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January 2023 MBR The General Fiction Shelf
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Midwest Book Review
Jan 31, 2023, 11:27:08 PM1/31/23
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The General Fiction Shelf
The Dixie Apocalypse
Richard Fossey
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail, Suite 205, Dallas, Texas 75248
https://www.brownbooks.com
9781612545745, $15.99, PB, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Apocalypse-Richard-Fossey/dp/1612545742
Synopsis: "The Dixie Apocalypse" by Richard Fossey is a near-future, post-apocalyptic novel. It's the story of retired lawyer-turned-professor Willoughby Burns who finds himself trying to survive against hunger and deadly threats in southern Louisiana.
"The Dixie Apocalypse" takes place in an America ravaged by natural disasters, lack of petroleum, plagues, and terrorism. What is left of the United States is controlled by martial law. Life itself becomes primitive and favors those who can grow their own food or handle firearms.
Will befriends US General Merski stationed in Baton Rouge, LA, and founds a farming community of fifty farms on the eastern bank of the Mississippi river due south of downtown Baton Rouge. General Merski enlists Will as a civilian commissary officer, in charge of carrying out errands for his troops without arousing suspicion.
"The Dixie Apocalypse" follows Will on his travels through Louisiana and Texas, as he seeks to establish a sense of order and peace in a dystopian America.
Critique: Extrapolating from current social, cultural, political, and climate change projections, "The Dixie Apocalypse" will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in dystopian fiction. Exceptionally well written by an author with a genuine flair for originality and an effective, narrative driven storytelling style, "The Dixie Apocalypse" is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections.
Editorial Note: Richard Fossey grew up in southwestern Oklahoma and graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. He practiced civil law in Anchorage, Alaska before attending Harvard University, where he obtained a doctorate in education administration and social policy. He taught education law and policy for many years at universities in Louisiana and Texas, where he held endowed professorships. He edited Catholic Southwest, a journal of Catholic history in the American Southwest, and was named a Fellow of the Texas Catholic Historical Society in 2019.
Code Name Sapphire
Pam Jenoff
Park Row Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780778334293, $28.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Sapphire-World-Novel/dp/0778334295
Synopsis: Its 1942 and Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiance was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.
Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Matteo. But when a grave mistake causes Lily's family to be arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties. How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?
Critique: Of special note is that "Code Name Sapphire" by novelist Pam Jenoff is a work of fiction that was inspired by incredible true stories of courage and sacrifice in resisting the Nazis in Europe during World War II. Deftly crafted with memorable characters and a fully engaging storyline, "Code Name Sapphire" is a compelling and original novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times. While unreservedly recommended for community library fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of those with an interest in World War II stories that "Code Name Sapphire" is also available in a paperback edition (9780778387091, $17.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212223324, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Pam Jenoff (https://pamjenoff.com) is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris and The Orphan's Tale. Her novels are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She holds a bachelor's degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master's degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Fireballer
Mark Stevens
Lake Union Publishing
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/lake-union-publishing.html
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781662512520, $28.99, HC, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fireballer-Novel-Mark-Stevens/dp/166251252X
Synopsis: Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field -- his pitches arrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He's being heralded as a game-changing pitcher.
But within the maelstrom of press, adulation, and wild speculation, Frank is a man alone. Haunted by a tragic incident from years past, he yearns to be the best but cannot reconcile the guilt he carries with the man everyone believes him to be. Frank's path to redemption leads him on a journey back to where his life changed forever, to visit his family, his high school coach, and his brother.
Through reconnection and reconciliation with those also deeply affected by the devastating event of Frank's youth, he finds peace and his place in the world both in and outside the game.
Critique: "The Fireballer" is a lyrical, moving story by novelist Mark Stevens about the undeniable talent and the life-changing power of forgiveness. A subtly romantic ode to America's favorite pastime, "The Fireballer" will have a very special appeal for baseball enthusiasts, as well as readers with an interest in contemporary romance and Coming of Age stories. While unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Fireballer" is also available in a paperback edition (9781662505638, $16.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799788652, $29.99, MP3-CD).
Editorial Note: Mark Stevens (https://markhstevens.wordpress.com) as worked as a reporter, as a national television news producer, and in public relations. His books include: Antler Dust (a Denver Post bestseller in 2007 and 2009); Buried by the Roan, Trapline, and Lake of Fire (wich were all finalists for the Colorado Book Award (2012, 2015, and 2016, respectively), and Trapline won. Trapline also won the Colorado Authors League award for best genre fiction. Stevens has had short stories published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, by Mystery Tribune, and in Denver Noir (Akashic Books). In September 2016, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year. Stevens hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and has served as president of the Rocky Mountain chapter for Mystery Writers of America.
