September 2023 MBR The General Fiction Shelf

The General Fiction Shelf

Banyan Moon
Thao Thai
Mariner Books
www.marinerbooks.com
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063267107, $30.00, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Banyan-Moon-Novel-Thao-Thai/dp/0063267101

Synopsis: When Ann Tran gets the call that her fiercely beloved grandmother, Minh, has passed away, her life is already at a crossroads. In the years since she's last seen Minh, Ann has built a seemingly perfect life (a beautiful lake house, a charming professor boyfriend, and invites to elegant parties that bubble over with champagne and good taste) but it all crumbles with one positive pregnancy test. With both her relationship and carefully planned future now in question, Ann returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother, Huong.

Back in Florida, Huong is simultaneously mourning her mother and resenting her for having the relationship with Ann that she never did. Then Ann and Huong learn that Minh has left them both the Banyan House, the crumbling old manor that was Ann's childhood home, in all its strange, Gothic glory. Under the same roof for the first time in years, mother and daughter must face the simmering questions of their past and their uncertain futures, while trying to rebuild their relationship without the one person who's always held them together.

Running parallel to this is Minh's story, as she goes from a love struck teenager living in the shadow of the Vietnam War to a determined young mother immigrating to America in search of a better life for her children. And when Ann makes a shocking discovery in the Banyan House's attic, long-buried secrets come to light as it becomes clear how decisions Minh made in her youth affected the rest of her life -- and beyond.

Spanning decades and continents, from 1960s Vietnam to the wild swamplands of the Florida coast, "Banyan Moon" is a stunning and deeply moving story of mothers and daughters, the things we inherit, and the lives we choose to make out of that inheritance.

Critique: A carefully crafted and simply riveting read from beginning to end, "Banyan Moon" by novelist Thao Thai will hold a particular interest to fans of women's family life fiction. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and truly memorable, "Banyan Moon" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted that "Banyan Moon" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99). Librarians should be ware that there is a large print paperback edition of "Banyan Moon" (9780063345089, $34.00, 512pp) and a complete and unabridged audio book edition (Blackstone Audio, 9798212709934, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Thao Thai (https://thaowrites.com) is a writer living in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Her work engages with tangled family relationships and the intersections of motherhood and identity. She's been published in Cup of Jo, Eater, Catapult, Sunday Long Read, and more. A recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, she has also been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes and earned fellowships in creative writing. She received her MFA from The Ohio State University and her MA from The University of Chicago.

This Time Could Be Different
Khristin Wierman
www.khristinwierman.com
SparkPress
c/o Spark Point Studio
www.gosparkpress.com
9781684632169, $17.95, PB, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/This-Time-Could-Be-Different/dp/1684632161

Synopsis: A compulsive overachiever, Madeline lives by the credo that easy is synonymous with mediocre. Which is why, at forty-nine, she's a senior vice president at a prominent bank, frantically adheres to a five-step nightly face cream regimen, and panics anytime she's a foot away from her phone.

Madeline works alongside her best friend, Emma -- a master juggler of her own career, marriage, and motherhood to a fourteen-year-old daughter who speaks only in baffling acronyms. The path ahead for both women is brimming with opportunity.

There's only one problem: Madeline is miserable.

Seeking purpose in her life while trying to unravel the source of habits she wants to change, Madeline reluctantly agrees to try yoga, meditation, and other wacky suggestions her new-agey therapist tosses her way. She feels as if she's risking everything -- but in doing so, she just might unlock a world more fulfilling than she ever could have imagined.

Critique: Funny, poignant, original, and memorable, "This Time Could Be Different" by novelist Khristin Wierman will have a special affinity for readers who are fans of deftly crafted women's friendship themed stories laced throughout with humor. While a highly recommended pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "This Time Could Be Different" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Khristin Wierman (www.khristinwierman.com) spent twenty years rising through the marketing ranks of Fortune 500 companies, building a career that was lucrative, ego boosting, and a little bit soul crushing. So she quit -- and writing novels ensued.

A Storm of Infinite Beauty
Julianne MacLean
Lake Union Publishing
https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/lake-union-publishing.html
Brilliance Audio
9781542036726, $16.99, PB, 300pp

https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Infinite-Beauty-Novel/dp/1542036720

Synopsis: A singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon, Scarlett Fontaine is a true Hollywood legen. But Scarlett dies tragically at just thirty-six years old, leaving behind no children. Or so the story goes...

Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum dedicated to Scarlett's life. She's also sole heir to Scarlett's fortune as a descendant of the star. But all is not well in Gwen's world. She's dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling to move forward. So when Peter Miller, a biographer and photojournalist, comes to the museum with shocking claims about Scarlett (a life of exile in Alaska, a baby born in secret) Gwen's whole world is turned upside down. Again.

Determined to uncover the truth, Gwen and Peter set out for Alaska together but soon find themselves on a path toward something far deeper and more meaningful than either of them ever expected.

With the publication of "A Storm of Infinite Beauty", novelist and master storyteller Julianne MacLean offers her readers a truly fascinating and entertaining journey that ranges from a lush vineyard in Nova Scotia to a rustic lodge in Alaska where old family secrets are revealed and the quest for true happiness begins. Deftly crafted, impressively original, "A Storm of Infinite Beauty" will especially appeal to readers with an interest in Family Life and Women's Domestic fiction. While a highly recommended pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Storm of Infinite Beauty" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9798400147760, $19.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Julianne MacLean (http://www.juliannemaclean.com) is the author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven series. MacLean is also a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers' Best Award and a Reviewers' Choice Award from the Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

One Friday in Napa
Jennifer Hamm
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647425296, $17.95, PB, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/One-Friday-Napa-Jennifer-Hamm/dp/1647425298

Synopsis: Vene feels like she and her mother have always been at odds - since she was a child, the first word she used to describe Olivia was "cold." When news of her mother's imminent death comes, Vene returns to her family's home in Napa to see if their strained relationship can be mended, only to find Olivia as harsh as ever and their reconciliation seemingly unreachable.

But when Vene stumbles upon Olivia's old cookbook, she discovers a passion within her mother she didn't know existed. The clipped tone and quick judgments of her dying mother don't match the young woman whose voice she finds between the pages - one that tells a story of romance, longing, duty, and aching heartbreak. Curiosity consumes Vene, and she embarks on an intimate journey to learn about the Olivia she never got to meet - before it's too late.

A captivating story told in alternating perspectives a half-century apart, "One Friday in Napa" explores the pains and joys of devotion as two women learn the price of loyalty, the power of secrets, and the meaning of sacrifice.

Critique: "One Friday in Napa" is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Jennifer Hamm's debut as a novelist. Original, deftly written, and thoroughly 'reader engaging' from start to finish, "One Friday in Napa" will hold a special appeal to readers with an interest in stories of family dramas and a woman's complicated relationship issues with another woman. While highly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "One Friday in Napa" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jennifer Hamm graduated with a BA in English at UCLA and began her writing career developing screenplays for movies and television. As a travel writer, she has covered the globe on assignment for various magazines and brands. She also writes It's Only for A Year, a long-running blog chronicling her adventures raising her four boys in two countries. Hamm currently splits her time between London and Los Angeles. (https://shewritespress.com/portfolio/jennifer-hamm)

And This Shall Be My Dancing Day
Jennifer Kavanagh
https://www.jenniferkavanagh.co.uk
Roundfire Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803412450, $16.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/This-Shall-Be-Dancing-Day/dp/1803412453

Synopsis: What is the mystery of the dying flowers in a dark doorway with an ever-open door? And why does it matter so much? In "And This Shall Be My Dancing Day", novelist Jennifer Kavanagh presents two very different women who are brought together by love, loss and their struggles with very modern moral choices -- whether to act against injustice, and just how far to go.

Critique: With the publication of "And This Shall Be My Dancing Day", author Jennifer Kavanagh has a genuine flair for eloquent, engaging, entertaining, and narrative driven storytelling. Original and a fun read from start to finish, "And This Shall Be My Dancing Day" is an easy and memorable read, and one that is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "And This Shall Be My Dancing Day" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Jennifer Kavanagh (https://www.jenniferkavanagh.co.uk) gave up her career as a literary agent to work in the community in London's East End. She is a speaker and prolific writer on the Spirit-led life and an Associate Tutor at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre.

