THE MONOCLE, A WILDLY FUN, SMART AND EXCITING YA SCI-FI ADVENTURE

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: THE MONOCLE

AUTHOR’S NAME: Mark Cavanagh

NME OF BOOK SERIES: The Monocle Trilogy

AUTHOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS   markcavanagh2014@gmail.com

 _x_ Yes, I have received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety

REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Christine Rodriguez, Fiction Addicted – Reading Books and Exploring Worlds. She is a prime reviewer for Reedsy, having authored 1203 reviews. This review originally published in Reedsy Discovery.

AUTHOR'S FAVORITE SALES LINKS:  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monocle-Mark-Cavanagh/dp/B092P6WTDR 

Must read 🏆 

Two teens find a mysterious monocle that bends reality—but they're not the only ones after it. Secrets, danger, and adventure await! 

SYNOPSIS 

In the quiet corners of a mundane 1960s town, two curious teenagers are about to trade the hum of their bicycle wheels for the crackle of cosmic energy… and unknowingly change their lives forever.

When best friends Viv and Mick stumble upon an alien artifact and a notebook of secret code, they unlock a strange new world where space folds and time travel is possible. As the adventurous teens master the powers of the extra-terrestrial monocle, friendship takes on new dimensions as they attempt to outrun federal agents and face fearsome creatures torn from the very fabric of nightmares! 

As they grapple with the unfathomable supernatural powers that they unlock from the monocle, Viv and Mick must decide whether they want to make the ultimate gamble – venture further into the unknown… and risk losing not just each other, but their very lives.

Will their friendship withstand the trials of this spectral journey or will the very forces that brought them together tear them apart?

REVIEW 

Some books hook you with action, others with mystery. The Monocle by Mark Cavanagh grabs you with pure wonder—that feeling of being a kid again, discovering something strange and incredible, and knowing that nothing will ever be the same. This YA adventure delivers a thrilling mix of nostalgia, mystery, and mind-bending science fiction, making it a must-read for fans of Stranger Things, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Goonies.

The Monocle is a coming-of-age adventure with a twist. Mick Sullivan and Viv Oulette, two curious and fearless teens, stumble upon an alien artifact—a mysterious monocle hidden inside a metallic clam-shaped shell. At first, it seems like a weird trinket. Still, when they unlock its abilities—seeing other dimensions, teleportation, even weaponized energy beams—it quickly becomes apparent that they've found something way bigger than themselves. And they're not the only ones interested. Enter Agent Flanders, a shadowy government official who wants the monocle for his own agenda, and suddenly, Mick and Viv are in a game much bigger (and far more dangerous) than they ever imagined.

What makes this book shine? For starters, Mick and Viv are fantastic protagonists. Their friendship feels genuine, fun, and full of personality—Their sharp, witty, and natural dialogue makes them feel like real teens rather than just "characters in a book." The Monocle is also an intriguing mystery. It slowly unravels the secrets of the monocle, blending sci-fi elements with a classic small-town adventure feel. Every discovery brings more questions, making it impossible to put down.

Mark Cavanagh has also given us a really strong sci-fi concept. The monocle itself isn't just a gimmick—it's an artifact with fascinating, reality-bending properties, and how the book explores its power is genuinely exciting. The blend of hard and soft sci-fi elements makes it feel both grounded and fantastical at the same time. I also loved the tense government conspiracy angle. It's not just a story about cool powers—there's a sense that something massive is at play, and Mick and Viv are in way over their heads.

The Monocle is a wildly fun, smart, and exciting YA sci-fi adventure that blends mystery, government intrigue, and coming-of-age friendship perfectly. If you love books that capture that nostalgic sense of discovery while keeping you on the edge of your seat, this one's for you. A great YA read for young and old alike!

REVIEWED BY

Christine Rodriguez 

Following

Christine is a 7-12th grade English teacher, a library assistant, and a bookworm with a passion for good literature. She has a keen eye for good literature and reads books across genres. Her favorites are dystopian lit, sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary literature. 

