The New Book Review

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Short Fiction Anthology Shared by Writers Drawer

Title:A Certain Kind of Freedom: Stories and Poems from The Writer's Drawer

Compiler and Editor: Beryl Belsky

Editor's Website Link: http://www.thewritersdrawer.net/

Genre: anthology (short fiction, “stories from life,” and poetry)

Publisher: CreateSpace

No. of Pages: 182

ISBN: 978-1492890317

Reviewer: Lenora at Author Ingrid Hall and subsequently at Amazon

Available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Certain-Kind-Freedom-Stories-Writers/dp/1492890316

This compact collection brings together 30 or so new writers of all ages and abilities from all over the world. The book is divided into short fiction, essays and poetry, and the common link is The Writer’s Drawer website rather than subject matter. Belsky’s stated aim is to present not only stories of literary merit, but also those that provide cultural insight into the writer’s own countries.

I was lucky enough to be given a paperback copy of this collection to review. Initially I dipped into it, beginning with a few of the poems. I was immediately impressed by the poetry of Jane Tarlo, ‘Debris’ and ‘It’ were both haunting and perceptive poems that stayed with me long after I had read them.

From there I began at the beginning and found it very hard to put the book down. Almost all of the stories, essays and poems are of a high standard, clearly some stood out more than others. The title story ‘A Certain Kind of Freedom’ by Susan Rodgers was an outstanding piece of writing. A young couple embark on a kayaking trip on a beautiful, yet cursed, coastline. The landscape perhaps reflects Kate and Ryan’s passionate but ultimately doomed relationship, while an impending sense of tragedy quickly unfolds.

‘The Villager Who Dared the Spirits’ by D. Othniel Forte, the tale of a lazy and foolish villager who mocked the woodland spirits and paid the price for his pride is told in a charming folklore style. The ‘Cry of the Fish Eagle’ by Leandre Grobler presents the tragic clash between an ancient indigenous/aboriginal culture and modern ‘civilization’ when the last remaining Khoisan couple find refuge in an Eden-like valley, only to be pursued by well-meaning but misguided academics. Perhaps the bigger lesson in this story is that modern ‘civilized’ society cannot be forgiven for its disregard of more traditional ways of life. Of the other stories, I enjoyed the Noire-ish and conspiracy theorist tale ‘Nuked’ by Robert Walton and the time travel fantasy ‘Immortal Beloved’ by Tyger Schonholzer.

In the essays section, I loved ‘All the Cats in the World’ by Mina Sephri, writing of her and her family’s love of cats set against the backdrop of revolutionary Iran. There is a bittersweet poignancy in the final message of this story. Aside from some very poignant and touching writing, the collection also contains some very pithy personal essays – I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with Vincent Quek in his essay ‘Punctuality is the Politeness of Kings’. My other favourite in this section was ‘The Smoke Bird’ by Bryan Clark, a beautiful story about an aboriginal mystic and how the dead can still watch over the living.

All in all, barring a couple of pieces that jarred with the overall quality of this collection, Beryl Belsky has selected an engaging and at times highly moving collection of writing. Credit must be given to her undoubted skills as an editor, despite the challenges of editing works from writers of many nationalities who may not have English as a first language, Belsky’s collection is extremely polished and eminently readable. I would recommend this book both as a cover-to-cover read, and for dipping into. I certainly won’t be giving Ingrid [Author Ingrid Hall – BB] my copy back (sorry Ingrid) as I will definitely be re-reading many of these works. Beryl Belsky has expressed the hope that this will be the first in a collection of books based on works from The Writer’s Drawer and I certainly hope she achieves this aim.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

Beryl Belsky is an academic editor and writer, and owner and operator of the free, intercultural, literary website The Writer's Drawer (www.thewritersdrawer.net). She launched the website in early 2012 as a showcase for "shy," or drawer, writers to post their work. Since Beryl also offers free editing support for submissions, the site attracts writers from all over the world, many of them non-native English speakers.

The Writer's DrawerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewritersdrawer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beryl_belsky
Book:

A Certain Kind of Freedom: Stories and Poems from The Writer's Drawer

"Comments are always appreciated.
They are to a blogger like coins to a busker.
Come and join in a conversation."
Gabrielle Bryden

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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.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Bob Rich's Ascending Spiral Gets Goodreads Nod

Title: Ascending Spiral, Humanity's last chance

Author: Bob Rich

Winner of Carolyn's Noble Award

Cross-genre: spiritual/historical fiction

ISBN 978-1-61599-187-7

Publisher Marvelous Spirit Press

Recently, the author offered three free, autographed copies of Ascending Spiral through Goodreads. One of the lucky recipients wrote this 5-star review:

Link to original publication.

