The Big Guy by Jason Palmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another good book by Jason Palmer! Arrive at Seamax Penitentiary, a dreaded and violent prison at your own risk. For Nick Croft, it is the location he will serve out his prison sentence. He just wants to do his time and get out, but he is a “big guy” and so he either sets himself up as a feared convict inside, r becomes a target himself for the bigger fish. One inmate is serving in solitary and blames Nick for the events that landed him there. This begins a vicious dance between the two, once seeking revenge and the other seeking his freedom.
I have read other books by this author and found them great. This book is set to a lot of internal dialogue (I mean, our characters are stuck in a prison, there are not many exciting location settings the author can choose from), which can make the reading a bit stilted at times. I think the author did a good job with the story and I found it an interesting read.


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Healing with Psychedelics: Essays and Poems on Spirituality and Transformation by Chris Becker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trauma and injuries suffered at a young age (i.e. during childhood) is not rare like some would believe, but very common. This can result in anxiety, depression, and even various addictions to treat the symptoms. The author Chris Becker helps us identify our false histories; how we effectively cover up events that caused us trauma as kids in order to create a false sense of security. Then, through a variety of essays and poems, he chronicles his own journey with psychedelic-assisted sacred-medicine therapy.
A very interesting look into an old but recently rediscovered medicine area. I heard about psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments for veterans with PTSD and how effective they were, and this book shows that the same treatment can be effectively used for other mental ills. This is not a book that is simply giving you the information about this practice, but instead it seeks to give you a more personal account in hopes that you will be able to see the benefits in “real time” as it is experienced by the author.


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Penance: A Novel by Edward Daniel Hunt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first in a new series, Penance follows Boston Homicide Detective John Gifillian in his efforts to find missing Lori Doyle. Lori witnessed a murder ten years ago at a young age and has since made a comfortable and secure life for herself and her family under a new name. Her life is not as secure as she thought and when nefarious groups seek her out, she goes missing. This is where John comes into play. He is invested in the case and is determined to find her and save her at all costs.
A gripping and titillating novel, this story is one of those rare page turners that grip you early on and where you find yourself mourning the nearing end of the book while you are anticipating the end at the same time. I found this book to be highly entertaining, from the portrayal of Lori, to Johns dogged determination.


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So Absurd It Must Be True: The collection of surreal humor, mystery, and satire by Victoria Ray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So Absurd it must be true is a collection of stories that the author Victoria Ray showcases in all their surreal, humorous, and emotionally glory. 25 stories are in this book and the writing is full of satire, dark humor, accounts of relationships that you go back and reread just to confirm what you just read. My favorite story was the mystery of Aila Moron. The little Cuban town with its mysteries and superstitions is a backdrop to a little scary adventure that some 5 kids make. The girls ageing seven years mysteriously only to suddenly vanish? Very well done in regard to the storytelling.
Some authors cannot make a good collection of short stories, they are either all too similar or too varied as to throw the reader for a loop. I felt the author was able to strike a good balance, the separate characters, locations and even theme of each story helped create a unique world where most things were so absurd, they must have been true!


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APROVED: How to get your boss to approve everything you want to do. Everything. by Jon Spoelstra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Leaning on his vast experience, Jon Spoelstra gives us a book that will help even the most reluctant boss sit and consider your ideas, if not approve them straight away. If you have had great ideas but are at a loss on how to get them approved, then you should consider this book. Jon gives you the guide and steps in how to first assess all the risks, the reasons your boss may think to use in shooting your ideas down. Then he shows you how to turn that no into a resounding yes. He gives tips in how to work with the different bosses that are out there. Scenarios that demonstrate his techniques in real time help you visualize ho it would play out and how you can get your ideas approved!
I found it very interesting. I am the type who wouldn’t even approach my boss, so this helps me think about how to go about and be certain that it would succeed.


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Boot: A Sorta Novel of Vietnam by Charles L. Templeton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is a plethora of novels about the Vietnam War out there, and none of them are quite like this one. “Boot: a sorta novel of Vietnam” is centered about George Orwell Hill (G.O. to his comrades), a young marine who learns the hard way how tough a war can be on an individual’s mind. From the moment his boots touch the ground in Vietnam, G.O. must learn to compartmentalize his morals, emotions, and his humanity in order to carry out both his mission and to survive what is to come. Weaving the bloody and dark humor only a soldier who has served can understand into this story, the author gives us a gripping insight into the mind of a soldier at the time.
My time in service came roughly 30 years after the Vietnam War was fought and I can say that much of what was described by the author, in terms of the camaraderie you develop with your fellow soldiers, or the mindset you need to put yourself in during a campaign on foreign soil in order to do your job and survive, still happens. This was a well-researched and written book that is a good starting point for anyone seeking to understand the psyche of the US Marine during that time.