Secret Agent Gals
Richard Gid Powers
Livingston Press
https://livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604893397, $21.95, PB, 420pp

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Agent-Gals-Richard-Powers/dp/1604893397

Synopsis: Who are the Secret Agent Gals, Hilla Rebay and Peggy Guggenheim? Just two beautiful real-life socialite art collectors, who later founded the Guggenheim Museum, but eventually answered the call of duty, joined the FBI, and who pretty much won World War II all by themselves.

They won the war by stealing Hitler's and Stalin's mojos and used a secret weapon brewed in St. Louis. Also, they save J. Edgar Hoover and his handsome sidekick Clyde Tolson from treasonous agents and The Pigeon who wants to take over all the Post Toasties' Junior G-Men,Clubs.

The Gals team up with many other characters, including Secret Agent X-9, Presidential Agent 103, James Bonds' father Jonquil "Junk" Bond, the Alabama Jamma of the Brooklyn Girls Roller Derby Team, the King and Queen of England and their Corgis, along with the FBI's bevy of beautiful Secret Agents to uncover a secret so awful, so terrible, it can't even be hinted at on the back cover of a book, for it is not suitable material for anyone who hasn't read Secret Agent Gals or at least bought it.

This satire of the FBI's intelligence machine during World War II (believe it or not), is in part based on historical fact: Peggy Guggenheim and Baroness Von Rebay did render intelligence on the German machine that was so infatuated with, yes, art!

Critique: Satirical fiction at its very best, "Secret Agent Gals" is deftly crafted, compulsively compelling, impressively original, laugh-out-loud funny, and an unreservedly recommended pick for community library World War II Alternate History Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists for readers with an interest in satire, and a bit of science fiction in their action/adventure historical novels that "Secret Agent Gals" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).

My Life as a Cactus
Diane Asitimbay
https://www.dianeasitimbay.com
Culturelink Press
9780975927618, $16.99, PB, 236pp

https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Cactus-Rookie-Reporter/dp/0975927612

Synopsis: With the publication of "My Life as a Cactus: Tales of a Rookie Reporter in Mexico", Diane Asitimbay presents a comic account of her misadventures and cultural clashes in Mexico.

Heartbroken, Sara quits her dead-end job in Queens and decamps in Mexico, a country where nobody ever dies, they just take long naps until the next year's Day of the Dead.

With no money and a little Spanish, she knows she's ready for her new career in a new country because of the rolls of smashed toilet paper busting out of her suitcase.

After all, how different can life in Mexico be? -- It turns out, very different!

Critique: Although a work of fiction, Diane Asitimbay's debut novel "My Life as a Cactus :Tales of a Rookie Reporter in Mexico" was inspired by her actual work as a reporter for a Mexican newspaper in Mexico City. She went to live in Mexico with no magic beans and the result was this novel based on her misadventures!

"My Life as a Cactus: Tales of a Rookie Reporter in Mexico" is a compelling, deftly crafted, and strikingly memorable story of friendship, of healing, and of self-discovery. An original and fully entertaining novel, "My Life as a Cactus" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community and academic library Contemporary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "My Life as a Cactus" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Diane Asitimbay (www.dianeasitimbay.com) has been a guest columnist and writer for numerous magazines and newspapers, and her humorous writing and cultural insights have appeared in Hispanic, Business Mexico, and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Her previous award-winning books include the non-fiction guide, What's Up, America? and a book of poetry, No Perfect People, Please! She also teaches English to international students at the University of California-San Diego.

She Calls Her Mom
Kana Wu
Bellwind Books
https://www.bellwindbooks.com
9781735767666, $8.99, PB, 108pp

https://www.amazon.com/She-Calls-Her-Mom-Kana/dp/1735767662

Synopsis: Zoey Matthew is excited to celebrate her upcoming 21st birthday and begin building the life she's always wanted. However, her dreams are shattered when her sister and brother-in-law die in a seemingly hit-and-run accident, leaving their baby, Ella, in her care.

Suddenly she has to learn how to take care of an infant and juggle her new career while grieving the loss of her sister, who had been like a mom to her after their own mother abandoned them. And losing her dad at a young age right before her mom left without a word has Zoey feeling lost and less than adequate for the job of becoming a mother to Ella.

