Singh Reviews Indian Satire

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard By Kiran Desai Author:Kiran Desai Genre: Indian fiction/Comedy/Satire Reviewed by Aakanksha Singh originally for Book Reviews Galore The problem with reading an awesome novel by a particular author is the high expectations one has with the other novels and when that doesn't happen,you feel heartbroken for both yourself and the author. And that's exactly what happened with 'Hullabaloo In The Guava Orchard' written by Kiran Desai. Having read her other, more famous, Booker prize winning novel, 'The Inheritance Of Loss,' which is quite splendid weaving strands of varying themes into a beautiful story, I built up many sky high praises for Kiran Desai. But, unfortunately, her debut novel doesn't come close to her 2nd one. 'Hullabaloo In The Guava Orchard,' is a good read nonetheless, yet lacks the brilliance that lights up the storyline of 'The Inheritnace of Loss.' Synopsis (from Christopher's Rare Books):   The plot of 'Hullabaloo In The Guava Orchard' begins with the birth of Sampath in an apparently middle class family living in a village named Shahkot. Then the novel does an Indian soap opera kind of leap and we see Sampath twenty years later, quite dull, and doomed as a failure by his father. Only his mother, Kulfi, has faith that her son will be able to be something in life. And ho! what do you know, he does manage to do just that. But not before getting fired from his clerk job in the post office and running away from Shahkot to be away from the misery of life. He then comes across a guava orchard and decides to climb on a guava tree and interestingly finds peace and solace over there. He feels uncluttered and unfettered on that tree. With a quirk of fate, he gets mistaken by a holy man atop a tree and his father gets a brilliant idea to juice out money from this venture. People flock to listen to his wise words and seek his advice and blessings! Sampath thus from being a good for nothing fellow becomes a famous Monkey Baba revered by one and all. Apart from Sampath, we get to see the rest of his peculiar family like his mother who relishes food and whipping up quite grand and glorious dishes. Then his sister, Pinky who falls in love with an ice cream seller, Hungry Hop. The one word for this novel is eccentric. 'Hullabaloo In The Guava Orchard' reminds one of the bumbling comedies staged during Elizabethan Age that had similar comic situations with myriad quirky characters. The book gives a satirical take on rural/town India and its obsession with godly figures. It highlights the dishonesty that prevails among the fake babas that spring up in all nooks and corners. Of course, Sampath never intended to become a Monkey Baba. He in fact wanted to run away from all things pretentious. So perhaps Desai is trying to bring out how holy men should be in their heart and soul? Well, one can interpret it in anyway one wants. The characters are also well fleshed out particularly Kulfi whose love for food has been highlighted since page 1. While the comic ans satirical part of the book is perfect, its the Bollywoodish touch and the simple, immature writing and the weak climax that make the book rather disappointing. Its quite entertaining and funny in its ludicrous situations but not really a must read, though a fun read! Well, you could either go for it and enjoy the fun or avoid it completely. Take your pick!

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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 :

Intellectually Stimulating, Emotionally Engaging Cold War Thriller

Title: The Allemagne Deception

 Author: Donald J. Farinacci

 Author’s Website: DonaldJFarinacci.com

 Genre: Historical Novel/Military

 ISBN: 10:0983416818

ISBN: 13:978-0983416814

Reviewed by Steve George Bustin originally for Independent Author Network and Amazon

 

Author Donald J. Farinacci's latest work, The Allemagne Deception, is a terrifyingly suspenseful and gripping account of a history that few Americans know. While the shooting war in Vietnam was hot and the bellicose actions of the Cold War were in the papers, an unknown, but strategically important and viciously executed secret war raged in Europe between the unsung intelligence services of Democracy and the Stalinesque forces of Communism.

Farinacci has expertly crafted a complex, multi-layered web of deceit, loyalty, patriotism and greed, all within the greater context of the Cold War. As he did in his previous book, Truman, he provides both a global and individual perspective while keeping you in doubt of the final outcome of history.

