The General Fiction Shelf

Petrochemical Nocturne
Amos Jasper Wright IV
Livingston Press
University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470 https://livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604893434, $22.95, PB, 350pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/petrochemical-nocturne-amos-jasper-wright/= 1143664760

Synopsis: The Mississippi River. HAZMAT. Boxing. Suicide by cop. New Orlean=
s Saints football. Chemical explosions. The Angola prison rodeo. Chlorine g=
as ghost ships.

Through these symbols and themes we learn about Toussaint, (an African-Amer= ican named after the Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture) and=
his formative experiences in the Standard Heights neighborhood of Baton Ro= uge, Louisiana.

"Petrochemical Nocturne" is an indictment of what Toussaint describes as "t= hat dystopian haunted carnival cruise line called America." as Standard Hei= ghts and the ExxonMobil refinery which has destroyed it supply the energy a=
nd refined petroleum products which enable contemporary consumerism.

A discursive exploration of environmental racism, southern history, the pri= son-industrial complex, police brutality, intergenerational trauma, and cli= mate change, "Petrochemical Nocturne" is both paean and eulogy for the form=
er enslaved communities of Cancer Alley, the erasure of an entire people fr=
om a poisoned landscape.

Critique: Although a work of fiction by novelist Amos Jasper Wright IV, "Pe= trochemical Nocturne" offers a clear warning about a very real and current = environmental, social, political, judicial, and racial crisis in America. A=
riveting and thought-provoking read, "Petrochemical Nocturne" is available=
for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95) and a = critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community and=
academic library Literary Fiction collections.

Islomanes of Cumberland Island
Rita Welty Bourke
Addison & Highsmith Publishers
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9780980116458, $29.99, HC, 246pp

https://www.amazon.com/Islomanes-Cumberland-Island-Welty-Bourke/dp/09801164=
57

Synopsis: Lucy Carnegie, wife of industrialist Thomas Carnegie, dreamed of = creating on Cumberland Island a home where her children would be safe from = the smoke and soot-filled skies over Pittsburgh. Protected by the waters of=
the Cumberland Sound, the estate she built encompassed nearly the entire i= sland. It was a perfect paradise -- until the outside world intruded. Stone=
by stone it all came tumbling down. Wild horses now crop the grass around = the burnt-out mansion. Rattlesnakes nest among the ruins.

A century later, another family comes to Cumberland to walk among the horse=
s and to accept what gifts the island has to offer: solitude, unspoiled wil= derness, and wildlife free to roam undisturbed. Returning year after year, = Rhamy and her parents explore the island and swim in the ocean. They picnic=
on the beach where servants once served champagne, shrimp cocktails, and c= rab cakes to the Carnegie family and their guests. They gaze at the chimney=
s surrounding Stafford house, all that remain of slave quarters that once h= oused plantation field hands. They mourn for Zabette, daughter of a plantat= ion owner and his black servant, sold to a man who fathered her six childre=
n, then abandoned her.

Always, everywhere on the island, the horses graze nearby, unaware of effor=
ts by environmentalists to remove them from the island where they have live=
d for centuries.

Traveling to the north end of the island, the family sits for a quiet momen=
t in the church where JFK Jr. married Carolyn Bessette. Across the pasture =
is the shack where naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel has lived for fifty years a=
nd the porch where her lover lay dead, shot through the heart.

In the campgrounds, on the beach, at the Dungeness dock, wild horses graze.=
For now, they are safe.

Critique: "Islomane" is a word invented by writer Lawrence Durrell to expla=
in the feeling one gets when one is on an island. "Islomanes of Cumberland = Island" by Rita Welty Bourke is a carefully crafted novel that deftly blend=
s historical family life fiction with an appreciation of the wild horses of=
Cumberland Island, Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Cumb= erland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designate=
d Wilderness. As a novelist, Rita Welty Bourke is able to conjure up in the=
mind's eye of the ready the beauty of land, the horses, and the lives of h=
er characters.

