The Extraordinarily ordinary Life of Pince

The Extraordinarily Ordinary Life of Prince: Everybody’s Good at Something by Prince A. Sanders

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

Several things make a children’s book iconic, like addressing pressing social issues, speaking to adults and children alike, and the test of time. The only box that “The Extraordinarily Ordinary Life of Prince: Everybody’s Good at Something” has left to tick is the test of time. Freshly out of the press, Prince A. Sanders’ book continues building a magically creative universe. Purchase Here.

This is the second piece of a puzzle that reflects the author’s childhood. The series is infused with a strongly personal note that immediately disarms the reader, leaving them open to the full magnitude of the experience. The short book is more than just a read; it is an experience of how the world of adults and children intersect.

Seven-year-old Prince is at an age driven by exploration. He spends many recesses chasing after the secrets and wonders of nature. It soon dawns on his classmates that Prince does not follow the script. While his older brother is a star athlete at the school, Prince fails to prevail at sports and live up to his brother’s reputation. Shortly, Prince starts feeling more of an outsider and, worst of all, a stranger to himself.

Prince grows to accept that his path is different from his brother’s and what others might expect of him. But he is yet unaware of where his own path will take him. The road ahead is cleared when he least expects it, at a ballet performance. When the whole family goes to watch a show, Prince becomes entranced by the organic movements of the performers and longs to be part of the magical universe.

While the path may be visible to him, not everybody shares his view. It is common for parents and other adults to build up certain expectations and lay out a life course for children. Yet, when they make their own decisions, it is essential to respect their validity and offer support to fulfill their dreams. The truth that Prince lays out in front of us is that one may see their own path clearer than anyone else. However, societal expectations and norms may cast a shadow, threatening the fulfillment of one’s dream and destiny.

The images that bring vibrant colors to the pages of the book deserve a special mention. The artist takes vivid snapshots of some of the more crucial moments in the life of Prince. It is certainly worth stopping at each picture to take in the events depicted. True to the mark of a genuine artist, these depictions don’t act as a distraction in the storyline but rather build on it, adding a new fun dimension.

Just like the previous book, “The Extraordinarily Ordinary Life of Prince: Everybody’s Good at Something” is accessible to early readers (ages 6 to 8) but it can be read to children of all ages. In fact, parents or any adults who are immersed in the world of children somehow could benefit from this moving story told by Prince A. Sanders. It is a wonderful tale that can inspire children to follow their dreams and adults to shelter the often-fragile dreams of childhood.

thestormlg1

The Storm by Val Bardash

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

“The Storm” by Val Bardash is a beautifully written tale about intimacy in its many forms. Intimacy between family, friends, even strangers… and also the empty space between us. But above all else, the void that we all carry around within us. A bottomless black hole that we try to fill with love, tenderness, adventures, or writing. Purchase Here.

The book follows two main stories that become interwoven, that of youth and of aging. A young aspiring writer tries to find himself and his estranged father through writing. Perhaps the one thing that connects them, beyond blood. The books written by his famous father, John Stark, become a window through which the son can glance at an image of a father figure. But the figure is distorted. It is uncertain which features are real and which are carefully crafted by the Stark’s pen.

The author showcases throughout the pages how years of life and living transform some raw innate elements while washing over others without leaving a mark. The characters seem to be lost souls aimlessly wandering in the modern wilderness desperate to reach a clearing. For the main protagonists, the coveted clearing was, in fact, a mountain, a place of solitude, rest, and death. They were drawn to this beacon of resolution for similar reasons, and on their journey, they discovered not only themselves but each other as well.

“Do not bring your unsettled thoughts to the mountains,” this is a place of serenity and calm. An unsettled mind places people in danger; it makes the mountain restless and vengeful for disturbing its sleep. This is a story about two restless minds that awoke the mountain and suffered its wrath.

The narrative is carefully constructed and layered by Val Bardash. It takes the reader down a deeply intimate path with unpredictable twists and turns. While the ending does bring closure to the story, the book is more about the journey itself and the becoming of man. “The Storm” is a beautifully written novel that captures the raw essence of human nature, or at least a fragment of it. But that fragment is on full display with both its brilliance and its dark crevasses.

They Call Me Ms.

