The New Book Review

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Holli Kenley Reviews Dr. Bob Rich's Aniko

Metadata

Title Anikó: The stranger who loved me

Author Dr. Bob Rich

Publisher Anina’s Book Company

ISBN 1-877053-16-3

Link https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/bobs-booklist#aniko

Reviewer Holli Kenley

Reviewer’s website https://hollikenley.com/

Holli Kenley Reviews Dr. Bob Rich's Aniko

A Generational Story of Love and Loyalty and the Losses Within Each

When I began reading Ankió: The Stranger Who Loved Me, I was eager to devour a biography. Knowing it was a generational story of a Jewish family set in Hungary during World War II, I prepared myself for an intense and intriguing read. Dr. Bob Rich delivers on every level. I could go on and on about the incredible depth of research into his mother’s life and how it was exquisitely and intricately woven into complex historical events of the time. I could share how much I learned from the unearthing of one family’s saga during the horrors of the Holocaust and of wartime atrocities, but after finishing Anikó, I took away so much more.

Viewing this biography from the lens of a marriage and family therapist as well as someone who knows the heartache and heartbreak of a broken family, I was drawn into the lives of every character – not just Anikó. For me, this was a story of a woman’s profound love – for her husbands, her children, her relatives, her work, and for herself. And yet, those strong bonds of passion carried with them demands for attention and time, revealing the damage resulting from prioritized and competing loyalties.

I found myself connecting with Robi (Bob) and his brother József, especially as children and adolescents. Secure attachments to parental figures are imperative to healthy developmental growth. In the absence of unconditional love, acceptance, and belonging (especially from Anti), both boys struggled with emotional detachment and grief, as they weighed their love for their mother and from her against her loyalties to people and things which served her. As children and young adults, these “losses” are hard to identify and understand. Later in life, they are even harder to reconcile and accept.

I admire the raw openness with which Dr. Rich shares this generational story. As I concluded the book, my heart was warmed that Bob did not succumb to bitterness or resentment. And I was moved by the power of his resilience. In choosing a path of perseverance, Bob drew upon his strength, courage, and commitment to wellness in leading a life of authenticity, integrity, and purpose.

Anikó is, as I stated, so much more than a biography. It is a story of love and loyalty and the losses within each. And it is the story of one man surviving all of it.

Holli Kenley, MA is the author of several powerful books on surviving childhood trauma, includingDaughters Betrayed By Their Mothers: Moving From Brokenness To Wholeness.

More About the Author

Dr Bob Rich is an avid environmentalist. Learn more about all his books at

http://bobswriting.com and

Bobbing Around https://bobrich18.wordpress.com.

He tweets @bobswriting.

His mottoes: "Commit random acts of kindness

Live simply so you may simply live"

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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

Friday, September 24, 2021

Elise Cooper Reviews St. Martin's Press Entry

Defending Britta Stein

Series: Book 6 Liam Taggert and Catherine Lockhart

Author: Ronald H. Balson

Genre: Historical Fiction

St. Martin’s Press

Sept 7^th, 2021

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Elise

Elise Cooper Reviews St. Martin's Press Entry

Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson is a wonderful read. Although the book has some courtroom drama including legal strategy and loopholes, most of the story is Britta Stein’s recounting of the events leading up to and during World War II in Denmark. This is historical fiction at its best with bravery, betrayal, and redemption.

Britta Stein is a 92-year-old Jewish Danish woman who emigrated to America. She is being sued for defamation after being seen and then admitting to spray painting “Coward,” “Traitor,” “Collaborator,” and “War Criminal” on the walls of a restaurant. The owner, 95-year-old Ole Henryks, will be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions of saving Jews in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II and is considered a hero. But not to Britta who claims he was anything but and sent Jews to their deaths including her sister and brother-in-law.

Attorney Catherine Lockhart and Investigator Liam Taggart, husband, and wife, have agreed to defend Britta and have as an assistant counsel her granddaughter Emma. The plot alternates between present day Chicago (2018) and Britta’s oral account of her memories of her homeland of Denmark prior to the presence of the Nazis and during World War II. They are up against “Six o’clock” Sterling Sparks, Henryk’s’ shady attorney, who pushes for a speedy trial and is willing to waive witness lists and pretrial exhibits. Readers anxiously turn the pages hoping Britta will be vindicated since they take a journey with her during the horrific events.

What is very interesting is the way Balson contrasts defamation versus freedom of speech, the consequences of staying versus leaving, and Denmark’s role in protecting its Jewish citizens. “I wanted to show how the Danes were wonderful. I hoped to get across through the civil jury trial here in America what it was like to be a Dane and Jewish. As I recounted in the book, there were plenty of non-Jews who put themselves at risk to help save the 7600 Jewish citizens in Denmark. They were hidden in hospitals, churches, stores, and homes. Many also helped the Jews get to Sweden. I wanted to show how the Danes had emotional pride and belief in their own country.”

“I have this scene in the book between Catherine her lawyer, and Britta. Catherine says, “I know it’s easy for me to say in hindsight, and it’s not fair, I shouldn’t judge, but the consequences of staying were dire, yet they found some reason to ignore the writing on the wall, which to me defies logic and good sense.” Britta responds, that if they could see into the future a wiser decision could have been made; yet, they “would have packed up and left everything and everyone… your job, your home, your profession, and headed off blindly in some unknown direction… At that time, in 1943 Hitler owned Europe.” It is a constant theme in a lot of my books. They all had the same opportunity to leave. But how does someone leave everything including family and community. Where would they go? How many countries would have taken in millions of Jews? What the Nazis did continued to escalate, and no one could imagine the concentration camps. Many thought they could last out the war.”

This book will stay with readers well after they finish the book. The author has an incredible way of telling a story with sympathetic heroes and monstrous villains before and during World War II. The story has mystery, intrigue, suspense, and history all intertwined into a riveting novel.

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered 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.

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Sunday, September 19, 2021

Elise Cooper Shares Melinda Leigh's New Fiction Thriller

Title: Right Behind Her

Series: Bree Taggert Book 4

Author: Melinda Leigh

Genre: Fiction: Psycho Thriller

Publisher: Montlake Publishers

Released: Sept 14^th, 2021

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

Elise Cooper Shares Melinda Leigh's New Fiction Thriller

Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh is a gripping read, just like her other books. Readers get sympathetic heroes and monstrous villains along with a plot that will keep them turning the pages.

Sherriff Bree Taggert agrees to travel to her childhood home with her brother Adam. She must confront the memories of her childhood that includes the cruelness of her father, being attacked by his dogs, the night her father murdered her mother, and then committed suicide.

There is some therapy in this story. “Bree realizes she needs to overcome her fear of dogs. She is realizing that dogs are a great companion and know when they are needed. Brody, the German Shepherd retired police dog is a hero in this story. The saying feelings run down leash applies to all the dogs in the story.”

“I also wanted to show how paint therapy helps. Bree’s brother Adam obtained solace from painting. He had been born into a family filled with grief, anger, and abuse. Like Bree, he carried that burden into adulthood. Darkness always filled his work. The book quote, ‘Dark reds, bold blues, and stormy grays dominated the canvas. Bree saw sadness and anger and lack of control in the turbulent brushstrokes. But in one corner, a shaft of light blue with just the slightest hint of pale-yellow shadow pierced the darkness… Despite being a minute portion of the overall work, the smaller sliver of brightness drew and held the eye. It was a spark of hope at the edge of overwhelming despair…that tiny ribbon of light pulled her in.’”

What she did not expect to find are human bones on the grounds of the abandoned family farm. They appear to be cruelly murdered thirty years ago. She is wondering if her father, who killed himself and her mother while she hid herself, her brother, and sister, is the culprit. Suspects begin to pile up, including someone who kidnaps her niece to warn her from further investigation. Assisting is Matt Flynn, the police investigator, who is also helping Bree realize she wants a relationship with him. She begins to feel the need for family and starts to tear down the wall she has built to protect herself.

“I wrote the relationship as first being just a friendship, but they had a connection. Her backstory affects her feelings until she allowed herself to lean on Matt a bit. She is learning she does not have to exist all by herself. Although she is there for others, to support them, there is a back and forth in relationships and she is seeing this. Bree is finally learning not to be a loner and allows Matt to support her.”

This story will keep readers captivated with plenty of emotion and suspense including wondering who committed the crime.

More About the Reviewer

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Sunday, September 12, 2021

Frequent #TheNewBookReview Contributor Delves into Catherine Bybee's Recent Mystery

A Thin Disguise

Subtitle: Richter Book 2

Author: Catherine Bybee

Published: July 6^th, 2021

Publisher: Montlake Pub.

ISBN 9781542009959

May be purchased on Amazon

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

Frequent #TheNewBookReview Contributor Delves into Catherine Bybee's Recent Mystery

A Thin Disguise by Catherine Bybee delves into forgiveness, love, and redemption. There are very few authors that can write a riveting mystery with gripping characters. Bybee does both along with humorous dialogue, a lot of action, and romance.

The story has FBI Agent Leo Grant working a protective detail for a child witness against a Russian mob boss engaging in sex trafficking. Olivia Naught, a former assassin and Richter student, is working the same detail for MacBain Security, keeping her eye on the witness and the people protecting her. Although Olivia knows about Leo, he knows nothing about her. They meet on the Las Vegas Strip where Olivia takes a bullet meant for Leo. Following this incident, she suffers amnesia. To protect her and to make Olivia a permanent part of the team, MacBain Security seizes upon the opportunity of her memory loss to show her, with help from the smitten Leo, the new life she could have if she no longer worked alone. As Olivia’s memories return, she feels guilt and unworthy of love because of her past. The team, Leo, and Olivia try to figure out who is responsible for the shooting, while the unlikely pairing of Leo, an FBI Agent and Olivia, a former assassin, navigate their personal feelings and chemistry for each other.

“Leo gave Olivia humanity and heart. He is outgoing, loyal, and assertive, helping Olivia make choices in her life. They had a tug of war going. In the beginning she was in charge, but after she is shot, he gets some control until she gets her memory back. Once that happens, she has an internal battle. Overall, they are two peas in a pot that are attracted to each other. She would not have fallen for him if he was not an FBI Agent. I think she was more of a teaser than Leo.”

Olivia realizes how much she cares for the team and decides to disappear, fearful if she stays, she will jeopardize their lives. She has wit, strength, and intelligence. Bybee does an excellent job is peeling away all the layers of this female protagonist.

“I wanted to redeem Olivia. She was an assassin, but I wanted her to be sympathetic. The only way I could do that is to have her get Transient Amnesia. Once she could not remember anything she became the person who was a student at Richter. She felt connected to the team and knows she can count on them. She allowed herself to feel for others. She was afraid to love because she did not want anything to happen to those she cared about. After she had graduated from Richter, she thought she was being a spy who was good and altruistic. She did not see the sinister side because she was young and naïve. She wanted to connect but would not allow herself to. Olivia is bold, stubborn, and independent.”

The Bybee readers are once again treated to another wonderful story. The team of Claire Kelly, Cooper Lockman, Jax Simon, Sasha and A.J. Hoffman and Neil and Gwen McBain joined by Olivia and Leo are riveting characters. They are not only a team but a pseudo family who care, protect, and do anything for each other. It is a story of characters who survive in spite of the circumstances of their pasts. Hopefully, this series will continue with a lot of future books that have this team of characters. It is one of those series that should have a book out every year.

More About The Reviewer

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered 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

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Reviewer Dr. Wesley Britton Urges "Mash" Fans to Partake in "Chunks and Bites"

TV’s M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book

Ed Solomonson & Mark O’Neill

Publisher ‏ : ‎ BearManor Media (November 5, 2009)

Genre: Entertainment Guide Book

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 828 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593935013

ISBN-13 ‏ :

Available on Amazon

Reviewer Dr. Wesley Britton Urges "Mash" Fans to Partake in "Chunks and Bites

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton

In one episode of the recent CNN series, “The History of the Sit-Com,” several commentators debated over what was the best sit-com of all time-either Seinfeld or Friends.

Oh good grief. Whatever merits those classic shows had, they didn’t come close to the ultimate sit-com of all-time- M*A*S*h. No other television program comes close to being seen by more people, year after year, to the present day. No other program evolved as much as M*A*S*h during its 11 year run of 256 epfisodes; no other program offered so much situational comedy/ medical drama laced with social commentary; no other program made as many cutting-edge creative choices over the years as M*A*S*h. In short, not many shows warrant an over 800 page analysis of their legacy like Ed Solomonson & Mark O’Neill did for M*A*S*h.

To be fair, it’s hard to believe anyone could ever supersede this deep-dive analysis into all things M*A*S*h. For one thing, the tome is chock-full of interviews with the creators and participants going behind-the-scenes of the show’s creation and production process. As the years go by, many of those participants have left us and this book documents many of their observations for perhaps the last time.

But not leaving any stone unturned is an often mixed blessing. How many viewers ever cared about registration numbers on the jeeps? Or how the colors of bathrobes weren’t always consistent? Or the origins of every scrap of music heard in the series, whether recordings or performers singing or parodying popular melodies? Or the professional histories of bit players who appeared in only one episode?

For my taste, I wasn’t impressed by the truncated episode summaries. Frequently, the plot of much of the episode was sketched out-to a point. Concluding scenes were most often skipped over completely. Important developments in character lives and relationships were skimmed over or not mentioned at all.

Still, uneven as the tome is, it’s indispensable for any M*A*S*h fan. The 800 plus pages more than carry their weight with information, insights, and memories to keep any M*A*S*h viewer turning the pages hunting out the nuggets we want, ignoring the dross we don’t. It’s not a cover-to-cover read but rather a reference book to digest in chunks and bites.

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Fri. Sept 3, 2021:

More About the Reviewer

Dr. Wesley Britton is an author and frequent reviewer for BookPleasures and #TheNewBookReview. He has a special interest in fantasy and science fiction as well books related to film and celebrity. Use this blog's handy search engine to find more of his reviews (and suggestions for great reading) on this site. Search by genre or his name.

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Thursday, September 2, 2021

Elise Cooper Reviews Nicole Trope's "The Boy in the Photo"

Title: The Boy In The Photo

Author: Nicole Trope

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pub Date: June 22^nd, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

ISBN: 9781538754344

Purchase on Amazon

Elise Cooper Reviews Nicole Trope's "The Boy in the Photo"

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

The Boy In The Photo by Nicole Trope is a suspenseful read. This Australian author makes her US debut and does it with a bang. She takes readers on an emotional roller coaster involving love, hurt, heartbreak, and joy.

“The idea started with a story on the news about a woman who was fighting to get her children back from Lebanon. He ex-husband had taken them to visit his family and refused to come home. She ended up hiring an organization who specializes in grabbing your child away from the abducting spouse and returning them to you. The plan failed and she was left distraught. The courts in Lebanon were of no help because the country is not part of the Hague Convention on child abduction. I wondered how long it would be until she was able to see her children again and how they would turn out if they ever returned to Australia. They had been taken from one culture into another and were still very young. I tried to imagine how their father would have explained that they were never going to see their mother again and I realized that he must have only had his own interests at heart.”

There is clarification in the story between parental alienation versus parental abduction. “I wanted to show how parental alienation is a term used when one parent turns their child against the other parent. As in the book, it’s mostly a subtle form of abuse because the parent doing the alienating would not simply say, ‘I hate your mother she’s awful.’ What is done is a consistent breaking down of the child’s faith in the other parent. ‘Your mother could have called you today, but she didn’t want to. I would let you do this, but your mother wouldn’t. No one loves you like I do. Your mother is too busy with work to talk to you. You make your mother angry.’”

“While I showed in the story how parental abduction is when one parent steals a child from another parent. It’s kidnapping but I’m sure that in some cases the child may not even know it’s happening. It’s a form of abuse and control over the other person in the relationship. It’s a way to make a former partner pay for hurting you by using the child as a pawn. Men or women who are abusive and controlling often use their children as pawns when the relationship breaks down. The child is seen as something to own rather than a person with any rights. Greg took away what Megan loves most, Daniel, to cause her pain.”

The story is told in two parts: six years ago, and six years later. Megan Kade divorced her abusive husband, Greg Stanthorpe. Intending to get Megan back or to hurt her he kidnaps their son and goes off the grid.

