Little Art City on the Prairie: Impressions of Faulkton South Dakota

Note: I fell in love with this slender book because of its authenticity--and because it brings to life a rural part of the US seldom mentioned in literature. It is an example of the joy independent publishing can bring to writers and readers alike. 

Title: Little Art City on the Prairie: Impressions of Faulkton South Dakota
Author: I. Reid
Publisher: Independent/Amazon

ISBN: 979-8709411425
ASIN: B08X65NPJ2, B08XLV96SL
Price $9.50, paperback, $2.99 Kindle
Page Count:  60 pages
Formats (PB, Kindle)

Originally posted on Midwest Book Review

 

Faulkton, South Dakota, has become known as the prairie's little art city because of the many murals on buildings and giant art by Guido Van Helten. A crane was used to allow Van Helten to draw on several sides of a grain elevator. The people of the town, of course, watched the progress of the art. Tourists drive to Faulkton for the experience of seeing and taking photos with the elevator art. The city hired Van Helten as they refuse to simply exist or perhaps become obsolete. They were able to hire him due to a stroke of luck. I. Reid took hundreds of pictures along the trip from Minnesota to South Dakota and in the city of 800 people. Also, citizens of the town contributed photos to the book, which were used with permission. The Pickler Mansion in Faulkton, the one-room schoolhouse museum and other local landmarks are described in this full-color travel book. 

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

If You Want More Reviews Team Spirit Goes a Long Way Toward Winning the Game

by Lois W. Stern

Your 'Authors Helping Augthors'

TheNewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator

for  

Many of our talented TheNewBookReview authors have now posted book review requests here, and that posting alone is a good thing. Why? It gives you and your book more exposure. Congratulations! All of you have at least gotten to first base. Many of you have also followed me and Carolyn Howard-Johnson, creator of this blog, on Twitter, by adding @frugalbookpromo and @tales2inspire2 to the end of your Tweets. If you have done so, we are retweeting your tweets to help further their reach, bringing you to second or third base.  

Now it's time to strike more home runs, and for authors that means REVIEWS! No more standing on the sidelines! Team Spirit to the Rescue. Here's how:

👉Click on the sign below:

👉Next click on any genre sign on that page to discover a book of interest to you. 

👉 Contact that author for a FREE copy of their book, using their e-mail address posted in the column just to the right of their book description 

👉Don't forget to promote yourself and your book while creating your review. Click to learn how.

👉Scroll down that same page (listed above) for suggested questions to help you write honest reviews without breaking a sweat.

 

And don't forget . . . Once you catch the Team Spirit and write a review for a fellow author, hurry back to the dug out where every member of TheNewBookReview will be waiting to applaud you. And as you enter our Hall of Fame, check out the tangible rewards that will be yours.

Lois is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in many varied venues. She has now published ten Tales2Inspire® treasured anthologies of her contest winners' stories. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul are particularly enamored of Tales2Inspire® books, because aside from their inspirational themes, they are filled with original photos to enhance the power of each story. Lois invites interested readers to get a FREE Tales2Inspire® sampler book at:www.tales2inspire.com/gifts and to learn more about entering the next Tales2Inspire®contest at: tales2inspire.com/contest. Guess what? It’s free - No entrance fees!

Visit Lois at these Media Marketing sites to learn more about her and her Tales2Inspire® Authors Helping Authors project/contest at: 

Website: http://www.tales2Inspire.com 

Spend some media marketing time with Lois at: 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

Elise Cooper Reviews Texas Murder Mystery Book Two for The New Book Review

Title: Flight 

Subtitle: Texas Murder Mystery Book 2

Author: Laura Griffin

Publisher: Berkley Pub, March 30^th, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Romance

ISBN: 9780593197349

 

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

Flight by Laura Griffin is a riveting mystery with very believable characters.  She excels at writing characters the readers root for, and her descriptive details of the Texas landscape has readers believing that they are there. 