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Forgiveness Falls by Kate James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alice is running her family’s Adirondack Inn when strange and mysterious things start to happen. Loud noises and screams, freak fires, and accidents and much more. She overhears a conversation that sounds like a murder confession, but she is unable to say 100% that it was real. Especially with all the strange things going on right now. At first, suspecting that someone is sabotaging their Inn, Alice enlists her brothers help but then they reluctantly begin to entertain the idea that something supernatural may be behind it all.
A mystery that bleeds over into the crime and paranormal genre, this book was interesting in that the author wove an entertaining tale. The mystery aspect was well done and even the paranormal elements were not overdone, rather well formed. I liked Alice, she was a smart character and looked out for her family and her son while not being afraid to go after something she wanted.


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The Legend of Sithalkaan by J.N. de Bedout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first on a series and we get dropped into the middle of a feudal war in ancient Japan. Against this backdrop, we are introduced to a young musketeer, Agedoru who recently converted to Catholicism, and is assigned the role of guide and protector to a group of Jesuit monks who seek to travel into the deep back country of Japan. Their true purpose is not at first known, but eventually Agedoru discerns that the Monks are in pursuit of a rare and fabled artefact. Another is after the artefact, one who will stop at nothing, no deed to evil in order to possess it.
There was plenty of mention of gore scenes throughout the book by other reviewers and I did find this to be true. However, we need to keep in mind that this Feudal time in Japan’s history was a violent time. As such, I would not recommend this to young teenagers, but maybe someone around 18+? The dialogue was a bit stilted in places, but over all the book was a good story and I do not regret reading it.


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Know Your True Self: A Simple Guide for Raising Human Consciousness by James Petrossi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The purpose of this book is to help you raise your level of consciousness, thus able to experience more peace and joy in our chaotic world. The book also attempts to help answer some of the most fundamental questions we have, such as: how did we get here, what is our purpose in life and whether there is a universal intelligence. The book also presents itself a s a simple guide that poses questions and provides some answers as well as measures for you to reflect meaningfully onto some of the questions posed. Topics such as Self-Awareness, Virtue, Will power and Acceptance are used to help further the authors point.
While the main topic may seem uninteresting, I found the unique way the author found in presenting the ideas, almost as if I was watching a slideshow rather than read a book, extremely helpful in understanding the information and kept my interest until the end. Obviously some people did not like this style, but I found it beneficial. I highly recommend this book.


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The Necessity of Finance: An Overview of the Science of Management of Wealth for an Individual, a Group, or an Organization by Anthony M. Criniti IV
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In “The necessity of Finance” the author makes the case for each individual person understanding both the definition of Finance, its evolution over the centuries and the importance in our everyday lives. Broken down into 39 chapters, there is a lot of information, definitions and inferences presented to us. The author states he wants to make finance easier to understand and bring life into a topic that seems to most as complicated and boring. I think that the author did not completely accomplish this as the book is quite long and very detailed. Some people will not be able to read this book and find Finance exciting.
One thing I did not like is that the author did not note anything about the historical impact of wealth on today’s individual and how their racial backgrounds can give them a widely different starting point in terms of generational wealth. I only saw a few grammatical errors, and other wise the material was presented well, if a bit dry.


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Life is Big by Kiki Denis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alma Jane is a curious 11-year-old living in New York who is about to die from a rare mutation. Her brother is so distraught with grief he declares war against Death and sets out to meet Albert Einstein in the UK. In this book, Death is a character who we can interact with and see how weary he is of his job. Death’s brother, O.M. was also weary and they two decide they need a vacation desperately. We are also introduced to a variety of other characters, a neuroscientist, Almas grandfather, Einstein’s mistress and many more. Towards the end of the book, we finally see what the common denominator for all the characters is and how they approach life.
This book was certainly “out there”. I was hard to read through and keep track of the many characters and follow along with how their interactions became more meaningful through the book. I did not start to become less confused until the latter portion of the book. While I am glad I stuck through the end, it was a bit too puzzling for my taste to be read again.