Hawai'i Calls
Marjorie Nelson Matthews
https://marjorienelsonmatthews.com
Rootstock Publishing
https://www.rootstockpublishing.com
9781578690923, $27.99, HC, 302pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Calls-Marjorie-Nelson-Matthews/dp/1578690927
Synopsis: Sadira Doyle believes the best years of her life are behind her. A housewife and mother in a parochial town during the latter years of the depression, she yearns for more. Her husband is an alcoholic sinking into despair; her eldest son's eccentricities make him the object of bullying; and her mother-in-law's religious zeal runs counter to Sadira's own spiritual sensibilities. The weekly radio show, Hawai'i Calls, offers her a chance to escape. When her husband Archie loses his job as a mortician, Sadira decides they will begin anew in Hawai'i.
Archie and Sadira set forth from New York City with their two young sons, bound for a place where they know no one. While the fresh start in Honolulu doesn't transform Archie, and the move exacerbates their son Lionel's emotional struggles, Sadira discovers new possibilities with a job as the society columnist for a Honolulu daily, finding herself in the company of movie stars, politicians, and Honolulu's most powerful players.
This intoxicating, glamorous world soon proves challenging and flawed. The Japanese attack on Oahu changes the landscape once again, altering daily life for the islands and for Sadira. With the islands' serenity shattered, its glory days as playground to the stars are over, and Sadira must recreate herself once more to survive with her family intact.
Critique: With the publication of "Hawai'i Calls", novelist, Marjorie Nelson Matthews clearly demonstrates her genuine flair for originality and a narrative storytelling style that keeps her readers full attention from first page to last. This is all the more impressive when considering that "Hawai'i Calls" is her first published novel. An impressively entertaining work of fiction, "Hawai'i Calles" is fully and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of those with an interesting Family Life/Women's Domestic Fiction that "Hawai'i Calls" is also available in a paperback edition (9781578690916, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Marjorie Nelson Matthews (https://marjorienelsonmatthews.com/about), born and raised in Honolulu, now lives with her husband in Hanover, New Hampshire. She taught speech and communication courses in both the University of Hawai'i and the University of New Hampshire systems, and taught speech and nonfiction writing at Iolani School in Honolulu.
Twinkies & Beefcake
T. H. Forest
Holdorf Press
9798987033012, $29.95, HC, 354pp
https://www.amazon.com/Twinkies-Beefcake-T-H-Forest/dp/B0BMT435BF
Synopsis: Robby is a gay, sharp-witted and posh London teenager who spends his days with his best friend Dee, sharing secrets and yearning for sex and love, while also dodging the torment of bullies from his elite prep-school. When he meets the man of his dreams, he falls fast. Maybe too fast.
Hailing from the dregs of Manchester, and twelve years Robby's senior, Vas is gorgeous and irresistible, and swears he's equally smitten with Robby. But in the midst of their wild, sexual exploration of each other, the cameras come out, as do the drugs, and the booze. Soon, Robby is in over his head: addicted, porn-famous, and still yearning for love.
Amid family tensions, trips to rehab, and finishing university, Robby's past finally catches up to him when a bully from secondary re-enters his life and everything is exposed. Robby is forced to contend fully with the trauma of his adolescence so that he can find, and be with, his soulmate. Striving for happiness, inner-peace, and true love, Robby must decide if his sins can ever be overcome.
Critique: A riveting and complex coming-of-age story involving bullying, sex, addiction, redemption, and a 'longing for true love at any cost', "Twinkies & Beefcake" by novelist T. H. Forest is a simply riveting read and, although a work of fiction, plays fair in its depiction of the hazards of being a gay 'outsider' in a predominantly straight world. While recommended for community library LBTGQ+ fiction and romance collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Twinkies & Beefcake" is also available in a paperback edition (9798987033005, $16.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Ginger Star
Diana McDonough
www.dianamcdonough.com
Independently Published
9781733731911, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Star-Diana-L-McDonough/dp/1733731911
Ginger Star opens in Ghana in 1719, where Amari and Kwasi are enjoying a friendly hunting competition when they run into a Fante warrior who works with the slave ships, capturing souls for servitude. Their capture and journey to Jamaica is fraught with battles between ships and crews. Their introduction to various forms of privilege and prejudice will keep readers thinking about the incarnations of both as the story unfolds against the backdrop of pirates, settlers, and those who consider other human beings as fodder for trade and abuse.