Reviewed by Liana Hammersley originally for Goodreads

It's not very often that you read a book that can speak directly to your heart but you can find them. And It's a rarity when you find one that can speak straight to your soul, which is what this book does. It's like a old friend coming to speak to you. A friend who makes you feel warm, protected and loved. It's a one in a million story (or in this case stories) that makes you recognise that this life is more than just a life - it's a life made up of many lives and many lessons: there is a reason...a purpose for us being here, today, yesterday and tomorrow. We're here to learn and appreciate what this life has to give for a greater purpose - not just to live, but to experience, feel and be.

The first couple of pages of 'Ascending Spiral' made me feel like crying. THE FIRST PAGES! I couldn't believe it. Never has a book made me want to cry at the very beginning of the book. But it did. Mainly because it spoke about a little girl who felt lost, worthless and unloved. It was part of my teenage life he (Pip/ Bob Rich) spoke of. Although mine didn't make me want to die or feel so badly that I really didn't cope because I had friends, a small group of friends but enough to help me through the "popular crowd's" teasing and constant cruelness. Pip's words to Maria were so beautiful and precious that I couldn't help but feel lighter just thinking about them. He helped her through a tough time in her life, made her feel special and taught her that there are no mistakes in life, but lessons, opportunity's that help us grow into the person we want to be. And if we fail, we fail...but it is also a success because we learned and we survived.

That's what this book is mostly about - learning and surviving the best way we possibly can. Dermot was my favourite character/life experience I liked reading about. He was a survivor. He suffered such terrible tragedy's that you can almost understand why he turned out the way he did - I do say almost because in this life (my life) I would never go down the same path at the end and find it confusing and shocking that he would do something so horrible to someone who least deserved it. But in his mind everyone was at fault. His situation was bad, he lost his whole family, was made into an example on a convict boat that could have destroyed him, became a slave, could've had freedom but was blackmailed into staying and in the end he was trapped. he was helpless and kept suffering throughout his life. He was an injured animal, one who had been beaten too many times. He held in all the resentment, anger and frustration at being in a life that wronged him so much that he finally exploded and the way it came out was a terrible action. He suffered again because of it...his soul suffered. But when you look back on everything that had happened you couldn't say what he did was wrong. Part of his family and his soon to be wife was murdered, other family members imprisoned. He fought back because there was nothing else he could do.

Through this book you learn that every action has a ripple effect. It doesn't just affect you or your family but it effects everyone that it comes in contact with. And when you look back on Dermot's life you realise why everything is happening. The English had been bullied by their own people (as I'm sure many countries and societies have) - their own kings and queens ruled over them year after year, dictating how they should feel, act and think. If they acted any differently to what was expected of them they were punished for it - be it jail, maimed or killed. So they were victims: left powerless by the people that should have protected them. So those people through generations became bitter, resentful and angry. And those that came into a certain power (the army's, etc) followed orders and took all those negative emotions out on whoever they were to hurt. They got their revenge, just on the wrong people. And in turn Dermot got his revenge on those people. You can see how one person's wrong doing creates another ones and it just keeps going and going until people are hurt or worse. If one were to forgive then they would either be trampled over or were forgiven themselves. In Dermot's case, he had no choice. If he forgave the English he would only have become a slave himself (which he ultimately did anyway) or killed. There was no middle ground. There was no forgiveness or compassion from the other side. Once anger is involved, everything goes out the window. So Dermot stood and fought for what he believed in - to free his people from such a grievous act. No one would have been free if he didn't do anything. So in a way he helped those people to find hope, at the cost to himself.

Amelia's story had me on the edge of my seat. Her husband horrified me. I was along for the ride (emotionally) for this story because I was terrified for her children having such an abusive father. Her story was tragic in a different way to Dermot's but it had a beautiful ending in a way because she got to live out her life in the end and see her children grow and have their own children. But in the meantime she had a lot of hardship and loss. But she SURVIVED and she lived.

The two other stories about the space flower and the walking flowers didn't appeal to me as much. They were short and the story's were good, but the hardships and emotional connection wasn't there for me as much.