A masterful work of impeccable literary elegance, and a novel that will lin= ger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finis= hed and set back upon the shelf, "Islomanes of Cumberland Island" is fully = and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library=
Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for=
personal reading lists that "Islomanes of Cumberland Island" is also avail= able in a paperback edition (9781592112043, $19.95) and in a digital book f= ormat (Kindle, $1.99).

Editorial Note: Rita Welty Bourke (https://ritaweltybourke.com) is also the=
author of "Kylie's Ark: The Making of a Veterinarian", She has published o= ver forty works of fiction and non-fiction in literary magazines including = The North American Review, Cimarron Review, Louisiana Literature, Shenandoa=
h, Witness, and the Black Warrior Review. One of her stories, Gunnison Beac=
h, has been included in an anthology entitled "Naked" compiled by Susan Zak= in. Five of her works have been nominated for Pushcart prizes.

Walking on Fire
Kathryn Crawley
https://kathryncrawley.com
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647424381, $17.95, PB, 368pp

https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Fire-Novel-Kathryn-Crawley/dp/1647424380

Synopsis: Greece. Reeling from a failed marriage and spurred on by a burgeo= ning sense of feminism, twenty-five-year-old Kate accepts a position as a s= peech therapist in a center for children with cerebral palsy in Thessalonik=
i, Greece.

It is 1974, and the recent end of Greece's seven-year dictatorship has igni= ted a fiery anti-American sentiment within the country. Despite this, as he=
r Greek improves, Kate teaches communication to severely disabled children,=
creates profound friendships, and finds a home in the ancient and historie=
d city. From a dramatic Christmas pig slaughter to a mesmerizing fire walki=
ng ceremony, her world expands rapidly -- even more so when she falls in lo=
ve with Thanasis, a handsome Communist.

Through Thanasis, Kate meets people determined to turn a spotlight on their=
former dictators' massacre of university students, as well as their record=
of widespread censorship and torture of dissidents. The more she learns, t=
he more her loyalty to her country and almost everything she was taught in = her conservative home state of Texas is challenged.

Kate is transformed by her odyssey, but when her very safety is threatened =
by the politics of her lover, she must choose: risk everything to stay with=
Thanasis and the Greece that has captured her heart, or remove herself fro=
m harm's way by returning to her homeland?

Critique: "Walking on Fire" by novelist Kathryn Crawley (who aptly draws up=
on her expertise and experience working with Greek children with cerebral p= alsy) is an impressive and deftly scripted mix of politics. romance, and da= nger that will hold immense appeal to readers with an interest in political=
thrillers and coming of age stories. An original and fully entertaining re=
ad from first page to last, "Walking on Fire" is unreservedly recommended f=
or community library fiction collections. It should be noted for personal r= eading lists that "Walking on Fire" is also available in a digital book for= mat (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Kathryn Crawley (https://kathryncrawley.com/about) received=
undergraduate and graduate degrees in speech pathology from Baylor Univers= ity. Unforeseen events and an adventurous spirit led her to Casper, WY, Col= orado Springs, CO, and Thessaloniki, Greece, where she worked in a center f=
or Greek children with cerebral palsy from 1974 to 1976. She went on to est= ablish roots in Boston, where she continued her career as a speech patholog= ist.

Forever Hold Your Peace
Liz Fenton, author
Lisa Steinke, author
Alcove Press
www.alcovepress.com
Dreamscape Media
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781639103522, $19.99, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Hold-Your-Peace-Novel/dp/163910352X

Synopsis: When their newly engaged kids ask all four divorced parents to me=
et each other over brunch, everyone RSVPs yes -- secretly hoping someone at=
the table will get to the bottom of the bottomless mimosas fast enough to = say what they're all thinking: that this engagement, coming after a whirlwi=
nd romance between two people barely out of college, is too much too soon.

But at that brunch it's not the impulsive couple's decisions that end up un= der the microscope, as it turns out June, mother of the bride, and Amy, mot= her of the groom, certainly do know each other. They are ex-best-friends wh=
o haven't spoken since their explosive falling out more than twenty-five ye= ars ago! Reeling from their unwanted reunion and eager to shift the spotlig=
ht off their past as decades-old secrets and rivalries come to light, the t=
wo moms battle it out for the prize of Most Enthusiastic About This Wedding=
..