While Amari and Kwasi open the story, a host of other characters are introduced to add a full-bodied flavor to the tale from different perspectives. Cabin boy Ronnie Shepherd and Marshall Fergusson of Ramble House Plantation are juxtaposed against Adria's life of advantage in Jamaica and the secret she harbors against all odds. The hopes, dreams, and heirs to the Ginger Star plantation intersect on various social and cultural levels to evoke change in not just one other, but the world around them.
Guilt and the reality of closely-held secrets that will ultimately prove impossible to keep dog Amari's increasing involvement with the Maroons, a tribe of escaped slaves and Taino Indians. The Maroon's type warfare threatens not just freedom and the status quo of plantation life, but the fabric of colonial society whose expectations and perceptions keeps the story riveting and multifaceted.
Diana McDonough crafts a novel replete in Jamaican history, the atmosphere of the piracy that swirls around disparate lives and changes them, and the follies of men and women.
Ginger Star's story of prejudice, redemption, time and love is highly recommended for libraries interested in thought-provoking tales of the Caribbean and lives that evolve into new possibilities. Ginger Star is a story of struggle, strife, and the rejuvenation of a stowaway's life who finds a home and hope against all odds. Ginger Star is the powerful story of grief, courage, and optimism.
The Journey of Karoline Olsen
Ann Hanigan Kotz
https://www.annhkbooks.com
BookPress Publishing
www.bookpresspublishing.com
9781947305519, $24.95 Hardcover/$7.95 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Karoline-Olsen-Hanigan-Kotz/dp/1947305514
The Journey of Karoline Olsen is a novel about an extraordinary undertaking made by a woman whose husband dies in 1905, prompting her to bring his body on a long journey via wagon as she recalls their marriage and move from Norway.
At this point, it should be noted that Karoline Olsen's fictional journey is based on the author's family stories and experiences. This lends the account an aura of authenticity created by the author's personal connection to her story. It should be read as fiction, but this foundation lends to an immersive experience that comes to life for Karoline's readers.
From the beginning, one of the striking notes of this story is the sense of time's slow passage which is reflected in journeys by wagon across prairies and wilderness. Descriptions of these processes are solidified by insights into the trials produced by even the simple process of bringing a body home for burial: "The frozen blocks were packed around the body, which was wrapped in a heavy canvas tarp to keep it from deteriorating until she could put him into the ground. Karoline had traveled more than two weeks to make the trip from Soldier to Cedar Falls to retrieve him. Now, she needed make the journey home."
From solo trips cross-state to acts of kindness and support which enable Karoline to achieve her goals, Ann Hanigan Kotz cultivates a personal perspective to the character's actions that embraces her thoughts and experiences about love, marriage, and survival. As her life unfolds, Kotz is especially attentive to creating passages that describe Karoline's expanding world both within and outside her marriage: "Their conversations always started with something less personal but then evolved into their questions about men and marriage as well as their own pains and scars as wives and mothers."
Whether speaking of the process of an immigrant journeying to a new country and home, making friends, raising family, or surviving marriage and death, Kotz captures this world of changing lives. She profiles Karoline's cleverness in trying to protect daughter Betsi's reputation and life as well as the progression of 22 years of Karoline's often-stormy marriage to Kristopher. Kotz winds history, love, and survival issues into a thoroughly moving story that will especially appeal to women who look for history-based novels that come alive with the quickening of both relationships and survival tactics. The result is a story that winds through early 1900s America and the trajectory of a woman's heart.
Libraries looking for solid representations of these lives and their struggles, whether from choices and circumstances or changing interpersonal relationships tested by the rigors of new worlds and opportunities, will find The Journey of Karoline Olsen a compelling recommendation.
The Lighthouse
Karin Ciholas
https://karinciholas.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639885930, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Karin-Ciholas/dp/1639885935
The Lighthouse is a historical novel and Book 1 in The Cyrenian series, and is set in first-century Egypt, which resides under Roman rule. Physician Simon's life as a Jew is increasingly tenuous in this world; but when his sister is kidnapped, Simon embarks on a journey into the slave markets in Alexandria and to Jerusalem to find her. Ironically, he is tapped by Roman soldiers to carry a crossbeam for a stranger even as he feels the swell of vengeance rise in him. Determined to track down her kidnapper Meidias and exact justice for his family and people, the good physician finds himself at odds not only with society, but his own edict to heal others -- not kill them.
