Margaret Fieland Reviews Christmas Poetry Chapbook

Blooming Red : Christmas Poems for the Rational
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
Poetry Chapbook
ISBN 9781449948245
Buy Link: www.budurl.com/BloomingRed

Reviewed by Margaret Fieland

Looking for a holiday stocking stuffer? Want something to read aloud at holiday dinners, something the whole family can enjoy? Then treat yourself to is delightful collection by poetic collaborators Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball.This is a delightful little volume, 58 pages consisting of thirteen poems by each poet. I love reading poetry aloud, and this volume is full of delight. A couple of favorites:
Christmas Magic Wrought by Google's Keyword Elves by Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
begins with:

At the stroke of dawn on November first
gremlins tired from their Halloween

and ends with:


That's when Google's
keyword elves gave me the gift of all

Christmas gifts. It's called
the make-dinner-reservations

-at-McCormick-and-Schmick
system of revenge.

You're sure to recognize yourself in this holiday tale of woe. The poor narrator is having a hard time at the holidays.. Ants attack her turkey, the oven thermometers are on the fritz and the Kitchen Aid has died just as its warranty runs out. And are more disasters to come. I laughed but, like the narrator, we, too, have contemplated just chucking the whole thing and going out to a restaurant.


And another, this one by Magdalena Ball - fond memories, Six Million Years Ago, when we were kids:


Six million years ago
when we were just kids
upright in thin desert air
bi-pedaling in anticipation
of holiday seasons yet to come.
Time was different then.

and ends:

the first law of thermodynamics
what cannot be created or destroyed
your burning
youthful
matter.

Do yourself a favor, and create some memories of your own by buying this book and then sharing it with the whole family over the holidays.

About the reviewer:Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's Farmer in the Sky for her tenth birthday, now long past. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. Her poems have appeared in journals such as Melusine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. Her book, The Angry Little Boy, will be published by 4RV Publishing, LLC, in early 2013. You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com.




----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Reviewer Suggests Book for Holiday Gifts

A Packet of Dreams
Paperback (June 6, 2008)
By John Howard Reid
Author's Web site: http://www.authorsden.com/johnhowardreid
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (June 6, 2008)
Language: English ISBN-10: 1435719859
ISBN-13: 978-1435719859


Reviewed  by Joyce White

"The short stories are like a recipe book of different tastes. They encompass humor, romance, reality and fiction. All are smooth and heartwarming. Five Stars from me for Amazon and the author, John Howard-Reid."



This book, A Packet of Dreams, is John Howard-Reid’s third collection of short prose stories. It is a spirited little paranormal drama that takes place in a circus-like atmosphere between a concession barker and a mysterious but attractive young girl. Reid wrote the main character, Arthur Knight, as the slapdash old-fashioned barker and owner of the merry-go-round concessions. In the distance he heard and felt beckoned, “Dreams for Sale! Dreams for Sale!” The voice called out to his greed first and foremost. The young girl was dressed in what I perceived to be dowdy navel-like smock with silver buttons. Arthur was not impressed although he thought she was pretty. He said to her, “Even if you sell a dozen packets of dreams a day, I still don’t like it.” She replied quickly, “I don’t sell them, I trade them.” I thought it interesting that the young girl was trading dreams stationed right opposite the laughing clowns.

There were more questions than answers for Arthur. Who was this girl? Surely, she was no angel. Then he wondered if she was would-be religious nut or just plain nut. I think the girl’s uniform gave us the perception that she was a formal organization like the Salvation Army. He was still her first and only customer. She explained to him how our dreams flow from our inner hearts, thoughts, and longings. Our dreams reflect the very fiber of our souls much like any creative expression. Arthur was no longer amused when he heard how his packet of dreams would cost him but he couldn’t resist her. I loved this little piece for Reid’s optimism, imagination and courage to write such a fable that taught a good lesson for us all.

