The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Reviewer Wesley Britton Suggests You Dive Into This Camelot Tale

TITLE: The Priestess of Camelot: 

SERIES: Prequel to The Heirs to Camelot

AUTHOR: Jacqueline Church Simonds

Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2018

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07HSYTNRT

PURCHASE


Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton


Reviewer Wesley Britton Suggests You Dive Into This Camelot Tale

I suppose nearly everyone alive has experienced more than one version of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table from the songs of Lerner and Loewe in their Camelot to the craziness of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.   In literature, we’ve seen everything from Thomas Malory’s 1485 Le Morte d’Arthur to Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s 1859 Idylls of the King to T.H. White’s 1958  The Once and Future King to my personal favorite, Bernard Cornwell’s earthy Warlord trilogy.

With such a plethora of reworkings of the classic stories, is it possible to give the much revamped canvas any new twists? It seems so. Jacqueline Church Simonds has indeed taken the epic where it hasn’t trodden before. For one key matter, her version of the legend centers on a female lead, Anya, a goddess-worshipping priestess of the Nordic Rus tribes. In Britain, she joins the sisterhood of Avalon, headed by Arthur’s archnemesis, Morgaine.

In time,  Anya travels to Camelot where she falls in love with Merlin and bears him a son. Then, she falls in love with Arthur and also bears him a son. Then, in a magical ritual in a sacred grove,  she has a sort of “immaculate conception” where the goddess impregnates Anya with the fatherless daughter.  Now, that’s a vivid, memorable scene.

Back in the beginning of the tale, Anya is seduced by Morgaine which sets the stage for a series of very erotic encounters.  Malory nor Tennyson nor White ever ventured into this territory but, not having read every modern recasting of the Roundtable saga,  I can’t attest as to whether or not Church Simonds is breaking new ground here.  All I can safely say is that The Priestess of Camelot is not YA material.

To be fair, the book is far more than a series of romances. Anya is a very developed, vividly painted character who becomes a leader in her region, demonstrating her skills by protecting her neighbors in a time where Christianity is doing its best to quash goddess worship.   Because of the visions the goddess occasionally shares with Anya, the priestess sets about making it possible for goddess worship to return to Britain   1,500 years in the future led by her heirs, the descendants of Merlin, Arthur, and the goddess.


So, The Priestess of Camelot sets the stage for Church Simonds’ Heirs to Camelot series including The Midsummer Wife,   The Solstice Bride, and The Mistress of the Rose Moon. All of these titles are available now, so if The Priestess of Camelot grabs your imagination, you can dive into a non-stop trip into a new avenue of Arthurian lore. Maybe you’ll fall in love with Anya yourself. You’d be in good company.

 

 

More About the Reviewer

Dr. Wesley Britton, an author in his own right,  reviews regularly for this blog and rBookPleasures.com.


More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 



 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Midwest Book Review Shares Their Review of Bernard Jones' Discovery of Troy


TITLE: The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History
AUTHOR: Bernard Jones
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: www.trojanhistory.com
GENRE: HISTORY - NON-FICTION
AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: From 14/15 Years upward
ISBN: 9781916499218, 
PAGES: 400 
AWARDS:
1.America's Reader Views Literary Awards 2020; 1st Place History Category.
2.America's Reader Views Literary Awards 2020; Global Award - Best History    Book (Europe).
3.Canada's IAN Book of the Year Awards; Finalist - History Category.
PUBLISHER: Trojan History Press


Originally Reviewed by Midwest Book Review's Small Press Bookwatch

 

Synopsis: The Trojan War was the greatest catastrophe of the ancient Hellenic world. We are told that it devastated Europe and Asia and plunged the known world into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. 


Midwest Book Review Shares Their Review of Bernard Jones' Discovery of Troy

 

Thirty years of painstaking investigative research has finally resolved this 3,000-year-old mystery as author and historian Bernard Jones uncovered the evidence piece by piece, separating fact from fiction, and unlocking the secrets of the past. Unbelievably, Bernard's research showed that the Trojan War could not have taken place in the Aegean area, or even in the Mediterranean world. This evidence turns our accepted geography on its head and leads us on a fascinating journey of discovery back to the real world in which the Trojans lived. Here, we discover who the Greeks and the Trojans really were, and the parts they played in Homer's Bronze Age world. 