Encountering frequent challenges, Zoey gives up her career to care for her niece and throws in the towel on ever having a love life since she believes no man will be interested in her -- a woman with a baby. Feeling alone and vulnerable, she finds hope and joy in the presence of new friends: a kind-hearted Claudia and a charming-baby whisperer, Derek.

Zoey realizes that her life can never truly be at peace until her sister's murderer is brought to justice and she finds out who is behind the mysterious weekly grocery deliveries. Will she uncover the truth and find closure, or will the disclosures shatter her world even further?

Critique: A deftly crafted novella by Kana Wu, "She Calls Her Mom" will be of particular interest to readers who enjoy compelling stories that include family dynamics, grief, love, loss, self-discovery, and navigating challenging circumstances. Solidly recommended for fans of women's friendship and single mother stories, "She Calls Her Mom" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99) and is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Kana Wu (www.kanawuauthor.com) is a bilingual author who writes her novels in English as her second language. Her debut novel, No Romance Allowed, won 1st Place in the Romance category in the 2020 TCK Publishing Readers' Choice Awards Contest. the Romance category for the 2020 TCK Publishing Readers' Choice Awards Contest. Her second novel, No Secrets Allowed, earned a 1st Place Blue Ribbon for the Chatelaine Book Awards for Romantic Fiction, a division of the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards. Fans can keep up with Kana's latest news and updates by visiting her website or following her on social media. https://www.facebook.com/kanawuauthor and https: //www.instagram.com/kanawuauthor

A Thousand Flying Things
Kathryn Brown Ramsperger
Touchwood Press
www.touchwoodpress.com
9781956851649, $16.99, PB, 308pp

https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Flying-Things-Kathryn-Ramsperger/dp/195685164X

Synopsis: An idealistic humanitarian worker with a decade of field experience arrives in 1991 Southern Sudan hoping to save the world, but will the love of a child and the return of a love from the past end up saving and healing her instead?

Qasim, charming and cosmopolitan, trying to save his homeland, Lebanon.

Dianna, brilliant and beautiful, trying to save children in Southern Sudan.

The two old flames bump into one another in Nairobi and fall in love again. But they must choose between their work and their love. Can Dianna trust Qasim? Only if she trusts herself.

In the face of cultural barriers, their commitment to family and career, and ongoing war, can they find the strength to stand up for both love and a lasting peace?

Critique: A carefully crafted and original work of literary excellence and eloquence, "A Thousand Flying Things" by the gifted and talented author Kathryn Brown Ramsperger is an extraordinary and memorable novel from cover to cover. One of those deftly written stories that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "A Thousand Flying Things" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Thousand Flying Things" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Kathryn Ramsperger (https: //kathrynbrownramsperger.com) is rooted in the Southern tradition of storytelling and is informed by her world travels. She began her career writing for The Roanoke Times, The National Geographic Society, and Kiplinger publications and later managed publications for the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, Switzerland. Writing from a global perspective, her themes are universal yet intensely personal and authentic. A graduate of Hollins University (Roanoke, Va.), Kathryn studied under several esteemed authors. She received another degree in Publications Management as a post-graduate at George Washington University. Winner of the Hollins University Fiction Award, Kathryn is also a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom literary competition.

The Persistent Road
Tim Bishop
Open Road Press
https://openroadpress.com
9798986012506, $17.99,PB, 368pp

https://www.amazon.com/Persistent-Road-Tim-Bishop/dp/B0C6W3VJRX

Synopsis: After losing all he once cherished, Doug Zimmer follows his wife's parting bread crumbs and rides up the Pacific coast -- on a bicycle. Armed with a revolver and only a vague plan to get through the months ahead, he aims to end his depression one way or the other.

As spiritual forces wrangle for his soul, he pedals eastward across America. He meets Lauren Baumgartner (a younger adventurer with a vibrant spirit) and a band of zealots who confront his aversion to religion. Accompanying Doug are not only sunny days and the beauty of nature but also the perils of the road, fellow travelers with their own stories, and the hollow silence of solitary campsites playing host to unseen creatures of the night.

A jarring episode on a climb through a treacherous pass brings Doug face-to-face with life and death. Will Doug's adventure deliver him from loneliness and lament -- or hurtle him to an abrupt end?