But when their history (and their present-day shenanigans) threaten to crac=
k the foundations of the happy couple's future, June and Amy find themselve=
s becoming unexpected allies in an all-hands-on-deck effort to get their ki=
ds (and themselves) a happily-ever-after two generations in the making.

Critique: A messy, complicated family novel by an author with a complete ma= stery of the kind of narrative driven storytelling that keeps the reader's = rapt attention from beginning to end, "Forever Hold Your Peace" by co-autho=
rs Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is an original and fun read from cover to co= ver. While a highly recommended addition to community library comedic famil=
y and friendship fiction, it should be noted for personal reading lists tha=
t "Forever Hold Your Peace" is also readily available in a digital book for= mat (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscap=
e Media, 9781666641448, $22.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have been best friends for twen= ty-five years and survived high school and college together. Liz lives in S=
an Diego with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show produc= er, now lives in Chicago with her husband, daughter, and two bonus children=
..

Cloud Girls
Lisa Harding
HarperVia
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063270282, $30.00, HC, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Girls-Novel-Lisa-Harding/dp/0063270285

Synopsis: Sassy, streetwise Sammy is a teenage girl who is falling through = the cracks. Neglected by an alcoholic mother, the problems she endures at s= chool and home lead her into the hands of adults who don't have her best in= terests in mind. Failed by them at every turn, Sammy acts out, seeking atte= ntion from boys, then men, when what she wants most is protection.

Meanwhile, in a small village in Eastern Europe, preternaturally beautiful = and naive Nico is about to turn thirteen and as her family falls upon despe= rate times, her father is approached to marry her off. Her family knows tha=
t the nice life this stranger seems to be offering Nico is too good to be t= rue, but they and Nico hope for the best as she's shuttled across the borde=
r into Ireland, where she and Sammy find one another in their new home -- a=
suburban brothel.

As Nico and Sammy journey into this dark underbelly and out the other side,=
their friendship (and the unexpected acts of kindness they give and receiv=
e) form a potent bond.

Heartbreaking and breathtakingly beautiful, "Cloud Girls" exposes the faili= ngs of polite society and the cruelty that exists beneath its surface, yet = reminds us that goodness and love can flourish in the darkest times.

Critique: Deftly scripted by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of=
memorable character creation and narrative driven storytelling style, "Clo=
ud Girls" is a compelling read from cover to cover that will have a very sp= ecial appeal to readers with an interest in psychological and friendship li= terary fiction. While very strongly recommended for community and academic = library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal readi=
ng lists that "Cloud Girls" is also available for personal reading lists in=
a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged au= dio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212216227, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Lisa Harding (https://lithub.com/author/lisaharding) is an = Irish actress, playwright, novelist and screenwriter decided to change her = life when she applied for the MPhil in creative writing at Trinity College = Dublin as a mature student. She graduated in 2014, having pursued a tumultu= ous career as an actress until that time. SEvery day now, as a writer, she = can produce work and practice her craft.

The Cyclone Release
Bruce Overby
Madville Publishing
PO Box 358, Lake Dallas, TX 75065
www.MadvillePublishing.com
9781956440089, 21.95, PB, 258pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cyclone-Release-Bruce-Overby/dp/1956440089

Synopsis: It's the late 90s Internet boom, and Brendon Meagher has just los=
t his wife Sadie in a freakish car accident at the edge of Silicon Valley. = "The Cyclone Release" follows Brendon as he emerges from tragedy and lands =
in a pre-IPO start-up that promises astonishing riches.

Mo Gramercy, a bright and commanding colleague with her own deep secret, jo= ins Brendon, disrupts his malaise, and takes him as her lover. The characte= rs' careen toward IPO millions, their secrets suddenly converging, and both=
are shaken without mercy from bucolic notions of work, life, and impending=
fortune.