 

Secret knowledge concealed in the "Iliad" reveals Homer's work to be a genuine historical record. Yet, only in the corrected Bronze Age environment can it be understood. Deciphering Homer's coded information becomes the key to finding the location of the Trojan War and the Bronze Age city of Troy itself. Lost histories also tell the whole story of the migrations that took place following the Trojan War and the nations that arose out of the ashes of Troy. The records of these nations independently verify the author's findings, and they overturn the theory of a 'Dark Age'. 

 

Critique: An absolutely fascinating and iconoclastic read from beginning to end, "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. Impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Ancient History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is also available in a paperback edition (9781916499201, $22.99). 

 

This review will also appear in the Cengage Learning, Gale interactive CD-ROM series "Book Review Index" which is published four times yearly for academic, corporate, and public library systems. Additionally, this review will be archived on our Midwest Book Review website for the next five years at http://www.midwestbookreview.com 



AUTHOR BIO:


Bernard Jones was, until recently, a multi-disciplinary professional; a Chartered Practitioner and Chartered Fellow with a lifetime of scientific, technical, investigative and research work behind him. In addition to his professional vocation, he is a historian of some 35 plus years.


He completed his post graduate research in ancient philosophy/mythology and ancient history. For the last three decades he has applied his professional skills to his work as a historian, the result of which is two extraordinary books. The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History is the first of these. 


His second book, The Voyage of Aeneas of Troy is scheduled for publication in 2022.




More About #TheNewBookReview Blog




 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

How to Submit a Request For a #BookReview to #TheNewBookReview




 

Hi Fellow Authors,


My name is Lois W. Stern, your ‘Author Helping Author’ NewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator. 


If you want to submit a query request, just follow these simple steps by submitting email to me with the exact information below. Send e-mail to: tales2inspire2@gmail.com with the words REVIEW REQUEST in the subject line.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––




TITLE OF BOOK: 

SUBTITLE OF BOOK (if any):

GENRE:

BOOK DESCRIPTION: (100 words max) - Make your description pop to entice others to want to read your book! Hint: Use strong, present tense verbs!


AUTHOR: 


E-MAIL: Contact information for person submitting (be it author, reviewer, reader reviewer, or publisher.)


NUMBER OF PAGES: 


AGE/INTEREST LEVEL:


AMAZON OR OTHER ONLINE BOOKSTORE URL: 

Kindly send full link (NOT shortened link, as they do not seem to be working on Google sheets).


* BOOK FORMAT(S) YOU ARE OFFERING FOR REVIEW:  

(Please note: Tangible books are more likely to get review offers.) 

Paperback or hard copy books - Yes or No 

Electronic versions as e-book, kindle, pdf - Yes or No


Authors should send their book directly to the reviewer along with any promotional material they wish to include.  


Disclaimer: In the spirit of Authors Helping Authors, Lois is happy to provide her review-getting service to her fellow authors at no cost, but due to conflict of interest concerns, she does not review the books listed on her review-request page herself. Nor can she guarantee that your listing will attract a reviewer. 

Monday, November 29, 2021

The Density of Compact Bone by Magdalena Ball Review

The Density of Compact Bone

by Magdalena Ball
Ginninderra Press
ASIN: B09HKYK9HL
ISBN-10: ‎ 1761091867
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1761091865
Paperback: ‎ 102 pages

The Density of Compact Bone by Magdalena Ball Review

"In The Density of Compact Bone, Magdalena Ball stuns with her elegantly constructed paean to earth, sky, water and her requiem to loss, both ecological and personal."

"Magdalena Ball's poems are replete with images and symbols and sometimes pictorial representations of our guilt and desires. Her poems sometimes sing of the extinct creatures who breathed their last to question us for our inhuman actions, nature and its "objective correlative' in poetic diction. Magdalena Ball captivates her readers with cogitations on dreams, failures, moments of joy and despair, contemplations of serious existential truths and quest for the same. Her poems transport us to a land of ecstasy, the parabolic pathway of moving away and returning to the same trajectory of existence with a new promise or at least a complacency of some kind, or just a sense of well-being. Her poems are a must-read!"- Ketaki Datta

This post will share some of the parts of poems from this book by Ball. When we read, we infer. Inferring is text on the page mixed with our own thoughts. We deduce the meaning of the poetry for ourselves. Others may see the same text differently, as we all have unique life experiences. This is what makes book discussion groups so interesting. When I read the text below, I think of overconsumption and landfills. What do you think? 

The billboard

flashing in neon

excess buy buy buy bye

hardwired to self-destruct.