His personal journey becomes political as the tides of the first pogrom against the Jewish people in Alexandria rise to place him and his choices in the cusp of world-changing events. If The Lighthouse seems unusually well-steeped in a sense of place, that's because Karin Ciholas embarked on a journey to the countries she depicts (Italy and the Middle East) to bring them to life. Of course, she couldn't travel back in time -- that must be left to the imagination. But, backed by solid research into historical fact and insights into social and political currents of the times, Ciholas creates a vivid, memorable story powered as much by strong characters as by the forces that influenced this world's directions.
Her descriptions are memorable and hard-hitting, embracing not just Simon's perspective, but the men and women who circle around him in various ways. Whether she writes of love, death, or travesty, Ciholas creates a memorable saga that rests firmly on the hearts and minds of a diverse group of people moved by changing social and political influences. The beacon served up in The Lighthouse is highly recommended reading for any historical fiction library seeking powerful, memorable explorations of friends, enemies, and the forces that twist the two together.
Man Wanted in Cheyenne
Richard C. McPherson
Unleash Press
www.unleashcreatives.net
9798986274355, $17.99
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Wanted-Cheyenne-Richard-McPherson/dp/B0BM5FGDKY
Readers looking for Western novels with the flair of literature against a Nevada backdrop will find Man Wanted in Cheyenne more than a cut above the ordinary Western production.
Jake enjoys movies almost as much as he enjoys his solitude. So when a Hollywood production team plans on using the ranch he's employed at, Jake is open to "teaching them cowboying" and participating in their filming efforts. What he was not expecting was the intrusion and changes this effort would bring to his formerly-peaceful life, which has evolved slowly in the fifteen years since his beloved Sarah died. It feels more than ironic that the movie actor which Sarah idolized is coming to the ranch to be part of this new production. It's also more than incongruous that Jake's observations of the characters participating in and directing this effort often place him at odds with those who would bully him to take charge of and change his little piece of heaven.
As the movie crew's actions lead to disaster, Jake faces further challenges, from health threats that could devastate the cattle herd and new relationships with the small but growing bison breeding community to journeys to New York, Montana, and places far from the ranch he once called home. Richard C. McPherson juxtaposes filming efforts with this Western backdrop of a cowboy set adrift. These add to the realistic feel of the plot as events evolve to change Jake's life. The author's research into cattle and bison also inject educational notes into the tale as Jake's world expands to embrace new ideas and environmental lessons about living in the modern West.
The result is a full-flavored contemporary Western novel that takes the usual specter of the lone ranch hand cowboy and moves it in unexpected directions. Jake navigates unfamiliar terrain. Readers will find themselves avidly following him wherever he goes.
Libraries looking for appealing Western stories that place the cowboy in the position of reinventing his life in a changing modern world will find Man Wanted in Cheyenne an intriguingly different story that employs the usual backdrops of the West, but with a satisfyingly original eye to introducing contemporary issues affecting the land and those who live on and manage it.
The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World
Mark Miller
https://authormarkmiller.com
Montage Press
9781957010229, $17.95
https://authormarkmiller.com/the-two-headed-lady-at-the-end-of-the-world
The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World blends romance with ribald adventure and humor in a novel that promises to attract a wide range of readers to its unusual escapades and odd characters. Think conjoined twins who exhibit unusual traits beyond their physical connection, who present an intriguing skill set and connection from the novel's opening lines. Their connection was not forged at birth, but was created by a government snafu involving a particle collider project hidden underneath the family farm. The Morgan twins are on the path to adulthood, facing romantic attractions complicated both by their physical connection and their separate outlooks on life and men.
Mark Miller also injects end-of-the-world drama into this story, which comes with unexpected differences. One example is two men ensconced underground in a survival bunker for 30 years who discover attraction for one another and reasons for not seeking a return to civilization. This is paired with a newly sentient CPU who, lonely for love, seeks a romantic connection with a fax machine at the Pentagon. Singularity never looked like this before. Nor has love.
As events evolve, these disparate characters assume the flavor of Dr. Strangelove mixed with a heady rush of hormones that returns a high-octane romance on steroids. Expect the unexpected, because that's one delightful strength of The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World. It ultimately examines the end of worlds, the beginnings of new worlds, and the promise and rush of romance under extraordinary conditions.
A heady injection of social inspection with references to cis-gendered white male privilege, American patriotism gone awry, and a shockingly definitive conclusion ices the cake of both fun and serious social and political analysis.