The next story was “The Reclamation of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens' unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, has been a source of speculation and controversy ever since it was featured in a monthly edition of news daily years ago. There have been many films and books devoted to giving Dickens’s story a proper ending. He intrigued readers with a sort of soap opera of weird characters that appealed to the creative license in many writers. Some believe the final chapter was to have been set in the prison where Jasper awaits execution for the murder of Edwin Drood.

“It is no fun being buried alive,” remarked Edwin, stepping into the lamplight…but not scaring his murderer, Jasper …I am wrong. Wronged and wrong. Disguise from you is impossible. You know already that I come from somewhere and am going somewhere else.”

Some believe this story was a fictionalized account of the last five years of Dickens’s own life. Unfortunately, Dickens died before completing the last half of the novel. Some even believe Charles Dickens was trying to overcome skepticism of the supernatural. Perhaps, he was chasing his own ghosts when writing A Christmas Carol, so popular during the holidays. Dickens was known to have declared, “I have endeavored, in this Ghostly little book, A Christmas Carol, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”

I’ve heard it said those that write do and those who can’t are critics. Obviously, they haven’t come upon John Howard-Reid. He is a bestselling, prizewinning author and writing contest judge, who have also worked as a publisher, editor, critic and bookseller. This third story I am reviewing is a short, comical and philosophical conversation about how to interest their library patrons into reading new authors and more recent books. I kind of agree there is not much instantaneous gratification for writing our hearts. This third story showed a simple little test of will power for a group of library patrons and writers. It was named Contest Blues. This story is a perfect example of how no two people are inspired in quite the same way. We each have innate talents and interests and we’re all quite stubborn in fulfilling our mission in life.

Mrs. Winthrop, the Chief Librarian, was described like many older female librarians, way too partial to the classics and a little dingy ready to retire this coming year. Unfortunately, it was very hard for any of the five selected judges to agree on anything. I enjoyed the line, “Cunning is the head that aspires to wear a crown.” They each aspired to wear the crown. The six finally decided they would hold a contest on original, unpublished work. They decided on 3,000 words and then argued about themes like prose, poetry, philosophy, true-life or essays. Each annoyed the other.

Honeywell, one of the judges referred to prose as a polished exposition of its central character’s dilemma, predicament or situation. James Joyce, the popular author, felt writing in English was devised to punish sins committed in previous lives. “It was decided about after four names and ninety-eight inconsequential words had been changed; and they finally picked the number one winner.” This was the first and final Jacobs County Literary Competition. I wonder why? The short stories are like a recipe book of different tastes. They encompass humor, romance, reality and fiction. All are smooth and heartwarming. Five Stars from me for Amazon and the author, John Howard-Reid

I like to end my review with one of the poems tucked in at the back of the book, Written In Exhile, by Rafael Alberti and Translated by Richard Ledham:

Who are you? You who call me from behind
So voicelessly from so far away?
With thoughts so terrifying, grave not gay,
Whispering my name to the appalled and silent wind?
Who are you? What cries do you try to find
What distant sounds endeavor to convey…
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Reviewer Joyce White may be found at http://www.wingedforarttherapy.com/ and http://www.sculptingtheheart.com/. She writes Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews and is author of Sculpting the Heart: Surviving Depression With Art Therapy and Sculpting the Heart’s Poetry.

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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. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Title: Wild is the Heart

Author: Sona Ovasapyan
Genre: Poetry/General
ISBN-10: 1453633138
Website: http://sonaovasapyanblog.com/ and
http://sonaovasapyan.com/









Have you ever gotten lost trying to make your way through life?

There are days when the world seems to forget your existence and leaves you stranded to deal with the pains buried in your soul.

This book takes you on a short journey inward to show that there is always laughter to be found and joy to be experienced. Everyone can achieve happiness and inner peace, the journey starts from within.

When you have exhausted all other means to find your self, sometimes it takes stepping back and letting life show you the path. It is moments that define breakthroughs and it is possible for everyone to live fully and explore all aspects of their happiness.



Wild is the heart, in this treasure chest you will find a momentary escape that will help bring perspective back to your day. A quick fix for when hope seems to deplete.