The heretofore unheralded heroes of this war finally get their due in this story that spans decades and countries, yet remains timeless. There is such detail and credibility in the great prose, one has to wonder if in fact Mr. Farinacci was closer to the actual intelligence operations of the time than anyone but he knows.

Intellectually stimulating, emotionally engaging and certainly a page-turner, The Allemagne Deception is a superb work of the clandestine sacrifices of a highly select group of dedicated Americans who selflessly served without acknowledgement by anyone outside of their small community. This is a movie begging to be made.

~Reviewer Steven George Bustin is the author of Humble Heroes: How the USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII .

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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 :

Author Shares Fave Review of Contemporary Fiction

Title: Appalachian Justice
Author: Melinda Clayton
Author's blog link: http://authormelindaclayton.xanga.com
Genre: Contemporary fiction
ISBN: ISBN 978-1-935407-92-8
Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing
Reviewer's rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by Tracy Riva on her blog and originally for Midwest Book Review

"Rarely has a character stuck in my head the way Billy May Platte of Appalachian Justice has. Melinda Clayton does such a rich job with the character you can hear her speaking plain as day by the end of her first chapter and her voices resonates long after she leaves the pages of the book behind. Other characters in the book are just as deeply drawn out, especially the antagonist who will make your skin crawl, almost literally.

Appalachian Justice is a tale of the cost of prejudice, the value of love and the price of courage. It is the story of everyday characters who happen to be settled in the Appalachian mountains during a period of time from the forties through modern day, though the vast majority of the story covers two critical times, one, a single day in the life of Billy May Platte that would change her forever, the other a few critical weeks, in the lives of four families that will once again change the face of the small mountain town and the lives of those living in it.

Appalachian Justice is visceral, reaching out to grab your emotions and senses from the first pages until the last. The tension is well-developed growing exponentially until it finally reaches the breaking point. It is a wonderful début album for Melinda Clayton and deserves to be read by every family trying to teach tolerance and the cost of prejudice. The story, set in the past unfortunately still happens today in community after community, most of which aren’t able to find a little Appalachian Justice.


Open the pages, but be prepared, while Appalachian Justice works to break down barriers and to bring about understanding of a few key issues it is raw and at times violent though both factors are critical to the story and are not done simply for shock value. It is a crucial story for our time and for the ages to come, by reading it we may evolve enough as a people to never need Appalachian Justice."
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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 :

Short Story Collection Honors Crones

Hidden Passages: Tales to Honor the Crones
By Vila SpiderHawk
http://www.vilaspiderhawk.com
Short story collection FantasyISBN 978-0-9796545-6-5Perfect Paperback 300pp $15.95Available in paperback or Kindle and Nook at Barnes and Noble. Also available at author's Web site: http://tinyurl.com/3x2np4c

Reviewed by Lisa Mc Sherry, originally for Facing North
    
How appropriate that this book came to me at this time of the year – the time of the Crone (and Sage), the ending of the year. Moreover, this is a wonderful book written in the spirit (and pattern) of folktales while retaining its relevance to modern life. Author Vila SpiderHawk's writing is clear and lucid without losing a rich sense of passion.

Much like Pinkolas’ Women Who Run with the Wolves, Hidden Passages uses storytelling to explore deeper patterns, honoring women of all ages. These are not tales of drifting away from life, as anyone who knows a crone will recognize, but juicy stories of transformation, of loss and of life, of somber reflection and joyful discovery. Lessons are provided for those who look a little deeper, but these are not morality plays, bluntly shoving the point into the readers’ face.

Eight short stories tell the tales of eight wonderfully ordinary women. Full of beauty, and strength, the women take us with them on part of their journey through life. I found the tales to be incredibly evocative, at times coming eerily close to personal experiences (not literally, but in resonance, certainly – and isn’t that a mark of good fiction?).

Entertaining, well-written, and just plain good, Hidden Passages is a wonderful book for women of all ages. Highly recommended!