Libraries and readers looking for a mix of romance, sci-fi, and relationship-evolving characters (and machines) will find The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World's creative blend of humor and conundrums to be involving, unique, and satisfyingly unexpected.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
The Dixie Apocalypse
Richard Fossey
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail, Suite 205, Dallas, Texas 75248
https://www.brownbooks.com
9781612545745, $15.99, PB, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Apocalypse-Richard-Fossey/dp/1612545742
Synopsis: "The Dixie Apocalypse" by Richard Fossey is a near-future, post-apocalyptic novel. It's the story of retired lawyer-turned-professor Willoughby Burns who finds himself trying to survive against hunger and deadly threats in southern Louisiana.
"The Dixie Apocalypse" takes place in an America ravaged by natural disasters, lack of petroleum, plagues, and terrorism. What is left of the United States is controlled by martial law. Life itself becomes primitive and favors those who can grow their own food or handle firearms.
Will befriends US General Merski stationed in Baton Rouge, LA, and founds a farming community of fifty farms on the eastern bank of the Mississippi river due south of downtown Baton Rouge. General Merski enlists Will as a civilian commissary officer, in charge of carrying out errands for his troops without arousing suspicion.
"The Dixie Apocalypse" follows Will on his travels through Louisiana and Texas, as he seeks to establish a sense of order and peace in a dystopian America.
Critique: Extrapolating from current social, cultural, political, and climate change projections, "The Dixie Apocalypse" will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in dystopian fiction. Exceptionally well written by an author with a genuine flair for originality and an effective, narrative driven storytelling style, "The Dixie Apocalypse" is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections.
Editorial Note: Richard Fossey grew up in southwestern Oklahoma and graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. He practiced civil law in Anchorage, Alaska before attending Harvard University, where he obtained a doctorate in education administration and social policy. He taught education law and policy for many years at universities in Louisiana and Texas, where he held endowed professorships. He edited Catholic Southwest, a journal of Catholic history in the American Southwest, and was named a Fellow of the Texas Catholic Historical Society in 2019.
Code Name Sapphire
Pam Jenoff
Park Row Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780778334293, $28.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Sapphire-World-Novel/dp/0778334295
Synopsis: Its 1942 and Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiance was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.
Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Matteo. But when a grave mistake causes Lily's family to be arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties. How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?
Critique: Of special note is that "Code Name Sapphire" by novelist Pam Jenoff is a work of fiction that was inspired by incredible true stories of courage and sacrifice in resisting the Nazis in Europe during World War II. Deftly crafted with memorable characters and a fully engaging storyline, "Code Name Sapphire" is a compelling and original novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times. While unreservedly recommended for community library fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of those with an interest in World War II stories that "Code Name Sapphire" is also available in a paperback edition (9780778387091, $17.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212223324, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Pam Jenoff (https://pamjenoff.com) is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris and The Orphan's Tale. Her novels are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She holds a bachelor's degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master's degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Fireballer
Mark Stevens
Lake Union Publishing
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/lake-union-publishing.html
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781662512520, $28.99, HC, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fireballer-Novel-Mark-Stevens/dp/166251252X
Synopsis: Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field -- his pitches arrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He's being heralded as a game-changing pitcher.
But within the maelstrom of press, adulation, and wild speculation, Frank is a man alone. Haunted by a tragic incident from years past, he yearns to be the best but cannot reconcile the guilt he carries with the man everyone believes him to be. Frank's path to redemption leads him on a journey back to where his life changed forever, to visit his family, his high school coach, and his brother.
Through reconnection and reconciliation with those also deeply affected by the devastating event of Frank's youth, he finds peace and his place in the world both in and outside the game.
Critique: "The Fireballer" is a lyrical, moving story by novelist Mark Stevens about the undeniable talent and the life-changing power of forgiveness. A subtly romantic ode to America's favorite pastime, "The Fireballer" will have a very special appeal for baseball enthusiasts, as well as readers with an interest in contemporary romance and Coming of Age stories. While unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Fireballer" is also available in a paperback edition (9781662505638, $16.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799788652, $29.99, MP3-CD).
Editorial Note: Mark Stevens (https://markhstevens.wordpress.com) as worked as a reporter, as a national television news producer, and in public relations. His books include: Antler Dust (a Denver Post bestseller in 2007 and 2009); Buried by the Roan, Trapline, and Lake of Fire (wich were all finalists for the Colorado Book Award (2012, 2015, and 2016, respectively), and Trapline won. Trapline also won the Colorado Authors League award for best genre fiction. Stevens has had short stories published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, by Mystery Tribune, and in Denver Noir (Akashic Books). In September 2016, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year. Stevens hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and has served as president of the Rocky Mountain chapter for Mystery Writers of America.
