Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawaii-Her Epic Journey
By Linda Ballou
Historical Fiction
ISBN:10:1-932993-88-2
ISBN:13:978-1-932993-88-2
Reviewer Paul Wagner
www.AboutTeens
Reviewed by Paul Wagner for About Teens
This is an historical novel couched in magical realism set against the backdrop of Hawai’i’s most dynamic period between 1740 and 1820. Wai-nani’s character is inspired by Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, who was responsible for ending the 2,000-year-old Polynesian “kapu system.” The turbulent romance of these Hawaiian icons and the events that changed an ancient culture forever is told by the author with passion and authenticity.
Wai-nani’s relationship with the ocean and a family of dolphins offers her uncomplicated freedom and expression, while her experiences with her people demand that she struggle physically, emotionally and spiritually against her traditional “place of standing.”
Author Ballou delivers a generous slice of Hawaiian history with details of land and sea as vivid as being there. It is an inspiring and absorbing read.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). 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 and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.
This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query teens. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query teens. Sort by date Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Interview: Jim Garrison Pens Novel Set in Mekong Delta
Hi!
I am Carolyn Howard-Johnson, your trusty New Book Review blogger and author of
the multi award-winning HowTo Do It
Frugally Series of books for writers. This blog has heretofore been
exclusive for reviews but I thought I’d do a special series of interviews after
I chatted with Jeanie Loiacono, President of Loiacono Literary
Agency – Where ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary! I
thought sharing the interviews would help the many subscribers and visitors to
this New Book Review blog, including authors, reviewers, and, of course, readers
who just might find a new favorite author among the featured books and
authors.
So,
today welcome Jim
Garrison.
- What is your genre? Is it
fiction or nonfiction?
- I mostly write fiction, typically a cross between genre and literary fiction. My first novel, QL 4, is both historical fiction and a literary crime novel set in the Mekong Delta in 1970 during the Vietnam War.
- What made you want to be a writer? As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with books and the doors they open, both in the mind and in life. So I thought, Why not create my own literary canvas drawn from my experiences and observations and render these tales in a way that entertains and informs?
- Of all the authors out there, who inspired you most? There were many writers of all stripes who inspired me, but Ernest Hemingway is probably the one who gave me the writing bug in my teens, especially A Farewell to Arms.
- What is your writing style? Do you outline? Linearly? By scene? Why? Going back to when I practiced law, I start with a lump of clay: ideas jotted down on sticky notes and scratch paper, then in a notebook dedicated to the novel. The first part of the notebook may be ruminations about characters or even a story arc. As the concept develops, I begin a list of characters with their descriptions and back story, a timeline, and a chapter outline (based on different scenes). To start writing, I “outline” in a way that usually ends up getting every scene and character down on paper. Next I flesh out the story (description, characters, and dialogue) in long hand until I have a complete novel that may be hundreds of pages. I try to be flexible; writing chapters out of order, revising, deleting, changing course. From those handwritten pages, I type a manuscript, which I deem my first real draft.
- Do you write every day? How much? How long? When I’m not travelling, I usually write or edit, every day, but I have no set schedule (and my writing may take other forms than fiction, from poetry to legal documents). When I’m working on a novel, I usually spend no more than two or three hours a day unless I have a deadline.
- Do you think reading is as important to writing for an author? Why? How can you write without reading: fiction, nonfiction, current events, poetry, comics?The wider your range of knowledge, the deeper your insights into people, the human condition, everything. Also, knowing what the reading public reads helps the author write for his or her chosen audience.
- What are some of the things you would like to share with budding authors? Get something on the page, no matter how rough, inelegant, or incomplete. Keep a journal, write a description of a place or person or event. Observe everything and everyone around you. Listen, eavesdrop. Cancel cable television.
- Do you have any marketing and promotional advice, referrals, tips you would like to share? From my scant experience, you must have a platform, including a good website that shows you know your subject.
- Do you think conferences are beneficial? If so, what have you learned? Which ones do you frequent? Certainly conferences can be beneficial. Here and there, I’ve picked up some writing tips, but most valuable has been the interaction with other writers and a few agents and editors. I’ve been to the Pike’s Peak Writers Conference several times, as well as to conferences sponsored by the Houston Writers Guild and the Writers’ League of Texas. I also attended the Maui Writers Conference once in its heyday.
- Where can we find you, your books and when is your next event? https://jamesdgarrison.wordpress.com/ Johnnie Bernhard with Loiacono Literary Agency represents my novel QL4 (available for acquisition), a brutally honest, unflinchingly poetic, final test for a disillusioned American GI as he searches for an honorable way out of his predicament during the Vietnam War. http://www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com/authors/jim-garrison/
MORE ABOUT THE
SPONSORING AGENTS
Agent Johnnie Bernhard is a former English teacher and
journalist whose life’s work has been writing and reading. A published author,
her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines, both nationally and
internationally. Johnnie believes that good writing has the ability to
transform and transport the reader.
Her
novel, A Good Girl, a second finalist in
the 2015 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, is
available for acquisition.
Genres: Literary Fiction, Women’s Literature, Faith-Based
Literature, Southern Literature, Historic Fiction, Memoir,
and Nonfiction.
Jeanie Loiacono, President, Loiacono Literary
Agency
A facilitator of dreams, Jeanie Loiacono represents over eighty authors. Her
forte is mystery, romance, thrillers, historical/military/southern fiction, and
all quality fiction/nonfiction. Her passion is to see her authors
succeed.“There is nothing more rewarding than to hold one of my author’s books and know I helped bring it to fruition. I am so blessed and privileged to be able to work with some of the most talented writers in the world.” Jeanie.L@llallc.net www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com
IF
YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE INTERVIEWS--TO FIND GREAT READING OR TO NETWORK WITH
AUTHORS--PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG. YOU ARE A WELCOME ADDITION TO THIS
FAMILY WHO LOVES BOOKS! YOU'LL FIND A WINDOW TO DO THIS AT THE TOP OF THIS BLOG
PAGE.
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, September 20, 2012
Fran Lewis Offers Up Five Cocoa Stars to The Book of Mysteries
The Book of Mysteries
By Fran Orenstein Author's Web Site: http://www.franorenstein.weebly.com/
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
ISBN # 978-1-938243585 Paperback
Available on all on-line bookstores and all ebook formats.