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How does a child diagnosed with Autism relates to the world.: An easy to understand guide for parents, therapists, and teachers. by Bozena Zawisz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are plenty of autism books out there, but what sets this one apart is that the author is the parent of an autistic child. The diagnosis of autism is not the end and this book helps a parent understand the diagnosis and how their child see the world. The book is also easily understood by younger children as there are plenty of pictures within.
I am always a bit wary about books that deal with autism as sometimes they are not well written or are full of information that is wrong. This book was recommended to me and I truly enjoyed reading it. I liked the way the information is presented, and I also think that the author knows what she is talking about. The perspective of this book, from that of the child helps me a lot in understanding how they perceive the world around them and how intimidating everyday things can be. Very good book.


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Chameleon by Nowick Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A new AI virtual reality game is out, and programmer Joe Norton is itching to take his turn in trying out the new virtual reality. The only problem? The game is as mysterious as it is insidious and armed with his rifle, with only one bullet and a boat load of bad choices, Joe must figure out the endgame and how to disengage from the game before all is lost forever. Trapped in this game as well as his dreams, Joe also struggles with discerning reality from imagination. This book is a reworked version of a previous story.
As I have not read the previous book, I can only talk about this version that I have read. The book reminded me a bit of the movie Insomnia albeit with a virtual reality twist. While the story was interesting, I found it moved along slowly at times and I was as confused as Joe on whether a situation was real or imagined.


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Into the Suffering City: A Novel of Baltimore by Bill LeFurgy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In turn of the century Baltimore, Sarah Kennecott is a young female doctor who is ahead of her time. She does not much care for the social norms she is supposed to be playing by. Powerful men do not intimidate her and her sense of justice, moral compass, and ability to help others is much more important to her. Crossing powerful men is what she does yet again when she inquires into the death of a showgirl. Fired from her job and shut out from her usual sources for information, Sarah forms a union with a young detective, Jack Harden who offers to help her investigate the murder. As they start putting together the clues they gather, they unravel a disturbing secret that will prompt someone to murder to protect the secret.
I enjoy strong and smart female leads, and I really liked Sarah. Jack was not your typical detective and he was a well-balanced complement to Sarah’s character. In this I think the book did very well. The setting was well done, and I loved the chase after clues and how the two were able to fit them together. Good Book.


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Gavin by Samuel Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in a series. We are again introduced to a young man named Gavin. In this book, he sets out to help one of his best friends, Dario who suffers from depression and anxiety (as we found out in the first book). Along with another friend, Raymond, the three try to navigate a road to recovery. When Gavin has to make a choice, between his friendship and his own personal feelings, Gavin struggles to figure out what the right thing to do would be. As the friendships get strained, the importance of honesty and openness is showcased by the avoidable situations the three find themselves in.
I liked this book, I do confess to not having read the first book, but I wasn’t lost, I think that you can go back and read the first later as the three books are written from each viewpoint of the same situations. I liked the story and was able to identify with some of what Gavin was going through.


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Forever: A Medical Thriller by Geoffrey M. Cooper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Professor Brad Parker works in a prestigious genomic engineering Lab at Harvard. He revels in the challenges of finding a cure for cancer and increasing the cells longevity. His partner, Karen Richmond approaches him when the FBI suspects that a colleague is a Chinese Spy and is selling the lab secrets to China. As Brad agrees, he is drawn into a conspiracy web of intrigue, lies and murder and along with Karen, he brings his brilliance to solving this newest problem. A race against time to prevent another murder as well as the loss of more secret knowledge.
A fast-paced thriller, full of interesting characters, this book is detailed, with both world building and medical knowledge. This helps immerse the reader into the world and the characters, although I felt like some of the medical and scientific parts went over my head. I felt Brad’s enthusiasm for the subject, but as that is not my field I felt like I lost some there. Otherwise the story was a good thrill.