Hawai'i Calls
Marjorie Nelson Matthews
https://marjorienelsonmatthews.com
Rootstock Publishing
https://www.rootstockpublishing.com
9781578690923, $27.99, HC, 302pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Calls-Marjorie-Nelson-Matthews/dp/1578690927
Synopsis: Sadira Doyle believes the best years of her life are behind her. A housewife and mother in a parochial town during the latter years of the depression, she yearns for more. Her husband is an alcoholic sinking into despair; her eldest son's eccentricities make him the object of bullying; and her mother-in-law's religious zeal runs counter to Sadira's own spiritual sensibilities. The weekly radio show, Hawai'i Calls, offers her a chance to escape. When her husband Archie loses his job as a mortician, Sadira decides they will begin anew in Hawai'i.
Archie and Sadira set forth from New York City with their two young sons, bound for a place where they know no one. While the fresh start in Honolulu doesn't transform Archie, and the move exacerbates their son Lionel's emotional struggles, Sadira discovers new possibilities with a job as the society columnist for a Honolulu daily, finding herself in the company of movie stars, politicians, and Honolulu's most powerful players.
This intoxicating, glamorous world soon proves challenging and flawed. The Japanese attack on Oahu changes the landscape once again, altering daily life for the islands and for Sadira. With the islands' serenity shattered, its glory days as playground to the stars are over, and Sadira must recreate herself once more to survive with her family intact.
Critique: With the publication of "Hawai'i Calls", novelist, Marjorie Nelson Matthews clearly demonstrates her genuine flair for originality and a narrative storytelling style that keeps her readers full attention from first page to last. This is all the more impressive when considering that "Hawai'i Calls" is her first published novel. An impressively entertaining work of fiction, "Hawai'i Calles" is fully and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of those with an interesting Family Life/Women's Domestic Fiction that "Hawai'i Calls" is also available in a paperback edition (9781578690916, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
Editorial Note: Marjorie Nelson Matthews (https://marjorienelsonmatthews.com/about), born and raised in Honolulu, now lives with her husband in Hanover, New Hampshire. She taught speech and communication courses in both the University of Hawai'i and the University of New Hampshire systems, and taught speech and nonfiction writing at Iolani School in Honolulu.
Twinkies & Beefcake
T. H. Forest
Holdorf Press
9798987033012, $29.95, HC, 354pp
https://www.amazon.com/Twinkies-Beefcake-T-H-Forest/dp/B0BMT435BF
Synopsis: Robby is a gay, sharp-witted and posh London teenager who spends his days with his best friend Dee, sharing secrets and yearning for sex and love, while also dodging the torment of bullies from his elite prep-school. When he meets the man of his dreams, he falls fast. Maybe too fast.
Hailing from the dregs of Manchester, and twelve years Robby's senior, Vas is gorgeous and irresistible, and swears he's equally smitten with Robby. But in the midst of their wild, sexual exploration of each other, the cameras come out, as do the drugs, and the booze. Soon, Robby is in over his head: addicted, porn-famous, and still yearning for love.
Amid family tensions, trips to rehab, and finishing university, Robby's past finally catches up to him when a bully from secondary re-enters his life and everything is exposed. Robby is forced to contend fully with the trauma of his adolescence so that he can find, and be with, his soulmate. Striving for happiness, inner-peace, and true love, Robby must decide if his sins can ever be overcome.
Critique: A riveting and complex coming-of-age story involving bullying, sex, addiction, redemption, and a 'longing for true love at any cost', "Twinkies & Beefcake" by novelist T. H. Forest is a simply riveting read and, although a work of fiction, plays fair in its depiction of the hazards of being a gay 'outsider' in a predominantly straight world. While recommended for community library LBTGQ+ fiction and romance collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Twinkies & Beefcake" is also available in a paperback edition (9798987033005, $16.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Ginger Star
Diana McDonough
www.dianamcdonough.com
Independently Published
9781733731911, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Star-Diana-L-McDonough/dp/1733731911
Ginger Star opens in Ghana in 1719, where Amari and Kwasi are enjoying a friendly hunting competition when they run into a Fante warrior who works with the slave ships, capturing souls for servitude. Their capture and journey to Jamaica is fraught with battles between ships and crews. Their introduction to various forms of privilege and prejudice will keep readers thinking about the incarnations of both as the story unfolds against the backdrop of pirates, settlers, and those who consider other human beings as fodder for trade and abuse.