Critique: Original, eloquent, memorable, replete with deftly crafted characters and many an entertaining plot twist, "The Persistent Road" showcases author Tim Bishop's genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven storytelling that keeps the readers fully involved from start to finish. While highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists for fans of contemporary Christian fiction that "The Persistent Road" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Tim Bishop (https://timbishopwrites.com) has bicycled many of the roads that the fictional Doug Zimmer traveled in "The Persistent Road". And having coached people struggling with similar issues, Tim is quite familiar with his protagonist's problems. Tim and his wife, Debbie, are co-authors of the award-winning Wheels of Wisdom.

Travelers
Donald Altman
Roundfire Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803410944, $15.95, PB, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/Travelers-Novel-Donald-Altman/dp/1803410949

Synopsis: In author Donald Altman's metaphysical novel, "Travelers", we are introduced to a mysterious traveler, a sentient canine, a psychotic patient, and a grieving psychiatrist.

Psychiatrist Ben Banks can't find a way to heal from loss. But when a mystifying, miraculous and mind-bending trio arrive at the psych ward, Ben is forced to confront his deepest fears and beliefs about the nature of consciousness and reality -- even death. With his marriage, career and life hanging by a thread, he faces demons both real and imagined, all the while being transformed forever in an inspiring story of hope, healing and renewal.

Critique: An original, expertly crafted, surreal and memorable novel, "Travelers" by Donald Altman will have a special resonance with readers interest in magical realism, metaphysics, and psychology drama. While highly recommended for community library Contemporary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Travelers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Donald Altman (https://mindfulpractices.com) is a psychotherapist, international mindfulness expert, and award-winning author of over 15 books translated worldwide. Featured as an expert in The Mindfulness Movie and profiled in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project, he currently writes Psychology Today's Practical Mindfulness Blog.

The Bus Stop Series
Annmarie Topel
www.annmarietopel.com
Independently Published

Three outstanding novels comprise author Annmarie Topel's 'The Bus Stop Series':

https://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Edward-Annmarie-Topel-ebook/dp/B09S7MD35R

"My Name Is Edward" (9798985366099, $10.99 PB, $3.99 Kindle, 248pp) In a chance meeting, a powerful businesswoman named Ann and a troubled homeless man named Edward take a journey together that is as heart wrenching as it is heartwarming. While Edward battles his inner demons and struggles to stay alive on the streets, Ann relentlessly works to gain his trust and find him a home to call his own. As she fights to save the man she barely knows, she's forced to confront the wounds from her own past. Through the twists and turns of this unlikely friendship, we're taken on an emotional ride that touches the heart and opens the eyes.

https://www.amazon.com/They-Call-Him-Skinny-Stop/dp/B0BJ6SKBD4

"They Call Him Skinny" (9798985366068, $11.99 PB, $4.99 Kindle, 292pp) A young man named Jimmy searches for love and acceptance in a world that seems to do nothing but reject him. The harder he tries to find it, the further from reach it becomes. His own parents dismiss him, holding back their love and hiding the truth and the very reason why they can't give him what he deserves. A few wrong turns and bad decisions end up sending him to the streets. Throughout his journey, Jimmy battles with his conscience and struggles to discern good from evil, friends from enemies, and right from wrong. Then one day, he stumbles into a junkyard and meets a wise old man who accepts him for who he is, setting him on a new course. While the possibility of finding real love and having a promising future touch the horizon and seem within his reach, a dark secret surfaces that threatens everything.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Call-Rip-Stop/dp/B0C9S8SJSN

"You Can Call Me Rip" (9798985366020, $11.99 PB, $4.99, 304pp) Meet Rip, a crusty old widower living in a junkyard in a ramshackle house with a family of stray cats, one ancient television, a cupboard full of whiskey and a ton of regret. The pain of losing his beloved wife, Eleanor, and best friend, Charlie, along with the guilt he can't shake for being unable to save them, sends him into a place of deep depression that even a tough veteran like him struggles to manage. As Rip reaches the darkest depths of despair, he meets a special woman who attempts to show him that everyone deserves happiness. Even him.