Critique: A deftly crafted and compelling novel of Silicon Valley that is t= ruly impressive when considering that, "The Cyclone Release" author Bruce O= verby's debut as a novelist, he has written an original and entertaining st= ory populated with memorable characters and the kind of intense and narrati=
ve driven storytelling style that will keep the reader vividly engaged from=
cover to cover. Blending romance with psychological fiction, "The Cyclone = Release" is a highly recommended pick for community library fiction collect= ions. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Cyclone Relea= se" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Born in California's Santa Clara Valley long before it beca=
me the Silicon Valley of today, Bruce Overby (https://www.bruceoverby.com) = both participated in and keenly observed the transformation and evolution o=
f an insular place that many still fail to understand. His fiction has appe= ared in several literary journals, and his story "Bookmarks" won First Priz=
e in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. He holds an MFA in Writi=
ng from Queens University of Charlotte and continues to live in Northern Ca= lifornia with his wife Caroline.

Highway 28 West
Joe Taylor
Sagging Meniscus Press
https://www.saggingmeniscus.com
9781952386602, $19.95, PB, 120pp

https://www.amazon.com/Highway-28-West-Joe-Taylor/dp/1952386608

Synopsis: Preacher is not a preacher, though death's vicissitudes clamor ar= ound him in a disturbingly ecclesiastic manner. When he finds a pit bull pu= ppy by the side of the road and gets a job at a boxing manufacturer, he dec= lares his luck changed. But one small-town cop has doubts: "It ain't your l= uck needs changing, but the folks you meet." And so it stands, as the sun a=
nd moon revolve in their tango-or is it a waltz?-and whisper to one another=
..

Critique: Deftly scripted, and as entertaining as it is thought-provoking, = "Highway 28 West" by author and storyteller Joe Taylor is a fun and inheren= tly interesting read from first page to last. While readily available for p= ersonal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99), "Highway 28=
West" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community and=
academic library Southern and Literary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Joe Taylor has had three story collections published (The W= orld's Thinnest Fat Man; Some Heroes, Some Heroines, Some Others; and Masqu=
es for the Fields of Time). Also, there are a matching number of novels (Ol= dcat & Ms. Puss: A Book of Days for You and Me; Let There Be Lite: How I Ca=
me to Know and Love Godel's Incompleteness Theorem; and Pineapple: A Comic = Novel in Verse) published. He has also edited several story collections, in= cluding Tartts One through Tartts Seven and Belles' Letters. He has directe=
d the Livingston Press for more than 25 years.

The War Ends At Four
Rosanna Staffa
Regal House Publishing
https://regalhousepublishing.com
9781646033317, $18.95, PB, 210pp

https://www.amazon.com/War-Ends-At-Four/dp/1646033310

Synopsis: Renata, an Italian acupuncturist in Minneapolis, falls madly in l= ove with a charismatic actor. Once married, she discovers his passion is no=
t focused on her alone. With her marriage and her small acupuncture clinic =
in crisis, she is called to her father's deathbed in Milan. There Renata ag= ain faces the slights she suffered in childhood as the daughter of an immig= rant from Naples.

Gripped by grief and anxiety over her future, she discovers that her father=
, a survivor of WWII, believed until the end in risk-taking as a life-affir= ming necessity. With newfound courage, Renata stumbles into the lure of an = old love and the magic of a new one.

Critique: "The War Ends at Four" deftly explores the quest of a perpetual o= utsider who is desperately seeking a true home while coming to terms with t=
he Italy she left behind and the America she found. Exceptional, original, = eloquent, entertaining, it is all the more impressive when learning that "T=
he War Ends at Four" is author Rosanna Staffa's debut as a novelist. While = also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle,=
$9.49), "The War Ends at Four" is unreservedly recommended for community l= ibrary Family Life and Literary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Rosanna Staffa (https://www.rosannastaffa.com/bio) is an It= alian-born author. Her work can be found in Best Short Fictions 2021, The S= un, Tampa Review, Gargoyle, and other literary magazines. She is the winner=
of 2020 TSR Nonfiction Prize, a Pushcart nominee, and a McKnight Recipient=
.. She is a member of The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. The War Ends = at Four is her debut novel.

