Idelle Kursman's Review Admires History the Way It Should Be Told

Title: The Great Upheaval

Subtitle: America and the Birth of the Modern world 1788-1800

Author: Jay Winik

Publisher: Harper Perennial

ISBN: 978-0060083144

Pages: 720

Published on September 2, 2008

Genre: Nonfiction: History

Reviewed by Idelle Kursman

For history lovers, The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World 1788-1800 is a must read. Author Jay Winik guides readers through the major events of this pivotal global turning point. The American Revolution’s ideals of freedom and liberty were felt over much of the world. Motivated to strike a blow to England, his country’s enemy, King Louis XVI of France helped finance and support the revolution, sending troops like the famous Lafayette, At the same time, the enlightened Catherine the Great of Russia initially pursued these ideals and embraced the enlightened philosophies of Voltaire as well as prominent Russian reformers like Alexander Radishchev and Nikolay Novikov. Ironically, the revolution also inspired French radicals, who overthrew and then beheaded King Louis, resulting in France embroiled in a bloodbath of violence and anarchy.  As for Catherine, when the progressive ideals of freedom and independence threatened her authoritarian monarchy, she promptly crushed it, imprisoning Radishchev and Novikov in a major turnabout. Both Lafayette and Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a statesman and national hero of Poland, fought in the American revolution but failed to achieve similar reforms in their respective countries –Lafayette was forced to flee the violence of France and Kosciuszko’s valiant attempts to free Poland from Russia’s tentacles failed.

Winik’s book is very readable, consisting not simply of dates and names. He relates the story behind the events and examines the lives of the major players. As an example, this book only heightened my respect for America’s first President, George Washington. In a time of reigning kings who ruled for life, Washington made the historic decision to step down after two presidential terms despite Americans’ plea for him to be crowned king. There were great minds at the country’s inception-- Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, and Adams immediately come to mind, but it was George Washington who utilized the best of their ideas and rose above their clashes in ideas and personalities, demonstrating  that this country provided a template for democracy all over the world during a critical time of turbulence and change.

My recommendation: Read, learn, and enjoy.

More About the Reviewer

Idelle Kursman is a writer, copyeditor, and proofreader. Her two novels are the award-winning True Mercy, a story about an eighteen year-old man with autism, and The Book of Revelations, a woman's fiction novel about making peace with the past. Idelle has also done work with SEO copywriting. 

Learn more about her at https://www.idellekursman.com

Facebook: @booksandcauses

Twitter: @IdelleKursman

Instagram: @idellekursman27

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

When Saigon Surrendered: A Kentucky Mystery by James Aura, Book Review

Title: When Saigon Surrendered: A Kentucky Mystery (Kentucky Mysteries Book 1) 

Author: James Aura
Publisher: Independent
ISBN-10: 1717881262
Page Count: 222 pages
Formats (PB, Kindle)

Goodreads

ISBN-13: 978-1717881267

ASIN: B00TNO3L5U

Price: $9.99 paperback, $2.99 Kindle

Carolyn Wilhelm

Reviewer

This book is surprising in many ways. For one thing, it is not about war and does not take place in Vietnam. It takes place in Kentucky, USA, dealing with the aftereffects of war. For another, a nice 19-year-old college student plans and is brave enough (with the help of two friends) to face human trafficking criminals anonymously and unasked to help the authorities. Student Russell returns to the farm and studies for finals while living with his grandmother. However, she dies, and he partly blames himself for not calling for an ambulance as he drove her to the hospital himself. After her death, family secrets become apparent and he seems to take the new information in stride. He considered both sides of all the information as he works around the farm. Soon, danger is all around and he needs a gun with him to milk the cows. 

Russell's Uncle begins to make the farm organic and has some other "special" plans. Finances are a problem, as is Russell's scholarship when the college is unbending about allowing extra time for finals after the funeral. Crops are ready to harvest in time although the money is soon spent. 

Russell is clever and his extensive planning, gathering help from a variety of people, helps put the plan in motion. However, it seems like sheer luck, as well as courage, are both needed. I became anxious because I couldn't see how it would all resolve. I kept reading until done so I could get to the ending.

Yes, there is a girlfriend or two. Yes, the friends are interesting characters. Yes, some new relatives are part of the story. And the Sherrif is not at all what he thought before. The cats seem to know when to disappear, alerting Russell to possible problems. 

