three decades of experience, a collector of collector's stories, the guide sets forth roadmaps and plans for what to do with objects once your kids have said "No Thanks." Topics include The Five Piles Theory of Downsizing, and Rules and Habits for Creative Divesting.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, well written, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "No Thanks Mom: The Top Ten Objects Your Kids Do Not Want (and what to do with them)" is a unique and unreservedly recommended instructional guide for both community and academic library Parenting instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "No Thanks Mom" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).


The Sports Shelf

The End Of The Curse
William Stanish
Golden Rock Books
www.theendofthecurse.com
9780998956701, $25.00, HC, 41pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The End of the Curse: A Poetic and Photographic Account of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians" is an engaging and unique sports history in which author and baseball fan William Stanish recounts the drama of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series in which the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians to end a string of more than 100 years without a World Series championship. The account is poetic in nature, after the style of "Casey at the Bat," with full-page color photographs illustrating the poem and the highlights of the game.

In "The End of the Curse," Stanish tells the story of Game 7 from the point of view of Cubs fans. Like "Casey at the Bat," the poem is focused on the "home" team, with no mention of players on the opposing team. That reflects the notion that the battle against Cleveland was perhaps overshadowed by the battle against the "curse", and the fear that fans would, once again, have to "wait till next year".

In addition to covering the on-field drama, the author explores the psychological struggles of the fans as their emotions alternated among confidence, fear, hope, despair, and finally, jubilation. He also takes a fanciful look at the "curse" itself, and speculates on its own fear, its own nemesis, and what might have contributed to its own demise.

"The End Of The Curse" provides a lasting memento of the Cubs' 2016 World Series championship, with a rich artistic and visual experience. And it provides an opportunity for fans of all ages to relive the events and the emotions of Game 7 with a poetic flair that will never grow old.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and fully entertaining read from cover to cover, "The End of the Curse: A Poetic and Photographic Account of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians" is a unique, extraordinary, and wonderfully illustrated bit of very special baseball history. An absolute 'must read' for all baseball fans in general, and Cubs fans in particular, "The End Of The Curse" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library American Sports History collections.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Arise! My Message Is In My Mess
Denise Newsome
Azz1 Producations
9780982711033, $15.00, PB, 146pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: We have all made mistakes and fallen on hard times. And often, the way we choose to handle a situation may not have been the best choice. However, we are not just our mistakes, or our circumstances. We are God's children, just looking to make the best of the life we are given.

But in order to achieve that, we have to realize that we cannot do it alone. We should not do it alone. For God loves us and can heal all things if we believe in Him and His Glory.

"Arise! My Message Is In My Mess" is a collection of personal essays describing the trials and tribulations that each author has faced, and how God's love helped see them through. Sexuality, drug abuse, physical and emotional abuse, violence, incarceration, and sickness are just some of the topics discussed in this powerful volume.

Like God's love, "Arise! My Message Is In My Mess" is meant for all people in providing a way to connect to those who have experienced similar difficulties and inspire others that there is a way out. That no matter what walk in life you are coming from, He can take away your burdens. Through these testimonies, you will see that anyone is capable of redemption; that people of every hue, creed, nationality, and background can be set free.

Critique: Denise Newsome is an author, playwright, producer, director and a motivational speaker. She is an active member of The Cathedral at Miracle and a member of the media ministry. With the publication of "Arise! My Message Is In My Mess" she draws upon her experience and expertise to provide a life-changing, life-enhancing read that is exceptionally well written, organized and impressive. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, inspired and inspiring, "Arise! My Message Is In My Mess" is very highly recommended. It should be noted that "Arise! My Message Is In My Mess" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $1.99).


The Money/Finance Shelf

Money Won't Buy Happiness - But Time to Find It
Chris Heerlein
http://moneywontbuyhappiness.com
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781544890432, $9.95, PB, 156pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. Why doesn't wealth bring a constant sense of joy?

The fact is that people aren't very good at figuring out what to do with money.

As humans, we are conditioned to positive experiences. Pleasures are short-lived because we adapt to them. On the other side of the coin, comforts are not front-and-center in our consciousness until they are absent.

In the pages of "Money Won't Buy Happiness - But Time to Find It", author Chris Heerlein will help you look at money through a new lens. You will discover simple yet actionable strategies to keep more of your hard-earned dollars in your pocket for the long term, because it's not about what you make, but what you keep.

"Money Won't Buy Happiness - But Time to Find It" takes readers of every age and income through steps to discover the greatest asset of all -- Time! "Money Won't Buy Happiness - But Time to Find It" aptly serves to lead investors on a path to once and for all take control of their financial future, providing a perpetual level of happiness only true freedom can bring.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively insightful, extraordinarily motivating, "Money Won't Buy Happiness - But Time to Find It" is a life-changing, life-enhancing read that is especially recommended for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections and Money/Finance supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Money Won't Buy Happiness - But Time to Find It" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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