And finally with Pip's life I had to have a little chuckle to myself when my name "Liana" turned up in the story. It's not every day you read your own name in a book - especially when it's as rare as mine! But I loved Pip's journey - his success at reaching peace within himself and finding that "living" this life and experiencing everything that was to be learned is what life is about, not just the material things as most live for - the house, the car, the other objects we consider to be considered to be important that most people rate above all else. This life is about LIVING it, ENJOYING it but most all experiencing it.

This book just makes you rethink about your own life, the situation your in and everything that you have learned up until now. It (most importantly) also makes you ask yourself "what is your purpose for living?" It has helped me appreciate what had been given to me and not take things for granted anymore. I want to enjoy my life now and not bicker about the silly little things because this life is an important one, for my soul and for my family.

If you are of spiritual mind (as I have been my entire life, growing up with the knowledge of past lives, spiritual beings, compassion, lessons, etc) or have often wondered what is is you're doing here, I suggest to read this book as it is the perfect way of gaining more knowledge of your situation and learning to love the life that you're living.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

Liana, a mother of 2 gorgeous sons (aged 4 and 16 months) and two “fur-babies” (dogs), with a passion for reading and writing ever since she was a little girl. Having been born in Victoria, grown up in Tasmania, and lived in Queensland, it was hard to call a place “home”. It wasn’t until fate intervened in the most unlikely of circumstances that Liana moved to Kalgoorlie for a couple of years and met her partner (who also had moved there from NSW only a few months after, for a job). From there they moved back to his home town in NSW and it was only then that Liana had found a place to call home and a place where she could grow within herself and rediscover her passion of reading and writing – of which she hopes one day she can become a published author.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Bob Rich is a professional grandfather. His main motivation is to transform society to create a sustainable world in which his grandchildren and their grandchildren in perpetuity can have a life, and a life worth living. This means reversing environmental idiocy that’s now threatening us with extinction, and replacing a culture of greed and conflict with one of compassion and cooperation.

So far, he has retired 5 times as:

Research scientist

Builder’s laborer

Nurse

Director of his professional association

Counseling psychologist

He is still going strong as a storyteller, writer and editor. To date, he has15 published books you can inspect at http://bobswriting.com (read the first chapter of each). Five of them won awards. Also, he does professional editing, for a number of small, independent publishers and a steady stream of writers pre-submission. Learn more at
http://bobswriting.com. His newsletter is Bobbing Around http://wp.me/P3Xihq-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.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary of Memoir!

Title: Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent
Ten Year Anniversary Edition

Author:      David Henry Sterry
Price:            $15.95
Publisher:  Soft Skull Press
Format:      Trade Paperback
Pages:          254
ISBN:             978-1593765279Genre: Memoir
Pub Date:  Feb 28, 2014
Distributor: Publishers Group West

"Ten years ago, this debut memoir from Sterry burst upon the literary scene with an energy and inventiveness... Sterry’s memoir still crackles with its unsparingly honest approach." Publishers Weekly, September 2, 2013. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59376-527-9

“Sterry writes with comic brio … [he] honed a vibrant outrageous writing style and turned out this studiously wild souvenir of a checkered past.” – Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“A beautiful book… a real work of literature.” – Vanessa Feltz, BBC

“Insightful and funny… captures Hollywood beautifully” – Larry Mantle, Air Talk, NPR

“Jawdropping… A carefully crafted piece of work…” -Benedicte Page, Book News, UK

“A 1-night read. Should be mandatory reading for parents and kids.” -Bert Lee, Talk of the Town

“Alternately sexy and terrifying, hysterical and weird, David Henry Sterry’s Chicken is a hot walk on the wild side of Hollywood’s fleshy underbelly. With lush prose and a flawless ear for the rhythms of the street, Sterry lays out a life lived on the edge in a coming-of-age classic that’s colorful, riveting, and strangely beautiful.” –Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight

“Compulsively readable, visceral, and very funny.” – Phillip Lopate, author of Portrait of My Body

“Like an X-rated Boogie Nights narrated by a teenage Alice in Wonderland…I read the book from cover to cover in one night...” -Places Magazine

“Snappy and acutely observational writing… It’s a book filled with wit, some moments of slapstick, and of some severe poignancy… a flair for descriptive language…” – Ian Beetlestone, Leeds Guide

“Brutally illuminating and remarkably compassionate… a walk on the wild side which is alternatively exhilarating and horrifying, outrageous and tragic… Essential reading.” – Big Issue