Christine Rodriguez links: https://fictionaddicted.com https://www.instagram.com/chrisofcourse2025 https://x.com/csrodriguez1970

 AUTHOR BIO.  Mark Cavanagh, author of The Monocle Trilogy, Big Blue Society, The Zen of Laundry and RV Time Machine, lives with his wife by the Dark Swamp in northwestern Rhode Island where H.P. Lovecraft searched for the legendary IT. He co-wrote and produced Zombie Dearest, a feature film, and directed the award-winning Youth Vision program, recipient of the Action for Children’s Television Award. 

Author website: https://markcavanaghbooks.de  

The Monocle Book Trailer Links:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62417144829536698/ 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62417144829536709/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dorothysflyingmachine/video/7487626535676005674

https://youtu.be/Jd3efdBLsSQ

https://rumble.com/v6rgcat-the-monocle-the-monocle-trilogy.html

YOUR TWITTER (X) MONIKER: @CavanaghBooks

https://x.com/CavanaghBooks/status/1908148725349839061

Margot Finke Reviews Most Talked-About Book of 2023

Title: “SPARE” 

Genre: Memoir  

Authors: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.  (Ghost Written by J.R  Moehringer.)Published Publisher:  Random House 

ProceedsL  Go to charity, and Harry reportedly earned an advance of at least $20 million.

Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audio ( Harry reading ), Hardcover: ‎ 

416 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593593804

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-059359380

Available on Amazon, bookstores and other online sites.

Reviewed by Margo Finke originally for Facebook

REVIEW:

DISCLAIMER: I have just finished reading Prince Harry’s SPARE, and the following is my considered evaluation of what Harry wrote.

Being brought up in Australia, and force-fed Royal stories from every magazine and newspaper, I remain a Royalist to this day. However, I now know the royals are far from perfect, and not the fantasy family I once believed in.

YES, Harry is far from perfect. Yet with the family dynamics he was forced to deal with, the outcome is not surprising. I believe this book is a true and honest account of his feelings - as he sees them. No one can tell you what to feel. However, the genes you inherit from past generations, plus your upbringing, have a great deal to do with how you cope with life. Harry’s genes are a mixed bag, going back over one thousand years, and his upbringing did nothing to ameliorate the family dynamics he was dropped into. He seemed a rather a touchy-feely kid, one who needed to give and receive affection and hugs, plus wanting to be accepted for who he was. This never happened. Not in The Firm, nor in the privacy of his “keep your mouth shut, follow Royal Rules, and suck it up family. Definitely a closed and tight-assed bunch.

Eventually, Harry did come to realize that his father, Prince Charles, had done the best he could. He often wrote kindly about him. Yet once they married, Camilla had his dad’s ear most of the time, and seemed to feed the press juicy morsels and outright lies.

Of course, like any large family, many rivalry’s simmered. Particularly between Harry and William (Wills). They all lived an outwardly glamorous life. The Royal Bubble was maintained by an entrenched group of titled handlers and underlings, many of whom inherited this job from parents, grandparents, and so forth, down through the ages. They advised the Queen, and made sure that they had final access to the royal bubble. A Queen of the Pyramid Project, based on outdated rules that never saw the light of the 21st Century. Harry and Meagan never had a chance! I am betting the Queen never knew the half of it!

* Both princes needed intense therapy right after their mother was killed. Diana dying, and Prince Charles not an ideal dad, added to the emotional mix brewing inside Harry’s psyche! Not one in his immediate family seemed to care – they were all islands, intent on their own concerns. Sadly, this can happen in the best of families. It was finally Meagan, and a few of his closest friends, who found him the right therapist. His closest friends and confidants were army mates, his trusted bodyguards, plus college mates.

* The British press created a nightmare scenario, intent on doing and saying whatever sold papers – illegal or not.

* As young men, both princes should have been helped to learn the realities of “real” life and the world in general.

* Acting as the Queen’s ambassadors in other countries, plus learning to appreciate that most people did not have their advantages, should have been ldrumed into them both early on.