They Call Me Ms. by Terry Adcock

Reviewed by Dianne Woodman

They Call Me Ms. takes place in the Washington metropolitan area and introduces readers to Private Investigator Vic Carella. Mitch Goldberg hires Vic to locate his stolen luxury yacht. What Vic thinks is just a simple problem of tracking down a missing vessel turns into a challenging and dangerous adventure as Mitch was not forthcoming when Vic agreed to take on the case. It comes to light Mitch is tangled up with a criminal organization that engages in arms smuggling, money laundering, and human trafficking. Purchase Here.

Mitch’s dead body turns up before Vic figures out who might have hidden the yacht and its location. Vic’s inquiries to determine who killed Mitch and his involvement in illegal and nefarious activities bring her to the attention of miscreants. She comes up against seemingly inescapable and life-threatening situations. Concurrently with Vic, law enforcement officials are investigating. Who will prevail? Will the individuals engaged in unlawful activities get away with their crimes or be stopped by Vic and/or police and government agencies?

The novel is a terrific debut in A Vic Carella Mystery series. Vic, the newly featured female private detective, tells the story from her point of view. Terry Adcock’s writing style lets readers get a first-hand look into Vic’s emotional and behavioral responses to ethical dilemmas. All the characters are imbued with distinctive personality traits, which affect their approach and reaction to situations. New challenges and more complications for the characters make readers want to know what will happen next. How complicated will their personal lives become? Can they overcome obstacles in their way? The profanity chosen by Adcock suits the characters.

They Call Me Ms. involves a challenging mystery and an organized crime group. Adcock pulls readers into this suspenseful page-turner from the start. Readers can envision vivid pictures of scenes in the story due to Adcock’s creative use of figurative language. An exciting twist to the story involves Vic’s attraction to a man seemingly operating on the wrong side of the law. The well-placed false clues and an edge of looming danger enhance the storyline.

People will find reading this fast-paced mystery a rewarding experience. Readers get a close-up view into the callous behavior of criminals and how law enforcement personnel and a private detective outside her comfort zone deal with racketeering and heinous criminal activities. Adcock has penned a riveting story that is full of action-packed conflict and builds to an edge-of-your-seat climax. It ends with a hook to keep readers interested in the next volume.

Still the Night Call

Still the Night Call by Joshua Senter

Book Reviewed by Lisa Brown-Gilbert

Joshua Senter’s Still the Night Call traces a memorable and emotionally rending journey to self- realization, with a tale which rattles the heart and mind into giving pause and reflecting on how you may value your life and the world you live in.  Purchase Here.

Told through the lens of central character Calem Honeycutt, a dairy farmer, whose whole life is centered around making a living through farming which he does mainly by helping his father work his farm. Moreover, at thirty-two years old, Calem is a man who has lost hope. A quiet man of few words, the narrative is fueled by his internal mentations, more so than his face- to-face interactions. Ultimately a bit of a loner, he does not often venture far from his life as a dairy farmer; however, for the most part, he seems to enjoy his life that way and sees his life as nothing worthier than that.

Immediately the curiosity is piqued when Calem, who comes across as an intelligent, determined and sympathetic character, seems convinced he is living his “last day”. Consequently, the story traces the events of his self-prophesied last day counting time down, to his final “night call”, a time known when your activity ceases to go to bed, but for his intents and purposes it would mean much more. As he lives out the hours of his last days he ruminates over his life’s events, experiences, and memories as well as comes across a life altering experience which would teach him the hardest lesson of all to value your life, live it your way no matter what is happening in your world externally.

Through Calem’s perspective, pessimism, doubt, and fears rear their ugly heads threatening farms and businesses as a contemporary world in flux steadily and mercilessly moves away from the conventions of small family-owned farms and businesses, especially the dairy farm as the demand for milk moves from conventional cow’s milk towards other alternative milks, making it difficult for them to make a decent living. Ultimately it is through Calem’s discussions, philosophies and internalized insights which reveal other catalysts to economic hardship, as the story interweaves real life elements concerning the current social, political, economic, and moral elements affecting the livelihoods of local dairy farmers, small businesses and the like.

Conclusively, I enjoyed Still the Night Call.  I found myself enmeshed in this touching and dramatic story eager to follow Calem’s emotion rending journey towards his proposed night call. Overall, author Joshua Senter is simply an excellent storyteller.  The story flowed seamlessly, with the articulate scenes presenting many instances of deep thought provocation centering on facts of contemporary life and how it affects and changes those that lead simple more community connected lives. Overall, this is not only a book which I recommend reading, but I believe wholeheartedly, would also make a fantastic movie.

