Rev. Michael H. Lavery | Biographies and Memoirs
Mama’s Boy: A Young Boy’s Memory of Childhood by Rev. Michael H. Lavery is a heartwarming autobiographical reflection that chronicles his early life, exploring the profound influence of his mother, grandmother, sister, and community. The book opens with Lavery’s emotional account of losing his father at a young age, shaping his understanding of love, loss, and inner strength. It then explores various themes, including faith, family, sacrifice, and moral lessons learned through everyday experiences, from childhood innocence to spiritual awakening. Lavery shares stories of his mother’s unwavering devotion, his grandmother’s pioneering spirit as a police officer, and the innocent yet profound q...
Continue ReadingSteve J. Wagner | Spirituality & Inspiration
Celestial Currents: The Unscripted Soul by Steve J. Wagner is an inspiring spiritual odyssey that follows Alice, a luminous soul who consciously chooses to experience life as a dynamic curriculum rather than a fixed destiny. Guided by her benevolent Spirit Guides—the wise Lyra, irreverent Kael, and insightful Elara—Alice ventures into the human realm, experiencing its joys, challenges, and inherent contradictions. Through her incarnations, she struggles with childhood innocence, social conditioning, romantic love, loss, and spiritual awakening. Her story is one of rediscovering her divine essence on a journey through the chaos of human life, finally embracing her role as a shamanic healer an...
Continue ReadingStephen Twartz | Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
The Severed Cord by Stephen Twartz is a sweeping, multi-generational saga that traces the tangled lives of Jimmy, a resilient Australian soldier, and his descendants across continents and conflicts. Set against the backdrop of war-torn Palestine, rural Australia, and modern-day Israel, the novel explores the lingering trauma of history and the quest for identity and belonging. The narrative moves fluidly through time, revealing how trauma, love, and betrayal create an invisible but powerful cord between past and present. As Jimmy struggles with external enemies and inner demons, his descendant Harry embarks on a parallel journey decades later, seeking answers buried in family secrets and anc...
Continue ReadingZoe Disigny | Fiction - Womens
Zoe Disigny's The Art of Traveling Strangers explores personal transformation against the backdrop of art and travel. Claire Markham embarks on a transformative journey to Europe as an art guide, hoping to escape the emotional toll of her recent divorce and strained relationship with her daughter, Amber. The novel reveals Claire's internal struggles and features vibrant characters, particularly her employer, Viv Chancey, whose exuberance and impulsive nature challenge Claire's sense of control. The novel begins with an evocative scene aboard Claire’s flight to Europe, where she reflects on her life through the lens of art. Disigny skillfully illustrates how art can symbolize personal experie...
Continue ReadingIan Kirkpatrick | Science Fiction & Fantasy
Bodymore Zero by Ian Kirkpatrick is a rollicking ride that thrusts you right into the gritty streets of Baltimore, ten years before the chaos of Bleed More, Bodymore. Ralph Reagan drums for his best friend's band, Bad Ass Idiot Train. They are known for their wild concerts and the rebellious frontman KC; their bond feels unbreakable—until a violent night leaves KC dead, or so Ralph thought. When KC unexpectedly reappears, bloodthirsty and unrecognizable, Ralph must confront a sinister secret lurking beneath the city's graffiti and shadows. As KC's rage spirals out of control, Ralph risks everything to restore their fractured bond—even if it costs him his soul. With a trail of bodies and a re...
Continue ReadingEdmond A. Bruneau | Poetry - General
Soul of the Song is a poetic journey that skillfully melds genres from country music to rock and folk, while exploring universal themes of love, identity, nostalgia, and social consciousness. Edmond A. Bruneau’s collection reads like an album liner note meets literary anthology, offering both introspection and entertainment. Stylistically, Bruneau excels in the use of metaphor, allusion, and musicality. In How Did I Find You? he uses cosmic imagery— “It’s astronomical. Beam me up”—to convey romantic euphoria, blending science fiction with intense emotion. His use of intertextuality shines in Joni, where references to Joni Mitchell’s music evoke a sense of generational longing and artistic ad...
Continue ReadingSera Maddox Drake | Literary Fiction
Ancilla: Master, Teach Me by Sera Maddox Drake is a bold, captivating work written for mature readers. The story follows an unnamed heroine, who seems to have everything set for her life — a scholarship, wealth, and a girlfriend. But everything changes when her conservative parents discover that she is queer and force her to make a difficult choice, which leads to the end of her academic dreams. Three years later, she meets a public reference librarian in a bookstore, and something magical happens to them in the name of love. She defies the rejection she has suffered, the religious repression, and her family’s conservative views and indulges in a journey of self-discovery that plunges her in...
Continue ReadingKirsten Pursell | Romance
In The Scarlet D by Kirsten Pursell, Scarlet embarks on a daring journey of self-reinvention after a thirty-year marriage crumbles. Seeking solace on Sullivan's Island, she joins a divorced women's book club, hoping to connect with like-minded souls. Amidst the stunning backdrop of South Carolina, her dormant desires come to life when she encounters the charming Ben, a younger man who challenges her boundaries. However, the confident Beau, a maturer suitor and a man more suited for her age, offers a glimpse of true connection. As past wounds resurface with the arrival of an old flame, Scarlet must navigate love, judgment, and the possibility of a second chance. The novel opens with Scarlet's...
Continue ReadingClaudia Clark | Children - Animals
In Hannah’s Call to Care by Claudia Clark, twelve-year-old Hannah Stewart narrates her journey from curious animal lover to committed wildlife warrior in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. When her father rescues an orphaned kangaroo joey named Summer, Hannah learns firsthand that good intentions can sometimes harm wild animals without proper knowledge. Guided by seasoned carers Michelle and Greg, she volunteers at their sanctuary, mastering pouch checks, rescue missions, and the messy realities of wildlife rehabilitation. Along the way, Hannah confronts dangers to Australian fauna—barbed-wire entanglements, dog and cat attacks, vehicle strikes, habitat loss, bushfires, and the ethics of...
Continue ReadingSonia Weyers |
The Sundown of Life by Sonia Weyers is a heartfelt memoir that chronicles her journey caring for her aging parents through their final years. Weyers recounts the myriad challenges—medical complications, emotional upheavals, and logistical struggles—that accompany the process of supporting loved ones in decline. She vividly describes the emotional rollercoaster of grief, love, and acceptance, underlining the importance of presence, authenticity, and living without regrets. Weyers’s story is richly detailed, featuring moments of tenderness, pain, and humor, while exploring lessons on dealing with painful truths about life and aging, the power of sharing, finding support, and managing pers...
Continue ReadingLaurel Colless | Children - Adventure
Knights Unite is the fourth book in the Peter Blue Series by Laurel Colless, and it follows Riva du Lac, who is determined to uphold her promise to avoid detentions at Spiral Hall. But a sea cleanup reveals Shem, a mythical fish boy, and a surprise honor from the Spiral Knights forces her to choose between rules and friendship. Meanwhile, Peter Blue has a vision of a water-dwelling monster. Can their unlikely alliance save the knights—and the world? Laurel Colless captures the delicate balance of environmental activism and adolescent adventure through the eyes of Riva, the determined twelve-year-old protagonist. The character development is both nuanced and engaging, particularly in Riva’s j...
Continue ReadingMaxime Trencavel | Fiction - Science Fiction
The Matriarch Messiah by Maxime Trencavel plunges you into a world on the brink of an apocalypse. Ancient prophecies foretell the return of a powerful matriarch who could save—or destroy—humanity. Zara Khatum, a reluctant prophetess, is on a perilous quest to find the mystical cavern of blue light. With rising global chaos, she faces a heartbreaking choice: her love for Peter Gollinger or the fate of humankind. Meanwhile, brilliant scholar Rachel Capsali uncovers a shocking truth about the goddess Asherah that makes her question everything she has ever believed. Now, she is out for answers and racing against time as well. Torn between duty and forbidden desire for Peter, Rachel’s rivalry wit...
Continue ReadingColin Dodds | Fiction - Literary
The Reign of the Anti-Santas by Colin Dodds is a unique and audacious Christmas tale that takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through a world where the holiday spirit collides head-on with corporate greed, scandal, and societal change. The story is narrated by Elvin, an elf with a front-row seat to the evolution and devolution of Christmas. Elvin's journey begins when he unwittingly accompanies Santa Claus on a Christmas Eve trip, setting the stage for a decades-long adventure filled with intrigue and danger. Dodds creates a narrative that includes Santa's secret affairs, the PR scandal that catapults Rudolph to fame, and the encroachment of humanity on the North Pole. What makes this book...
Continue ReadingMaxime Trencavel (Tail of the Bird Books)
The Matriarch Messiah by Maxime Trencavel plunges you into a world on the brink of an apocalypse. Ancient prophecies foretell the return of a powerful matriarch who could save—or destroy—humanity. Zara Khatum, a reluctant prophetess, is on a perilous quest to find the mystical cavern of blue light. With rising global chaos, she faces a heartbreaking choice: her love for Peter Gollinger or the fate of humankind. Meanwhile, brilliant scholar Rachel Capsali uncovers a shocking truth about the goddess Asherah that makes her question everything she...
Sonia Weyers (Eudokima)
The Sundown of Life by Sonia Weyers is a heartfelt memoir that chronicles her journey caring for her aging parents through their final years. Weyers recounts the myriad challenges—medical complications, emotional upheavals, and logistical struggles—that accompany the process of supporting loved ones in decline. She vividly describes the emotional rollercoaster of grief, love, and acceptance, underlining the importance of presence, authenticity, and living without regrets. Weyers’s story is richly detailed, featuring moments of tenderness,...
Ian Kirkpatrick (Steak House Books)
Bodymore Zero by Ian Kirkpatrick is a rollicking ride that thrusts you right into the gritty streets of Baltimore, ten years before the chaos of Bleed More, Bodymore. Ralph Reagan drums for his best friend's band, Bad Ass Idiot Train. They are known for their wild concerts and the rebellious frontman KC; their bond feels unbreakable—until a violent night leaves KC dead, or so Ralph thought. When KC unexpectedly reappears, bloodthirsty and unrecognizable, Ralph must confront a sinister secret lurking beneath the city's graffiti and shadows. As K...
Ildikó Oravecz (Citrine Publishing)
In Tribal Abundance, Ildikó Oravecz delivers a personal memoir that captivates, anthropological insight that gets you thinking about the different threads that hold life together, and practical exercises that provide the roadmap for transforming how we live and work. The book is structured into three segments — the principles, the program, and the practice — that outline the journey into building a tribal culture and fully embracing the model as a way of life. Oravecz shares “principles” drawn from her own experiences of dislocation—from aparth...
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