 

“I think the Texas coast setting is great for a murder mystery.  There is the natural drama of the coast, thunderstorms, and wildlife.  Mother Nature is a dramatic piece of the story.  Lost Beach is based on Padre Island in Texas.  South Padre Island is a beautiful place with a mix of tourism and nature.  There are bars, motels, and shops.  They have a turtle rescue and a Birding Center.  North Padre Island is basically an uninhabited park with sand dunes.  The water is clearer, and the sand is whiter.” 

 

The heroine Miranda Rhoads, the sister of the heroine in the last book, decides to move to Lost Beach Texas after experiencing burn out and a need to destress after her last case went awry.  As a forensic photographer she uses those skills to capture the native birds for the Texas Birding Association’s upcoming calendar. Unfortunately, she discovers two bodies in a canoe. Although Miranda wanted to escape the life she led before, she finds herself unable to step away.  She has a nose for detail and her insights are spot on.  The detective on the case, Joel Breda, convinces her to join the team as their forensic photographer. As more murders turn up the police realize they don’t just have a murderer on their hands, they have a serial killer.

 

In a short time, both Miranda and Joel find themselves very much attracted to each other; the chemistry between them was great.  Working together they find clues that will lead them to the killer. Joel wants to protect her and the community, while Miranda is an intelligent and complex character.  The tension is ratcheted up with the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and all the other factors that come together to make Texas such a unique environment.

 

“Miranda is conflicted.  Observant and has an eye for detail.  She is a visual person where she cannot get images out of her head. Miranda is also a people person. She has a lot of baggage that makes her anxious. She decides to stay at Lost Beach to escape the emotional upheaval she experienced at her job as a forensic photographer. She has guilt, anger, confusion, and worries about the previous case.   While Joel is tenacious. Determined. Persuasive.  Charming. He is also intense, confident, and self-assured.  He wants to protect the community as well as Miranda.  He sees the economic benefit to a small town but does not always see tourism as good. They realize they are more alike than different. . Both are wary of having a relationship and are not looking for a serious one.  They need to evolve for it to work.”

 

Laura Griffin is a master at suspenseful storytelling. Her books never disappoint.  The complex mystery has readers on the edge of their seats. 

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover 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. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

 

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

Despite Surrounding Chaos, There Are Still Many Folks Who Live Lives Filled With Compassion. Are You One of Them?

TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE RUBY COLLECTION

Gifts of Compassion

Title: Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection

Subtitle: Gifts of Compassion

Series: Tales2Inspire

Author and Editor: Lois W. Stern

Genre: Inspirational Anthology 

Publisher: Tales2Inspire

Contact: tales2inspire2@gmail.com

ISBN-13:  978-1495940088

ISBN-10: 149594008X

ASIN: B00Q7H4ZTM

Page Count: 129

Price: $11.25, PB, $4.99 Kindle

Format: Paperback, Ebook, PDF

Reviewed by Reviewed By Monique Franklin

Official Apex Reviews Rating
One need only observe the tenor of the current presidential election cycle, and it's obvious such qualities as sympathy, compassion, and understanding have quickly been replaced with intolerance, exclusion, and bigotry for many in our nation. Rather than be sympathetic with our fellow man or seek to find common ground with those from different backgrounds, the tendency now is to reach snap judgments and cast xenophobic aspersions on anyone who doesn't subscribe to our particular belief system. What is there to look forward to in a world growing so increasingly hostile and emotionally detached?

Enter Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection, a moving collection of stories compiled by editorLois W. Stern. Each of the stories featured in the collection is centered on the concept of compassion, which seems only fitting, considering the ruby is known to open the heart and promote loving relationships. The more salient stories of The Ruby Collection highlight the transformative power of self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, a trait we tend to see less and less in the modern reality TV era. Not just a human quality, The Ruby Collection also displays the ability of our furry and feathered friends to show compassion when needed, which leads one to question just how difficult it is for their human counterparts to do the same.

Powerful and enthralling, the stories of The Ruby Collection do an inspiring job of conveying the best of what mankind has to offer. An uplifting addition to any reader's personal library. 