While Amari and Kwasi open the story, a host of other characters are introduced to add a full-bodied flavor to the tale from different perspectives. Cabin boy Ronnie Shepherd and Marshall Fergusson of Ramble House Plantation are juxtaposed against Adria's life of advantage in Jamaica and the secret she harbors against all odds. The hopes, dreams, and heirs to the Ginger Star plantation intersect on various social and cultural levels to evoke change in not just one other, but the world around them.
Guilt and the reality of closely-held secrets that will ultimately prove impossible to keep dog Amari's increasing involvement with the Maroons, a tribe of escaped slaves and Taino Indians. The Maroon's type warfare threatens not just freedom and the status quo of plantation life, but the fabric of colonial society whose expectations and perceptions keeps the story riveting and multifaceted.
Diana McDonough crafts a novel replete in Jamaican history, the atmosphere of the piracy that swirls around disparate lives and changes them, and the follies of men and women.
Ginger Star's story of prejudice, redemption, time and love is highly recommended for libraries interested in thought-provoking tales of the Caribbean and lives that evolve into new possibilities. Ginger Star is a story of struggle, strife, and the rejuvenation of a stowaway's life who finds a home and hope against all odds. Ginger Star is the powerful story of grief, courage, and optimism.
The Journey of Karoline Olsen
Ann Hanigan Kotz
https://www.annhkbooks.com
BookPress Publishing
www.bookpresspublishing.com
9781947305519, $24.95 Hardcover/$7.95 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Karoline-Olsen-Hanigan-Kotz/dp/1947305514
The Journey of Karoline Olsen is a novel about an extraordinary undertaking made by a woman whose husband dies in 1905, prompting her to bring his body on a long journey via wagon as she recalls their marriage and move from Norway.
At this point, it should be noted that Karoline Olsen's fictional journey is based on the author's family stories and experiences. This lends the account an aura of authenticity created by the author's personal connection to her story. It should be read as fiction, but this foundation lends to an immersive experience that comes to life for Karoline's readers.
From the beginning, one of the striking notes of this story is the sense of time's slow passage which is reflected in journeys by wagon across prairies and wilderness. Descriptions of these processes are solidified by insights into the trials produced by even the simple process of bringing a body home for burial: "The frozen blocks were packed around the body, which was wrapped in a heavy canvas tarp to keep it from deteriorating until she could put him into the ground. Karoline had traveled more than two weeks to make the trip from Soldier to Cedar Falls to retrieve him. Now, she needed make the journey home."
From solo trips cross-state to acts of kindness and support which enable Karoline to achieve her goals, Ann Hanigan Kotz cultivates a personal perspective to the character's actions that embraces her thoughts and experiences about love, marriage, and survival. As her life unfolds, Kotz is especially attentive to creating passages that describe Karoline's expanding world both within and outside her marriage: "Their conversations always started with something less personal but then evolved into their questions about men and marriage as well as their own pains and scars as wives and mothers."
Whether speaking of the process of an immigrant journeying to a new country and home, making friends, raising family, or surviving marriage and death, Kotz captures this world of changing lives. She profiles Karoline's cleverness in trying to protect daughter Betsi's reputation and life as well as the progression of 22 years of Karoline's often-stormy marriage to Kristopher. Kotz winds history, love, and survival issues into a thoroughly moving story that will especially appeal to women who look for history-based novels that come alive with the quickening of both relationships and survival tactics. The result is a story that winds through early 1900s America and the trajectory of a woman's heart.
Libraries looking for solid representations of these lives and their struggles, whether from choices and circumstances or changing interpersonal relationships tested by the rigors of new worlds and opportunities, will find The Journey of Karoline Olsen a compelling recommendation.
The Lighthouse
Karin Ciholas
https://karinciholas.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639885930, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Karin-Ciholas/dp/1639885935
The Lighthouse is a historical novel and Book 1 in The Cyrenian series, and is set in first-century Egypt, which resides under Roman rule. Physician Simon's life as a Jew is increasingly tenuous in this world; but when his sister is kidnapped, Simon embarks on a journey into the slave markets in Alexandria and to Jerusalem to find her. Ironically, he is tapped by Roman soldiers to carry a crossbeam for a stranger even as he feels the swell of vengeance rise in him. Determined to track down her kidnapper Meidias and exact justice for his family and people, the good physician finds himself at odds not only with society, but his own edict to heal others -- not kill them.