 

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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 :

Be Inspired by Amazing Women

Title: Amazing WomenAuthor: Dr. Charles Margerison, The Amazing People Club. www.amazingpeopleclub.com

Genre: Non-Fiction/Inspirational/History

Product Link: http://www.amazingpeopleclub.com/product/amazing-women

Format: ebook

ISBN: 978-1-921629-19-8

Reviewed by Cindy Taylor for www.allbooksreviewint.com

Let’s face it. Women have come a long way, but we still have quite a distance to go before we are considered on equal footing with men. One way to further this progress is to inspire women, young and old, to reach for the stars and fulfill their dreams, and what better way to inspire than a book that focuses on the accomplishments of famous women in history. Amazing Women by Dr. Charles Margerison fits the bill perfectly.

Amazing Women is part of a series of BioViews, a form of literature created by Dr. Margerison to resemble autobiographies of famous people as if they were alive today and either writing their stories themselves or relaying them to an interviewer. Each story in Amazing Women revolves around a woman in history, who took the bull by the horns and let nothing stop her from reaching her goals. Each account is short and sweet and to the point. They give the essence of each person – what made them tick, what was important to them, and how they achieved their goals. Granted, some liberties have probably been taken in the interpretations of these women’s lives, but the author makes a point to also list the historical facts at the end of the book, as well as each woman’s known contributions to history.

In this collection, among many others, we meet Elizabeth Blackwell, who tirelessly fought the prejudice over women in medicine and became the first woman to qualify as a medical doctor in the United States, even though no hospitals would hire her. She believed in educating, not just doctoring, and fought to convince people that social conditions were the cause of much disease. She even opened a clinic in the slums where the most help was needed. We also meet Marie Curie, who helped to discover ways to cure illness with radiotherapy treatments, and was the only woman to win two Nobel Peace Prizes, and Elizabeth Macarthur, one of the founding mothers of Australia, who helped develop the colony and established agriculture and commerce there. Readers will be in awe of Irene Sendler, who risked her life on numerous occasions to smuggle children out of the ghetto in Warsaw where the Jews were held, and Mother Teresa, who lived among the poor and devoted her life to helping those in need. The list goes on and on, but one common thread emerges. Each woman was a trailblazer who led by being a pioneer and paved the way for future changes in the world. For each of them, the cause was always worth the trials and tribulations, and they were all incredibly tough, resilient, and determined. Most of them lived in a time where women were still expected to get married and stay at home and have babies and education was not an option, but they refused to accept this. They wanted to make a difference in the world and all thrived on challenge, and so somehow they balanced their personal lives and work lives and still made huge impacts on the world. Some had the support and encouragement of family and/or friends while others had to go against family to achieve their goals. Although I was familiar with some of the names in this book, I found it amazing how many women were behind great ideas in history but were left virtually unknown. It is wonderful to see them recognized.

What is truly beautiful about this book is that Margerison is a natural storyteller who doesn’t bog the reader down with unnecessary details but provides a neat summary of the accomplishments of each of these incredible women in flowing story format. There are some people who enjoy losing themselves in a lengthy history tome, but the average person just becomes bored by drawn-out accounts of history. Therefore, Amazing Women provides an effective tool for people to learn without feeling overwhelmed. What a wonderful inspiration to women of all ages everywhere in the world but especially to the up and coming female success stories. Anyone lacking in confidence, but especially females, can read this book and come away with the knowledge that any dream is possible. I would love to see this book in the school systems to be utilized as a tool to encourage girls who don’t have the courage to chase their dreams. Turning the last page of this book, I was left with the knowledge that the battle was worth it and must continue!

Dr. Charles Margerison is a Chartered Psychologist and a member of the Royal Institution and the Royal Literature Society. He is Chairman of Viewpoint Resources Ltd. and was previously Professor of Management at the Universities of Cranfield (UK) and Queensland, Australia. He was also a co-founder of Emerald, the world’s leading publisher of management journals and databases.