 

Shadow Shinjuku

Shadow Shinjuku Volume 1 by Ryu Takeshi

Reviewed by Lily Amanda

“Shadow Shinjuku” is an adventure-filled crime thriller that is set in Japan and follows the life of a young man, Sato-san. It is the first volume of the Shadow Shinjuku series. As a young homeless child, Sato-san lived one day at a time, begging for money on the streets of Tokyo. One day, his fortune changes when he meets Kobayashi-san, an infamous leader of a crime organization, who takes him in but demands one thing from him, loyalty. Sato-san is gradually drawn into a world of crime, drugs, and death as he falls deeper into Tokyo’s underworld. Purchase Here.

Sato-san grapples to honor his allegiance to Kobayashi-san as he begins questioning the effects of his actions as a member of the organization. He further seeks to protect those he cares for from the same people he is working for. The concept of right versus wrong is explored as well as loyalty versus freedom in this fascinating tome. Sato-san soon learns he has to begin making choices and soon.

Ryu Takeshi is a great writer. I admired how he breathes realistic life into the life of his characters. This makes the story plausible and very enjoyable. Buoyed with twists and turns, this book keeps you on edge to the end. The vivid descriptions used display Japan’s sites and sound extremely well. In the beginning, I felt the book was slow-paced but understood this feature as it helped me meld with the characters.

Written in the first-person narrative, Author Takeshi displays the thoughts and emotions of Sato-san, as he questions his life decisions, iniquities, and his desire to make amends. His concern for Kiki, a young woman whose father was murdered, was heartwarming. Peppered with Japanese terms and a few fantasy elements, “Shadow Shinjuku” lingers on in the reader’s mind long after the reading is done.

This book qualifies for pure escapist entertainment. Packed with mystery, action, and thrill, the novel will undoubtedly take readers on an emotive and captivating journey. Due to the presence of mature language and a few violent scenes, I would recommend this intriguing tome to a mature audience.

“Shadow Shinjuku” volume 1 by Rye Takeshi is a must-have for fans of crime thrillers. I enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading the next series.

Coldwater Revenge

Coldwater Revenge by James A. Ross

Book Reviewed by Dianne Woodman

Coldwater Revenge takes place in 2002 with the setting in a lakefront community along the Canadian border. Tom Morgan, a high-powered New York lawyer, has taken a break from his job to spend time with his family. He is at a crossroads in his life and trying to choose the path he wants to follow. Shortly after his arrival in the small town of Coldwater, the body of a local man is discovered in the lake. Sheriff Joe Morgan, Tom’s younger brother, recently lost his staff and is the sole police officer in the town. Joe enlists Tom’s help in what turns out to be a high-profile murder case. During a meeting at Tom’s law firm, he finds out that a case from years ago in which he was only peripherally involved could cost him not only his job but also jail time. Time is critical for proving his innocence, but Tom refuses to leave Joe without support. Purchase Here.

When Joe becomes critically ill due to his exposure to a deadly toxin, Tom takes over the investigation, and his theories and probing questions put him in the uncomfortable position of questioning the likelihood of whether his brother or Susan Pearce, the sister of the victim, could be involved in the complicated case in which a bio-research company is also entangled. Career choices along with personal and family relationships all point toward Joe’s and/or Susan’s possible guilt. While working on the case, Tom not only is dealing with inner turmoil, possible career implosion, family differences, and his feelings toward Susan, his ex-girlfriend, but he also winds up in precarious situations that lead to life threatening danger. Will Tom escape perilous predicaments and identify the killer? Is there a potential bio-terrorist plan afoot and can it be stopped? Will Joe’s body succumb to the poison?

James A. Ross has put together a disparate group of compelling characters, each with their own agenda, who share a connection with one another that include positive and/or negative relationships. Readers gain insight into the motivations behind characters’ behaviors and reactions. The story is true-to-life in painting a picture of how a small-town sheriff skirts the edge when it comes to following the letter of the law by allowing some illegal activities to go unpunished and the subsequent fallout. Ross does a terrific job in the use of imagery and figurative language to bring the characters and storyline alive and make for a richer reading experience.

Ross draws readers in with a terrific opening line and holds them spellbound while reading this spine-tingling and suspense-filled page turner. It is a roller coaster ride for readers as they are shocked, mesmerized, and fascinated all at the same time. This riveting story includes lies and betrayal, violence with intent to maim or kill, alleged clergy misconduct, ups and downs of family relationships, secret oral language, suspected bioterrorism, moral and ethical issues, underhanded dealings, personal dilemmas, and a small amount of swearing. Coldwater Revenge is most definitely a top shelf-worthy read and a great debut of the Coldwater Mystery Series. I look forward to the release of Coldwater Confession, the second book in the series.