Reviewed by Fran Lewis
Book of Mysteries Author: Fran Orenstein Book One: The Revenge of the Wizard: Beware: You are about the enter the Book of Mysteries at your own risk: To an ordinary reader this might seem like any mystery thriller filled with action, suspense, murder and drama. But, this book is quite unique and different because the adventures that he and his friend Zack encounter, live and experience will take him back in time to where wizards existed, dragons were feared, gargoyles had evil spells placed on them, scepter were used and a stolen crystal might be the answer to stopping a war. But, first he has to find a bookstore called Beadlesberry Rare Books. Now, you’d think that this would be easy. Think again! All you should have to do is ask someone where the store might be but this is not your ordinary bookstore. This one you see, is not always there okay so it disappears once in a while. I guess only a select few are allowed to enter it. So, Tyler’s work is cut out for him as his Uncle Thaddeus has charged him with finding the store and beginning his first adventure. But, first he has to find the store and then convince his best friend Zack to some along. Now, let’s enter the world of The Book of Mysteries by author Fran Orenstein and find out just what she has in store for these two teen adventures when we read Book One: The Revenge of the Wizard. Black clouds loomed overhead, cold fingers of electric tinged the air the author writes as we begin our adventure and Tyler’s fears begin to surface even before entering the store. A wooden sign with the name of the store looms in the distance and thunder takes control of the sky. On the glass-fronted door a sign stating that they close for storms and the lights in the store were out but out of nowhere a candle flickered and the next thing they knew both boys were inside of the store. Pulled in by an ice-cold claw the door slammed shut behind them. Feel the tension, the fear, as things are about to change. Meet Bartholomew B. Beadlesberry bookseller and know it all at your service to Tyler, Zachary and all readers of this great book. Enter the world of wizards, magic and spells along with Tyler and Zack. Take hold of the Book of Mysteries and note that it has only titles and not stories within the pages. You, the reader along with these two young boys will choose your own adventure, decide where in time you want to go and hopefully have the most exciting time or journey of your life. The Wizard of Balalac is first. However, no adventure can begin without the quartz crystal, which is attached to the magic pendant. Would you believe it comes from the lost city of Atlantis? Take hold of the pendant and choose a story and say the title out loud and off you go into the story. As the story begins both Tyler and Zack wind up in Balara and are now officially Barawagans and meeting some of the residents starting with Esmara in Maidenspa. What Zack and Tyler learn is that this poor country lacks hot water and even worse the land shakes every night. They manage to stay at the Spa and also learn that in the morning the spa is hot. The poor people need to know why this is happening and if there happens to be an angry dragon somewhere. Will Zach and Tyler solve the problem? Will they ever return home? What happens when they realize who the major of this place really is? He might look familiar not only to them? Things get strange and they try to relate the events to Beadlesberry but instead he pretends to not know these two young 13 year olds who just want to go home. Finding the bubbling water, steaming clouds, dragons and many more strange things they begin to wonder who they can trust, if they will find the lost pendant and whether they will ever return home to New York again. Young warriors is what the townspeople called them hoping that would uncover who the Wizard of Balalac was and wait until you learn why this wizard was causing all of this havoc and who was creating the earthquakes. Meet Ellby, Crumble, Bramble and a host of characters that you will fall in love with and maybe even want to visit them. Just how they go after the Wizard and who else is involved you won’t get from me. Will they ever get home or will they remain there forever? Find out when you read Revenge of the Wizard and learn that things in mythical lands are not that much different than ours or are they? Enter the world of the Book of Mysteries and take the adventure along with Tyler and Zack. Fran Lewis: Reviewer The Gargoyles of Gothica Imagine meeting two identical Goth girls whose father is King and whose mother is queen. Imagine a land surrounded by gargoyles that are supposed to protect the castle. Imagine an evil queen named Maeve who wants to get the throne of Gothica for her son. Imagine Tyler and Zack going back for another adventure and this time entering the book to the land of Gargoyles of Blackthorne and meeting Ivy and Lilyrose. Lily and Ivy might be identical twins and sisters but Lily definitely is more assertive and not so nice at times. Thinking that she is next in line to be queen she seems to like to rub it into Ivy but there is much more to this story as our two young brave Squires Tyler and Zack along with Ivy and Lily and their cousin Valor have to save the Kingdom before it falls and dies. Their cousin Mordant, his father Malevil and his mother Queen Maeve had plans of their own. The only thing protecting the kingdom is the Golden Scepter, which was stolen. But, when Tyler and Zack discuss a plan to get it back to help the King someone is lurking in the background and that someone is Mordant. But, is he really on their side or is he a spy. The author tells the story behind his mother’s tragic death at the hand of his grandmother. Her imprisonment and her final moments are described, the evilness of the queen and her plans to kill the royal family. Just why you won’t believe and how they plan to get her in their clutches, get the scepter back you won’t believe as our two young brave squires come up with a plan that would not only endanger them but might cause them never to return home again. But, finding the tunnel that leads her castle, hoping to get another set of keys to allow them into the tower is just part of the plan. What happens and if they succeed you will have to learn for yourself when you enter the book, take another adventure and find out if they get the golden scepter back or will Maeve rule Gothica? An ending that will teach everyone what happens when the truth comes out and the plan is finally revealed. As kids take the lead and prove that when adults and children really listen to each other things get accomplished and the world might just be better off. The power of knowledge, listening and understanding are strong messages in this book and understanding differences to try and rid the world of evil. Fran Lewis: reviewer The Centaurs of Spyr Fran Orenstein Uncle Thaddeus returns, dinner is served and Tyler and his parents discuss the events that have taken place thus far. As Tyler reflects with his family his past adventures another storm is brewing outside and you know what is about to come. You got it! Tyler and Zack go back to the Rare Book Store to find the mysterious Bartholomew B. Beadlesberry to learn what is next. Well, they decide but the adventure has already been written in this wordless book of mysteries created by author Fran Orenstein just with titles. Now, imagine if you are an educator and you want to encourage kids to write what about creating your own book of mysteries or titles and having your students create adventures for Tyler and Zack or their own characters and sending off their writing to the author. Now, let’s get to this adventure that leads them to meeting the people of Haven, learning about the war between the griffons and the hippogriffs and the reasons behind it. Well, not the reasons but what they think caused this problem to happen and how they think our two young peacemakers can solve a problem that has festered thousands of years. Finding themselves in Haven our two young boys meet the Oak Tree who leads the way for their adventure. Now, let’s meet Kai and Cassandra two lovely young ladies that live in Haven and join our two peacemakers to solve this problem With the help of the General Elm Tree and his fleet of great and smart trees they might be able to come up with a plan to stop the war that has been brewing forever. The first step is to meet the Centaurs who are at the center of this solution. Finding their crystal might help. The sacred crystal of the centaurs needs to be