~ Submitted by Marion Andersson
Business Development Consultant
E: marion@amazingpeopleclub.com
www.amazingpeopleclub.com
T: +61 405 829199
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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 :

Be Struck by Your Own Incredible Power: Igniting the Genius Within

 Ignite the Genius Within

By Dr. Christine Ranck and Christopher Lee Nutter
Publisher: Plume

224 Pages 

Here is a new groundbreaking and experiential book. It includes loads of beautiful photos and images and a soundtrack that can inspire and help you. It allows you to travel through space and time—and sometimes to take a trip into yourself unlike anything you’ve experienced before. When you buy the book, you'll claim dozens bonuses, too - check it out:

Using a revolutionary system based on the latest in brain science and technology, this utterly unique book/soundtrack combo will help you uncover and then release the deeply-held, secret blocks and beliefs that stop you from getting what you want in life.

Ignite the Genius Within combines adaptations of two new and powerful therapy treatments—EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Brainspotting TM.

Dr. Ranck, a psychotherapist in NYC, who along with her traditional practice specializes in creativity and performance enhancement, witnessed many astonishing and “impossible” transformations while using these fast and effective mind/body techniques. She wanted to provide the experience and results in a book for the general public.

Your genius brain and system already have all the answers you need inside you—you just haven't had easy access to them…until now.

Ignite the Genius Within is a different kind of book altogether. It’s a book that works from the inside out. It is mostly a doing book rather than a reading book that works on two levels:

1. POWERFUL COLOR IMAGES AND ARTWORK, accompanied by penetrating questions guide you to deep-brain processing. A picture paints a thousand words. Pictures are a short-cut into you.
2. A BILATERAL SOUNDTRACK with music and nature sounds that oscillate back and forth (instead of stereo), stimulates both sides of the brain, distracting the thinking brain, and giving access to dream processing—which usually happens while we're sleeping. Proven to enhance creativity, this soundtrack allows you to travel through space and time—and sometimes to take a trip into yourself unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

By forcing the brain to process information differently, we can begin to see and experience events and ideas through new eyes. A new perspective can potentially change everything. Ignite's powerful elements uncover and deliver the answers—that are already there—in order to make change happen within the deepest part of you.

And here's the greatest part: when you buy the book, you'll receive dozens of similar downloadable bonuses!  http://bit.ly/qjzO1Y

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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 :

Title: Glorious

Author Patricia Snodgrass
Website http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Glorious
ISBN 978-1-60659-243-4
Genre: Historical/Southern Gothic/ Suspense
Name of publisher: Mundania Press
Rating: highly recommended

Reviewed by Zita for Romancing the Book

Syopsis:

Emily Prudhomme is terrified of her stepfather, and for good reason. A man who was raised by an abusive father and uncle, he is convinced that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is talking to him personally through a radio he keeps in his office. Emily, alienated by her stepfather's bizarre behaviour, is befriended by Glorious, an African-American girl with beautiful amber-coloured eyes and the ability to see the thoughts of others. Outcast because of their differences, the girls become fast friends. When a tragic accident occurs on the banks of the Little Missouri river leaving one girl dead and the other hopelessly maimed for life, rage and revenge creates a firestorm that not only destroys a town but the lives of two families.

Review: 

This is a very intense and stirring story set during the late ‘60s, a particularly troubling time in US history. Racism is rampant, but at the same time lawmakers are legislating desegregation on a unwilling populace. One thing Ms. Snodgrass portrays particularly well in this story is both sides of the conflict. It wasn’t only the whites who didn’t want blacks in their schools, the blacks didn’t particularly want to go to a white school, either. Bad decisions and poor choices were made on both sides and the mounting tension finally results in a horrific explosion of violence and hatred. In the end, two young girls, lifelong outcasts who found friendship for the first time with each other, are thrown headlong into that violence. And when the wheels of justice roll, they end up rolling right over their families. As sad and shocking as this story was, I enjoyed it very much. It’s a story that is powerfully told and held my attention to the very end. I think the saddest thing about the story is how very believable it is. Thank you, Ms. Snodgrass, for writing such a poignant story and for treating the issues with such respect. Job well done!