The characters are multicultural. Man-made climate change is revealed in some of the events. 

Humor is sprinkled throughout the book. Songs from 1975 are mentioned, and there is a YouTube soundtrack of the recognizable music. 

This book was an enjoyable read and brought back memories from the time. James Aura has a talented and bright writing style. I read The Kentucky Mysteries in the wrong order, but they are stand-alone books and it didn't matter. I was sad to come to the end of his three books, and hope he writes more!

Thank you for reading, 

Carolyn Wilhelm

Wise Owl Factory LLC

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

Dr. Wesley Britton Reviews "A novel about the Beatles (Subtitle)!"

Title: The Boys Next Door

Subtitle:  A novel about the Beatles 

Author: Dan Greenberger

Publisher: Appian Way Press (July 18, 2020)

ISBN: 979-865570

ASIN: B08D7YMWVP

Available on Amazon 

 

 

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton

 

It’s been a very long time since I’ve had so much fun reading a book, and this time around that happened for a variety of reasons.

 

First was the setting of Hamburg, Germany in 1960  when the Beatles—then John, Paul, George, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best—were in residence at Bruno Koschmider’s rough and hard-edged nightclub, the Kaiserkeller. Any Beatle fan will recognize the cornucopia of the details of Beatle lore Greenberger incorporates into his fictional autobiography of Columbia University student and poet Alan Levy after he takes up quarters in the room next to the Beatles above the gritty Bambi Kino theatre.

 

At first, Levy dislikes the musicians next door as they are loud and keep him awake while he is a guest student at a Hamburg university.  He doesn’t like rock and roll. He’s an intellectual snob who becomes beguiled by photographer Astrid Kirchherr who slowly draws Levy into the Beatles orbit as he fantasizes about her while she is moving closer and closer to a relationship with Stuart Sutcliffe, much to Levy’s distress.

 

The main storyline of the tale is Levy’s journey of self-discovery in a city that gives his New York innocence a serious trouncing. The seedy Reeperbahn is a lively district largely populated by Strippers, transvestites, prostitutes, thugs, and a few arty types like Astrid Kirchherr. One of the strengths of the book is Greenberger’s gift for description as he vividly takes readers to the city and the KaiserKeller while painting the spirit of the times and the flavor of the distinctive Reeperbahn.

 

Another entertaining element to The Boys Next Door is Greenberger’s clever slices of humor that will get you laughing out loud. Two examples: early on, Levey spends time in a library where he finds the sounds of popping gum from someone in the next cubicle a welcome relief from hours of listening to the Beatles pounding out “Money.” Later on, he masturbates to a photo of himself taken by Kirchherr. Throughout, we get tiny bits of Beatle humor when Greenberger tosses in little bits like a refrain of “You have found her, now go and get her,” referring to the alluring photographer but all readers are likely to know how that line would later play in Beatle history.  Or when Levy takes up the guitar and jams with the group on a rooftop which ends with Levy saying, “I hope I passed the audition.” Again, what Beatle fan wouldn’t know how this foreshadows the rooftop concert in Let It Be.

 

Yes, we get enough character development of each of the Beatles to see them as the historical figures we all know and love.  We meet the musicians just as Levy does through the interactions between Levy and the band members which are doled out in bits and pieces as the story progresses, layering in the group, their live performances, their Hamburg circle, their changing relationships, especially regarding Sutcliffe and Best, and more and more, the cranky neighbor living next door.  

 

Putting the band aside, the transformation of Alan Levy takes many surprising twists and turns and makes this more than a typical coming-of-age tale.  To say more would verge on providing spoilers; suffice it to say, you won’t expect what happens and, for the most part, you’ll be happy to see a would-be poet’s growing depth as a person and an artist.

 

In short, you don’t have to be a Beatle fan to enjoy The Boys Next Door and might find yourself hoping Greenberger will provide us further adventures of Alan Levy, Beatles in his future or no.   I give this book six stars out of five . . .

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Wesley Britton is a frequent review for #TheNewBookReview and #BookPleasures as well as an author of genre fiction in his own right. See his other reviews on this blog by using the convenient search engine in the left column. 

 

 

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

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!