Critique: Each of these three carefully crafted and impressively original novels will have a very special appeal for readers with an interest in Contemporary Literary Fiction. Entertaining, thought-provoking, memorable, "My Name Is Edward", "They Call Him Skinny", and "You Can Call Me Rip" are especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Annmarie Topel (https://annmarietopel.com) grew up in a turbulent environment and in her novels draws upon her childhood experiences to craft engaging stories of colorful characters. Like her own life, they are ripe with intensity from hope to loss, pain to triumph. Through her writing, she hopes to draw attention to and grow support of homeless people and animals.

Higher Education
Dr. Ashley Oliphant
Warren Publishing
www.warrenpublishing.net
9781957723471, $19.95, PB, 358pp

https://www.amazon.com/Higher-Education-Chronicles-Dumpster-Fire/dp/1957723475

Higher Education: Chronicles of a Dumpster Fire reflects the author's decades of teaching college, but assumes a fictional form to attract a wider audience that includes leisure readers interested in higher education adventures. The story returns to the fictional Clary-Smith University introduced in In Search of Jimmy Buffett: A Key West Revival, serving as a prequel to events which require no prior reader knowledge to prove absorbing.

Dr. Livie Green faces the academic years of 2010-2011 in this story, which continues to embrace the sense of ironic humor and inspections of Dr. Oliphant's prior works: "All of our student athletes have returned to the practice field, and I am certain the Clary-Smith Flying Squirrels are going to soar high again this year." One strength of Higher Education lies in its special form of delivery. From memos to academics to emails between them, the novel's changing format and interactions adds excitement and fun as events play out: "ROGER: And now we can't even choose our own britches. That was their big "aha" moment of the weekend. We should take away the faculty's power to pick their pants.

LIVIE: The hell we can't choose. I'm the program coordinator, and they pay me a stipend of $1,000 a year before taxes to have big ideas. Give me a few hours."This elevates dialogue, adds drama and interest to the story line, and creates a lively interplay between characters, political and social situations, and the college environment and its students and instructors. All these facets keep the story exciting and dramatic.

Readers (especially those familiar with the college environment) can anticipate many laugh-out-loud moments as the confrontations and ironic dilemmas play out to prompt a spate of clashes between writers from all walks of university life. The result is a romp through academia that provides not just much food for thought, but a refreshingly original approach to the academic world which considers the follies and fancies of colleagues, leaders, and professors who would either buck the system or confront its failures.

The expose in the Clary-Smith Clarion (a "covert faculty newspaper" portrayed in the novel) perhaps says it all: "Higher education is a dumpster fire, and we don't have the budget to buy extinguishers." Fiction readers and libraries catering to them will find the ironic humor and university inspections simply delightful, making Higher Education a top recommendation.

Feathers in the Sand
Anne Marie Bennett
KaleidoSoul Media
9798986050317, $10.99 PB/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Feathers-Sand-Seahaven-Sunrise-Book-ebook/dp/B09ZJBD9G1

Readers of women's fiction and literature who look for stories that represent a sense of place (Maine) and change, with flavors of mystery and romance tossed into the mix to spice the results, will relish Feathers in the Sand.

Tess Gilmore is a single mother in her forties. She is so driven to reinvent her life that she's lost touch with her son and daughter, who stand on the cusp of their own life changes as new adults and pre-teens. When the opportunity arises for her to make a move to the small Maine town of Seahaven, the sea change moves her from big-career opportunities and promises to a home life that embraces the thing that is truly important -- family.

The mystery revolves around feathers that begin to appear in strange places. Eleven-year-old daughter Eva thinks they come from angels. They hold intrigue (and also promise) as Tess begins to move in the direction of reframing her family roots and connections. Anne Marie Bennett creates a moving story filled with candid introspections, revelations, and several unexpected twists and turns.

Throughout the story, Tess is a likeable character whose changing goals and life feels realistic and compelling. Bennett takes the time to explore family relationships from different perspectives. This approach rounds out the characters and their perceptions of events and the culture around them. Accidents happen, and life holds unexpected surprises. Tess and her readers find out more about these as she and son Micah face their own special challenges.

Readers seeking a women's fiction story that is delightfully evocative and gently compelling will relish the moves Tess makes (and the discoveries that stem from her choices) in Feathers in the Sand, a novel which should be in library collections of contemporary women's fiction.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review