The End of the Line by Jim Power

Future hope

 

The End of the Line is a current love story between a black woman and a white man living in the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia.  Because racism and bigotry still exist, Jim Power turns the prejudices of two families and friends into lessons for all races.

With compassion and skill, Power masters storytelling his message with ease. His characters become real and situations believable. He adds a touch of history to create an authentic setting, which remains a desired quality in any good book.

After reading The End of the Line, by Jim Power, I wonder if the expectation is that someday, readers will be shocked and appalled by the insanity of the world when people judged each other by the color of their skin.

Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje

Difficult Decisions

 

A captivating piece of written art to provoke thought and reflection on one’s own life is how I perceived Twelve Houses. Olga Soaje did not claim to have written these magnificent words as a self-help book, but I’m making the comparison.

Adversity is part of life, but as the cliché states, it’s how we handle our struggles that matters.  Amelia became a widow after thirty-five years of a loving marriage. Understanding her choices regarding family, work, and relationships, may provide hope for readers.

Amelia’s personal loss kept her artistic love of creating pieces of sculpture. She found it difficult to consider entering her studio. Her two children brought insignificant relief, especially her daughter, who was daddy’s girl.

As time went on, Amelia realized she needed to stop grieving and get back to living. The touching story in Twelve Houses is magnificent as Soaje uses picture-perfect words to convey the concept of recognizing and accepting change. Soaje uses compassion and benevolence to explain how Amelia recovered from the unexpected hard knocks delivered in her life.

Twelve Houses, by Olga Soaje, is an enjoyable story for readers of any age.

Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories by Lani Hall Alpert

Pearls

 

A singer/songwriter/author discovered by watching Tavis Smiley on PBS. Not only had I never heard of Lani Hall Alpert, I was unaware she was Herb Albert’s wife. Growing up I enjoyed listening to Herb Alpert’s Jazz.

When I watched Lani Hall Alpert respond to Smiley’s interview questions about her memoir, my interest piqued. I appreciated her honesty, sharing personal events and complicated issues in her life, but her words of wisdom dealing with adversity is what impressed me.

As Lani explained the stories, written in Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories, I looked forward to the written word. In her book, she described in depth her life in Chicago, including her love of Jazz.

Discovered as a singer in Chicago, Lani moved to Los Angeles, became a lead singer, and met Herb Alpert. Throughout her emotional stories, Lani’s life experiences are captivating. Her expectations remained practical, as she doesn’t live in la-la land. Her pragmatic reasoning was refreshing.

Delighted Lani’s book matched her live interview; I took away a sense of hope for my own life after reading Lani Hall Alpert’s, Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories.

Dark Flame Rising (The Keegan Crowe Chronicles, Book One) by J. A. Pedersen

Magic, Science, and History

 

Dark Flame Rising is a young adult fantasy novel about a fourteen year old girl, Keegan, a computer geek with a curious mind. Living with her grandmother after her parents’ death, moving from place to place without explanations, Keegan ends up solving the mystery in the small, desert town of Turtle Springs.

During Keegan’s quest for answers, she learns magic is real. The results from her pursuit open up unimaginable dangerous places, and facts she never knew about her parents. Keegan plays a major part in bringing together four magical objects from a society that practiced magic, to restore the balance of earth, water, wind, and fire to the world.

J. A. Pedersen adds a copious amount of historical notes after each chapter, which was a favorite part of the book.

Readers of all ages who like captivating fantasy will enjoy Dark Flame Rising, packed with magical adventure, science, and history.

The Scotties Learn About Respect by Stephanie Robinson. Illustrations by Wendy Hope

Children learn the lesson of respect through a cute story about three Scottish Terriers: Archie, Flea, and Bonnie. After Archie destroys Mom’s garden, Flea scolds him about his lack of respect for Mom. Archie doesn’t know what respect means, so Flea explains it.

Archie trots over to Mom and apologizes. Mom understands Archie is sorry and forgives him. The next day, he helps Mom replant the tomatoes he destroyed, and all is well.

Exemplary illustrations demonstrate the possibility of the lesson learned without words.

Young readers will enjoy this tale following the dogs from page to page.

VISITS Four Times by Ginger H. Edwards

Extraordinary writing from Ginger Edwards in her four short stories about aliens from outer space, called Visits, Four Times.

Lighthearted and witty describe the ‘visits’ best. Take a few minutes to escape into Ginger’s storytelling brilliance.

The Crimson Path of Honor by M.B. Tosi

A captivating story about a wealthy young woman in the 1860’s who ran away from her stable Boston life to avoid an arranged marriage. Planning to use her skills as a teacher changed when during her escape she ended up captured by a band of Lakota Sioux. Luci Garling became Morning Star, named by her captor, Golden Eagle.

The story encompassed three long years as Morning Star assimilated into the Lakota culture. She developed into a better fighter alongside the braves than a squaw among the women. Her new life demanded courage and bravery as she fought to survive.

M.B. Tosi kept me engaged with rich Lakota Sioux history as Morning Star struggled in dangerous situations. Forced to decide unexpected choices maintained my interest throughout the book.

Along with history and adventure, a complicated romance between Morning Star and her captor, Golden Eagle, influenced both their lives. Trust and friendship prevailed over extraordinary situations revealing morals and values of the characters.

I recommend The Crimson Path of Honor by M.B. Tosi to readers of all ages, especially those who enjoy historical fiction. An ideal approach to experience the Lakota Sioux Nation is by appreciating this significant novel.