returned or else there will be serious retribution. Now, the griffons live in the North Mountains and are half eagle and half lion where the hippogriffs are half eagle and half horse. The Haven lie between the North and South Mountains almost like the center of a sandwich about to be eaten first. Got it! But, first they need to find and learn about the Book of Prophesies written and created by you guessed it Bartholomew B. Beadlesberry the Mayor of every town we visit. This guy gets around. Let’s not forget the two pegasuses whose telepathic powers will come in handy to help them. But, what do they have to do? First, they have to deal with the flogs that live in the cave and have the crystal. They eat beetle bugs and unless they cut off their food supply that will not have any leverage against them. However, with the help of the young graven tree and the addicting juice that the flogs cannot resist they hope to find and take back the crystal orb that they have hidden inside the cave in the Spyr Mountains and return it to the centaurs. Meeting with Bandor the Directorion of the Centaurs he allows them to ask for his help and eventually agrees. Returning the crystal orb how does it disappear and why does he think they betrayed the centaurs? Keeping Kai and Tyler hostage and allowing the Oak Tree to explain the situation the war begins between the griffons and the hippogriffs and Haven Woods stands to lose if it is not stopped. But, with a surprise edict Bandor agrees to meet with both sides but our two young hostages remain. Without the help and guidance of the precious trees, which I love trees and wish they would never be cut down, they might succeed. But, let’s not forget the two Pegasus Mist and Cloud. What happens and if they finally get peace in Haven Woods is a secret that I promised the Centurions I would never reveal. Will they convince both sides to stop fighting or will everyone fight for the next thousand years? What happens when four brave kids decide to take matters into their own hands, speak with the Trees, talk to the leaders of all sides and what happens might enlighten our own world leaders today. What about letting teens or kids lead the way to peace? Interesting to say the least. So, will our author bring these two back for more even though they might not want to reenter the book of mysteries? That’s a mystery that has yet to be solved and only author Fran Orenstein can solve that one. Three great books with great lessons for adults, teens and young adults to learn. Understanding, love, trust, loyalty, fair play and much more are taught plus these stories are great for teaching character education, group discussions, study groups and more. Fran Lewis: Reviewer Let’s give this book: FIVE SPECIAL COCOA TREATS
About the Author:
Fran Orenstein is an author, poet, and presenter. She has written:
REFLECTIONS
A book of poetry
Sleepytown Press
GAIA'S
GIFT
A contemporary novel
World Castle Publishing
THE BOOK OF MYSTERIES
YA
fantasy
World Castle
Publishing
THE CALLING OF THE FLUTE
YA historical novel from Sleepytown
Press
THE SPICE MERCHANT'S
DAUGHTER
YA
historical novel from Whiskey Creek
Press
Tween Novels From Sleepytown
Press
FAT GIRLS FROM OUTER SPACE
'tween fiction of self-image, bullying, and
mastering 7th grade.
THE MYSTERY UNDER THIRD BASE
THE MYSTERY OF
THE GREEN GOBLIN
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Friday, October 16, 2009
Literary Novel Finds Publisher and High Approval
Shades of Luz
John Gorman
Genre: Fiction: Literary
ISBN 098409847X
Reviewed by Nannette Croce for A Book Review Blog
John Gorman's first novel Shades of Luz is a fun read, though I must admit I'm a little surprised it found a publisher. That's not criticism. It's just that the book is hard to classify, and classificationę«or genreę«seems to carry far too much weight with agents and publishers these day. Happily All Things That Matter Press must be somewhat more flexible.
Shades of Luz is part coming-of-age novel and part love story and even a bit surreal at times. Benny Fluke is a 29-year-old still living at home and working on his Master's thesis, the subject of which he keeps changing. He meets the elusive Luz while selling stuffed animals for a fake charity, and from then on she threads through the story, popping in and out of his life, encouraging him to move out of his parents' house, eventually sharing his apartment, but always hovering between friend and lover. The story is enlivened still more by some oddball and humorous minor characters and Benny's unusual workplace where he goes from overseeing the monkeys who pick stocks on a dartboard to championship thumb wrestling within the same company. And then there's that strange secret about Benny's Mom.
As a Baby Boomer I'm used to thinking of coming-of-age novels dealing with teens, but 29 is probably on target for the current coming-of-age generation. One thing that did confuse me a bit about the novel was the time period in which it was set. While much of it seemed current, Benny's workplace seemed a little futuristic, though maybe it was just meant to be fantastic. Whatever, it added interest and humor.
I "met" John Gorman when I accepted and edited Boba Fett Blues, my last official job with The Rose & Thorn. So I wasn't surprised that Gorman is at his best in those scenes that reminisce on childhood and adolescence.
Here's wishing John Gorman success with Luz and all future endeavors.
-----
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 loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index 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.
John Gorman
Genre: Fiction: Literary
ISBN 098409847X
Reviewed by Nannette Croce for A Book Review Blog
John Gorman's first novel Shades of Luz is a fun read, though I must admit I'm a little surprised it found a publisher. That's not criticism. It's just that the book is hard to classify, and classificationę«or genreę«seems to carry far too much weight with agents and publishers these day. Happily All Things That Matter Press must be somewhat more flexible.
Shades of Luz is part coming-of-age novel and part love story and even a bit surreal at times. Benny Fluke is a 29-year-old still living at home and working on his Master's thesis, the subject of which he keeps changing. He meets the elusive Luz while selling stuffed animals for a fake charity, and from then on she threads through the story, popping in and out of his life, encouraging him to move out of his parents' house, eventually sharing his apartment, but always hovering between friend and lover. The story is enlivened still more by some oddball and humorous minor characters and Benny's unusual workplace where he goes from overseeing the monkeys who pick stocks on a dartboard to championship thumb wrestling within the same company. And then there's that strange secret about Benny's Mom.
As a Baby Boomer I'm used to thinking of coming-of-age novels dealing with teens, but 29 is probably on target for the current coming-of-age generation. One thing that did confuse me a bit about the novel was the time period in which it was set. While much of it seemed current, Benny's workplace seemed a little futuristic, though maybe it was just meant to be fantastic. Whatever, it added interest and humor.
I "met" John Gorman when I accepted and edited Boba Fett Blues, my last official job with The Rose & Thorn. So I wasn't surprised that Gorman is at his best in those scenes that reminisce on childhood and adolescence.
Here's wishing John Gorman success with Luz and all future endeavors.
-----
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 loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index 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.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Book Tour Features "Siren of Paris"
Title – The Siren of Paris
Author – David Leroy
Author's website link - http://www.thesirenofparis.com/
Genre or category – Historical Fiction/Action and Suspense
ASIN: B0088CA098
“I have decided to go back to Paris. I know other Americans there, and I think I might be able to help out with the American Hospital.” He sounded rehearsed to Joan. “Sounds like you have this all thought out. I didn’t know you wanted to go into medicine full time. I could use the help around here, Marc. Why not stay in Saint-Nazaire?”
“Joan, there is nothing here for me to do. The other nurses can help. There is no more work to be done with the yards. I need to go back. There, I might be able to make a difference.” The words fell away from his mouth over her covers and out the windows to the sea.