The book was designed so that it can go anywhere with you. It can sit on top of your coffee table instead of a magazine. A ray of light. We have all been through the dark and I want everyone to know that there is a way to find your self back and shine on into light once more.



Highly respected author/editor/speaker/professor at UCLA co founder of authors coalition Carolyn Howard Johnson says; "Sona. I am in awe. Truly. You are a fine poet and an original one. In fact, you may have inventd a new poetry form!"
My prior poetry book ForGone was awarded a literary prize, featured on 90.7 KPFK poets cafe, Horizon television, LA Times Book Festival, West Hollywood Book Fair, Poets Cafe night at St. Gregory's school, April Bookstore, Glendale Library Conference and much more.
This is your opportunity to partake in the special journey of rediscovering your heart and it's true intentions.
Sometimes when the mind has exhausted, tortured and confused the core of your being, the heart rises to give breath to its fire. Because wild is the heart.

This chapbook is also available at a fabulous boutique catering to young Hollywood called Shoprumor http://www.shoprumor.com/product.php?productid=3041&cat=57&page=1.






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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. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Crystal Marcos Pens Fun, Foody Kids' Book

Bellyache: A Delicious Tale

Crystal Marcos
www.CrystalMarcos.com
Genre: Children’s Novel
ISBN: 978-0984389902


Reviewed by Cecilia Lee originally for Allbook Reviews



BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale is a wonderful book filled with action that your young ones will love to read.

Peter Fischer gets invited to work at his grandfather's sweet shop, and he can't wait to try all the yummy delights. He eats one too many treats and is transported to a magical town where everything is made of candy! Unfortunately, he finds "candy" enemies. Thankfully, though, he finds "candy" friends. Even better, he finds out that his grandma was probably there a long time ago. Then the most interesting part; his best friend from the human world has also been transported there! How did that happen?


Author Crystal Marcos does not leave us "hanging", but perfects a clever way to tell us more. However, all too soon, his adventure ends. No time to worry about that though! Another one springs up, requiring more skills than before.
Crystal Marcos provides a moving tale to help us learn to forgive, no matter how hard it is. Although this is her first book, she displays through it her startling ability to teach a difficult matter in a fun and appealing way that children will understand. Kids will want to read this book over and over again! Highly Recommended by Cecelia Lee, Allbooks reviewer.










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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. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Reviewer says, "Definite Page Turner"

Heaven’s Rage
 By Tiffany Craig Brown

http://www.tiffanycraigbrown.com/
Mystery
ISBN: 978-1432756963










Reviewed by Dreamworld Books

Heaven's Rage is the first novel by Tiffany Craig Brown, a former corporate communications expert and also former managing editor of the Natomas Journal established in the Sacramento area.

Heaven's Rage is the story of a retired helicopter pilot named Richard Tate who is found murdered in his apartment; the most likely suspects being four women from Tate's past -- three ex-wives and his college lover. Homicide Detective Ian Buchanan must interview all four women to determine who killed Tate, however the more he learns, the more he sympathizes with the women and not the victim!
Tiffany Craig Brown initially pulls readers in by making us privy to the gruesome details of Tate's crime scene, as well as presenting us with a clue left behind at the crime scene in the form of mysterious vomit that is presumed to come from someone other than the victim. I must admit I was truly intrigued by the vomit and where it originated from! As we read the first few chapters, it is evident that Brown definitely performed thorough research concerning the police procedural methods, which are artfully executed.
Upon finishing up with the initial crime scene portion, Heaven's Rage is then split up into four main sections detailing each horrendous relationship Richard Tate had with the women in his life. We learn that Tate (appropriately nicknamed Dick by the way) is a disturbed man with severe issues stemming from his childhood and just like Detective Buchanan, we are appalled by Tate and of the way he treats each woman. I found myself feeling genuinely happy that someone murdered him for the novel's sake, and became emotional in sympathizing with each suspect!
The flow of the novel is superb because it's got the "I-can't-put-it-down!" quality, with perfect transitions and breaks in all the right spots. As a reader, the pleasure and value of Heaven's Rage is being able to identify with each of Tate's "victims", and we find that we love to hate Richard "Dick" Tate along with trying to identify the murderer.
My biggest jaw-dropping moment occurred while reading the following excerpt from ex-wife Jordan's story, in which she recounts an experience on a road trip and camping outing Dick forces her to take with their children:


"I'm really sore and uncomfortable, Dick," she lamented. "Did you forget

your promise to the doctor? You were supposed to let me get out and

walk around every couple of hours..."

"Oh, quit your bitchin'," he interrupted. "You've done nothing but complain

through the whole damn trip. Stop being such a baby!"

Tears stung her eyes. Her lips trembled and her voice wavered as she

responded, "I gave birth six days ago! I shouldn't even be on this trip!"

She swiped at her eyes furiously but the more she tried to stop crying,

the harder the tears fell.


The above sample is just one of many injustices and harsh treatments Dick imposes on his wives, and this is exactly why we end up sympathizing with the suspects. Can you imagine the idea of spending the rest of your life with such a character? Tiffany Craig Brown will stir much emotion and instill such rage in you while reading Heaven's Rage.
Being an avid murder mystery reader, I believe Heaven's Rage may have been more impacting had there been more concrete clues scattered throughout the novel in regards to determining the murderer's identity. The largest draw and allure of crime and mystery novels is being able to apply the author's clues to solving the murderer's identity before it is revealed to us. Although the murderer's identity is indeed surprising, Heaven's Rage does not provide readers with enough clues to solve the mystery on their own.

I personally enjoyed Heaven's Rage because of my familiarity with the military lifestyle (being a military brat myself) and having lived in the locations featured in the novel including Colorado Springs, San Diego, and Coronado. On the other hand, you won't need to be familiar with the above attributes to enjoy Heaven's Rage and better yet, it will appeal to all genres of readers! Heaven's Rage is evidence that Tiffany Craig Brown has amazing talent hands-down, and as a reader you won't be disappointed! No matter what your taste, you'll gain something from Heaven's Rage whether it be satisfaction from revenge or even being able to relate to nasty divorce and custody battles, among many other real-life experiences this novel brings to light.
Heaven's Rage was released in May 2010, and I hope to see Tiffany Craig Brown follow it up with another. Be sure to stop by and visit her website at http://www.tiffanycraigbrown.com/ .


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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. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Memoir: Harrassment and Fear

Title: The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee

Author: Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall
Publisher: Eloquent Books
ISBN: 978-1-60911-858-7
Pages: 323 pages
Price: $17.95 US
Sept 2010
Genre: Memoirs


Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Allbooks Reviews


Do you feel safe in your house at night? Have you ever wondered about those annoying, middle-of-the-night phone calls that you thought were just a random wrong number? Have you noticed someone following you? Frightening? Yes!

Imagine having this happen relentlessly for years: phone calls at all hours of the day and night; people following you; people pretending to be your friend, your client, your patient; people breaking into your house; people threatening your life; people ending the lives of people you have come to know through your practice and your volunteer activities. These things are frightening enough without the added phone taps and tampering with the television cable so that the programming is altered to implement a direct personal assault on an individual’s mental health. This and more happened to an American psychiatrist, Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall.

Not only did these threats affect her safety and that of her daughter, they also affected her psychiatric practice and had her committed to the psychiatric ward, induced with countless drugs and labelled as being psychotically paranoid and manic depressive. Why? It all started when she tried to help transform an abandoned school in Seattle into an African American Museum.

Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall is a captivating storyteller. Her memoir, The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee, chronicles thirty years of her life as she tried to maintain her psychiatric practice in Seattle, Washington, while raising a daughter and being actively involved in several volunteer groups that rigorously sought to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. Her fight to bring research on safe AIDS treatment to the fore in the 1970s struck a raw-nerve in certain government departments. Her fight to defend African Americans abused by the system, abused by the police, resulted in greater harassment. She also lobbied for basic health care insurance for all Americans; helped establish and support, both financially and physically, the African American Museum; and she was frequently sought to financially back those who were wrongly accused in the Seattle justice system. Her views on American politics may have seemed radical to many; but hearing her story, from her point-of-view, one begins to wonder if there isn’t a conspiracy out there to block the so-called ‘freedom of speech’ right and condemn those who dare to question it.

Dr. Bramhall continued her practice in Seattle, despite the continual harassment and death threats, for thirty years. She had no desire to uproot her daughter during her early school years. After her daughter moved away to university, Dr. Bramhall made her decision to immigrate. She accepted a posting in New Zealand, and made the move. She is currently practicing child and adolescent psychiatry in New Plymouth.

The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is an almost shocking memoir about what lies beneath the world as we want to see it. The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is highly recommended by Allbooks reviewer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.



----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Literary Novel Online Book Tour Featured Today

Montana Mist, Year of the White Wolf
By Doug Hiser
Genre: Fiction: Literary


Montana Mist, Year of the White Wolf is a literary work of unlikely love, loneliness, desperate secrets and a hidden world - a place where people go to escape their former lives. Former pro hockey player, Hanlon Starky, lives like a hermit in the mountains of Montana among the wolves that he studies, and he carries around a secret guilt that engulfs him.
Mist is a white wolf he raised from a pup and set free. The white wolf has disappeared, and he fears for her safety. Sassy Lilytrotter, a hitchhiker carrying her world in a backpack finds her way to his remote world and changes his life dramatically. Hanlon’s secret, known only to “Shy Girl,” a young and beautiful blind woman, is uncovered and his pain drives him deeper into the snowy infinite wilderness. Shy Girl, Sassy, and the many odd, quirky characters that populate the remote Montana-Canadian border must use their own ways to help heal the old wounds of guilt and damage within the man among wolves.
Bernie Patton MD, author and memory expert says, “Montana Mist is the most 'belle-truistic novel,' a word I had not heard before which means literally, 'belles lettres' meaning 'beautiful' or 'fine' writing. It includes all literary works valued for their aesthetic qualities and originality of style and tone."
Author Doug Hiser’s life is a cartoon, funny, extravagant, creative, exciting and many of those “Coyote falls off the cliff and lands with a puff of dust at the bottom.” He is an author of 18 books, (The Honey Bee Girl,Secret Grotto, Lost Oasis, Crow Canyon, Cavern of the Eggstone, Wink-eye Creek, Tropical Calypso, Bite of the Mailman, Chapbooks-Shards of Lies, Whiskey Moon, The 7 Rages, Treasured Embrace, Children’s books- Monty Finds his Family Tree, How the Octopus Saved the World, The Fish that Ate the World, The Rain Berry Quest, Art collections- Texas Bird Artworks, Hiser Wildlife Anthology), a poetry slam winner and producer, a professional artist, a football, track and soccer coach in public schools, a retired mailman (that's another story) a public speaker at conferences and schools, a Tourism and Eco-tourism-professional, and there is also a lot of things he used to do, like play every sport imaginable, competitive bodybuilder for about ten years, and in 1992 he was on the American Gladiators television show. Doug Hiser is a prolific wildlife artist, producing over 100 new pieces of art each year. He eventually wants to paint and draw as many of the species of animals on the planet as he can in his lifetime. He is currently working on a book from A to Z of unusual animal close-up portraits. His website has 14 galleries.


Buy the book on October 27 and download dozens of bonuses, too. http://bit.ly/dBvOMd . Other books by Doug Hiser include those with widgets featured in this post.

Book tours like this are available with Denise Cassino, publicist and joint venture specialist, 303 838 3399
skype: denise.cassino
http://www.wizardlywebdesigns.com/
http://www.spiritoftheseasoncatalog.com/
http://www.mybestsellerlaunch.com/
Follow her on Twitter @Dcassino

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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. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. 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. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :