August 2023 MBR The General Fiction Shelf

The General Fiction Shelf

Mending What Is Broken
Robert McKean
Livingston Press
University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470
https://livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604893410, $21.95, PB, 338pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mending-What-Broken-Robert-McKean/dp/1604893419

Synopsis: At mid-life, Peter Sanguedolce has learned that having a big heart and good intentions are not enough. Divorced (again), he's slowly losing everything he cares about, including his family's sewer pipe business and, possibly, shared custody of his young daughter, Jeannette.

His ex-wife, Avis, and her new husband, Elliot, are poised to remove Jeanette from Peter's unraveling life.

Then Peter begins to pay closer attention to everything: a comment from Jeannette, Elliot's odd behavior toward her, and Avis's determination to send their daughter away to boarding school.

In the midst of the search for a new school, Peter is drawn into a foolhardy plan to reconnect his elderly former neighbor and friend, Jacob, with his estranged daughter, whom Peter had, in his youth, admired from afar. But just when everything could spin out of control, Peter focuses on his daughter above all else, and once again sets out on a journey, this time to protect Jeanette.

"Mending What Is Broken" is a bittersweet story about the families we make and that we lose, about working class towns and fading dreams -- and creating second chances in life.

Critique: Original, exceptional, memorable, "Mending What Is Broken" showcases author Robert McKean's genuine flair as a novelist for the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that fully engages his readers from first page to last. Skillfully written and an inherently interested read, "Mending What Is Broken" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Robert McKean (https://www.robmckean.com) is the author of the short story collection "I'll Be Here For You: Diary of a Town" which was awarded first-prize in the Tartts First Fiction competition (Livingston Press). His novel "The Catalog of Crooked Thoughts" was awarded first-prize in the Methodist University Longleaf Press Novel Contest. The novel was also named a Finalist for the 2018 Eric Hoffer Award. Recipient of a Massachusetts Artist's Grant for his fiction, McKean has had six stories nominated for Pushcart Prizes and one story for Best of the Net. He has also published extensively in journals such as The Kenyon Review, The Chicago Review, and others.

Maribelle's Shadow
Susannah Marren
Beaufort Books
535 Flatbush Avenue, PMB 287, Brooklyn, NY 11225
www.beaufortbooks.com
9780825310294, $16.95 PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Maribelles-Shadow-Susannah-Marren/dp/0825310296

Synopsis: As the editorial director of Palm Beach Confidential, Maribelle Walker knows what lurks beneath the glittering facade of the moneyed elite on Florida's most glamorous coast. Or does she?

When her adored and impressive husband, Samuel, dies suddenly, the secrets and lies between Maribelle and her sisters rise to the surface. Compounding the anguish, the authenticity of their socially ambitious mother and lavish lifestyle of mansions, privilege and couture clothes is thrown into doubt.

As their carefully constructed image unravels, each sister realizes she must fend for herself. The pathway out is steep and worth any risk. Until the winner takes all.

Critique: A carefully crafted, original, inherently riveting, and impressively compelling tale of deception and family loyalty, "Maribelle's Shadow" by author Susannah Marren is a riveting read that will be of immense interest to fans of contemporary women's fiction. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Maribelle's Shadow" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Susannah Marren (http://www.susanshapirobarash.com) is the author of Between the Tides, A Palm Beach Wife and A Palm Beach Scandal and the pseudonym for Susan Shapiro Barash, who has written over a dozen nonfiction books, including Tripping the Prom Queen, Toxic Friends, You're Grounded Forever, But First Let's Go Shopping, and A Passion for More. For over twenty years she has taught gender studies at Marymount Manhattan College and has guest taught creative nonfiction at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Presently she is teaching at the Westport Writers Workshop.

Famous in a Small Town
Viola Shipman
Graydon House
http://graydonhousebooks.com
c/o HarperCollins
https://www.harpercollins.com
9781525805073, $30.00, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Famous-Small-Town-Viola-Shipman/dp/152580507X

Synopsis: For most of her eighty years, Mary Jackson has endured the steady invasion of tourists, influencers and real estate developers who have discovered the lakeside charm of Good Hart, Michigan, waiting patiently for the arrival of a stranger she's believed since childhood would one day carry on her legacy -- the Very Cherry General Store.

Like generations of Jackson women before her, Cherry Mary, as she's known locally, runs the community hub that is part post office, part bakery and part sandwich shop. She had almost given up hope that the mysterious prediction she'd been told as a girl would come true and the store would have to pass to a man!

Becky Thatcher came to Good Hart with her ride-or-die BFF to forget that she's just turned forty with nothing to show for it. Ending up at the general store with Mary is admittedly not the beach vacation she expected, but the more the feisty octogenarian talks about destiny, the stronger Becky's memories of her own childhood holidays become, and the strange visions over the lake she was never sure were real.

As Becky works under Mary's wing for the summer and finds she fits into this quirky community of locals, she starts to believe that destiny could be real, and that it might have something very special in mind for Becky!

Critique: An original and fun read from cover to cover, "Famous in a Small Town" by the literary talented novelist Viola Shipman is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Women's Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Women's Friendship fiction fans that "Famous in a Small Town" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781525804854, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Wade Rouse (https://waderouse.com) writes fiction under his grandma's name, Viola Shipman, to honor the woman whose heirlooms inspire his writing. He lives in Michigan and California, and hosts Wine & Words with Wade, A Literary Happy Hour, every Thursday.

The Second Ending
Michelle Hoffman
Ballantine Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
www.randomhouse.com
9780593599136, $18.00, PB, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Second-Ending-Novel-Michelle-Hoffman/dp/0593599136

Synopsis: Prudence Childs was once the most famous kindergartner on the planet. After teaching herself to play piano at age three, she performed at the White House, appeared on talk shows, and inspired a generation to take up lessons. But as adolescence closed in, Prudence realized that she was being exploited and pushed into fame by her cruel grandmother, so she ran away. Broke and alone, she took a job writing commercial jingles, which earned her a fortune but left her creatively adrift.

Now forty-eight, with her daughters away at school, Prudence agrees to compete on a wildly popular dueling pianos TV show to reconnect with her inner artist. Unfortunately, her new spotlight captures the attention of her terrible ex-husband, Bobby, who uses the opportunity to blackmail her over a long-buried secret. If she doesn't win, she won't just be a musical failure; she'll also be bankrupt and exposed in front of millions.

Her on-air rival, virtuoso Alexei Petrov, a young internet sensation with a massive audience and a dreamy Russian accent, has problems of his own. His demanding parents made him a technically flawless pianist but left him without friends, hobbies, or any kind of life outside his music.

As they prepare to face off onstage, the retired prodigy and the exhausted wunderkind realize that the competition is their chance to prove to their bad exes, tyrannical family members, and, most important, themselves that it's never too late to write a new ending.

Critique: A beautifully crafted, original, novel and a terrifically entertaining read from cover to cover, "The Second Ending" by author Michelle Hoffman is unique, compelling, and memorable. A prized and welcome addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections and available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "The Second Ending" is the stuff of which Hallmark Channel Movies are made!

Editorial Note: Michelle Hoffman is a former arts and entertainment writer for The Arizona Republic. She began formal piano lessons at the age of five and now lives in Arizona with her husband, two spoiled Shih Tzus, and a very large piano.

Any Other City
Hazel Jane Plante
https://www.hazeljaneplante.com
Arsenal Pulp Press
www.arsenalpulp.com
9781551529110, $19.95, PB, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Other-City-Hazel-Jane-Plante/dp/1551529114

Synopsis: "Any Other City" by novelist Hazel Jane Plante is a two-sided fictional memoir of Tracy St. Cyr, who helms the beloved indie rock band Static Saints.

Side A is a snapshot of her life from 1993, when Tracy arrives in a labyrinthine city as a fledgling artist and unexpectedly falls in with a clutch of trans women, including the iconoclastic visual artist Sadie Tang.

Side B finds Tracy, now a semi-famous musician, in the same strange city in 2019, healing from a traumatic event through songwriting, queer kinship, and sexual pleasure.

While writing her memoir, Tracy perceives how the past reverberates into the present, how a body is a time machine, how there's power in refusing to dust the past with powdered sugar, and how seedlings begin to slowly grow in empty spaces after things have been broken open.

Motifs recur like musical phrases, and traces of what used to be there peek through, like a palimpsest. "Any Other City" is a novel about friendship and other forms of love, traveling in a body across decades, and transmuting trauma through art making and queer sex -- a love letter to trans femmes and to art itself.

Critique: Eloquent, complex, fascinating, original, deftly crafted, and a compelling, compulsive, page turner of a read from start to finish, Hazel Jane Plante's novel, "Any Other City" will prove a welcome pick for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction and LGBTQ Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Any Other City" is also available from Arsenal Pulp Press in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Hazel Jane Plante (https://www.hazeljaneplante.com) is a librarian, cat photographer, and writer. Her debut novel Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) (Metonymy Press, 2019) won a Lambda Literary Award and was a finalist for a Publishing Triangle Award. She releases music under the name lo-fi lioness and helms the podcast t4t, which is about writing while trans.

Graceland
Nancy Crochiere
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063288430, $18.99, PB, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/Graceland-Novel-Nancy-Crochiere/dp/0063288435

Synopsis: Hope Robinson can't seem to please anyone lately, especially not her mother, the flamboyant soap star Olivia Grant. Olivia loves Elvis more than Jesus and, convinced she's dying, insists on a final visit to Graceland. Unfortunately, that's the one place Hope can't take her. Hope fled Memphis years ago with a shameful secret and a vow never to return.

Olivia, though, doesn't understand the word no. Instead, she wrangles Hope's pink-haired daughter, Dylan, to drive her to Memphis by promising to reveal the mystery of her long-lost father. Hope must stop them before they expose the truth and all hell breaks loose.

As the women race from Boston to Memphis, encountering jealous soap actors, free-range ferrets, and a trio of Elvis-impersonating frat boys, everyone's secrets begin to unravel. In order to become the family they long to be, Hope, Olivia, and Dylan must face hard truths about themselves and one another on the bumpy road to acceptance, forgiveness, and ultimately, grace.

Critique: Original, fun and funny, "Graceland" by novelist Nancy Crochiere is a compulsive page turner of a read from start to finish. Clever and engaging, featuring a wealth of memorably interest characters, and more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disney Land roller coaster, "Graceland" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for community library Contemporary Women's Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Graceland" is also currently available in a digital book format (Kindle, $1.99).

Editorial Note: Nancy Crochiere (https://www.nancycrochiere.com) chronicled the ups and downs of family life (including her obsession with George Clooney) in her humorous newspaper column, "The Mother Load". Her essays have appeared in the Boston Globe and Writer's Digest, and on WBUR's Cognoscenti blog. In her free time, she acts as an extra in feature films and TV shows.

Lump
Nathan Whitlock
Rare Machines
c/o The Dundurn Group
www.dundurn.com
9781459751286, $18.99, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lump-Nathan-Whitlock/dp/1459751280

Synopsis: Cat's career has stalled, her marriage has gone flat, and being a stay-at-home mom for two young kids has become a grind. When she finds out, all within a few days, that she is pregnant, that a lump in her breast is the worst thing it could be, and that her husband has done something unforgivably repulsive, she responds by running away from her marriage and her life. A life that, on the outside, looks like middle-class success.

Her actions send waves of chaos through the lives of multiple characters, including a struggling house cleaner, a rich and charismatic yoga guru, and even an ailing dog.

Lump is a dark comedy about marriage, motherhood, privilege, and power.

Critique: A deftly crafted, entertaining, original, and memorable novel, "Lump" by Nathan Whitlock will have a special and particular appeal to fans of satirical fiction at its very best. With a wry approach to family life and a lampooning tragical comedy from beginning to end, "Lump" is unreservedly recommended pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lump" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Nathan Whitlock (https://www.nathanwhitlock.ca) is the author of the novels A Week of This and Congratulations On Everything. His work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Best Canadian Essays, and elsewhere.

How We Healed
Melody & Arric Fowler
https://www.melodyfowler.com
Poetic Gems Publishing
9781738647026, $16.50, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Healed-Melody-Fowler/dp/1738647021

Synopsis: Desperate to escape a difficult life in the South, Drunetta Brown flees to New York City with her children. And there, she develops powerful friendships that help her claim her place in a changing world. -- But there is nothing ordinary about the journey she takes in life, or the people in it.

Critique: With the publication of "How We Healed", co-authors Melody and Arric Fowler have carefully crafted a compelling novel on the them of starting over and fully engaging their readers with an original, thought-provoking, memorable and poignant story of healing from emotional injuries. Of special appeal to readers with an interest in African/American Women's Fiction and Multicultural Romance, "How We Healed" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "How We Healed" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Melody Fowler (www.melodyfowler.com) is a free-spirit born and raised in Vancouver, BC. She worked for prominent Vancouver law firms, a psychiatrist, and retired after decades working for a Crown Corporation. She is also a recognized painter and a poet. She published a book of poetry, "Life Lyrics" in 2011. She now lives outside Vancouver, with her husband Arric, where their backyard, affectionately known as the "Fowler Vineyard", continues to produce amazing wines and jellies.

Yuwa: A Novel
Chen Yixin, author
Howard Goldblatt, translator
Long River Press
https://longriverpress.co.nz
c/o China Books
www.chinabooks.com
9781592652587, $16.95, PB, 140pp

https://www.amazon.com/Yuwa-Novel-Yixin-Chen/dp/1592652581

Synopsis: Set in a dirt-poor area of Gansu Province in China's far west, "Yuwa" is an original work by novelist Chen Yixin that features a boy who rises above his marginal existence in a village bypassed by economic growth.

Yuwa (rain child) leads a simple life surrounded by an extended family, love, and friendship. He tends sheep with his grand-uncle, who teaches him about life; he goes to school with his best friend, whose loyalty never wavers; he has an aunt who dotes on him and a mother who worries about him. As a novel, "Yuwa" builds in intensity and emotion after Yuwa experiences heartbreak after heartbreak.

While symbolizing the challenges facing the villagers, the story also illustrates how a child's indomitable nature and inherent decency help him endure despite the forces of nature, tradition, and cruelty arrayed against him. It is difficult to read Yuwa without taking note of its symbolic resonance and message of hope.

Critique: Ably translated into English for an American readership by Howard Goldblatt, "Yuwa" is a novel by Chen Yixin that was originally published in Chinese in 2019. A finely crafted and impressively original work of literary fiction available from Long River Press in a highly portable paperback edition (5 x 0.35 x 7 inches, 6.7 ounces), "Yuwa" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Contemporary International Literary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note #1: Chen Yixin is young writer who was born and grew up in a village similar to Yuwa's. Chen's childhood experience has given him a unique perspective on contemporary life in impoverished parts of China that seldom emerge from the shadows. With plain language and compassion, Chen has created a truly memorable character in an undersized child who survives against all odds.

Editorial Note #2: Howard Goldblatt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Goldblatt) is the translator of numerous works of Chinese fiction, including Xiao Hong, Su Tong, and Nobel Laureate Mo Yan.

Survivors of the Hive
Jason Heroux
Radiant Press
www.radiantpress.ca
9781989274866, $22.00, PB, 120pp

https://www.amazon.com/Survivors-Hive-Jason-Heroux/dp/1989274862

Synopsis: Loss. Grief. Centipedes. Silence. The word "no." The word "yes." A high school poetry contest that may or may not be linked to the end of the world. The characters each of the four short stories that comprise "Survivors of the Hive" by author Jason Heroux are under one form of attack or another.

A grief-baffled son hopes to save an innocent insect from a toxic genocide, a daughter struggles to accept loss while visiting a community overwhelmed by denial, a sorrow-stricken father recalls his bizarre final conversation with his only child; the individuals in these the four short stories (Tell Me Again How the Silence in the Chamber of Exaltation Sounds; The No Problem; Tango Zero Hour; The Last Poetry Contest) discover how difficult it can be to let go of what's gone in order to live with what's left.

Critique: Original, eloquent, and of special appeal to readers with an interest in deftly crafted and surreal fiction, "Survivors of the Hive" is a valued and recommended pick for community and academic library Short Story and Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Survivors of the Hive" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $20.90).

Editorial Note: Jason Heroux (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Heroux) is the author of four books of poetry: Memoirs of an Alias (2004); Emergency Hallelujah (2008); Natural Capital (2012) and Hard Work Cheering Up Sad Machines (2016). He is also the author of three novels: Good Evening, Central Laundromat (2010); We Wish You a Happy Killday (2014) and Amusement Park of Constant Sorrow (2018). Jason holds a BA degree from Queen's University, and was a finalist for the 2018 ReLit Novel Award. He was the Poet Laureate for the City of Kingston from 2019 to 2022.

Who Brought the Dog to Church?
Tracy L. Smoak
Emerald House Group
https://openlibrary.org/publishers/Emerald_House_Group
9781649604224, $18.99, PB, 328pp

https://www.amazon.com/Who-Brought-Church-Tracy-Smoak/dp/164960422X

Synopsis: Betty is sure that Ida Lou does not belong in their church when the woman shows up to the Good Friday service with her small dog in tow. But before she knows what's happening, Betty is pushed into helping the woman as she deals with the sudden hospitalization of her husband. Having lost her own husband just one year ago, Betty is chosen as the perfect person to help walk through this valley with the newcomer -- along with the other women of the WUFHs (Women United For Him).

Sarah McAdams knows her husband loves her. He just loses his temper sometimes. It comes with the stress of being a highly recognized police officer. But when Sarah makes the decision that this is not the life she wants for her young son, will she be able to get out alive? Where can she go? And who will help her?

God works in mysterious ways -- and through ordinary people. The town of Prosper is about to experience some drama -- and it all starts with a dog who comes to church!

Critique: Original, entertaining, deftly crafted, and a throughly enjoyable read from first page to last, "Who Brought the Dog to Church?" will have a very special appeal to anyone with an interest in Contemporary Christian Fiction and Women's Friendship themed novels. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Who Brought the Dog to Church?" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Tracy L. Smoak (https://www.tracysmoak.com) is a freelance writer and the author of Living Water to Refresh Your Soul (Redemption Press, 2022), and a nonfiction about encouragement based on Bible characters (Bold Vision, 2023) Throughout all her writing, her goal is to address deep issues and bring comfort with the good news of Christ.

The Beauty of Rain
Jamie Beck
https://jamiebeck.com
Montlake
c/o Amazon Publishing
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/montlake.html
9781542032421, $16.99, PB, 331pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Rain-Novel-Jamie-Beck/dp/1542032423

Synopsis: Winning the lottery changed Amy Walsh's life, but the cost was greater than she could bear. In the aftermath, she struggles to find joy and purpose. Only one thing feels certain now -- she will never spend one cent of the prize money on herself.

Worried, her older sister, Kristin DeMarco, invites Amy to live with her family while she heals. Unfortunately, this arrangement leads to trouble for Kristin: Divided focus affects her career. Her daughter prefers Amy to her. And Amy's unsolicited opinions provoke tension between Kristin and her husband.

Meanwhile, Amy is making drastic plans of her own, which include giving away all her money. But first she must convince Kristin not to squander her most valuable asset -- time with her family.

As the sisters help each other reimagine their futures, life's unpredictability sends them to surprising places that test their love and resilience. Will they learn to live in the now, before it's too late?

Critique: A well crafted and inherently engaging novel of sisterhood and family life, "The Beauty of Rain" showcases author Jamie Beck's impressive storytelling skills. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format ($4.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9798400116353, $19.99, MP3-CD), "The Beauty of Rain" will prove a popular and prized addition to community library Contemporary Women's Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Jamie Beck (www.jamiebeck.com) is the author of eighteen novels. She is a two-time Booksellers' Best Award finalist, a Women's Fiction Writers Association STAR Award finalist, and a National Readers' Choice Award winner. Fans can get exclusive excerpts and inside scoops and be eligible for birthday-gift drawings by subscribing to her newsletter at https://bit.ly/JBeckNewsletter

Always Orchid
Carol Van Den Hende
Azine Press
9781958223000, $32.95, HC, 346pp

https://www.amazon.com/Always-Orchid-Carol-Van-Hende/dp/195822300X

Synopsis: Phoenix Walker will never be the same. Nine months after a heroic act leaves him forever changed, he refuses to hurt Orchid Paige ever again.

Orchid is ready to forgive. Convincing her guy she still loves him, no matter his injuries, she works to rebuild their intimacy. But their move to her family's ancestral country unveils China's superstitions against people with disabilities. Worse, their friend's life has been upended by those prejudices.

Will Phoenix and Orchid find a way to beat the odds and turn discrimination into compassion?

Critique: "Always Orchid" is the riveting third book in author Carol Van Den Hende's 'Goodbye, Orchid' contemporary fiction series but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel. Deftly crafted characters, and inherently fascinating plot twists and turns, "Always Orchid" will hold a special appeal for fans with an interest in multicultural romance and personal life journeys that ultimately and successfully lead to unconditional acceptance and romance fulfilled. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Always Orchid" is also available in a paperback edition (9781958223048, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Carol Van Den Hende (www.carolvandenhende.com) pens stories of resilience and hope. Her novels Orchid Blooming and Goodbye, Orchid draw from her own Chinese American family's history, and have won 30+ literary awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly Awards for Disability Awareness and Cultural Diversity. Carol's mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, global marketer, digital strategist, Board Trustee and Climate Reality Leader.

The Cost of Living
Daisy DeMay
https://daisydemay.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888764, $18.99

https://www.amazon.com/Cost-Living-Daisy-DeMay/dp/1639888764

The Cost of Living tells of Sara, who faces losing everything. The opening lines of her story reflects the reality of many a reader: "I truly believed I had prepared myself for the inevitable. Unfortunately, I underestimated how I would react when confronted with chaos and deadly destruction."

Such a situation doesn't have to embrace war or natural disaster. It can some from the heart, from a physical storm that love and marriage become when their initial hope turns into despair. That's the situation Sara finds herself in at the opening of this story, as she reflects on the events that have brought her to this place and the transformations experienced by a couple that once "...believed love could conquer anything the world threw at us."

Curveballs come in many guises and unexpected moments of revelation, as Sara reveals during a probe of her abusive past and the possibilities in her present and future relationships. More so than most stories about manipulation, abuse, and recovery, Sara's tale embraces not just the circumstances of her life, but how it got to this point and, perhaps more importantly, what it takes to leave it all behind.

Spectacular comparisons between threats that come with concurrent danger and beauty are presented in the form of perceptions about the world's opportunities and adversities: "Yes, it is spectacular out here, but amongst all the beauty you have found is the sound of the sirens going off to let us know this is dangerous. We have to get to the basement."

Three years of marriage brings the storms outside indoors, taking them to heart in a manner that transforms Sara. All it then takes is realizing connections to past patterns in order to break them -- but this involves total destruction before recreation can take place. The experience will strengthen if it doesn't kill first, and the sea change in attitude that Sara undergoes during this process provides compelling insights readers will appreciate: "I wasn't trying to understand what was left. Instead, I was searching for a way out."

Daisy DeMay creates an evocative, moving story about the costs of past abuse, present-day revelations, and future options. Readers should anticipate not only emotional storms that could trigger emotional responses, but explicit sexual scenes as Sara, Adam, Sam, and others become survivors in different ways. DeMay introduces some surprising twists to anything readers might anticipate as predictable, from literally mindful connections to facing the end of one world and the beginning of another.

Whether she's talking about disaster, survival, or interpersonal conundrums, one thing to be said about The Cost of Living is that it redefines the notion of freedom, escape, captivity and survival on many levels through vivid, thought-provoking scenes that embrace both action and strong characterization.

Libraries and readers seeking stories of transformation and revised purposes will find The Cost of Living a compelling interplay between characters that face their pasts and consider the ultimate price of being a survivor. Each character aims to restart their world and everything around them with newfound insights and visions about their purposes and relationships.

The Alphabet Woods
Jenny Poelman
Warren Publishing
www.warrenpublishing.net
9781960146274, $33.00 Hardcover/$19.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-Woods-Jenny-Poelman/dp/1960146270

The Alphabet Woods follows fifty-seven-year-old Key North's move to rural North Carolina, which represents a sea change from her former ordered, staid lifestyle. The move brings with it a reintroduction to new environments, people, and old acquaintances that change when they enter this world, bringing with them new realizations that Key is forced to absorb from the start.

Her responses to those who eschew her remote choice are pointed and humorous, reflecting much of the tone of her journey of self-discovery: "I'm not technically in Troy. I'm four miles past it, on the edge of civilization. I'll try to get word to you of my well-being now and then when the traveling tinker comes through and can take my ciphered missive."

The story opens not with Key's move, but with little boy Wain's struggles with a monster that lives and is accepted in his own home. It's a monster he can't avoid. The child abuse scenario which evolves may prove a trigger point for sensitive readers, but is an intrinsic part of a story that evolves new connections for Key, Wain, and those who inhabit this community of interconnected lives.

Jenny Poelman ties seemingly disparate threads of threat and opportunity with the psyches of individuals of all ages who at first seem lost, but demonstrate that they are, in fact, survivors of extraordinary circumstances. Key's increasing involvement in Wain's life and a mystery that holds answers to questions that could change everything makes for a moving story of life connection replete with thought-provoking moments of revelation and confrontation:

"...it doesn't matter whether you were drunk or sober. Your actions toward Wain were the actions of a monster. And he's paying the price."

As magical realism influences too-real lives affected by substance abuse and new connections, readers will appreciate this vivid story of a middle-aged woman who transforms her world, only to find that her new environment introduces conundrums she never anticipated.

A literary work of middle-age transformation and evolving friendships that rest on uncertain and unusual foundations, The Alphabet Woods is highly recommended for libraries and readers seeking memorable stories of struggles to learn and efforts to translate life lessons into real change. It unfolds gifts that arrive from unexpected circumstances and from taking leaps of faith, powered by the music of the soul and the strength and connections involved in taking risks, and is highly recommended for a wide audience of thinking readers.

Fast Fiction Volume 2: Man vs. Machine
Scotty Cornfield
www.scottycornfield.com
Flagstone Press
https://tinyurl.com/9unxrswn
B0C3BGX6S5, $10.49 ebook/$15.95 paper

https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Fiction-Vol-Machine-101-Word/dp/B0C9WH6RQ2

Just how much can be written in 101 words? A lot, as Scotty Cornfield proved in his original Fast Fiction and here, again, in companion volume Fast Fiction Volume 2: Man vs. Machine.

Both books pay tribute to the fact that not only can a story be well-developed in merely 101 words, but that prompts from others can set off a chain reaction of creativity plumbing the wellspring of originality to come up with circumstances and tales well worth reading.

Perhaps at no other time in human history does the fast fiction form feel so compelling and necessary. Given the time (and, often, literary) constraints of modern readers, fast fiction lends particularly well to quick reading and long-term, thought-provoking digestion. The breadth of themes and inspections in this second book expands the novel idea and incarnation of fast fiction, inviting both literary and general-interest audiences to imbibe in a rich, heady brew of diverse experiences.

Cornfield wrote 75 flash fiction stories for this collection, then took the same prompts he used to write his original tales and fed them into AI systems ChatGPT and Google Bard to see what computer-generated stories looked like.

Humans like to have the last word, so he produced a 76th story that departs from the inspirational steam of prompt-generated flash stories to sum up the collection's 'man versus machine' duel.

An introductory explanation not only reveals the birth of this collection's core concept, but cements the idea that, in this gathering, human-authored stories are presented alongside AI-created fast fiction. The separation between man and machine is clarified by a change in font and the AI author in parenthesis, representing a unique collaboration between man and machine that profiles both the strengths and drawbacks to AI-generated literature.

The contrast in approaches opens with the Cornfield-generated "Don't Let the Sweet Name Fool You" and its AI version, "The Minimalist Funeral."