Princess Reigns

Princess Reigns by Roger Williams

Book Reviewed by Timea Barabas

Princess Reigns is a story that puts all of the seven deadly sins on display. Ava Edwards (aka Princess Ava) is a young, ambitious minister from the city of Del Toray. Her ambitions, however, do not align with any spiritual path of spreading God’s love. Instead, they are ambitions for money and power. Ava does not believe the messages that she preaches. Instead, she sees her place in the church as a stepping stone to greater things. Purchase Here.

Ava is guilty of many of the seven deadly sins herself. Her wrath is on display immediately, as the book opens with Ava chasing an employee around the room, attempting to attack him. Her lust takes the form of sleeping with her ex-con church employee, Joe, behind the back of her husband, Henry. Her greed is visible in her desire to get a hold of her stepdaughter’s trust fund. Her envy is clear in her hatred for Reverend Holt, the leader of the church down the road. Her pride is shown in her self-praise for her looks and intellect.

The only two deadly sins that Ava does not display are gluttony and sloth. In fact, with the level of work she puts into her evil plans, sloth is the last sin of which Ava could possibly be accused. While she might not be guilty of these two sins, her ten-year-old son Jimmy certainly is. Mother and child are not the only villains of this story. Ava’s lover Joe and his brother Robbie certainly carry their fair share of wicked intent. Both brothers can check off several of the deadly sins themselves. Even our protagonist, private detective and stepdaughter of Ava, Tori Edwards, is guilty of wrath. She is constantly at odds with Ava over the way Ava treats Tori’s little sister, Susy.

In Princess Reigns, Roger Williams once again taps into the darkness to bring us a story with twisted characters looking to prey upon the innocent for their own gain. We see the depths that the worst among us are willing to stoop in order to gain money and power. We also see the lengths that the best of us will go to for the ones we love.

This book is another battle between the light and the dark from Williams. Few characters can be said to occupy any of the gray space in between. While Ava may pretend to be a member of the light, her secret soul is pitch black. The characters that Williams creates are either horrifying or admirable, and choosing sides is easy.

The Ray Bright Caper

The Ray Bright Caper by B.B. Teeter

Reviewed by Daniel Ryan Johnson

If you are looking to start a new modern detective series with a feminist twist, consider “The RayBright Caper” the debut novel of the “Kirby Mack Series.” The story revolves around the classic tale of thieves trying to pull off a heist and an underdog investigator trying to catch them. However, in B. B. Teeter’s version, this involves a secret military device as a prized possession, an unlikely band of two misfits, and an underappreciated female private security investigator. Purchase Here.

Harvey, the man who came up with the grand plan, recruits an unlikely associate, a tech-genius kid named Mark. The start of their professional relationship is a particularly enchanting part of the novel. The tension between the two is palpable, as they each try to size up the other without giving too much away about themselves. Nevertheless, to obtain trust, one must first offer trust.

The two make a great team by complementing each other nicely. There are plenty of moments where they show complete trust in one another. What is more, they seem fully dedicated to the plan. However, throughout the pages, there is a lingering tension, which erupts occasionally.

As their carefully thought-out plan is set in motion, so is Kirby Mack, who is playing for the other side. She is hired by the targeted RayBright Labs, a San Diego Defense contractor. The founders of the company catch on to the fact that something is about to happen but that something seems to elude them.
Kirby proves to be far more resourceful and skilled than her employers thought. Her intelligence and deep knowledge of human psychology enable her to see things in a different light and generally obtain what she wants. In the end, it might even turn out that she was too good for the job.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the novel is its triple narrative line. Chapters are alternatively dedicated to each of the three main characters, Harvey, Mark, and Kirby. This allows the reader a truly unique perspective on the unfolding events. It is truly fascinating to compare a singular event from multiple viewpoints as it brings into focus different details (which go unnoticed by the other participants). Therefore, the reader somehow rises above the events and has a wider view over and deeper understanding of the action.

“The RayBright Caper” promises to be a great read for adults who wish to go on a thrilling adventure. B. B. Teeter is masterful at giving the suspense momentum and also at keeping events unpredictable. These are just a few of the traits that make the book particularly hard to put down.

