Reviews
You're Shopping Me Crazy!
John Reinhardt (John Reinhardt Book Design)
John Reinhardt's You're Shopping Me Crazy! taps into a universal experience: the maddening array of inconsiderate behaviors encountered during a seemingly simple trip to the store. Primarily focusing on grocery shopping, Reinhardt lays bare 101 instances of discourtesy, from aisle-blocking behemoths to checkout line invaders and parking lot pirates. What could be a relentless litany of complaints is instead a surprisingly relatable and often humorous exploration of modern-day shopping etiquette (or lack thereof). Reinhardt adopts a conversation...
Misery Plaza (A Southern New England Horror Anthology)
J.J. Alo (J.J. Alo)
Misery Plaza by J.J. Alo is a supernatural Western that plunges readers into a world where the past is never truly buried. William Potter is on the run, a notorious outlaw trying to outrun his past as Joseph Griffin. He seeks refuge in the strange, isolated village of Missouri Plaza, hoping to shield his children from the violence he's known. But this town has its darkness. Surrounded by liars, thieves, and killers, Potter stumbles upon a buried treasure that could buy their escape. Instead, he unearths a nightmare. Missouri Plaza holds s...
Firefly Manifesto: Journey into the Labyrinth
Lori Hyon Bae (Independently published)
Firefly Manifesto: Journey into the Labyrinth by Lori Hyon Bae is a fascinating story delivered in a fragmented, introspective narrative voice set at the end of the world. In a mountain nature preserve, a refuge for the displaced in a world dominated by the hybrid H Sapiens Techritidae, a woman begins a life teetering between reality and dream. As a storm rages, she embarks on an internal odyssey, a quest for escape and a return home to a golden desert of memory. Her journey winds through the evolutionary trail, seeking her origins, encounterin...
Sip & Savor: Poems for a Perfect Pairing
Edmond A Bruneau (Boston Publishing Company)
Sip & Savor by Edmond Bruneau is a collection of poems that explore a wide range of human experiences, capture intimate emotions, and deliver captivating observations. The poems touch upon personal reflections, offer social critiques, and glimpse into everyday life, often with a blend of wit, authenticity, and a keen eye for detail. The collection moves through diverse themes, from the creative process and personal identity to relationships, mortality, and the absurdities of modern life. Through various subjects, Bruneau invites the reader...
The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits
Marcha Fox and Pete Risingsun (Kalliope Rising Press)
The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits, by Marcha Fox and Pete Risingsun, is the first book in the series. The authors deliver a tale spanning centuries and intertwined destinies. The narrative opens in 1879 with a brutal raid on a Cheyenne village by silver miners, leading to the deaths of two young braves and the tribe’s horses, and a curse laid upon the land by medicine man Black Cloud. Fast forward 140 years to a clandestine project in the same Colorado wilderness. Bryan Reynolds uncovers its disturbing connection to the historica...
Sophistries of Summer Days
Jenny Lofters (Jenny Lofters (February 4, 2019))
Jenny Lofters’ Sophistries of Summer Days is a clever exploration of friendship, grit, and human connection against historical turmoil. Set in the British West Indies during the 1930s, the narrative follows two young women: Cherrimina, a fourteen-year-old islander, and Dove, a mysterious American with fiery red hair. Their unlikely bond blossoms amidst the escalating political tensions and harrowing events leading to World War II. The story opens with a compelling premise —a devastating hurricane, a metaphor for the chaos in the exter...
Accustomed to the Dark
Thomas DeConna (Black Rose Writing)
In Accustomed to the Dark by Thomas DeConna, twenty-four-year-old journalist Jenny Smith scores a career-defining interview with reclusive author AJ Kenton. But instead of questions, their afternoons unfold as Kenton shares a transformative story from his youth. This coming-of-age novel deftly captures the struggles and triumphs of adolescence through the eyes of 13-year-old AJ. Set in a small suburban town during the 1960s, the narrative begins with AJ’s simple ambition to sell flower seeds to purchase an art set. However, his journey takes on...
Milo Finds His Forever Home
Steve and Nancy Devon (Giving Tree Books)
Milo Finds His Forever Home by Steve and Nancy Devon is a heartwarming story that follows a disabled dog named Milo, who is rescued after being injured and abandoned. With the caring assistance of Stephanie, an animal shelter volunteer, he undergoes therapy and eventually wears a specialized wheelchair to move around. While residing at the shelter, Milo befriends several other dogs, each with unique backstories and longing to find a loving home. Throughout their time together, they share laughter, hopes, fears, and ultimately experience the bit...
Blood Oath, (Storm Breaker Book 1)
Kayla Cunningham (Fire and Ice)
In Blood Oath, Kayla Cunningham delivers a gripping tale set within a dark, fantastic realm torn apart by the violence of the Sovereign War. The story follows Allyria Pilar, a sixteen-year-old prisoner in Redvine, who faces execution after her desperate attempt to save a magical woman, Prisoner #9486114, escalates into chaos. This pivotal moment catapults Allyria into the depths of a brutal system designed to crush hope and humanity. When unexpected help arrives through the enigmatic Death Dealer, Allyria must navigate her newfound freedom. At...
Conversations with My Mother
Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert (Rootstock Publishing)
Through a series of vignettes, Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert captures the mix of humor and heartache accompanying the conversations between the elderly and warm-hearted Francophone grappling with dementia in Conversations with My Mother. At the same time, her quaint town faces real estate development pressures. The novel opens with a nostalgic trip to the breakwater, where Yvette recalls when her husband proposed. This memory delivers the emotional backdrop throughout the narrative, highlighting the contrast between Yvette’s fragmented recollections...