A few poems ahead, Ball writes about loss. Is this what someone thinks at the end of a relationship? Is it about climate change, the ending of an evening, or perhaps how life changes after a funeral? It isn't fair to you, dear reader, as the entire poem is in the book. Yet, do you get some sort of impression?

I know this is something we share 

raising a glass, not thinking too much 

about the uncomfortable fact 

that that we’re sliding 

towards an edge.

 So starts the poem How to make Lokshen Kugel:

Begin with tears. There will not be enough. Salt is essential. Break something. A dish perhaps if you cannot find a heart. There will already be chips. There is no perfect crockery.

 What are you thinking about these words?

I cannot write a review to show how wonderful this book is because I am not a poet or writer. I was a first-grade teacher and so I appreciate Ball's writing but can't come close to honoring it as it deserves. 

The book ends with a land acknowledgment. Ball is from Australia. Have you noticed other books, webinars, or videos with land acknowledgments? How do you feel about Elders emerging? 

"These poems were written on the unceded land of the Awabakal people. I acknowledge the traditional custodians and pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Magdalena Ball is a novelist, poet, reviewer and interviewer, and is the Managing Editor of Compulsive Reader. She has been widely published in literary journals like Meanjin, Cordite, Red Room, and Westerly, in many anthologies, and is the author of several published books of poetry and fiction. Her work has won or been shortlisted for several prizes including the Newcastle Poetry Prize, the Melbourne Poet's Union International Competition, and the Grieve Writing Competition. She is a longstanding (>25 years) member of the Hunter Writers Centre and has been an active participant (as both moderator and performer) in the Newcastle Writers Festival since it's inaugural event in 2013, as well as other literary festivals such as the Hunter IF, the Sydney Writers Festival, and the Digital Writers Festival. Find out more about Magdalena at http://www.magdalenaball.com

Review by Carolyn Wilhelm

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Monday, November 22, 2021

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

How Listing Your Book on #TheNewBookReview Helps With #AuthorBranding


Has TheNewBookReview Helped You 

Get Reviews For Your Book?


by Lois W. Stern

Your 'Authors Helping Authors'
NewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator




Hi! 


It's Lois W. Stern here, with some more information on the lists I offer authors seeking reviews for their books, right here on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's TheNewBookReview blog.



Has TheNewBookReview helped you get reviews for your b
ook?


If not, don't despair. Just having your book posted on our blog is a good thing, and an especially good thing when it is part of my list of book review requests. Here's why! It helps google discover your book, bringing your title higher up in the search engines. But there's more, something I've learned along the way from all my 'Authors Helping Authors' projects:


The more I lend a helping hand to other authors, the more benefits I get in return, sometimes quite unexpected. It's all about BRANDING. Many of you now know my name. That’s a big plus for any author. And several of you, who likely had never heard of Tales2Inspire® before, submitted stories to my 2021 Tales2Inspire® contest. One of them even became a 2021 winner. 


There are some tricks to BRANDING yourself while writing reviews for other authors - spelled out in my article: Taking the Pain Out of Writing Book Reviews, While Adding a Touch of Glory. CLICK HERE to read it now. 


If you do write a review for another of our posted authors, we have some neat thank you gifts for you:


GIFT #1:    

Our talented banner gal will create a unique banner for you, with your headshot and book cover included, free for you to use for all your marketing endeavors. CHECK IT OUT.

 


GIFT #2: GO HERE, and click on the MYSTERY or KID LIT genre sign. Check out the far right column under: 


Just scroll down that column to see how we thanked two of our reviewers. And everyone else on this genre list will note that you caught our 'Authors Helping Authors' spirit!

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Carolyn Wilhelm Reviews Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Balls' Christmas Poetry





Title:  Blooming Red

Subtitle: Christmas Poetry for the Rational 

Series: Celebration Series of Chapbooks
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Magdalena Ball
Publisher: Indy 
Publisher Website Address: https://howtodoitfrugally.com 

Author Email Address: HoJoNews@aol.com

ISBN-10: 1449948243

ISBN-13: 978-1449948245

ASIN: B004GXB4AW

Price: $5.95 Paperback, $2.99 Kindle
Page Count: 60 pages
Formats: PB, Kindle


Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

 

Profound and moving poetry reflecting the reality of Christmas, which may not be that of commercials and photos. Early rising when the children are young, aching for those times when they are grown and perhaps have moved away. Howard-Johnson writes of the "echoes of foil tearing, and crushing of frail tissue." She writes the baby in the nativity set is always the first to go missing. 

 

Ball writes about how time is different for children, and "we touched each moment with tiny, trembling hands." She was a child six million years ago, according to one of her poems. She says, ". . . after hours at the mall, belief wears thin." 

 

The poetry is so beautiful, and my review cannot begin to do justice to the writing. This is a book to read again and again. It is the right size to add to a holiday card and would make a perfect present. 


More About the Reviewer


Carolyn Wilhelm reviews for Midwest Book Reviews and The New Book Review. She is a veteran educator who builds teaching aids for parents and teachers, many of them free and available on Pinterest. It is an especially valuable time during these long months of teaching via Zoom and working in isolated situations. 



More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the form at https://www.bit.ly/FinishedReviewSubmissions. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors" project. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Wesley Britton Finds Another Mystery to Review for The New Book Review Readers




TITLE: Marigold

AUTHOR: William G. Howard

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0260-7 (sc); ISBN: 978-1-6657-0261-4 (e)

ASIN: B08ZSDF3NQ

PUBLISHER: Archway Publishing, March 11. 2021

PURCHASE AT AMAZON


Wesley Britton Finds Another Mystery to Review for The New Book Review Readers

 

If you like your reads fast-paced, non-stop, wall-to-wall action adventure,  William G. Howard’s Marigold just might be your ticket to ride. That’s especially true if you’re an aficionado of video games as so much of this novel reminds me of a multi-layered game with a wide cast of characters always on the move. They’re either chasing or being chased, constantly escaping from perilous situations with clever if often implausible gimmicks to get out of harm’s way,    and it’s often difficult to know who are the good guys, who are the baddies.

Howard’s unique vision is set in the year 2270, a time in which eastern countries dominate planet earth, so Howard presents his canvas with a considerable amount of imagery drawn from the mythology of Egypt and India. But this is a world full of dangerous if useful futuristic technology, multi-layered political power struggles, and world threatening dangers ranging from viruses to nuclear bombs. 

With all these moving parts and sub-plots, we get so many characters we don’t get to know any of them in any depth. All the publicity for the book focuses on “Marigold,” a half-human, half-android called an “inorganic” woman on the run as she’s suspected of murder she didn’t commit. She was created in the Lyceum Mechaniska laboratory, an inorganic  built to assist individuals who have experienced emotional or physical trauma. But she’s now on the run, in danger of being terminated while being on a mission to stop a virus from being released and find the mysterious “Pink Bunny.” She’s being chased by, among others, Detective Chabox Brignadoc, who thinks Marigold might be the victim of a high-level conspiracy.

Marigold’s saga is, however, just one thread of a complex tapestry that never quits. You can’t let your attention lag for a second if you want to keep up with this adventure-on-adventure-on-adventure. 

I had to admire howard’s futuristic world-building which is extremely vivid and colorful.  You might be a tad disconcerted by just how all the dialogue is so formal and verbose.  Still, that is a small quibble in this flood of thrills and chills and surprises, lots of surprises.


 

 

More About The Reviewer


Wesley Britton, an author in his own right, is a regular review for #TheNewBookReview as well as other websites like BookPleasures.com:

 

 



More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Holli Kenley Reviews Dr. Bob Rich's Aniko

Metadata

Title             Anikó: The stranger who loved me

Author           Dr. Bob Rich

Publisher              Anina’s Book Company

ISBN            1-877053-16-3

Link             https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/bobs-booklist#aniko

 Reviewer    Holli Kenley

Reviewer’s website https://hollikenley.com/ 

Holli Kenley Reviews Dr. Bob Rich's Aniko

A Generational Story of Love and Loyalty and the Losses Within Each

   When I began reading Ankió: The Stranger Who Loved Me, I was eager to devour a biography. Knowing it was a generational story of a Jewish family set in Hungary during World War II, I prepared myself for an intense and intriguing read. Dr. Bob Rich delivers on every level. I could go on and on about the incredible depth of research into his mother’s life and how it was exquisitely and intricately woven into complex historical events of the time. I could share how much I learned from the unearthing of one family’s saga during the horrors of the Holocaust and of wartime atrocities, but after finishing Anikó, I took away so much more.

   Viewing this biography from the lens of a marriage and family therapist as well as someone who knows the heartache and heartbreak of a broken family, I was drawn into the lives of every character – not just Anikó. For me, this was a story of a woman’s profound love – for her husbands, her children, her relatives, her work, and for herself. And yet, those strong bonds of passion carried with them demands for attention and time, revealing the damage resulting from prioritized and competing loyalties.