The Boys and Girls of America
Christopher Gould
https://authorchristophergould.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888474, $20.00

https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Girls-America-Christopher-Gould/dp/1639888470

In The Boys and Girls of America, only fifteen percent of applicants get in=
to the dream college Edsen. Like so many before him, James Castle has simil=
ar big dreams, but fails to make the cut. Six years later, his perseverance=
pays off when he becomes the college's writer-in-residence, producing a ma= gnum opus that cements his prowess as an author while exposing family secre=
ts and skeletons which should better have been left in the closet.

With opportunity comes adversity, because these newly released secrets whic=
h dovetail with his literary success ironically threaten his achievement wh=
en a too-savvy stranger tries to expose the real roots of his novel's theme=
s and strength. As James navigates dicey relationships with women and men, =
he begins to fall into the kinds of adult situations and realizations that = are the hallmark of maturity.

Christopher Gould captures the moments of this evolving life with an intima=
cy and attention to detail that brings James's experiences to life: "I gues=
s I sort of lost myself for a bit. What I did, without realizing it, was st= art singing along to the music that was playing. It was a song by The Polic=
e, called "Message in a Bottle." Anyway, I always liked that song, and I ju=
st sat there in the middle of traffic singing along, forgetting entirely th=
at Marnie was even there. Midway through the song, Marnie started laughing.=
Really laughing -- hysterically even. I mean, it was one of those joyous l= aughs that are pure and genuine; the kinds of laughs that are a long time i=
n coming, and make everyone within hearing distance break out into uncontro= llable laughter too."

Part of the allure of The Boys and Girls of America lies in the moments it = captures as James falls hard for Marnie, only to realize that her special b= rand of strange passion has permitted him entry into an emotional hellscape=
in which he finds his ambitions and perceptions constantly thwarted. From = the "torched heat of East Coast summer" to equally emotionally sizzling enc= ounters James never expected from school or success, Gould paints a compell= ing portrait of a young man under siege in more than one way. This time is =
a "furious balancing" of past, present, and possible futures that James nav= igates with precision and growing uncertainties about his choices.

Libraries and readers looking for a vivid story of a new adult who teeters =
on the cusp of change when his longed-for recognition produces unexpected (= and unwelcome) results will find The Boys and Girls of America rich in its = portrait of a dream gone awry and the transformations that emerge from it. = Steeped in a sense of culture and the songs of the times, James's terrible = summer brings with it a series of evocative, thought-provoking revelations = that make The Boys and Girls of America a strong recommendation for book cl= ubs looking for powerful stories of aspirations, successes, failures, and t=
he secrets that can blossom to unfold around them.

Ghost Runners
Robert Rubenstein
Aria Tyger Inc.
9780692534007, $21.95 Hardcover, $15.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Runners-Olympic-Dream-Betrayed/dp/B09GJMCH7G

Ghost Runners is a novel based on real events which give the story the ring= ing tone of reality as the fictional characters (including well-known Olymp=
ic sports figures) face not just sports ambitions, but racism and prejudice=
which permeates their past, present, and future worlds.

Focusing on the Olympic team's American running competitors in 1936, the st= ory winds through Jewish, German, and American encounters on the playing fi= eld of sports and prejudice as athletes, coaches, and observers find their = lives and careers challenged by shifting social and political tides.

Author Robert Rubenstein builds a captivating story that swaggers with nati= onalist sentiments, scintillates with new possibilities for achievement and=
identity, and explores the perceptions and efforts of men like Adolf Eichm= ann, who "...wanted only to sweep the Jews away." As the Olympic Games beco=
me the tertiary playing field of businessmen, financiers, observers, and ma= jor players, readers are immersed in a story of American, German, and Jewis=
h encounters which represent the building blocks of a growing prejudice and=
hatred. Some characters seem destined to effect changes behind the scenes.=
Such is Joshua, who is "...going to race invisibly. He was going to move e= veryone along. He was a ghost runner now."

As the novel provides hard-hitting scenarios of the athletes who represent = the "...glory and the dash men who ran like gods down from Olympus," it exc= els in a powerful voice that contrasts ethnic perceptions, experiences, and=
the rise of power in all strata of society and competitive circles.

Ghost Runners should be in any library strong in fiction that examines Hitl= er's Final Solution and its compelling evolution through all levels of life=
in Europe and America. Ideally, it also will receive discussion and debate=
in book clubs devoted to stellar works that explore and expose a time when=
the circles of hate closed around the Jewish people, leaving them with no = place to hide and too many reasons to run.

Ghost Runners offers an important lesson for modern times, charting the ris=
e of an era in which "Soon, he'd know all the names of the Jews. 'Yes, it w=
as possible not just in Germany. In a little more time, you can begin catal= oging all of Europe.'" Therein follows the world - which is why readers nee=
d the reminders and insights featured in Ghost Runners to keep the darkness=
at bay, now more than ever.

Glassman
Steve Oskie
Open Books
https://open-bks.com
9781948598651, $21.95 Paper, $9.99 ebook

https://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/glassman/order.html

Mark Glassman is a self-taught twenty-five-year-old whose eclectic educatio= nal pursuits have resulted in a generalist's education, a literary jack-of-= all-reading knowledge, and various light addictions which mitigate the impa=
ct of his intellect. When he falls in love with Teresa Devlin, he finds him= self unexpectedly terrified about his lack of sexual savvy, and so he begin=
s to pursue his more accessible, safer roommate Sarah -- only to find himse=
lf in a dangerous emotional game as his relationships entangle and become a= ngst-ridden and complicated. There's only one thing to do. Run for it.

In too many ways, Glassman has never really grown up. From his adult intera= ctions with his parents, which mimic the whining self-absorption of childho= od, to his insistence that life goes his way or it's the highway, Glassman = represents an intellectual and emotional dichotomy. His actions reflect not=
only his delayed adulthood, but patterns of approaching life and lessons h= e's absorbed from his divorced parents: "In addition to my refusal to rent =
a carpet cleaner, the ingrained frugality of my father found its way into t=
he schedule I devised for going to the neighborhood laundromat. This schedu=
le was constructed upon the necessity of making my four or five hand-me-dow=
n towels last as long as my two bed sheets."

As readers review Glassman's life through his first-person experiences and = reflections, they will realize that they, too, have known many an adult lik=
e him. But, here, the psychology explaining his actions, logic, and dispari= ties in dealing with life provides succinct, hard-hitting insights that mak=
e Glassman both a character to like and one that also exists on the edge of=
condemnation.

From tangled family relationships that lead him to procrastinate over impor= tant decisions (like finding work) to his naivety in dealing with women and=
life, Glassman represents a self-inspection form of flawed logic that work=
s to sometimes support and sometimes circumvent Glassman's desires and ambi= tions.

His tendency to embrace both unemployment and flight lend a realistic feel =
to the story of a character continually confused about the world around him=
, the psyches of women and men, and the love and hate that swirls around a = divorce he never really accepted.

Author Steve Oskie's ability to view life through the eyes of a character b= oth eminently likeable and deeply flawed leads readers into a whirlwind of =
a life that always teeters on the brink of breakdown and disaster, yet repr= esents a resiliency that comes from the same disruptive forces of childhood=
experience.

Glassman is a coming-of-age story (even though the character is well into h=
is twenties) that follows a new adult's journey into full-fledged adulthood=
, in whatever form that might assume for a damaged soul. Oskie's character = comes to life through his inquiries, fears, and realistic methods of both e= mbracing and rejecting set courses in life based on his past. This makes fo=
r thought-provoking insights into the maturity process as, now an adult, he=
reconsiders his motivations and fears.

Libraries and readers seeking stories of evolution and growth will find Gla= ssman a classic in its approach to revealing transition points and influenc= es, whether they reside in family history and current relationships or new,=
frightening, and ultimately uplifting opportunities for change.

Guards
Steven Clark
Independently Published
9798843073480, $12.99 Paper, $5.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Guards-Boston-Novel-Steven-Clark/dp/B0B835922W

Guards: A Boston Novel represents a study in humorous fiction and revolves = around Karl Augustus Poppel and other Boston personalities at odds with the=
ir environment, culture, and life trajectory: "It was morning in America, a=
nd as the Amtrak limped into South Station, Karl August Poppel fought the C= ro-Magnons. 'It's two dollars.' The surly bartender stared back. 'Two-fifty=
for the muffin and juice.' Poppel's square jaw firmed. 'As Hooker Academy = graduates, we receive a discount. This is the documentation.'" Much has cha= nged about Boston since he was locked up: "...different words slid under th=
e door. New ones had sprouted since he'd last been in the city. He hated th= em; swaggering towers of Cro-Magnon pride, a tribe of glass and steel bulli=
es pushing their weight around older, smaller brick and stone buildings tha=
t squat like trolls."

The dialogues, confrontations, realizations, and culture which swirls aroun=
d Poppel brings Boston to life with a wry "back East" sense of humor and ob= servation that those familiar with Bostonian attitudes will find all too fa= miliar --and fun: "'This place is falling apart. It's an abortion is what i=
t is.' Howie Leakey was the head maintenance man, and he looked like the ei= ghth dwarf: Bitchy."

Poppel and other characters navigate these mean streets with an eye to movi=
ng through familiar and unfamiliar terrain, whether they are skyscrapers, r= elationships, or shifting life objectives. From men in uniform and inquests=
to the odd trio of illegal alien bike messenger Fiona, security guard Popp= el, and alcoholic security director Mike Gilhooley, the story presents an o=
dd set of relationships that all come steeped in the dark wit and observati= onal style of a true Bostonian.

Will Poppel save himself and stop being a joker? Will Gilhooley get the gir=
l? All three characters find their lives intersected, their special purpose=
s challenged, and the courses of their careers and relationships challenged=
as the story evolves.

Libraries and readers seeking humorous contemporary fiction that juxtaposes=
disparate lives with the deft rhythms of a dance into irony and shifting o= bjectives will find Guards rich in laughter, thought-provoking inspections,=
and Bostonian ironic and sardonic life observations.

Karma Two
Colleen Hollis
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888382, $18.99

https://www.amazon.com/Karma-Two-Colleen-Hollis/dp/1639888381

Karma Two is a story of ideals, addiction, and a childhood that leads to po= verty and struggle as Arizona Sunshine Jacksyn (AJ) finds ways to survive h=
is abuse and neglect and strives to create a better future for himself.

This first-person story opens with a violent confrontation between Ember El= izabeth and her pimp Leroy, moving between the first person experience and = third-person reflections on Ember's own troubled childhood and struggles. S= cenarios of torture and violence are graphically portrayed (in keeping with=
the story, but which may serve as trigger points for readers who keep thei=
r own demons of the past at bay).

The preface and introductory chapters set the stage for a better understand= ing of the family legacy of foster care cruelty and street influences that = impact son AJ as he tries to form a different life.

Author Colleen Hollis takes a candid look at the possibilities of past lega= cies and changing one's world no matter their influences, crafting the stor=
y of a young man who is drawn to kindness and opportunity even as he strugg= les with studies and new experiences that typically rely on foundations of = education and support: "Every day he feels more and more frustrated and ash= amed at his slow progress. Isabella tries to offer positive reinforcement, = but AJ can't hear it; he's so frustrated with himself. He finds it hard to = fit in with the wholesome, loving environment that the Franklin's have cult= ivated in their home. He just doesn't understand it. He thought for sure he=
could make the transition from living on the streets to living with the Fr= anklin's with no problem."

The slow simmer of a life in transition which finds no easy answers and muc=
h difficulty creates a story that is exceptionally realistic and compelling=
as AJ cements a relationship with Isabella and new purposes by confronting=
his past and shaping a different future. His determination to create new o= pportunities and avenues of success for his family, and his gratitude for h= aving succeeded where most fail, makes for an especially thought-provoking = story that holds much book club reading book debate material as AJ defies h=
is legacy and creates different pathways and patterns against all odds.

Libraries and readers seeking novels graphic in their descriptions of past = adversity and uplifting new courses of action will find Karma Two an except= ionally realistic novel of love, adversity, and transformation.