An Antidote to Violence

An Antidote to Violence by Barry Spivack and Patricia Saunders

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

“An Antidote to Violence: Evaluating the Evidence” is not your casual mid-afternoon read. It is a thought-provoking and in-depth presentation of a still-controversial topic, Transcendental Meditation (TM). The authors, Barry Spivack MA and Patricia Saunders Ph.D. have created a monumental piece by critically analyzing decades worth of scientific research on the social effects of the practice. After a careful evaluation of evidence, the authors conclude that there is indeed an antidote to violence. Purchase Here.

This universal antidote is accessible to all and completely free. While this might sound like oversimplifying a vastly complex and far reaching issue, that is not necessarily so. While researchers have linked group meditation to measurable growth in social welfare (under different forms), they do not consider the TM effect the sole cause of these measures. Rather, they view it as part of a complex web of forces which govern the world and life as we know it, yet, often fall beyond our regular conscious grasp.

To those less familiar with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his teachings, there is ample opportunity to acquaint yourself throughout the pages of the book. Barry Spivack and Patricia Saunders take a peek behind appearances and explore the science behind this elusive phenomenon. They gradually walk the reader through different scientific experiments and statistical analyses of growing complexity to answer a set of questions and consequently ask new ones.

By bringing to the forefront a series of socio-psychological experiments that offer perceivable proof of decrease in violence and increase of social welfare, “An Antidote to Violence: Evaluating the Evidence” aims to attract the attention of both individuals and governments to this feasible antidote. Organized groups have ventured into volatile war zones to bring outer peace through their inner tranquility. And they seemingly succeeded time and time again.

The authors discuss in-depth the implication of paradigms in the history of ideas, mainly paradigm shifts. Discoveries and systems of thought that did not conform to the mainstream view of the time were often first ostracized before being accepted as groundbreaking leaps. The historical contextualization outlined by the authors acts as a possible explanation of why the TM continues to be met with resistance by so many. It simply does not comply with our modern Occidental view on reality and the self.

“An Antidote to Violence: Evaluating the Evidence” is somewhat similar to a meta-analysis, in that it collects a vast body of academic literature and analyzes the data and results presented. However, it is far from being a sterile statistical account, as it is deeply infused with the passion of the authors. Although starting from different fields (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and Music respectively), both Barry Spivack’s and Patricia Saunders’ life journeys merge in the blossoming universe of Transcendental Meditation.

Weeping Goes Unheard

Weeping Goes Unheard by Lucia Mann

Book Reviewed by Timea Barabas

“Weeping Goes Unheard” no longer as more and more voices speak up through a variety of channels. Lucia Mann contributes to this unveiling of a hidden (or as she argues, a covered) past of Canada by voicing those who have passed away, gone missing, or are still among us.

The author heavily relies on her journalistic investigation skill to document centuries of injustice against the First Nations of today’s Canada. However, she takes the uncovered data and weaves it into a compelling narrative. In my view, the book is a written embodiment of a documentary film with a series of reconstructions of events. Purchase Here.

Lucia Mann has proven time and time again with her previously published novels that she is a highly visual writer. Therefore, reading “Weeping Goes Unheard” is not that much unlike watching a documentary. What is more, she is equally a soulful writer, passionately driven by helping and voicing underprivileged communities of all races. This passion clearly transpires throughout the text.

The task set by the author was far from an easy one, as in front of her lay a long history of injustice that seeps into present days. In the book, different aspects of this monstrous manifestation are tackled, like forced deportations, residential schools, institutionalized abuse (mainly from figures of authority who should offer protection), and serial killers to mention just a few.

What makes this book stand out among others that approach the same topic is a mixture of elements and techniques that are skillfully handled by the author. The fragmented timeline, switching of narrative techniques, and perspectives are only a few of the strategies that keep the book dynamic and unpredictable (even though some readers will be familiar with at least some of the information conveyed). The readers are taken for a whirlwind of an experience with often sudden jolts between present and past (and frequent bleak reflections over a future that is yet to come).

All in all, “Weeping Goes Unheard” is a gritty book that brings into perspective stories from which society’s gaze has glazed over for too long. Due to the subject matter, it is not a read for all ages. While the book is highly informative and eye-opening, the ultimate goal of Lucia Mann goes beyond a simple passing down of knowledge. As a humanist and activist, she finds creative ways to engage the public with the hope to convert passive citizens of Canada – and of the world – into active participants that enact a change for the greater good.