   I found myself connecting with Robi (Bob) and his brother József, especially as children and adolescents. Secure attachments to parental figures are imperative to healthy developmental growth. In the absence of unconditional love, acceptance, and belonging (especially from Anti), both boys struggled with emotional detachment and grief, as they weighed their love for their mother and from her against her loyalties to people and things which served her. As children and young adults, these “losses” are hard to identify and understand. Later in life, they are even harder to reconcile and accept.

   I admire the raw openness with which Dr. Rich shares this generational story. As I concluded the book, my heart was warmed that Bob did not succumb to bitterness or resentment. And I was moved by the power of his resilience. In choosing a path of perseverance, Bob drew upon his strength, courage, and commitment to wellness in leading a life of authenticity, integrity, and purpose.

   Anikó is, as I stated, so much more than a biography. It is a story of love and loyalty and the losses within each. And it is the story of one man surviving all of it.

Holli Kenley, MA is the author of several powerful books on surviving childhood trauma, includingDaughters Betrayed By Their Mothers: Moving From Brokenness To Wholeness.

More About the Author
Dr Bob Rich is an avid environmentalist. Learn more about all his books at
He tweets @bobswriting.
His mottoes:  "Commit random acts of kindness
Live simply so you may simply live" 
---------------------------------------------------





More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Friday, September 24, 2021

Elise Cooper Reviews St. Martin's Press Entry


Defending Britta Stein 

Series: Book 6 Liam Taggert and Catherine Lockhart

Author: Ronald H. Balson

Genre: Historical Fiction

St. Martin’s Press

Sept 7th, 2021

Available on Amazon


Reviewed by Elise


Elise Cooper Reviews St. Martin's Press Entry

Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson is a wonderful read. Although the book has some courtroom drama including legal strategy and loopholes, most of the story is Britta Stein’s recounting of the events leading up to and during World War II in Denmark. This is historical fiction at its best with bravery, betrayal, and redemption.

 

Britta Stein is a 92-year-old Jewish Danish woman who emigrated to America. She is being sued for defamation after being seen and then admitting to spray painting “Coward,” “Traitor,” “Collaborator,” and “War Criminal” on the walls of a restaurant. The owner, 95-year-old Ole Henryks, will be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions of saving Jews in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II and is considered a hero.  But not to Britta who claims he was anything but and sent Jews to their deaths including her sister and brother-in-law. 

 

Attorney Catherine Lockhart and Investigator Liam Taggart, husband, and wife, have agreed to defend Britta and have as an assistant counsel her granddaughter Emma. The plot alternates between present day Chicago (2018) and Britta’s oral account of her memories of her homeland of Denmark prior to the presence of the Nazis and during World War II. They are up against “Six o’clock” Sterling Sparks, Henryk’s’ shady attorney, who pushes for a speedy trial and is willing to waive witness lists and pretrial exhibits. Readers anxiously turn the pages hoping Britta will be vindicated since they take a journey with her during the horrific events.

 

What is very interesting is the way Balson contrasts defamation versus freedom of speech, the consequences of staying versus leaving, and Denmark’s role in protecting its Jewish citizens. “I wanted to show how the Danes were wonderful. I hoped to get across through the civil jury trial here in America what it was like to be a Dane and Jewish.  As I recounted in the book, there were plenty of non-Jews who put themselves at risk to help save the 7600 Jewish citizens in Denmark.  They were hidden in hospitals, churches, stores, and homes.  Many also helped the Jews get to Sweden. I wanted to show how the Danes had emotional pride and belief in their own country.”

 

“I have this scene in the book between Catherine her lawyer, and Britta.  Catherine says, “I know it’s easy for me to say in hindsight, and it’s not fair, I shouldn’t judge, but the consequences of staying were dire, yet they found some reason to ignore the writing on the wall, which to me defies logic and good sense.”  Britta responds, that if they could see into the future a wiser decision could have been made; yet, they “would have packed up and left everything and everyone… your job, your home, your profession, and headed off blindly in some unknown direction… At that time, in 1943 Hitler owned Europe.” It is a constant theme in a lot of my books.  They all had the same opportunity to leave.  But how does someone leave everything including family and community.  Where would they go? How many countries would have taken in millions of Jews? What the Nazis did continued to escalate, and no one could imagine the concentration camps.  Many thought they could last out the war.”  

 

This book will stay with readers well after they finish the book. The author has an incredible way of telling a story with sympathetic heroes and monstrous villains before and during World War II. The story has mystery, intrigue, suspense, and history all intertwined into a riveting novel.

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women's fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.


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