CLICK FOR CONTEST INFO

Lois W. Stern is a former teacher. She is motivated to help other aspiring authors on their individual paths to discovery. She has published ten anthologies to date and earned two National Indie Excellence Awards. 

On her site, a free ebook is available at tales2inspire.com/gifts to read sample stories. If you sign up for the newsletter, you will find out when she runs reduced book price specials, as well. 

Be inspired to enter her annual contest, and help to inspire others! 

Thank you for reading TheNewBookReview!

Elise Cooper Reviews Melissa Koslin's Debut Book

Title: Never Miss

Author: Melissa Koslin

Publisher: Revell Pub.

Release: May 4^th, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Christian

ISBN:  9780800738396

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

Never Miss is Melissa Koslin’s debut book.  If her future novels are anything like this one, she has a long career as a romance suspense novelist. The story has a unique premise in that the heroine is a female sniper who worked for the CIA. The other piece of the story is a man-made virus used as a weapon.  Although readers might have fatigue having gone through Covid-19, the essence of this plot is finding those who want to unleash the deadly biological weapon, not the weapon itself.

 

Readers are introduced to the heroine, Kadance Tolle, who is on the run.  Having been a part of a family of assassins she no longer wants that job, but her family has other ideas.  While in her car she notices a glint from across the street.  Realizing someone is trying to kill some strange man, Lyndon Vaile, she risks her own life and pushes him away from the bullet.  Despite the danger she feels compelled to help Lyndon discover why and who is after him.

 

“I wrote Kadance as super wise, while with other things she is super sheltered.  Her family has isolated her.  She has a unique family in that they all are assassins.  Because she is a marksman and a CIA operative, she has deceptive skills. She is a loner, someone who strives to achieve justice. Kadance is very observant, keeps everyone at a distance, a control-freak, and is sometimes judgmental, but she is also kind.”

 

Kadance finds out that he has three doctorates and has researched how the Ebola virus is man-made (sound familiar?) and can be weaponized. Unfortunately, someone doesn’t want his discovery to come to light, making Lyndon the ultimate target. They decide to work together to stop the mastermind behind the attack and save as many people as possible. Kadance and Lyndon are being stalked, pursued, watched, and targeted as they make their way across the country to stop a disastrous event. 

 

“Lyndon is a paradox.  He can be analytical and logical yet cannot lie.  He can recognize the difference in behavior but doesn’t understand the emotions behind it. Lyndon has a photographic memory.  He has three doctorates, in Microbiology, Pathology, and Epidemiology, plus a master’s in cyber security.  Besides being a genius and a scientist, he has a strong faith. He has an unusual alliance with Kadance because he is so different from her in many ways. These are two people who have different backgrounds, different philosophies on life, and different faiths, yet they come together.”

Blending science and intrigue into an intense action-packed story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.  But there is also humor, thanks to a Maine Coon cat named Mac that offers a welcome relief from the riveting plot. This first attempt by Koslin was hit out of the park. 

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover 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. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

 

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

Review for a Biography of Landscape: Bears Ears

Title: Behind the Bears Ears

Subtitle: Exploring the Cultural and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape

Publisher: Torrey House Press (2020)

Author: R. E. Burrillo

Pages: 407

Genre: Nonfiction/Mixed Disciplines

Buy on Amazon

Contact Reviewer: hojonews@aol.com

Rating 5 of 5

 

 

 

 

           

 

Biography of a Landscape

You of course remember the song, “A Few of My Favorite Things!” Here is a book that does what that song does for young people for me. Let me count the ways:

 

Archaeology. Anthropology. Environment Issues. Humor (even a touch of irony here and there!). Memoir. National Parks and Monuments. The Desert. And Utah. These may not top your list, too, but I bet a few of them do.

 

Enter archaeologist (and author) R. E. Burrillo. I have read lots of books on this topic and Burrillo’s is the first in a long time that helped me (truly!) understand the discipline better (and in new ways). That would be enough. But making it painless—even chortle- worthy—is beyond any expectation I might have been able to conjure.