“What has changed? What is the hurry all of a sudden? I mean, you were going to go up to England and stay with your friend, Allen.” She held her stomach as it cramped. “Why do you all of a sudden now want to go to Paris? What are you running from, Marc?” she whispered a little too loudly, unaware that Marc had heard her.
“I’m not running away, Joan. I just need to be someplace where I am needed. I cannot go back to America and just resume my plush life in New York and forget about everyone I know in France. There are Americans in Paris, not many, but still, and I just think that’s the best place for me right now,” Marc’s voice stood firm.
She listened and then said, “You found him, didn’t you. You found your friend and now …”
“Yes.” “I understand now. I have appreciated you here these months. Without you, I would have had to deal with that German officer directly, and you made that a lot easier,” she went on.
“He’s not as bad as you make him out to be. He’s just trying to survive like you are.”
“When do you leave?”
“Maybe tomorrow. I’ll find out in the morning.”
“Do you know why you are going?”
“Yes. I think back in Paris, I can help at the hospital, and help others who are trying to make it through.”
“Not even close, Marc, not even close,” she said, looking out at the sea.
“Joan, I can’t go north. Even if Allen were alive and I had a place to stay in London, I can’t get across the Channel.” He sounded like a child complaining to his mother. “I can’t really go south. I have no proof of my American citizenship. I lost everything on that ship out there.” He then looked out and checked if the tide was low, where the superstructure haunted the coastline. “If I even got over the border, I don’t know anyone in Spain and would not know where to go. And, besides, after everything now, I cannot go home. At least in Paris, I can do something.”
“Marc, listen to me carefully. Do you know why I dragged you from the ocean that day? Do you know what drove me when I was nearly eight months pregnant to convince a French fisherman to go out there and get you swimmers? I got news for you, friend. It wasn’t because God called me and said, ‘Hey, you got to save these chaps.’ “I saved you, not because I was trying to save you, but because I was trying to save the one whom I had lost in the past. I was trying to save the one soldier who died who I thought I could save if only I had done this, or that. And that dead soldier, whom I could not save—drives me in ways I can’t quite get at. I lost my baby, Marc, because I was so driven by that need to save him. That is why I was out there that day, and dragged you from the sea back to my hospital. Angels do have demons, you know."
Description: (adapted from the Amazon description)
In German occupied Paris, a group of unlikely people collaborate to smuggle an Allied airman south to Spain. Among them is an American, Marc Tolbert. He had come to Paris in 1939, to study art, not suspecting he would become caught up in a war or feel driven to acts of heroism.
Marc, the French-born son of a prominent American family, had found companionship and excitement in the ex-pat scene in Paris. His new friend Dora introduced him to a circle that included the famous Sylvia Beach, owner of the bookstore Shakespeare & Company. He had accepted a job with William Bullitt, US ambassador to France. And while at art school, he'd fallen in love with the alluring model Marie.
Under the increasing threat from Germany, as Americans scrambled to escape Paris, Marc found himself trapped by the war. He almost died, on June 17, 1940, aboard the RMS Lancastria. After returning to Paris, he helped smuggle Allied airmen through the American Hospital to the Paris Resistance underground, until a profound betrayal led him into the hands of the Gestapo and to Buchenwald.
The Siren of Paris, the debut work of historical fiction by David LeRoy, tells a searing story of love, betrayal, forgiveness, and war that brings to vivid life the shimmering City of Lights during its darkest hours during World War II.
Rigorously researched and vibrant in historical detail, The Siren of Paris reimagines one of history’s most turbulent times through the prism of an American abroad in Europe’s most harrowing days. Poignant, gripping, and thought-provoking, The Siren of Paris mines the human dilemma of revenge versus forgiveness and vividly captures the conflicted state of survival.
What People Are Saying:
This is a well-written and well-researched story that takes the reader to Paris and its surroundings during WWII as viewed through the experiences of Marc Tolbert, an American who was born in France.
The characters are well-developed and we get to know many of them as well as we might know our friends. The scenery is vividly painted and one feels like they are there watching the events unfold. -- Auriane
The Siren of Paris was truly an enjoyable book. I found the imagery of certain events during World War II (based on what had to be a lot of historical research) woven well into the underlying story of friendship, love, growth and self-actualization. I personally found it a great mixture.
The characters are engaging and you truly want to see what happens to each of them in the end. And as mentioned previously, the imagery was very well done to the point that it instilled great visuals for my imagination. -- Chuck
The author's meticulous historical research really shines. Events are described in incredibly vivid detail and in a very personal and human way. For example, we see detailed news footage of the German invasion of France. We see people cramming themselves into and piling on top of train cars, trying to escape the country. We experience the destruction of an ocean liner, are drawn into the intrigue of the French resistance, and feel a character's psychological deterioration in a prison camp. The novel also touches on the post traumatic stress the protagonist suffers after the war.
I also liked the spirituality that runs through the novel. We see a priest who is well versed in dogma and without compassion contrasted with a loving, spiritual man of God. This story explores themes of faith, despair, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness, redemption, and the pivotal choices that make us who we become. There are also lightly rendered paranormal elements and interesting dream/hallucination sequences as well as a wise, thoughtful moment, at the end, where Marc's spirit realizes what he needs to achieve peace.
While it is packed with information, The Siren of Paris is readable and entertaining. This is an excellent living history book for adults and mature teens. -- Steph
About David Leroy:
A Native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. The degree served him well while selling women’s shoes, waiting tables, or working odd jobs after college until settling in the field of telecommunications, where he has worked for the past 18 years. Early on, he demonstrated artistic abilities. For many years, David marketed a line of fine art photographic prints through various galleries and retail outlets.
In the past few years, his focus has shifted to painting and drawing, which included the development of a children’s e-book in the Apple Itunes store under “David Tribble” title “Lord of the Scribes.”
After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life. The Siren of Paris is his first novel.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author – David Leroy
Author's website link - http://www.thesirenofparis.com/
Genre or category – Historical Fiction/Action and Suspense
ASIN: B0088CA098
The Siren of Paris by David
Leroy
Excerpt:“I have decided to go back to Paris. I know other Americans there, and I think I might be able to help out with the American Hospital.” He sounded rehearsed to Joan. “Sounds like you have this all thought out. I didn’t know you wanted to go into medicine full time. I could use the help around here, Marc. Why not stay in Saint-Nazaire?”
“Joan, there is nothing here for me to do. The other nurses can help. There is no more work to be done with the yards. I need to go back. There, I might be able to make a difference.” The words fell away from his mouth over her covers and out the windows to the sea.
“What has changed? What is the hurry all of a sudden? I mean, you were going to go up to England and stay with your friend, Allen.” She held her stomach as it cramped. “Why do you all of a sudden now want to go to Paris? What are you running from, Marc?” she whispered a little too loudly, unaware that Marc had heard her.