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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 :

Maestro: Unveiling Karma and Reincarnation By Rachel Madorsky and Avanty House (Paperback - Apr 16, 2011) Buy new: $19.95ISBN: 978-0-9705349-6-5Author's Web site at Authorsden.com
245 Pages with Handy Bibliography in the back

Reviewed by Joyce White

As a student of life, I find the title Maestro very interesting. The word Maestro is a title of extreme respect given to a master musician or a master in an artistic field, usually someone who listens with their mind’s eyes and ears; much like this author, historian, healer, and clairvoyant , Rachel Madorsky.

I like the image of mankind given by Trifonov’s novel, The Other Life, that our human destinies resemble threads. …and that human beings do not give in to death because they have an inborn sense of the infinite threads.

Rachel is also a historian who studies how we are destined to meet the same loved ones, relatives or friends over and over again. She tells us, “If we develop the skills and understanding to access the information about our karma and past lives, we are forewarned; and we may be able to correct many things that seem otherwise impossible to change.”

There is a growing audience today of all ages, who are not afraid of openly exploring the Unknown. The words “Know Thyself” keeps us all questioning why we were born…what is our purpose for living…and whether we will be rewarded or punished this time around?

Rachel‘s many patients seem to absorb her words, her energy, her electric wellness. Her book is kind of a diary packed with information to back up her beliefs. Her patients use her warmth, energy and clairvoyance for healing their healing.

Many of us wonder why some preach, some teach, and some kill? To the questions can we beat our DNA or outfox our Karma, Rachel warns us that Karma is similar to a gun shot; once the bullet is fired, its consequences cannot be controlled. (much like our tongue).

Abraham Lincoln’s quote at the beginning of her book says, “I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.” Rachel's one-on-one healing has given her insight into a world most of us know very little about.

My hope would be others do not fear their destiny but invest in their souls by studying Rachel’s books, Maestro, Create Your Own Destiny and Symphony of Your Karma. I have been privileged to read and write reviews for all three you can find here on Authorsden.com.

I’d like to leave you with the lines…We live to have this time we live in…To have this life that we are looking for…To be the person of our life…Is life within itself our time? By Nathaniel Madorsky, Rachel’s talented son.

Five Stars for Amazon.com

Information on the reviewer:

Joyce White
Author
Sculpting the Heart with Art Therapy
Read Now - http://bit.ly/d1jGLN
Twitter - @wjoycewhite

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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 :

Splinters On The Carpenter's Floor

Author: Randolph Nicholas Alvis
Website: www.CreationsCarpenter.com
Genre: Spiritual Help
ISBN: 978-1-60383-183-3
Publisher: Holy Fire Publishing Company

Reviewed by Dominique Sessons, originally for Apex Reviews

 

Stuck in the midst of a deep, worsening depression, Randolph Alvis prayed fervently to God to release him from his metal and emotional affliction. In turn, God not only heard Randolph's prayers and freed him from his spiritual plight, but He also directed him to record his prayers in written form for the benefit of the countless others worldwide who continue to suffer from depression everyday. As a result Splinters On The Carpenter's Floor is the fruit of Randolph's labors.

Comprised of more than 40 insighful musings, Splinters addresses a wide range of different topics, allowing Alvis to strike a personal chord with readers from all walks of life. Touching on everything from having patience to fighting peer pressure to adopting a more humble attitude, Splinters is a ready source of constant inspiration for anyone struggling to overcome the vast and sundry challenges of their lives. From the start, Alvis doesn't claim to be a biblical scholar, but his sagacious insights are based on the considerable wealth of his real life experiences, and, therefore, have just as much potential to have a sound, solid impact on the lives of many who seek such practical direction and guidance.

 

From a deep, heartfelt place, Randolph Alvis has forged an inspirational, deeply moving offering sure to serve as a balm for the daily spiritual maladies of the masses. Kudos to Alvis for taking such a courageous, selfless step in helping to improve the lot of his fellow man.

 

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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 :

Title: Communication With All Life: Revelations of an Animal Communicator
Author: Joan Ranquet
www.joanranquet.com
Genre: non-fictionISBN-10: 9781401916817

Reviewed by Kelli Kozak, originall for Amazon.com

Joan Ranquet's "Communication with all Life, Revelations of an Animal Communicator" is not only truly fascinating reading, but is full of inspirational stories and lots of tools that any animal lover can use to communicate with animals. As the author notes, we are all animal communicators, whether we know it or not... even whether we believe in it or not!

There are many ways we communicate with our animal companions. We use words, of course, but what we don't realize is that we are constantly communicating using pictures and feelings, as well. For example, when we tell - in words - our animals not to do something, they don't understand the "not" part, because the picture we invariably have in our minds is of the animal actually doing what we wish they wouldn't. In our minds is, "Go ahead, pee on the couch." Our expectation is often, "Well, they going to do it again anyway!"

Another example of how we unknowingly send messages is by what we are feeling: When packing for a trip, we are apprehensive about leaving our animals behind, worrying that they will miss us and feel sad and that we will miss them terribly! This often leads to separation anxiety and depression. We can try being happy about the trip and about the fact that we will be back soon and that they will have a great time while we are gone!

This book contains many exercises we can use to deepen our intuition, as well, in order to get pictures, words and feelings from our companions. I have been working with the techniques and have been able to get images from my dogs and horse. My dogs were out late enjoying their nightly run. I began to worry - it had been an hour - and tuned in to the pack leader. I got an image of a large white curve. When the dogs returned five minutes later, I realized that the image was of the roof of the barn next door. That's what the pack leader saw from the distance and that's the direction they came back from!

This book contains many stories of how Joan's advanced communication skills saved many a relationship - between animal and steward, between animals in the same household and even between the human members of a family!

This is a truly fascinating read and one that will change forever the way you behave, communicate and think about the animals around you.

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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 :

Horse Thriller? See What You Think

Title: The Bone Trail

Nell Walton

Soft Cover, 2010, $13.95 U.S.

ISBN: 978-1-45649-90799

Available from Amazon

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton: www.dreamsaloud.ca

First published in Horses All: www.horsesall.com

On the afternoon of the last day of Lindy Abraham’s life, she stood leaning against an old Jeep Cherokee, once red, now faded to kind of a dusky umber, rapping her heel impatiently against a tire. She waited in the Nevada desert in the middle of June; it was hot, and her peach colored cotton tank top stuck unpleasantly in the hollow between her narrow shoulders. ~ Nell Walton

In The Bone Trail, Nell Walton hooks the reader from the very start. We can feel the unrelenting heat and isolation of the desert, and the vulnerability of those who venture there. I was immediately drawn into this exciting story about the disappearance of two wild horse advocates – mystery, thriller and romance all rolled into one.

Walton’s book is inspired by the true-life events with which many horse lovers are familiar – the brutal helicopter roundups of wild mustangs off U.S. public lands, hearing of them being run to exhaustion into long-term warehousing facilities, where many face illness and death. But, there is more to this story, something far worse, and investigative journalist Kate Wyndham is determined to the discover the truth, even at great personal risk.

Every single character in this novel is lively and engaging – from the cold-blooded mining security staff to the Shoshone Reservation inhabitants to the stonewalling local police. Before we know it, we are following Kate’s terrifying trail, gripped with fear and sickened by the possible outcome.

This is one of those books the reader hopes will never end. Rumor has it that Walton is working on a sequel and there is no doubt readers will be lined up to get their hands on it.

~Nell Walton is a journalist and the founder of the online equestrian news magazine, The AllHorses Post (www.allpetspost.org/allhorsespost). She lives with her husband and four horses (including two mustangs) in East Tennessee.

~Submitted by Carol Upton (604) 886-8951
Dreams Aloud Promotions
~ Linking your dreams to the worldwww.dreamsaloud.ca

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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 :

Young Adult Novel Gets Rave Review

Title - New England Witch Chronicles
Author - Chelsea Bellingeri
Link - www.chelseabellingeri.com
 Genre - Young Adult
ISBN - 9781463648978



Reveiwed by Lisa Luna originally for Amazon




This was a WONDERFUL BOOK! ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! Chelsea Bellingeri does an exceptional job drawing her readers into the world of her characters. I felt like I knew each and every one of them by the time I finished, and I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next book! You LOVE Alex from the start! Peters and her relationship is fantastic, I LOVED it! Then the author throws in a "hot new guy in town" James, and it really starts the fireworks! The nightmare scenes are really good! The ending left me really wanting to know what happens next! I will be the first in line for the 2nd Book in this series! I REALLY LOVE how Bellingeri writes she really takes you into their world and you get to know and LOVE the characters. She is my new favorite author! A great read I would HIGHLY recommend it!