“Visceral, frank and compulsive reading.’ –City Life, Manchester

“Sparkling prose… a triumph of the will.” -Buzz Magazine

“Pick of the Week.” –Independent

“Impossible to put down, even, no, especially when, the sky is falling…Vulnerable, tough, innocent and wise… A fast-paced jazzy writing style… a great read.” –Hallmemoirs

“Full of truth, horror, and riotous humor.” -The Latest Books

“His memoir is a super-readable roller coaster — the story of a young man who sees more of the sexual world in one year than most people ever do.” – Dr. Carol Queen, Spectator Magazine

“Terrifically readable… Sterry’s an adventurer who happens to feel and think deeply. He’s written a thoroughly absorbing story sensitively and with great compassion… A page-turner… This is a strange story told easily and well.” – Eileen Berdon, Erotica.com

Author's Bio

David Henry Sterry is the bestselling author of 16 books, a performer, muckraker, educator, activist, and book doctor. His new book Chicken Self:-Portrait of a Man for Rent, 10 Year Anniversary Edition, has been translated into 10 languages. He's also written Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money and Sex, which appeared on the front cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review. He is a finalist for the Henry Miller Award. He has appeared on, acted with, written for, been employed as, worked and/or presented at: Will Smith, a marriage counselor, Disney screenwriter, Stanford University, National Public Radio, Milton Berle, Huffington Post, a sodajerk, the Taco Bell chihuahua, Penthouse, the London Times, Michael Caine, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a human guinea pig and Zippy the Chimp. He can be found at www.davidhenrysterry.com. Http://www.davidhenrysterry.com/

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Romantic Suspense Fave Book!

Title: ReverbAuthor: J. CafesinReverb website: http://reverbnovel.comGenre: Romantic Suspense; Literary Fiction

ISBN-10: 0615756395
ISBN-13: 978-0615756394

Reviewer: Angie originally for Read Our Lips
Rating: 5 Stars

2013 Favorite Book!

Sir James Michael Whren goes by James Logan is attending his half brother's funeral in England. He's anxious to get back to his music studio to continue working on his current project. His father, Edward Whren wants to have chat with him about his future which leaves James feeling resentful and sullen to his father's presence. Edward continues the conversation he started five years prior to which James replies let's not go down this road again because he wants nothing to do with Whren Trust or inheriting anything from his father. Edward Whren hatches a plan to keep James in England but he could not foresee what happens next to James. James is arrested at Heathrow Airport on a trumped up charge of dealing drugs and forced into rehab but that is the beginning of his worst nightmare of his life for the next year and half. James manages to escape where he's being held to eventually States to gain access to his money~so he can disappear again. James does that and more. He's hidden on island of Greece called Corfu and eventually meets Elisabeth Whitestone and her son Cameron. James slowly comes out of his shell being around Elisabeth and Cameron. James is completely haunted by his past and can't seem to shake just wanting to die. Elisabeth knows that something awful happened to James eventually gets him to start eating and pick up his musical skills again. Will James let his past continue to haunt him? Will James find his muse again? Will James love both Elisabeth and Cameron? Will Elisabeth admit her feelings for James? Your answers await you in Reverb.

Reverb is gut wrenching emotional rollercoaster from first page to last page. I've found my favorite book and character of the year in this book. I honestly don't have the words to explain or describe how this book affected me. I applaud the author for bolding stepping into this dark path and the courage to follow thru with it. I highly recommend this book. I look forward to next book presented by this author.

More on reviews that may interest both authors and readers:

Blogspot of Reverb review: Read Our Lips Book Reviews

http://readourlipsblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-giveaway-reverb-by-j-cafesin.html

http://readourlipsblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/year-in-review-2013.html

Purchase Reverb

Thursday, May 8, 2014

David M. Barker Pens Nonfiction Book on Religion and Science

Title: Science and Religion: Reconciling the ConflictsAuthor: David M. Barker
Author's website: www.davidmckaybarker.com
Genre: Non-fiction (religion and science)
ISBN: 9781625103796