“I’m not running away, Joan. I just need to be someplace where I am needed. I cannot go back to America and just resume my plush life in New York and forget about everyone I know in France. There are Americans in Paris, not many, but still, and I just think that’s the best place for me right now,” Marc’s voice stood firm.
She listened and then said, “You found him, didn’t you. You found your friend and now …”
“Yes.” “I understand now. I have appreciated you here these months. Without you, I would have had to deal with that German officer directly, and you made that a lot easier,” she went on.
“He’s not as bad as you make him out to be. He’s just trying to survive like you are.”
“When do you leave?”
“Maybe tomorrow. I’ll find out in the morning.”
“Do you know why you are going?”
“Yes. I think back in Paris, I can help at the hospital, and help others who are trying to make it through.”
“Not even close, Marc, not even close,” she said, looking out at the sea.
“Joan, I can’t go north. Even if Allen were alive and I had a place to stay in London, I can’t get across the Channel.” He sounded like a child complaining to his mother. “I can’t really go south. I have no proof of my American citizenship. I lost everything on that ship out there.” He then looked out and checked if the tide was low, where the superstructure haunted the coastline. “If I even got over the border, I don’t know anyone in Spain and would not know where to go. And, besides, after everything now, I cannot go home. At least in Paris, I can do something.”
“Marc, listen to me carefully. Do you know why I dragged you from the ocean that day? Do you know what drove me when I was nearly eight months pregnant to convince a French fisherman to go out there and get you swimmers? I got news for you, friend. It wasn’t because God called me and said, ‘Hey, you got to save these chaps.’ “I saved you, not because I was trying to save you, but because I was trying to save the one whom I had lost in the past. I was trying to save the one soldier who died who I thought I could save if only I had done this, or that. And that dead soldier, whom I could not save—drives me in ways I can’t quite get at. I lost my baby, Marc, because I was so driven by that need to save him. That is why I was out there that day, and dragged you from the sea back to my hospital. Angels do have demons, you know."
Description: (adapted from the Amazon description)
In German occupied Paris, a group of unlikely people collaborate to smuggle an Allied airman south to Spain. Among them is an American, Marc Tolbert. He had come to Paris in 1939, to study art, not suspecting he would become caught up in a war or feel driven to acts of heroism.
Marc, the French-born son of a prominent American family, had found companionship and excitement in the ex-pat scene in Paris. His new friend Dora introduced him to a circle that included the famous Sylvia Beach, owner of the bookstore Shakespeare & Company. He had accepted a job with William Bullitt, US ambassador to France. And while at art school, he'd fallen in love with the alluring model Marie.
Under the increasing threat from Germany, as Americans scrambled to escape Paris, Marc found himself trapped by the war. He almost died, on June 17, 1940, aboard the RMS Lancastria. After returning to Paris, he helped smuggle Allied airmen through the American Hospital to the Paris Resistance underground, until a profound betrayal led him into the hands of the Gestapo and to Buchenwald.
The Siren of Paris, the debut work of historical fiction by David LeRoy, tells a searing story of love, betrayal, forgiveness, and war that brings to vivid life the shimmering City of Lights during its darkest hours during World War II.
Rigorously researched and vibrant in historical detail, The Siren of Paris reimagines one of history’s most turbulent times through the prism of an American abroad in Europe’s most harrowing days. Poignant, gripping, and thought-provoking, The Siren of Paris mines the human dilemma of revenge versus forgiveness and vividly captures the conflicted state of survival.
What People Are Saying:
This is a well-written and well-researched story that takes the reader to Paris and its surroundings during WWII as viewed through the experiences of Marc Tolbert, an American who was born in France.
The characters are well-developed and we get to know many of them as well as we might know our friends. The scenery is vividly painted and one feels like they are there watching the events unfold. -- Auriane
The Siren of Paris was truly an enjoyable book. I found the imagery of certain events during World War II (based on what had to be a lot of historical research) woven well into the underlying story of friendship, love, growth and self-actualization. I personally found it a great mixture.
The characters are engaging and you truly want to see what happens to each of them in the end. And as mentioned previously, the imagery was very well done to the point that it instilled great visuals for my imagination. -- Chuck
The author's meticulous historical research really shines. Events are described in incredibly vivid detail and in a very personal and human way. For example, we see detailed news footage of the German invasion of France. We see people cramming themselves into and piling on top of train cars, trying to escape the country. We experience the destruction of an ocean liner, are drawn into the intrigue of the French resistance, and feel a character's psychological deterioration in a prison camp. The novel also touches on the post traumatic stress the protagonist suffers after the war.
I also liked the spirituality that runs through the novel. We see a priest who is well versed in dogma and without compassion contrasted with a loving, spiritual man of God. This story explores themes of faith, despair, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness, redemption, and the pivotal choices that make us who we become. There are also lightly rendered paranormal elements and interesting dream/hallucination sequences as well as a wise, thoughtful moment, at the end, where Marc's spirit realizes what he needs to achieve peace.
While it is packed with information, The Siren of Paris is readable and entertaining. This is an excellent living history book for adults and mature teens. -- Steph
About David Leroy:
A Native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. The degree served him well while selling women’s shoes, waiting tables, or working odd jobs after college until settling in the field of telecommunications, where he has worked for the past 18 years. Early on, he demonstrated artistic abilities. For many years, David marketed a line of fine art photographic prints through various galleries and retail outlets.
In the past few years, his focus has shifted to painting and drawing, which included the development of a children’s e-book in the Apple Itunes store under “David Tribble” title “Lord of the Scribes.”
After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life. The Siren of Paris is his first novel.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Young Adult Novel Tackles Domestic Abuse
Title: Girl on the Brink
Author: Christina Hoag
Publisher: Fire & Ice Young Adult Books; First edition (August 30, 2016)
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Genre: YA Fiction/Teen Romance
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Girl-Brink-Christina-Hoag/dp/168046339X
ISBN: 978-1-68046-339-2 (Paperback)
ASIN: B01K9L996A (Kindle)
Website: http://www.ChristinaHoag.com
Twitter: @ChristinaHoag
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ChristinaHoagAuthor
Reviewer, Marlan Warren“Roadmap Girl’s Book Buzz”
Reviewed by Marlan Warren originally for Roadmap Girl's Book Buzz Blog
"I hope...he never calls me again, but he still owes me a big apology."
--Girl on the Brink
Los Angeles author Christina Hoag has crafted Girl on the Brink as a "howdunit." While it is no mystery why the vulnerable and intelligent 17-year old Chloe falls for the initial charm of a potentially lethal 19-year old young man whose avid attention leads her into a summer romance, the real mystery lies in how the heck this otherwise sharp, but troubled, teen will extricate herself from what increasingly becomes an abusive relationship.
Hoag has grounded the story in the psychological reality of how abusive relationships can occur at any age. The episodic story is told in first person from Chloe's point of view, which gives it a kind of one-sided diary quality, but its use of present tense gives it a you-are-there immediacy. It unfolds the way life--and relationships--unfold.
This is not a "sleeping with the enemy" tale. There are no real villains here. Neither the sex nor the violence is sensationalized. In fact, the tragedy and victory play out with greater impact because "domestic abuse" is sadly commonplace--even though it is almost taboo in American culture to discuss it openly, especially with young daughters and sons.
Many readers may see themselves or someone they know in these pages. And to her credit, Hoag supplies a "Resources" list in the Appendix where teens can seek help if they are in Chloe's situation.
It is a well-documented fact that a significant number of abusive relationships are inhabited by two people who say they love each other. Girl on the Brink gently explores this paradox (nothing is preachy). And when it is finally over, a wiser Chloe states:
"I know it was okay to leave Kieran, and it was okay to miss him, too."
Abusive relationships can happen throughout women's lives in repetitive patterns. Girl on the Brink serves as a beacon that shines light on how to nip potential abuse cycles in the bud, and place high priority on mutual respect in relationships.
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 21, 2023
Great Reviews For Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection
TITLE OF BOOK:
Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection (Gifts of Compassion)
ISBN-10: 149594008X
ISBN-13: 978-1495940088
ANTHOLOGY BY AUTHOR/EDITOR:
LOIS W. STERN
FAVORITE LINKS:
https:/www.tales2inspire.com
/twitter.com/tales2inspire2
/youtube.com/winningtales
ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
X Yes, I have received permission from each reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
CELEBRATING THESE GREAT REVIEWS FOR
TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE RUBY COLLECTION
TRUE STORIES OF INSPIRATION, COMPASSION AND LOVE
By Gail Sobotkin
I have read each story and can honestly say I don't have a favorite. Each and every story touched my heart deeply. If you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where people and animals are treated with compassion, kindness and love, where the human spirit rises up again and again to meet seemingly impossible challenges, where faith triumphs over despair, where young children and abused animals teach adult humans life lessons, where the homeless are treated with respect and compassion, you must read The Ruby Collection, an amazing anthology of 14 true stories that will inspire you to live your own life with an open heart--- despite, or perhaps because of, whatever difficulties you may face.
Compassion is a gift that keeps on giving; it changes the giver, recipient, and all those who witness the compassionate act. It makes the world a better, kinder place and when delivered with love, has the power to transform the globe one person, one animal at a time.
The Ruby Collection makes a great gift for children and adults. Treat yourself to a copy and buy one for your friends, colleagues and relatives. Ask them to read the book then pass it on to an institution such as a library, hospital or school so that the stories will be spread far and wide, planting seeds of inspiration, compassion and love.
INSPIRING
By Shauna L Bowling
Freelance Writer/Copy Editor
. . . a book of inspiration that uplifts the reader with each story. From human/animal spiritual connections to human/human connections, these true stories of courage, love, and strength are proof that good exists in the world. We can and do overcome the odds each and every day. If you have any doubts about the power of love, read this book. All it takes is one person to reach out to make positive changes in someone's life.
I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. It just may change your life!
ANOTHER CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
By Bani Sodermark
Reviewer for Book Pleasures and Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer
This is a feel good book documenting a collection of true stories that involve genuine empathy and kindness to other living beings including oneself. It arose out of a writing contest by an organization called "Authors Helping Author" and includes the best contributions that were submitted. The result is a very readable and well written book enshrined in the symbol of the ruby which stands for kindness and compassion.
That which is most appealing about this collection of stories is that the kindness shown at one instance of time is nearly always repaid in some way or other, forging deep and lasting bonds as the protagonists walk their life paths in tandem with one another. In some cases, they may experience a total reversal of a bodily malfunction as in the case of the first story, in which a man took care of a wounded eagle, unable to fly and nursed it to wellness. Later on, he was afflicted with cancer and he is convinced that dream conversations with his pet eagle, supplemented with chemo, was the cause of his total recovery.
A second story documents the success of a program called "Labs`n Life" in which dysfunctional children with learning and other problems are made to train Labradors. The interaction with these intelligent and loving animals, miraculously opens up these children and helps them integrate into the mainstream.
The theme of working with animals continues with the rehabilitation stories of Dusty the horse and Rae the dog who are restored to their playful selves and fulfil memorable relationships with their caregivers.
A few of the stories will touch you deep down inside. There is the erstwhile convict, Ray, who after years of confrontation with the bullying and sadistic warden of the penitentiary that he had occupied since his late teens, helped set fire to it. The warden was changed to one who had a record of successfully rehabilitating dreaded inmates and the whole atmosphere of the place changed as the convicts applied their energies to study and vocational training. There were no more incidents of arson or otherwise and our friend, Ray, after he was released was able to successfully land a job, get married and raise a family.
There is the holocaust survivor, who neutralized the actions of local politicians by going out with his own message of peaceful coexistence, ultimately reaching out to millions.
Another story that I will find difficult to forget is the story of a young African American black belt karate champion on the karate circuit, who it seems always acted rough if he or his team lost. It turned out that he had dedicated his life to saving children in the roughest quarters of Miami from a life of crime, by loading as many as possible into a van that was to take them to the tournament. If he did not win, he would have to borrow the money for the gas home.
There is the story of a former citizen of Rwanda, who returned to his homeland after the genocide and helped many people work their way out of poverty using his engineering skills and thus finding the way to his true calling. . . .
Other inspiring stories include that of a young woman who appeared in the Guinness Book of Records after running seven marathons in seven continents. There is also the unusual story of window cleaners outside a hospital dressing up as children's heroes, e.g. Batman to cheer up children suffering from debilitating diseases.
The length of the manuscript is optimal, not too long, not too short.
This book, in my opinion, the best so far, in the Tales 2 Inspire series, created by Editor, Lois W. Stern. The storytelling is chiseled and evocative. . . . One can never read too many of such stories, of seeing the way love and spirit redefine priorities and guide the human race out of black holes of its own making.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Nonfiction for Teens Recommended
Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a Cutter
Written by The Hippie
www.SnowflakeObsidianBook.com
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6654-6
Publisher: iUniverse
Rating: 5/5 stars
Genre: Teen nonfiction
Reviewed by Bensey originally for Amazon
I consider myself an avid reader and was skeptical before reading this book. However, once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I related to the main character in so many ways and really felt that the author put a true voice to a beautiful soul who was figuring out how to love herself.
I loved the characters in the book, and more specifically the way that The Hippie was able to bring each of them to life and create a way that the reader appreciated each of them whether or not they were an emotionally stunted father or a shallow and back-stabbing best friend, or a drug-using soul mate. The Hippie brought an empathetic voice to each character. I found myself laughing during parts, crying during parts and praising the author's ability to overcome her own insecurities in other parts. I appreciated the way that she wrote about her experience with cutting; not minimizing the pain that she was in, but not over-dramatizing it either. It can be a delicate subject and I felt that The Hippie's vulnerability maintained the balance between self-torture and self-actualization during that time, as well as writing about the experience of overcoming it.
The Hippie's journey during "Snowflake Obsidian" is one that is refreshingly honest. I highly recommend this book.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Written by The Hippie
www.SnowflakeObsidianBook.com
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6654-6
Publisher: iUniverse
Rating: 5/5 stars
Genre: Teen nonfiction
Reviewed by Bensey originally for Amazon
I consider myself an avid reader and was skeptical before reading this book. However, once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I related to the main character in so many ways and really felt that the author put a true voice to a beautiful soul who was figuring out how to love herself.
I loved the characters in the book, and more specifically the way that The Hippie was able to bring each of them to life and create a way that the reader appreciated each of them whether or not they were an emotionally stunted father or a shallow and back-stabbing best friend, or a drug-using soul mate. The Hippie brought an empathetic voice to each character. I found myself laughing during parts, crying during parts and praising the author's ability to overcome her own insecurities in other parts. I appreciated the way that she wrote about her experience with cutting; not minimizing the pain that she was in, but not over-dramatizing it either. It can be a delicate subject and I felt that The Hippie's vulnerability maintained the balance between self-torture and self-actualization during that time, as well as writing about the experience of overcoming it.
The Hippie's journey during "Snowflake Obsidian" is one that is refreshingly honest. I highly recommend this book.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Friday, August 26, 2011
Poet Gives Fellow Poet's Oak Wise Rave Review
Title: Oak Wise: Poetry Exploring an Ecological Faith
Publisher: Little Red Tree Publishing
Author: L.M. Browning
Author's Web site: http://lmbrowning.com
ISBN: 987-1-935656-02-2
Subject: Poetry / Spirituality / Earth-Based Religion
Reviewed by Theodore Richards originall for his Web site's homepage and the author's homepage.
I have been suggesting now for a while that we need a new Dante, someone who can give a poetic voice to a new worldview that allows us to live more harmoniously with the Earth and with one another. I borrow this notion from the cultural historian Thomas Berry who famously said that our problem right now is that we need a good story. Human beings need stories to integrate information and to express it meaningfully. The story—or the poem—is how information becomes wisdom, how it comes to life. The philosopher-cosmologist Brian Swimme has been at this for years, as has the poet Drew Dellinger. L.M. Browning is another such poet, giving voice to the embedded consciousness of the Celtic world.
Browning’s poetry works because it is both personal and universal. Essentially, Oak Wise is her story, a story of leaving the modern world behind for the world of “the shaman”, the world of her ancestors.
I travel across your hills
—across the curves of your shapely body—
making my way yonder,
towards the small gathering
of long-standing native folk
The Earth’s subjectivity comes forth here, in stark contrast to the Modern perspective that thinks of it as what Berry calls “a collection of objects.” Just as it is an intensely personal story, is also very much our story, the story of the end of modernity and our collective search for a return to a more meaningful culture and a deeper connection to the Earth:
We take our harvest from your body.
We peel back your grassy skin and plant our seeds
Within the deep tissue of your flesh.
…you are the womb of us all mother
we all connect to you and live off you.
Browing is establishing her self in the tradition eco-philosopher Charlene Spretnak calls “embedded literature.” This connection to the Earth comes with a warning:
We cut down the trees
—the lungs through which you breathe—
and while you could regenerate from our theft,
your natural cycles are impeded
as now the few maples and oaks that remain
yield their bounty of seeds into tar roads
Indeed, if we do not find such a connection the consequences could be disastrous.
One of Browing’s strengths as a poet is her ability to convey a cohesive narrative through the poetic form. In doing so, she joins in the ancient tradition of narrative poetry that reflects an archetypal, mythic pattern. She takes the reader on a journey, a journey of remembrance. For it is a journey we have all been on before, deep within our cultural memory, a journey that involves return. And this notion of return works two ways: First, she is inviting us to return to an older way of being in the world, the way of our shamanic ancestors. “An ecological faith,” she calls it, created “not by prophets, but by peasants.” Second, and more subtly, she is returning from this journey to teach us. While she recapitulates ancient patterns and traditions, Browning does so from her unique perspective, and with a sensitivity to the unique problems of our age. She closes the poem with a challenge to the oft-used phrase of North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe, and a challenge to the common sense of the modern age:
We coined the modern adage,
“you can’t return home,”
condemning ourselves to a way of life
where joy is seldom found;
closing the door
that would have always remained open to us…
a door that can still be reopened,
if only we admit that we are a people of the Earth
and what we need to be fulfilled
lies within the simple ways we left behind.
Indeed, if only we could admit.
______________________________________________________________
Theodore Richards is author of Cosmosophia: Cosmology, Mysticism and the Birth of a New Myth. He is a poet, writer, and religious philosopher. He is a long time student of the Taoist martial art of Bagua and hatha yoga and has traveled, worked and studied in 25 different countries, including the South Pacific, the Far East, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Richards received degrees from the University of Chicago, The California Institute of Integral Studies, Wisdom University, and the New Seminary where he was ordained. He has worked with inner city youth on the South Side of Chicago, Harlem, the South Bronx, and Oakland, where he was the director of YELLAWE, an innovative program for teens. He is the author of Handprints on the Womb, a collection of poetry. Theodore Richards is the founder and executive director of The Chicago Wisdom Project. He currently resides in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Publisher: Little Red Tree Publishing
Author: L.M. Browning
Author's Web site: http://lmbrowning.com
ISBN: 987-1-935656-02-2
Subject: Poetry / Spirituality / Earth-Based Religion
Reviewed by Theodore Richards originall for his Web site's homepage and the author's homepage.
I have been suggesting now for a while that we need a new Dante, someone who can give a poetic voice to a new worldview that allows us to live more harmoniously with the Earth and with one another. I borrow this notion from the cultural historian Thomas Berry who famously said that our problem right now is that we need a good story. Human beings need stories to integrate information and to express it meaningfully. The story—or the poem—is how information becomes wisdom, how it comes to life. The philosopher-cosmologist Brian Swimme has been at this for years, as has the poet Drew Dellinger. L.M. Browning is another such poet, giving voice to the embedded consciousness of the Celtic world.
Browning’s poetry works because it is both personal and universal. Essentially, Oak Wise is her story, a story of leaving the modern world behind for the world of “the shaman”, the world of her ancestors.
I travel across your hills
—across the curves of your shapely body—
making my way yonder,
towards the small gathering
of long-standing native folk
The Earth’s subjectivity comes forth here, in stark contrast to the Modern perspective that thinks of it as what Berry calls “a collection of objects.” Just as it is an intensely personal story, is also very much our story, the story of the end of modernity and our collective search for a return to a more meaningful culture and a deeper connection to the Earth:
We take our harvest from your body.
We peel back your grassy skin and plant our seeds
Within the deep tissue of your flesh.
…you are the womb of us all mother
we all connect to you and live off you.
Browing is establishing her self in the tradition eco-philosopher Charlene Spretnak calls “embedded literature.” This connection to the Earth comes with a warning:
We cut down the trees
—the lungs through which you breathe—
and while you could regenerate from our theft,
your natural cycles are impeded
as now the few maples and oaks that remain
yield their bounty of seeds into tar roads
Indeed, if we do not find such a connection the consequences could be disastrous.
One of Browing’s strengths as a poet is her ability to convey a cohesive narrative through the poetic form. In doing so, she joins in the ancient tradition of narrative poetry that reflects an archetypal, mythic pattern. She takes the reader on a journey, a journey of remembrance. For it is a journey we have all been on before, deep within our cultural memory, a journey that involves return. And this notion of return works two ways: First, she is inviting us to return to an older way of being in the world, the way of our shamanic ancestors. “An ecological faith,” she calls it, created “not by prophets, but by peasants.” Second, and more subtly, she is returning from this journey to teach us. While she recapitulates ancient patterns and traditions, Browning does so from her unique perspective, and with a sensitivity to the unique problems of our age. She closes the poem with a challenge to the oft-used phrase of North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe, and a challenge to the common sense of the modern age:
We coined the modern adage,
“you can’t return home,”
condemning ourselves to a way of life
where joy is seldom found;
closing the door
that would have always remained open to us…
a door that can still be reopened,
if only we admit that we are a people of the Earth
and what we need to be fulfilled
lies within the simple ways we left behind.
Indeed, if only we could admit.
______________________________________________________________
Theodore Richards is author of Cosmosophia: Cosmology, Mysticism and the Birth of a New Myth. He is a poet, writer, and religious philosopher. He is a long time student of the Taoist martial art of Bagua and hatha yoga and has traveled, worked and studied in 25 different countries, including the South Pacific, the Far East, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Richards received degrees from the University of Chicago, The California Institute of Integral Studies, Wisdom University, and the New Seminary where he was ordained. He has worked with inner city youth on the South Side of Chicago, Harlem, the South Bronx, and Oakland, where he was the director of YELLAWE, an innovative program for teens. He is the author of Handprints on the Womb, a collection of poetry. Theodore Richards is the founder and executive director of The Chicago Wisdom Project. He currently resides in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
The Tales2Inspire® Book Collection
If you enjoy 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' stories, these are the books for you! Chiseled to perfection, each story even includes original photographs to further engage you and prove its authenticity.
Designed by Carolyn Wilhelm
Each Tales2Inspire® book contains a collection of contest winning stories from Lois' annual competition.
If you are a writer and are interested in participating in her free "Authors Helping Authors" project/contest, check out all details at: http://www.tales2inspire.com/contest-2.
She welcomes skilled authors and serious newbies alike.
NO FEES, NO KIDDING!
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Carnival Lights by Chris Stark Book Club Discussion Questions
Title: Carnival Lights
By: Chris Stark
Publisher: Modern History Press
Publisher Website: https://www.modernhistorypress.com/
Author Website: https://www.christinestark.com/
ISBN-10: 1615995781
ISBN-13: 978-1615995783
Price: Hardcover $37.95, Paperback $24.95, Kindle $6.95
Page Count: 268
Formats (HC, PB, Kindle)
By: Chris Stark
Publisher: Modern History Press
Publisher Website: https://www.modernhistorypress.com/
Author Website: https://www.christinestark.com/
ISBN-10: 1615995781
ISBN-13: 978-1615995783
Price: Hardcover $37.95, Paperback $24.95, Kindle $6.95
Page Count: 268
Formats (HC, PB, Kindle)
With good reason, two teens run away from a reservation and get jobs at the Minnesota State Fair. Although the book has a linear story within the pages, it also has a spiraling story going back generations explaining how families pass down their problems. Society also hands down its ills, of course.
"The grief of her people lived within her and was a way of knowing, with or without her conscious understanding."Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 221). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition.
What a read! Oh, my. This book hit me especially hard being a resident of northern Minnesota as well as Minneapolis. I walked exactly where the girls walked, went to the fair, and understand 1969 - the setting of the book. I was about their age in 1969. Of course, I was aware of the poverty in the Native American reservations. However, we attended Pow Wows and visited some people, so that I was unaware of the danger to women and children. I have been to Duluth dozens of times and cannot again pass through there looking at the ships with ignorance. We lived in Grand Marais on Lake Superior and I knew there was trafficking, but thought it was all at the border for some reason.
10 Discussion Questions for Carnival Lights
1. How does Stark set up the first chapters so we are convinced Sher and Kris had no choice but to run away? What are several of the convincing reasons provided?
2. Did you expect the girls would get to the fair rather quickly and experience problems there? What surprised you about the book with generational stories interwoven with the experience of the girls' bus trip and arrival in Minneapolis?
3. Why did the girls spend several days in downtown Minneapolis? Who did Sher call, thinking they might find help? How did they get food? The Vietnam war protest added drama as well as helped explain the times. How was Kris always going ahead and doing things while Sher wanted to hold back?
4. How do they meet Tricia? Why does she say the following:
“Get this,” the woman said, “a couple of farm girls showing me the city.”Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 118). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition.
5. Why do they decide or were told to leave several of the places they briefly stayed? What was the one place they wanted to stay? Why?
6. When in Minneapolis, Stark again sets up the reasons why the girls do not try to find help. Why would they not reach out to a social worker? Why do you think the church where they sat on the steps asked them to leave, probably knowing they were in trouble?
7. How does the author explain most of Sher's family acceptance and knowledge of her as contrasted with what her mother thought:
"Sher’s mother had admonished Sher for her broad shoulders, her narrow hips, and wearing her brother’s hand-me-downs, as if these oddities sprang from Sher alone, and did not come from the loins of her parents, from her family, from the Creator."
Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 195). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition.
8. Were you expecting Sher and Kris would meet different people and find different problems than they did? How were the things that happened to them in Minneapolis worse or better than what you thought?
9. Why do you think they didn't go home but remembered the good people and things that happened? Their memories helped them cope. Could they have gone home?
10. The foreshadowing of the ending strongly suggested something terrible would happen. Did you expect what happened or not? How did close calls to people who seemed to think about helping them add to the plot's tension? How was the ending both happy and sad?
Why do you think Stark wrote this book? What was the overall message?
Carolyn Wilhelm, Reviewer
BS Elementary Education, MS Gifted Education, MA K-12 Curriculum and Instruction
Wise Owl Factory LLC
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