 

Memoir? It’s his personal touch. I finished the book wanting to know him better, read more of his work, maybe take a class from him.

 

And it isn’t just the author. Kudos to Regina Lopez -Whiteskunk. Her two-page foreword is a veritable prose poem.

 

And about the Timeline in the frontmatter. Why have none of the texts I’ve read done it this well? 

 

And those long chapters that Burrillo makes no apologies for? They help even an avid fan immerse themselves in that timeline, understand the points he makes. Read like a story. A believable story. 

 

And Torrey House Press? There they are, just waiting for the modern reader with eclectic preferences. A new resource for books dedicated to “…environmental justice and stewardship for the human and more-than-human world by elevating literary excellence from diverse voices.” 

 

There are a few more “ands,” but I will spare you. As a born and bred Utahan with divided feeling about my roots and the place, I wouldn’t want you to think I have an agenda. Please trust me, this little rave (rant?) comes from a spot in my heart perfectly willing to criticize as necessary. If I must reread a book to find a flaw for a review—any book—I am not inclined to do that. I want the reader of my reviews to come to a book without expectations likely to spoil the experience for them.

 

I believe there is no danger of that with Behind the Bears Ears: Exploring the Culture and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape. Not if you love any one of the topics on my “favorite things” list in the first paragraph. 

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

Elise Cooper Reviews New Thriller with "Quick Wit" Set in California

Title: The Lady Has A Past 

Series: Burning Cove Book 5

Author: Amanda Quick (Jayne Krentz)

Publisher: Berkley Pub, May 4^th, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

ISBN: 9781984806888

 

 Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

The Lady Has A Past by Amanda Quick (the pen name for Jayne Krentz) is another winner. This historical novel explores California in the 1930s with riveting characters and a suspenseful mystery.

 

“The whole fantasy side of California at that time was sold to the public by the movie studios.  I have in my head the quick lines that were in the movies and the brilliantly written plots.  I love that fast repertoire and the quick wit. This suits my style because I am a very dialogue driven writer.  Everybody has a sense of what the 1930s California setting looks like.  They are iconic. I enjoy going through books and newspapers about that time-period, and picking up odds and ends, bits and pieces. I stumbled across what happened in the spas and cosmetic industry that were quite the rage in the 1930s.  These made perfect settings for a murder.  I got an interesting question in my mind, looked for an answer, and then one thing led to another.”

 

The plot has private investigator Raina Kirk disappearing after spending a night with her boyfriend Luther Pell.  Her apprentice, Lyra Brazier, Luther, and his private investigator Simon Cage realize that Raina has traveled to the plush spa resort of Labyrinth Springs Hotel.  Simon and Lyra team up, posing as a honeymoon couple, and check in to the hotel to try to find Raina. They become suspicious of those working and staying at the hotel, discovering that the health spa is a façade for kidnappings and ransoms.  Both must watch each other’s back and race with time to find Raina before it is too late.

 

Lyra is a great character with an uncanny intuitive nature.  She is fearless, smart, and works well under pressure. She realizes that she and Simon make a good team considering he senses emotions from objects.  Although he gives off an aura of nerdiness, he is nothing of the kind and is very good at connecting the dots.

 

“She is the siter of Vivian, the heroine of Close Up. Lyra is optimistic, smart, curious, and genuinely interested in people who respond and speak with her.  She is also calm, sophisticated, and intuitive.  Although coming from wealth and society she is now looking to be a private investigator.  Basically, she is a half full person who is positive with good energy. When needed for the investigation she played a role of being dipsy, shallow, arrogant, and self-centered, but this is not really her.”

 

Readers will enjoy not one, but two relationships in the book.  Raina and Luther’s feelings about each other are explored, while Lyra and Simon realize they care for each other deeply.  Besides the double romance people will be treated to a gripping mystery, tidbits of 1930s California, and very captivating characters.

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover 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. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

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