Originally published: Amazon.com

Reviewed by Ted Cox originally for Amazon

Review:
Best read for me so far regarding the apparent conflicts between scriptural stories and science - terrific book! I consider myself "well read" when it comes to books trying to reconcile religion and science -- this is the best one I have read by far. Well documented and researched, the author clearly explains how "apparent" differences between science and the stories of the Bible can be reconciled by understanding well documented research and theories that demonstrate how the scriptural accounts can also be supported by scientific application. I never realized how many theories regarding geology, carbon dating, archaeology and so forth that are accepted by the scientific community and the general public as "undeniable truth" are in fact based on assumptions that have yet to be proved. I recommend you read this book and decide for yourself. You will find this book well written, enlightening and thought provoking.
Reviewer rating: ***** (5-stars)

Purchasing links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

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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.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Editor Review O'Callan's Third Book

Title – "Other People"

Author – Kelly O’Callan
Author's website link - http://www.facebook.com/kelly.ocallan?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Publisher: Kelly O'Callan; First edition (April 11, 2014)
Genre or category - Contemporary Fiction
ISBN-10: 1496095537
ISBN-13: 978-1496095534
Links to purchase

Reviewer: Nina Meditz, Editor

I am Nina Meditz, editor and friend of the author, Kelly O'Callan. Her first and second books, "Breaking Limbo” and “The Cardholder,” were published just a few months ago. Both books are doing very well and getting great reviews from readers on Amazon and Good Reads. Now, Kelly has just released her third novel, “Other People,” which promises to be just as successful as the others. As the editor, I have had to read “Other People” several times in the process of getting it ready for publication. I can honestly say that I never tire of the story and characters and find I get more out of the book with each reading. Kelly’s captivating writing style holds a reader’s interest and leaves them wanting more.

Other People is about a young woman, named Ginny Hughes, who suffers from a mental condition called borderline personality disorder. She desperately tries to fit in with "other people,' but her disorder prevents this from happening. Her fragile mental state leaves her very vulnerable, afraid and insecure in the world. She is easily hurt and driven to suicidal thoughts. Through her interaction with her neighbors, Vance, Nina and Jim we get a an in depth look at Ginny's daily internal, chaotic dialogue and her struggle. The characters are well developed and the story is full of the unexpected twists and turns typical of Kelly's work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelly’s love affair with novel writing began with an English class in college, when she penned her first contemporary fiction novel, “Other People”. Shortly afterwards, she wrote the suspense-filled psychological thriller, “The Cardholder”. Feeling she had a wonderful gift to share – storytelling fused with fruitful life lessons for mankind- she became a member of the Bucks County Writers Room and attended several Philadelphia Writers Conferences.

Kelly’s pursuit of publication was put on hold when she suffered two disabling car accidents in less than a year, requiring over twenty surgeries within a six year period. In the meantime, she married and is raising two boys in a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. After a ten year hiatus, she published her first book, “Breaking Limbo”, a paranormal psychological thriller, in September, 2013 and her second book, The Cardholder, a psychological suspense thriller, in November, 2013. Her third book, Other People, is now available for sale on Amazon.

You can read my review of Kelly's first novel, "Breaking Limbo" at http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2013/09/editor-is-fan-and-reviewer-for-new.html and my review of her second novel, "The Cardholder" at http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2013/11/editor-reviews-authors-second-suspense.html

Sunday, May 4, 2014

New Mystery at Right Price!

Title: Dismantling Vindictiveness

Author: Lillian R. Melendez

ASIN: B00FUB0A8Q

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Format, page count: e-book, 164 Pages

Genre: Mystery

Release date: 2013, Price: $3.99

Reviewed by Patricia K. Batta originally for Amazon

Christopher has made many enemies in his life, and one of them owns a competing architectural firm that is in financial trouble. Oscar lets Christopher buy a half share of his firm because he can see no other way out of his difficulties, but everyone warns him that Christopher will only hurt him again.

Then, as things start improving in Oscar’s firm, they start going wrong in Christopher’s; someone is tampering with the retirement funds. The financial troubles are followed by a hit-and-run murder and then other attacks on people close to Christopher. While dealing with these things and being confronted with people who resent his past actions and suspect he may be causing the new problems himself, he struggles to keep his heart condition hidden and under control.

The steps that Christopher takes to try and right the wrongs he has done in the past make all the difference. Some of the people who had the most reason to hate him end up being the ones who help bring the culprit to justice.

Settle yourself down for a nice afternoon read with this short novel. The twists and turns will keep you involved. You may guess who the bad guy is, but the ending will be a complete surprise.

MOE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PJ Nunn
Author of Angel Killer
www.pjnunn.com
http://breakthroughpromotions.net
http://bookbrowsing.wordpress.com

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