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

Badge by Author Joy V. Smith

 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

Dan Millman Reviews the Florentine Poet

TITLE OF BOOK: THE FLORENTINE POET

AUTHOR OF BOOK: William Bernhardt

REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Dan Millman, a former world champion athlete, gymnastics coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor, is author of 17 books read by millions of people in 29 languages. Dan teaches worldwide and has influenced people from all walks of life.

 FAVORITE REVIEW:

In this engaging tale, our poet-protagonist sets out on a hero’s journey. Pietro’s passion for his angelic Sophia mirrors the author’s love affair with the written word. Whether or not poetry is your thing, this book sparkles like a jewel in a cosmic clockwork — an uplifting gift to readers everywhere. 

— Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior

AUTHOR EMAIL ADDRESS: willbern@gmail.com

AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS: (website, amazon, blog, etc.):

www.williambernhardt.com

www.writercon.com

ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW: 

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William Bernhardt is the New York Times-bestselling author of over sixty novels, including the Daniel Pike legal thrillers starting with The Last Chance Lawyer.

William Bernhardt Bestselling author of 60+ books Host of WriterCon   w: www.williambernhardt.com e: willbern@gmail.com Check out my new novel: Plot/Counterplot Register for the WriterCon Cruise!  Subscribe to my Newsletters!

Kudos to Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot, Winner of the Tales2Inspire Reviewer-of-the-Month Award

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: 

Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I

NAME (AUTHOR OF BOOK): 

An Anthology of stories collated by author/editor Lois W. Stern 

GENRE OR CATEGORY:

Non-fiction anthology of short stories

FORMATS:

Paperback, Kindle

NUMBER OF PAGES

230

ISBN-13 : 978-1505558166

ISBN-10:  1505558166

PUBLISHER:

Self-published by Tales2Inspire viaAmazon.com

AMAZON LINK:

https://www.amazon.com/Tales2Inspire-Diamond-Collection-I/dp/1505558166/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1669911629&s=books&sr=1-4

REVIEWED BY:

Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot 

YOUR BEST REVIEW:

The short story continues alive and well, and Tales 2 Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I. The overriding factor which struck me while reading Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I was that these writers were living, breathing people with relatively ordinary backgrounds. At the time of their experiences, they were everyday people struggling to understand their own circumstances. No one was paying them millions of dollars to act on the silver screen or to throw or catch a ball on a field of athletic play. Rather, these were ordinary people who faced challenges that came their way. What made them courageous and/or heroic was that they did not back away; they did not cower in the face of adversity. They accepted what was not asked for and they made their way through to moments of personal victory.

MORE ABOUT LOIS W.  STERN

After twenty years as an active educator, Lois continued to pursue her love of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular Long Island web-zine. As she created and authored her column Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, she began to solidify her special niche of investigative journalism, and put those same talents to work while writing Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, for which she interviewed over 100 women about some of the most intimate aspects of their lives. She followed up with her second book, Tick, Tock, Stop the Clock. Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour  to address many of the less invasive paths to beauty. 

Tales2Inspire began a whole new chapter in her life. 

Visit her website at: https://www.tales2inspire.com to learn about her he Tales2Inspire® books, contest and ghostwriting services..

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

A clinical psychologist until retirement and prolific author. (See more about thus reviewer following this review, below)

YOUR FAVORITE LINKS: 

https://www.tales2inspire.com

www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

wwww.facebook.com/tales2inspire

ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW: 

 X Yes, I previously received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety. 