“Greg manipulated Megan and Daniel. He took away Megan’s identity as a person. There is a scene in the book where she is afraid to order a glass of wine. Her brother asks her ‘what happened.’ She does not even really know. It starts out as a tiny compromise, and she felt it was not a big deal until eventually everything adds up. With Daniel, Greg kept him from attending school and was always told not to question. Having raised teenagers when they have questions besides going to their parent they ask friends, teachers, and go on the Internet. These were all denied to Daniel because Greg isolated him. Daniel had the same relationship with Greg as Megan did. They wanted to appease him, feared his anger, and did not want to do anything wrong.”

Six years later the boy, Daniel, appears at a New South Wales police station, reporting that his dad died in a fire. Daniel is distant, volatile, and in some ways resistant to Megan. He believes all the horror stories told to him by his father. The flashbacks of how both Megan and Daniel feel in the six-year gap emphasizes their grief and apprehension.

“Daniel was a sweet little boy, adored by his mother and just an ordinary six-year-old. At twelve he is confused, distant, aggressive, and filled with uncertainty at his place in the world. He struggles with trusting his mother after everything he has been told including that she no longer wanted him.”

This emotionally harrowing story has many twists and turns. It is so heart wrenching for both Megan and Daniel and the reader as well. People should make sure they have some time because they will not want to put this book down.

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Friday, August 27, 2021

I Miss the Rain in Africa by Nancy Wesson Discussion Questions

Title: I Miss the Rain in Africa: Peace Corps as a Third Act

Author: Nancy Wesson

Publisher: Modern History Press

Publisher Website Address: www.ModernHistoryPress.com

Publisher Email Address: info@ModernHistoryPress.com

ISBN-10: 1615995757

ISBN-13: 978-1615995752

ASIN: B0949MFWP6

Page Count: 296 pages

Formats (P.B., H.C., Kindle)

Price: $24.95 Paperback, $37.95 Hardcover, $7.95 Kindle

Discussion and Book Review by Carolyn Wilhelm

This book is a marathon of learning about northern Uganda, the Peace Corps there, and the many difficulties Wesson experienced along the way to her ultimately successful projects to help the population. Some books leave us exhausted and perhaps depressed at the end, but this author manages to shine a light on the positive aspects of her experiences in Africa. She does still miss the rain.

Discussion questions for book clubs and secondary teachers

1. Why did Wesson end up in Uganda? Where was she supposed to go at first? Do you think she realized how Peace Corps Volunteers would be housed? What is the name of chapter one, and why?

2. How did the most recent war led by Kony leave the citizens with almost insurmountable problems? What were his weapons? Where is he now? Can you imagine living through such an ordeal?

3. Given the situation of most of the people in northern Uganda, how do you think the Peace Corps Volunteers felt about how effective they could be at first? How did Wesson's thoughts change near the end of the book as she reflected on her projects?

4. Explain travel difficulties from the point of view of a Westerner in Uganda.

5. Why was the southern part of Uganda so different from the north?

6. Of the 46 volunteers, 34 remained after about a year. What do you think caused some people to leave? Was it understandable or not?

7. How did the pillowcases project begin and develop? Did it surprise you that Wesson had to design her projects, such as the children's library? Were you expecting the Peace Corps would have had job descriptions and just sent people to locations to fit into predetermined roles?

8. How was time different in Africa? How were schedules for travel different?

9. Discuss the story Wesson shared about getting dental help, traveling in the mud and dark on the way to and from the bus station.

10. Why was returning home also a challenge? How had things changed? How had the author changed?

Carolyn Wilhelm is a veteran educator and author. She contributes study guides for books and film to this blog frequently. She says, "We hope you like our discussion questions! We have others found by checking this link. Thank you for reading, Carolyn"

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Pages

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Holli Kenley Reviews Dr. Bob Rich's Aniko

Metadata

A Generational Story of Love and Loyalty and the Losses Within Each

Friday, September 24, 2021

Elise Cooper Reviews St. Martin's Press Entry

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Elise Cooper Shares Melinda Leigh's New Fiction Thriller

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Frequent #TheNewBookReview Contributor Delves into Catherine Bybee's Recent Mystery

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Reviewer Dr. Wesley Britton Urges "Mash" Fans to Partake in "Chunks and Bites"

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Elise Cooper Reviews Nicole Trope's "The Boy in the Photo"

Friday, August 27, 2021

I Miss the Rain in Africa by Nancy Wesson Discussion Questions

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