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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 :

A Gypsy in New York Celebrates her 100th Birthday

A Gypsy in New York
Author: Juliette de Bairacli Levy
Ashtree Publishing
Genre: Memoir

 A revised edition of A Gypsy in New York by  the renowned author and healer, Juliette de Bairacli Levy, known as the Grandmother of Herbal Medicine who (11/11/12- 5/28/09) would soon have celebrated her upcoming 100^th birthday.

Before her death in 2009, Juliette de Bairacli Levy collaborated with Susun “Wise Woman” S. Weed, to update several of her books, all of which will be re-released this summer.  http://bitly.com/kZziVJ

Levy was born on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1912 in Manchester, England. She was educated at Lowther College, one of the best girls schools in Britain, and went on to study veterinary medicine at the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, but she left university after two years to study with the Gypsies and peasants of the world.

In the late 1930's Juliette ran a distemper clinic in London where, at a time when many dogs were dying, she treated and cured hundreds of dogs with fasting, herbs and a natural diet.  In the 1930's Juliette developed the first line of herbal supplements for animals known as Natural Rearing Products which are today distributed worldwide. She also worked with wounded soldiers and later cured thousands of sheep declared incurable by conventional vets.

In the 1940's, while travelling in America, Spain, France, North Africa and Turkey, Juliette gathered herbal remedies from the nomadic and peasant peoples of these lands. When her Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable was published in 1951, it was the first veterinary herbal ever to be published making information previously passed by word of  mouth available in print.

Thus Juliette became THE pioneer of what is known today as holistic animal care. She went on to write The Complete Herbal Book for the Dog. Both these books together with Juliette's Illustrated Herbal Handbook for Everyone and Natural Rearing of Children have become classics and many generations of humans & animals have been raised & healed on these books.  As well as her herbal books, she has written several travel books, two novels and three books of poems.

This is part of the launch and online book tour for that book that includes bonuses for the purchase of this book. Find that bonus page and other information at   http://bit.ly/natmed .

Here's what people are saying about A Gypsy in New York:

In this richly detailed memoir, Juliette de Bairacli Levy – one of the founders of American herbalism – offers us a rare and compelling documentary. It is at once a travel book, and herbal guide and a compendium of Gypsy lore and Gypsy ways. Juliette gives us river winds, strange characters in the streets by day, rats scurrying by at night, and legions of cockroaches in the apartments, against whose window the blossoms of apple and pear trees toss, even in the great city’s cement heart. In this richly detailed memoir, Juliette de Bairacli Levy offers us a rare and compelling documentary.

If you love animals or plants, you’ll love Juliette de Bairacli Levy & her books.” ~ Susun Weed. http://bit.ly/natmed

This jewel-like memoir details Juliette’s love of nature & animals as she relates w/Gypsies.http://bit.ly/natmed

~This book launch tour comes to you from

Denise Cassino
Publicist
Book Marketing Specialist
303 838 3399
skype: denise.cassino
www.wizardlywebdesigns.com
www.spiritoftheseasoncatalog.com
www.mybestsellerlaunch.com
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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 :

Christmas in July: Prepare Memorable Greetings Now

Blooming Red: Unconventional Christmas Poetry
Co-authors Magdalena Ball and Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre: Poetry/holiday
Author's Web site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm

Little Known Poetry History: Chapbooks, a tradition in the poetry world since Elizabethan times, are named after the itinerant chapmen who travelled from village to village selling their goods.