REVIEWER’S BYLINE

Clinical psychologist, author

BOOK COVER

 

ABOUT THIS REVIEWER:

Dr. Pirnot has worked with children and their families through the Department of Human Services, the Juvenile Justice System and in private practice. Until her retirement she treated special needs children as well as those with transitional life issues.  Dr. Pirnot established  a thriving private practice in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but eventually relocated to Sarasota Florida to be close to her family. A prolific writer, she has published over forty books, many of which reflect her personal experiences in and out of private practice. Several titles include: Nothing Left To Burn, a journal of sorts, detailing her experiences with her husband during his slow decline with Alzheimer’s disease;  Benny and the Butterfly, the story of an eight-year-old boy, unable to use his hands, who used a laser device affixed to his head to make pictures on the computer; The Blue Penguin, a great lesson to young readers that it is okay to just be YOU! The Ghost of Gasparilla: A Silky and Sly Adventure, is an imaginary tale of an old offshore shipwreck and the adventures and courage of the  children who discover it; Just a Common Lady, a story of the weathering process of tragedy and opportunity. When not writing or gardening, Karen takes great pleasure in her grandchildren and the many projects and adventures they share,

Escape Rooms Introduce Novels with Sample for The Hurricane Code by James Aura

Escape Rooms Introduce Novels with Sample for The Hurricane Code by James Aura

Previously, I wrote about The Hurricane Code by James Aura and provided discussion questions. Book groups and high school teachers alike could use another free resource to help readers better understand the 2099 climate change fictional story (Cli-Fi). The activity is auto-graded for teachers and group leaders. The book is not required for using the free digital escape room at this link. We hope the escape room will motivate a reader to want to locate a copy of the book. 

The video below explains the escape room for this particular book. Digital escape rooms are similar but not all the same. They use free Google apps: Google Sites, Google Slides, and Google Forms. Incorrect answers are marked in red as answers are entered, so people know if they successfully unlocked a code or not. There are number code locks, text code locks, directional code locks, and color code locks. Answers should be in all caps with no spaces for this room. 

 

If that didn't explain it, this answer key will help. I am providing answers as escape rooms are new and are a learning experience for most, at this time. Digital escape rooms are similar but use different icons for the locks. Instructions should be followed such as capitalization or lowercase, spaces or not, and so on. Each room could be different as they are made individually by people like me.

The book captures life in North America to Canada as the year 2099 brings pythons moving north due to the warming climate, chocolate as a rare treat, and an exodus of people trying to get north. Travel agents are not honest. An engaging read worthy of discussion, The Hurricane Code was an All About Books Goodreads group pick last summer. This is where to find it: on Goodreads and Amazon.  Author Aura has a link/tr.ee, also. 

Thank you for reading, 

Carolyn Wilhelm, reviewer

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

A FREE MARKETING TOOL FOR AUTHORS

A FREE MARKETING TOOL FOR AUTHORS 

Did your book get one fabulous review that you wish you could share with the world? Well wishes no more. Now you can! Send it to me @tales2Inspire2gmail.com in “cut and paste” format, (see below), and I will post it for you on TheNewBookReview blog. And that’s a big deal ‘cause this blog gets tons of readers. 

HERE’S HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FAV REVIEW

Gather all your metadata first, to make the submission process so much easier. I created a template below will help you. Then I will post it for FREE at:  https://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/

AND HERE’S THE BEST PART

Place a Tweet about your review on Twitter and tag us both with @frugalbookprom and @tales2inspire2. Carolyn and I will retweet your review to our over forty-six thousand Twitter followers. (You do have a Twitter account, right?)

What great additional exposure for you and your book!

TEMPLATE FOR YOUR REVIEW SUBMISSION:

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK:

YOUR NAME (AUTHOR OF BOOK):

GENRE OR CATEGORY:

ISBN #: 

YOUR BEST REVIEW:

YOUR BRIEF BIO (MAX 100 WORDS) OR CREDIT:

YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS:

YOUR FAVORITE LINKS (website, amazon, blog, etc.):

ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW: 

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

REVIEWER’S BYLINE (i.e. author of, Group leader of . . . ):

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER (100 words or less) 

E-MAIL YOUR REVIEW TO ME AT: tales2inspire2@gmail.com

PLACE YOUR REVIEW IN THE BODY OF THE E-MAIL. 