A Stillness in the Pines
Neil MacNeill
Independently Published
9798392235841, $12.99

https://www.amazon.com/Stillness-Pines-What-world-stopped/dp/B0C47YFZTM

An ordinary stonemason from New Jersey knows nothing about black holes, sci= entific experiments, and deadly forces. Joe Scarapone experiences all these=
things and more during an unexpected encounter in the heart of the Pine Ba= rrens, when he and a group of strangers find themselves alone, isolated, an=
d possibly the only survivors of a world-changing catastrophe.

A Stillness in the Pines opens with the confession that this story is only = reluctantly being revealed, as the protagonist is encouraged by his daughte=
r to relive these events for her oral history project. This unusual way of = opening a portal to the past involves readers in deepening questions from t=
he very start as the narrator's first-person confessional voice reveals tha=
t he's managed to survive an extraordinary event.

The intrigue stems as much from the process of this disparate group of stra= ngers interacting on new levels for the shared cause of survival as it does=
from the circumstances themselves: "Stranded in the Pines, our little grou=
p of six souls was like some kind of sociology experiment...about what peop=
le will do when the shit hits the fan. We all started the day with our prej= udices - some kept in check, some not - our own points of view about what's=
right and wrong with the world. By the time we got out of the Pines, those=
of us that did, we were changed. I won't say traumatized, but that fits, t= oo."

This approach diverges from the usual apocalyptic survival story, giving A = Stillness in the Pines a special sense of social revelation that comes as m= uch from the characters' interactions with one another as from their growin=
g perceptions about what has happened in the outside world and how they can=
make the most of their unexpected isolation. Neil MacNeill delves into the=
stillness that comes from an inhaled breath held through disaster.

As the story progresses from being lost to making new discoveries, each cha= racter's detour into the wilderness imparts new insights and truths about t= rust, humanity, and revised possibilities, both within their group and in t=
he wider outside world's unknown situation. The changing relationships betw= een men and women, the power plays over who holds the gun and who navigates=
survival, and questions about opportunity and ability that emerge from gro=
up dynamics all create an exquisite tension cemented by Joe's first-person = observations: "Jimmy and Eve had planted the seeds of paranoia, and they we=
re starting to grow. What if the guy in the woods really did have it in for=
us? What if the Piney was an evil son-of-a-bitch, and not the benign hermi=
t I'd imagined? Here we were, like cavemen huddled around a fire, trying to=
keep the monsters at bay. All I could do was stare into the glowing embers=
, watching a meager flame appear and then just as quickly disappear."

MacNeill's incorporation of shifting ideas of what is right and wrong behav= ior and choices in these extraordinary circumstances goes beyond survival t= actics to probe influences of the past and adaptations each character must = make in order to remain strong. Joe's engrossing voice powers these display=
s of inspection and interpersonal confrontations: "I heard Momma's voice in=
my head. 'One nail drives out the other, Joey.' Merda! I guess the women h=
ad a point. I had almost forgotten about the knife, and Lila could sure use=
those painkillers. So, give Jimmy what he wants. But it still didn't sit r= ight with me."

Readers well versed in apocalyptic end-of-world scenarios and stories will = find A Stillness in the Pines a standout in the literature. This is because=
its strength lies as much in its characters' individual and group dynamics=
as it does on the reality of what changed in the outside world they've bec= ome isolated from. From issues of belief and moral and ethical conundrums t=
o the group's evolving survival tactics that test faith, attraction, and pr= ejudices alike, the multifaceted themes that emerge are far from predictabl=
e - which makes for delightfully thought-provoking reading.

Delivered in a voice steeped in South Jersey culture, A Stillness in the Pi= nes captures an atmosphere of Piney culture that holds its roots in reality=
and the author's own experiences. Libraries and readers looking for powerf=
ul stories of unexpected endings, new beginnings, and ordinary individuals = thrust into extraordinary circumstances will find A Stillness in the Pines = builds intrigue and creates satisfyingly unexpected twists in the story tha=
t even seasoned readers of apocalyptic and survival fiction won't see comin=
g.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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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 Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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