* So, along with the good things they have both accomplished, far too often partying and drinking showed up in Harry’s memoir. A classic case of the Devil making work for idle hands. As a kid and a young man, Harry seemed woefully unformed about the ordinary world and what went on outside the palaces he lived in. His education did not cover what a man in his position would need to deal with. And much of his early school life seemed a nightmare - bullying etc. His family let him down!

As the acknowledged Spare, his education should have included choices for his adult life – ones he felt comfortable with. His long stint in the armed forces was successful, and gave him purpose. He was good at it, and that gave him a measure of much needed confidence. The Firm did nothing to stop the press hounding him and Meagan with outright lies. This inaction was shameful and extremely callous. A more caring family would have stood by them and offered help and comfort. I can appreciate why Harry hated the press, as well as how they treated Meagan.

His families inattention and neglect brings to light the Nature versus Nurture analogy. If Princess Diana had lived, would her love and care have helped Harry cope with the negatives that faced him? I can only hope so. I wish him peace and continued love in the future.

More About the Reviewer

Margot Finke is the author of Magic Carpet of Books + Content Editing and Writing Guidance and offers autographed GIFT Copies on request at (mfinke@frontier.com) . She also wrote Secrets of Writing for Children. Find her at 

* Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/margot.finke

*  Twitter -  https://twitter.com/Margot10 

* Linkedin -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-finke-1a73608/ * Alignable -  https://www.alignable.com/newberg-or/margot-finkes-world-of-books-for-children

She is the accredited author of this review and it is reprinted with her permission

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 #AuthorsHelpingAuthors 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

Carolyn Raffensberger Reviews Sharon Heath's Book of Eco-Fiction

TITLE: The Mysterious Composition of Tears

SUBTITLE: The Further Adventures of Fleur, Book 1

SERIES TITLE: The Further Adventures of Fleur

AUTHOR: Sharon Heath

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: https://sharonheath.com 

GENRE: Literary Fiction, Eco-fiction with a touch of fantasy and sci-fi

AGE / INTEREST LEVEL: Adult, New Adult

PAGE #: 307

PUBLISHER: Thomas-Jacob Publishing, LLC 

WHERE THE BOOK MAY BE PURCHASED: https://smile.amazon.com/Mysterious-Composition-Tears-Sharon-Heath-ebook/dp/B0B722DS4Z/

Reviewed by Carolyn Raffensperger

Here’s the review, excerpted from Carolyn Raffensperger’s “Anchoring Ourselves in Storied History:”

This summer I searched for stories that would help make sense of the upheaval we are facing. I read three books that were wildly different, Lydia Yuknavitch’s novel Thrust, Sharon Heath’s novel, The Mysterious Composition of Tears, and Dick Sclove’s nonfiction book, Escaping Maya’s Palace—an analysis of the madness of modern civilization based on a close read of the Mahabharata. What they had in common was to take seriously what Ursula Le Guin calls the “carrier bag of fiction” (and I would add of nonfiction stories). Le Guin says, “I would go so far as to say that the natural, proper, fitting shape of the novel might be that of a sack, a bag. A book holds words. Words hold things. They bear meanings. A novel is a medicine bundle, holding things in a particular, powerful relation to one another and to us.” Nonfiction stories can also be carrier bags of essential medicines…

Sharon Heath’s Mysterious Composition of Tears is a sci-fi/magical realism story set in the future that has physicists grappling with climate change. Heath incorporated…work on the precautionary principle in this fictional setting by describing scientists taking seriously the possible negative consequences of extremely novel technologies. I wonder when some future scientist might read her novel and change her approach to incorporate precaution. Medicine! 

More About the Author

A BIO OR CREDIT LINE FOR THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK: Sharon Heath, a Los Angeles native, is a Jungian analyst who’s passionate about writing fiction and non-fiction exploring the interplay of science and spirit, politics and pop culture. Her books are available at bookstores and online including Amazon and B&N. Find her on Twitter #TheFleurTrilogy. 

More About the Reviewer'

 Carolyn Raffensperger is a renowned environmental lawyer and Executive Director of the Science and Environmental Heath Network who speaks widely on ecological healing and has delivered an inspiring TEDx talk as a leading expert on the Precautionary Principle. You can read about her work here: https://www.sehn.org/ecological-medicine/. 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

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 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 #AuthorsHelpingAuthors 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

Karen A. Wyle Releases New Nature Picture Book

Title: Wind, Ocean, Grass

Author: Karen A. Wyle

Illustrator: Tomasz Mikutel

Author's website: http://www.KarenAWyle.com

Genre: Picture Book, Nonfiction: Nature \

Age/Interest Level: ages 2-8

Page #: 50

Publisher: Oblique Angles Press

Purchase the paperback at Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1955696004 and other retailers

 Kindle edition coming soon. 

Reviewed by Jill Franclemont originally fort All Things Jill-Elizabeth.

By now, readers of my blog are familiar with the work of the talented Karen Wyle. From adult books to children’s picture stories, Wyle’s work is consistently original, lovely, and magical. (If you need a refresher, check out my posts on a number of her previous adult titles and her writing experiences – Twin-Bred, Wander Home, Division, Leaders, and Water to Water in a two-part series of posts – as well as her first few forays into children’s books – You Can’t Kiss a Bubble and When It’s Winter. This latest book is no exception. The focus is on nature, and the results are as lyrical as the movement of the eponymous wind.

In her own words: This unique picture book has neither human nor animal characters, but instead features the wind speaking to the grass, explaining how long grasses are both like and unlike the waves of the ocean. Through lyrical prose and breathtaking impressionist-style paintings, the reader follows the wind’s journey over sea and land: the many moods of the ocean, the different seasons of the grassy field. We see glimpses of the birds that live off the bounty of the ocean, and the birds and flowers that live among the  grasses.

Through this nature metaphor, the story, without becoming didactic, teaches children about seeing commonality and celebrating differences.

And if that description doesn’t encourage you to take a look, the lush and evocative illustrations certainly should. For each of her children’s books, Wyle has done an absolutely magnificent job finding the perfect illustrator – and illustrative style – to convey the wonder of her story. Mikutel’s art is visually stunning and provides a counterpoint to the language of the tale that makes both more robust an experience.

I really love the message here. The back and forth between the elements reminded me of the way a parent talks to multiple children about how it is possible to love them each differently but equally – and  how the happiness of the parent requires the thriving happiness of each child. I am constantly amazed at Wyle’s knack for taking complex subjects – life, death, love, nature – and putting them into narratives that children can appreciate and that can help parents teach life lessons. It is no easy task, and I applaud her willingness to tackle the large subjects – and her deft hand at managing them.

The book is truly lovely and I encourage you to take a look!

----------

More About the Reviewer

The reviewer is Jill Franclemont, who blogs at All Things Jill-Elizabeth. Here's the link to the review: http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/2022/05/09/book-review-wind-ocean-grass-by-karen-wyle-author-and-tomasz-mikutel-illustrator/. The general blog URL is http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/. Jill has given permission for the review to be reprinted. She's on Twitter as @jill_a. Her email address (which she's allowing me to provide) is jillelizabeth@jill-elizabeth.com.

Author bio:

Karen A. Wyle is an appellate attorney, author, and photographer. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in English and American Literature. Also interested in both logic and psychology, she applied to law school in the hope of combining those subjects with her love of writing. She has been writing novels since 2010, and has published eleven of them, their genres including science fiction, afterlife fantasy, and Western historical romance. Wind, Ocean, Grass is Wyle’s third picture book, with more on the way.

Learn more about her at:

http://www.KarenAWyle

https://www.facebook.com/KarenAWyle 

https://www.twitter.com/KarenAWyle

Illustrator bio:

Tomasz Mikutel is an independent artist living and creating art in Northampton, UK. He was born in Lodz, Poland, and began drawing as a child, inspired by his oil painter father. He often paints animals, but his favorite watercolour artists include Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic. He describes his style as classic and traditional. He prefers painting “loose,” as opposed to photorealism: the looser style allows him to express more emotions and to “leave part of himself inside the painting.”

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