(NO ATTACHMENTS PLEASE)

WRITE “NEWBOOKREVIEW” in the subject line of your e-mail.

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER AND HER TALES2INSPIRE PROJECT

 

Lois W. Stern's Tales2Inspire was a kernel of an idea that started in 2012 and has grown to proportions even she didn’t dare to envision. Her innate curiosity about potentially fascinating human interest stories was the spark that ignited this idea. But it was the confused state of traditional publishing that propelled her forward. Tales2Inspire delivers exactly what it promises as both an ‘Authors Helping Authors’ project and a contest. Winners get their stories published in print, e-book and some even in video formats, with their names, headshot photos, and mini-autobiographies included. Then she spreads the word about the winners and their stories on her blogs, social media and monthly newsletter. FREE to enter, this is a great competition for talented newbies and seasoned authors alike.  Learn more here:

Tales2Inspire website: http://www.tales2inspire.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

LinkedIn profile: http://tinyurl.com/odtw2wt

Get a FREE Tales2Inspire Sampler book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gift

Tales2Inspire trailer: https://youtu.be/FuDgXkYMHvo

Blog: http:://www.tales2inspire/blog

  

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

Bobish by Magdelena Ball, a New Verse Memoir

Title: Bobish 

Author: Magdalena Ball
Author Website: http://www.magdalenaball.com 
Publisher: Puncher & Wattmann (November 7, 2022)
Publisher: P.O. Box 279, Waratah NSW 2298 (Australia) 
Publisher Website Address: https://puncherandwattmann.com/ 
Price $16.99 Paperback 
Page count: 154 Pages
Formats: Paperback
ISBN: 1922571601
ISBN-13: 978-1922571601
Available on Amazon
Carolyn Wilhelm, reviewer

Bobish, by Magdelena Ball, is a new verse memoir published by Australian press Puncher & Wattmann. The poetic story follows the life of the author's great-grandmother, who was part of the mass diaspora of Jews from the Eastern European Shtetls to New York City. The book explores her experience as a Yiddish speaker in the garment industry where she worked in the ill-fated Triangle Shirtwaist factory. It continues through the two World Wars which, of course, impacted directly any family members left in her home town of Grodno (now in Belarus). Talented writer Ball transforms the life of her great-grandmother into a magical read. 

Though she was only fourteen years old, like many other Jews in Eastern Europe’s Pale of Settlement in 1907, Rebecca Lieberman gathered her few belongings and left for the United States. Alone. What follows is a unique and poetic story of history, war, mysticism, music, abuse, survival and transcendence against the back drop of New York City in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. 

I am just taken with this book! Ball's poetry gives the immigration story a fresh new perspective (just when you think you have maybe read it all). Beautifully written, the words transcend the actual events and readers will even be reminded of their own family stories. How did Ball manage to recreate her great-grandmother's life into such a fantastic read? I do not know, but I am glad she did. Breathtaking! This will tug at my heart a long time. Do not miss this book!

Reviews may be found on Amazon, Goodreads, other online sites, and below.

'A fourteen-year-old girl is launched by pogroms and poverty into the New World, fearful and alone. How can she know that her great-granddaughter would weave her story, through imagination and a careful reading of history, into a poetic gift to her memory, and for many more generations to come?'
~ Ramona Koval

'Magdalena Ball’s powerful re-imagining of her great-grandmother’s life, from crossing the ocean in steerage, alone, at the age of fourteen, to the hardships of immigrant life in New York, is a vivid, lyrical portrayal of a woman that is as much an act of love as it is the preservation of a life, with its lessons of quiet courage in the face of crushing despair.' ~ Charles Rammelkamp

'The importance of remembering is a cornerstone of the Jewish faith and in this account of the author’s Jewish great-grandmother as she navigates her life of exile, each scene is both clear eyed and evocative, poetic and down to earth, empathetic and far reaching.  A marvellous, nourishing book of resilience.' ~Judy Johnson

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