Award-winning poets Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball figure nothing is more meaningful at any holiday than a poem—a real poem, not sing-songy impersonal verse from the shelves of card shops. They also noticed that many people order imprinted holiday greetings (very expensive ones!) in July. With that in mind they are offering a great Christmas-in-July incentive to those early birds who want to gift a chapbook Blooming Red: Christmas Poetry for the Rational to their most cherished friends. .

But how would poetry lovers, literature lovers and those who just like something different and beautiful to use as mini gifts or greetings know if this little booklet is for them?

These multi award-winning authors have arranged to get the e-book version for 50% off until August 6. That means your sample comes to you for a mere $1.98 using the special coupon code ZZ47S when you go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45393

Then, when you fall in love with the exquisite poetry and the beautiful artwork by award-winning California watercolorist Vicki Thomas, you can order 25 full paperback booklets for only $3.00 each. This is a substantial discount from Amazon’s price of $6.95 each. They become your card and gift in one and orders of 12 or more come autographed by one of the poets. That’s got to be more personal than an imprint.

You just send your shipping address with your check or money order to:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

PO Box 1101
LaCanada-Flintridge, CA 91012-1101

Include $6. Ship charges for the continental US and $12 worldwide, any quantity. Please order before August 15^th.

 Blooming Red includes Maggie’s science-inspired and Carolyn’s nostalgic poetry. It also includes some humorous poems for fair measure.

Magdalena Ball runs the highly respected CompulsiveReader.com review site.  She is the author of the poetry book Repulsion Thrust, which was published to unanimous 5-star reviews.  Her novel Sleep Before Evening, was a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist. 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's poetry appears frequently in review journals. She is listed in Poets & Writers and her chapbook of poetry, Tracings (www.budurl.com/CarolynsTracings ), was given the Award of Excellence by the Military Writers Society of America and She Wore Emerald Then won its highest honor of gold. One of her poems recently won the Franklin Christoph Poetry Prize. She is also an award-winning novelist and short story writer and instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either of the authors or visit media rooms at www.howtodoitfrugally.com or www.magdalenaball.com. To learn more about artist Vicki Thomas and to see her selections of her work, go to www.vickithomasartist.com

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Support material available electronically or by post on request. E-mail hojonews (at) AOL (dot) com.

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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 :

Military Nonfiction Reviewed by Military Writer

Title: Humble Heroes, How The USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII

Author: Steven George Bustin
Publisher: CreateSpace (Amazon)
Author Websites: www.ussnashville.org, www.bustinmedia.com
Author Blog: www.humbleheroeswwii.blogspot.com
Genre: Historial Non-Fiction

 

Originally Reviewed by Donald J. Farinacci for Amazon.

 

The USS Nashville began its epic journey across the turbulant waters of World War II in February 1941 when it transported a contingent of U.S. Marines to Wake Island. When she finally sailed into San Francisco Harbor in January of 1946 on her return to the United States, she carried an incredible legacy to her native shores of pain, loss, horror, grief and death combined with heroism, devotion, selflessness, loyalty, skill and great distinction. If she could tell her own tale, it would no doubt be with the same humility shown by the humble heroes who served with such dedication upon her blood-stained and fire-scarred decks.

But, the job of telling that engrossing tale has fallen to Steven George Bustin, a writer of great clarity and instinctive empathy for the individuals whose exploits and travails he so lovingly depicts on the pages of this inspiring work. And the story of The Nashville and its intrepid crew is in good hands. "Humble Heroes" is meticulously crafted--both as a fond and poignant remembrance and a breathtaking tale of adventure in the perilous waters of the Pacific during WWII.

 

The Nashville seemed to be everywhere: on Lend Lease missions in the North Atlantic, as part of Doolittle's daring raid on Tokyo, at Midway, Hollandia, New Guinia, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and as MacArthur's flagship on his triumphant return to the Phillipines. Full of intriguing first-hand vignettes from former crew members, it is also a history of the War in the Pacific in micrcosm. "Humble Heroes" is masterful in its thoroughness and truly a great read, especially for World War II buffs and history buffs in general.

~The reviewer is Donald J. Farinacci, author of Truman and MacArthur,

  Adversaries For A Common Cause (Merriam Press) as well as three other  books.

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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 :