Creative writing courses focusing on the question of what makes writing human will find plenty to digest throughout the collection through such contrasts. In this case, the theme of a "bad-ass" mortician whose jokes about death lead to a stunning revelation in "Sweet Name" take on a different feel in the AI-generated story "Minimalist," in which a deceased's macabre sense of humor spills over from death to educate the living. Both stories were created from the prompt "less is morgue," but the very different threads demonstrate how one prompt can, under different hands (or, in this case, machinery) lead to very different scenarios. Both incorporate ironic humor, but each story contains provocative messages that are driven home in 101 words and the space of virtually a moment or two of reading.

Another intriguing contrast is created in the juxtaposition of "Another Family Teachable Moment" with the AI-created "Perhaps Not the Best Idea," both prompted by a single word: "Perhaps." These very different stories of possibility and vision again excel in the unexpected as they explore possibility in very different ways. As these connected prompts unfold between man and machine, a battle of wits and creative responses to words evolves that will prove especially enlightening discussion material for any classroom (high school on up) interested in exploring the wellsprings of reaction, intuition, and the scenarios and approaches that differentiate human reactions from machine-generated words. Or, is there a difference? You decide. After all, you're the reader ... and you're only human. Or, are you?

In a nutshell, Fast Fiction Volume 2: Man vs. Machine's prompt-generated, word-driven art is flawlessly compelling and highly recommended for a wide audience, from literary and creative writing students to general-interest readers who may have little time, but great interest in inquiring, thought-provoking, surprisingly disparate short fiction scenarios. Libraries and readers searching for powerful examples of what the short form can do, how prompts can tap underlying creative responses, and what differentiates the approaches of man and machine will find much food for thought and discussion in Fast Fiction Volume 2: Man vs. Machine.

Three People, Three Countries, One Path
Cara A'court
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888528, $14.99

https://www.amazon.com/Three-People-Countries-One-Path/dp/1639888527

Three People, Three Countries, One Path is a spiritual novel about three individuals who think their life course is set, until circumstances bring them together in a journey certain to affect their perceptions and lives.

Many novels have featured such revelations, but Three People, Three Countries, One Path holds the special ability to unite the microcosm of individual choice and belief with bigger-picture thinking reflecting the lives and shifts of those who believe their destinies have been set.

One of these is narrator Pinia, a Buddhist monk who has achieved the pinnacle of faith and lifestyle. Or, so he thinks. The monastery he inhabits has survived many changes -- but so far, he has not. Nothing draws him or feels like home like the temple life. Or so he believes. Life has a funny way of transforming even the most staid life, and so his studies of the ways of The Buddha and the path to Nirvana seem to lead him in a singular direction -- until it doesn't.

Pinia's ambition to become a Lama is interrupted by a deadly fire, sending him into a world far from these sacred, tranquil walls. Reconciling purposeful disaster with the ways of Buddha and karma is no light venture: "The fire and rage of the energy did not discriminate. It was fuelled too much by its own pain and hurt. Even now, knowing the complete story I cannot understand the karmic or universal reasons for such an atrocity."

Nor is leaving everything familiar (including beliefs) and heading into the uncharted waters of fostering two children, Lakishma and Loysin. But Pinia is skilled at rising to causes, and so his venture into his father's life and the secrets which have powered his transformation and beliefs leads to revelations that shake his foundations even more than the fire that began his journey.

Cara A'court weaves social, spiritual, and psychological observations into her story to create a powerfully compelling saga of good and bad choices and the influences that both define and direct them. She injects the ongoing spiritual concerns of karma, juxtaposing them with rich social inspection as the threat of slavery and China's authority mingle with personal direction and journeys, injecting social and political issues into Pinia's efforts to survive and foster his young charges against all odds and powers.

These rich intersections of social and spiritual drive create not only much food for thought, but topics suitable for wide-ranging discussion in book groups, Buddhist spiritual circles, and Asian history and culture students. In order for a novel to achieve such broad attraction, it must arrive steeped in a personal touch that introduces topics readers may not be familiar with, such as the political entanglements that touch abutting nations.

Three People, Three Countries, One Path does so with an inviting first-person focus that contrasts the intersection of these disparate lives, creating a story rich in philosophical, spiritual, and social inspection. This requires no background in any of its beliefs or history in order to prove compelling and thoroughly engrossing to a wide audience.

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