His personal journey becomes political as the tides of the first pogrom against the Jewish people in Alexandria rise to place him and his choices in the cusp of world-changing events. If The Lighthouse seems unusually well-steeped in a sense of place, that's because Karin Ciholas embarked on a journey to the countries she depicts (Italy and the Middle East) to bring them to life. Of course, she couldn't travel back in time -- that must be left to the imagination. But, backed by solid research into historical fact and insights into social and political currents of the times, Ciholas creates a vivid, memorable story powered as much by strong characters as by the forces that influenced this world's directions.
Her descriptions are memorable and hard-hitting, embracing not just Simon's perspective, but the men and women who circle around him in various ways. Whether she writes of love, death, or travesty, Ciholas creates a memorable saga that rests firmly on the hearts and minds of a diverse group of people moved by changing social and political influences. The beacon served up in The Lighthouse is highly recommended reading for any historical fiction library seeking powerful, memorable explorations of friends, enemies, and the forces that twist the two together.
Man Wanted in Cheyenne
Richard C. McPherson
Unleash Press
www.unleashcreatives.net
9798986274355, $17.99
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Wanted-Cheyenne-Richard-McPherson/dp/B0BM5FGDKY
Readers looking for Western novels with the flair of literature against a Nevada backdrop will find Man Wanted in Cheyenne more than a cut above the ordinary Western production.
Jake enjoys movies almost as much as he enjoys his solitude. So when a Hollywood production team plans on using the ranch he's employed at, Jake is open to "teaching them cowboying" and participating in their filming efforts. What he was not expecting was the intrusion and changes this effort would bring to his formerly-peaceful life, which has evolved slowly in the fifteen years since his beloved Sarah died. It feels more than ironic that the movie actor which Sarah idolized is coming to the ranch to be part of this new production. It's also more than incongruous that Jake's observations of the characters participating in and directing this effort often place him at odds with those who would bully him to take charge of and change his little piece of heaven.
As the movie crew's actions lead to disaster, Jake faces further challenges, from health threats that could devastate the cattle herd and new relationships with the small but growing bison breeding community to journeys to New York, Montana, and places far from the ranch he once called home. Richard C. McPherson juxtaposes filming efforts with this Western backdrop of a cowboy set adrift. These add to the realistic feel of the plot as events evolve to change Jake's life. The author's research into cattle and bison also inject educational notes into the tale as Jake's world expands to embrace new ideas and environmental lessons about living in the modern West.
The result is a full-flavored contemporary Western novel that takes the usual specter of the lone ranch hand cowboy and moves it in unexpected directions. Jake navigates unfamiliar terrain. Readers will find themselves avidly following him wherever he goes.
Libraries looking for appealing Western stories that place the cowboy in the position of reinventing his life in a changing modern world will find Man Wanted in Cheyenne an intriguingly different story that employs the usual backdrops of the West, but with a satisfyingly original eye to introducing contemporary issues affecting the land and those who live on and manage it.
The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World
Mark Miller
https://authormarkmiller.com
Montage Press
9781957010229, $17.95
https://authormarkmiller.com/the-two-headed-lady-at-the-end-of-the-world
The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World blends romance with ribald adventure and humor in a novel that promises to attract a wide range of readers to its unusual escapades and odd characters. Think conjoined twins who exhibit unusual traits beyond their physical connection, who present an intriguing skill set and connection from the novel's opening lines. Their connection was not forged at birth, but was created by a government snafu involving a particle collider project hidden underneath the family farm. The Morgan twins are on the path to adulthood, facing romantic attractions complicated both by their physical connection and their separate outlooks on life and men.
Mark Miller also injects end-of-the-world drama into this story, which comes with unexpected differences. One example is two men ensconced underground in a survival bunker for 30 years who discover attraction for one another and reasons for not seeking a return to civilization. This is paired with a newly sentient CPU who, lonely for love, seeks a romantic connection with a fax machine at the Pentagon. Singularity never looked like this before. Nor has love.
As events evolve, these disparate characters assume the flavor of Dr. Strangelove mixed with a heady rush of hormones that returns a high-octane romance on steroids. Expect the unexpected, because that's one delightful strength of The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World. It ultimately examines the end of worlds, the beginnings of new worlds, and the promise and rush of romance under extraordinary conditions.
A heady injection of social inspection with references to cis-gendered white male privilege, American patriotism gone awry, and a shockingly definitive conclusion ices the cake of both fun and serious social and political analysis.
Libraries and readers looking for a mix of romance, sci-fi, and relationship-evolving characters (and machines) will find The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World's creative blend of humor and conundrums to be involving, unique, and satisfyingly unexpected.
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Midwest Book Review
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