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It’s Not The Score, It’s The Trip: One Man’s Journey To Building A Global Franchise by Brian O'Hara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a memoir of the authors success and endeavors in his professional life. Specifically, he is a leader within the Insurance Industry, having started, built, and expanded his Company. Coming from a large family, Mr. O’Hara learns early that in order to succeed he has to work hard, be honest with himself and others and learn to listen. We also get to read about his love to Nancy Tofanelli, which contrasts nicely to the business aspect of his life.
His open candor in writing about his childhood and how it affected him much later in life and how he handled certain situations was refreshing. Also, the portrayal of both his misses and his success in his business strategies was interesting. Too often we only hear the positives, but not what went wrong and most importantly, how the author ended up fixing it. This book, was very well done, give us a huge insight into the industry and is worth every page.


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Work-Passion-Life Balance: Finding Fulfillment Through Zones Of Efficiency by Dr. Matthew Kolinski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We always hear about maintaining our Work-Life balance, but I have never heard about how we integrate our passions into that balance. This book by author Mat Kolinski is a guide into how he was able to make his life better when he brought his passions into his daily life and he lays out how he did it. He gives examples that we can then apply to our own lives and soon enjoy our passions as well as become more productive in our jobs.
I really enjoyed the way the author presented this book, it felt like a conversation and his examples derived from his own personal life were very helpful in supporting and expanding on the tips and advice he was presenting. In all, the concept is a new one (to me) and I think it has merit in being further explored. As I enjoyed this book, I would more than likely buy another from the author.


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Origins by Mike Solyom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Century City is the backdrop of an action-packed book filled with heroes and bad guys. We get to follow along with multiple character who all are fighting for control of the city and its surrounding areas against ruthless pirates, terrorists, and criminal enterprises. The BAMF pirate hunters, Intelligence Officer Alexis
Isadora and Navy SEAL Chad Riley are among the main characters and they each play a critical role in the city. Even though this is mainly action, there is plenty of plot here and intelligent conversations and twists.
The beginning of the series, this book is a promising start to a city fighting for good. I really liked Alexis and her smart way of responding to the guys who looked down on her. And the way she was able to get out of that tight spot? Priceless! I swallowed this book up in two sittings and will be coming back for more.


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Seditious Behavior by Roland Rosado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Arthur Paulsen is an American soldier serving through the second Korean War. The Voice controls each military soldier, from their thoughts and actions to their beliefs. Having committed horrendous acts during the war, Arthur begins to believe he is slowly losing his mind as the Voice begins to attempt to control him again and entices him to commit more horrendous acts, this time against his own countrymen. As Arthur fights the control over him, he starts to awaken and realizes that his life and countless others have been pawns in a dangerous game for control of all.
Intriguing and raw, this book was full of heinous acts that a power-hungry government and the shadow agencies execute. However, this is not so futuristic and many of the governments in power today can easily be substituted for the one in this book. War, and the soldiers who fight them are often controversial and this book does not shy away from the topic.


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MA'SITTER: A Gritty New Psychological Thriller Novel of Deception and Murder by LaToya Lawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Victoria is offered a job as a caregiver for a wealthy older couple. Within those mansion walls, all of Victoria’s dreams sems to be within her grasp. Caring for Mrs. Lane is not that hard, and Victoria soon discovers that Mr. Lane is secretly plotting his wife’s demise and his behavior towards Victoria becomes more and more disturbing. When the (also wealthy) Benton family comes into play, attempting to pay Victoria to spy and provide information, events begin to spiral out of hand until the explosive ending. Will Victoria be pulled under along with the wealthy money-grubbing snobs? Or will she be able to get out of this situation before it is too late?
The book started out slow and had a gradual build of intrigue and suspense that got more intense with each clue and suspect deal. The ending was quite unexpected, and I am glad of how Victoria came out on top in the end.


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The Trail of Tears: The 19th Century Forced Migration of Native Americans by History Titans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For most of us, the Trail of Tears is just a footnote in American history, but for the Native or Indigenous Americans, it is so much more. To truly understand the occurrence and the wide-reaching aftermath of this period, a more in-depth knowledge of Native Americans is needed. This book sets out to give us just that. Broken into detailed chapters, the Author covers history from early culture to the colonization’s; the importance of the Lative American Leaders, the removal act and then the Trail of Tears and how it affected each of the tribes differently. This book is well researched, thoughtfully written and will allow you to gain a greater understanding of a horrific period of our nations history and how its aftermath is still felt today.
I think this is an important book as I only had a vague Idea about the Trail of tears and what went on then. I grew up in Germany, so I do not know how much the American History in the school’s cover. I think that this will be a great addition to our homeschool library to use for when our kids come to this topic.


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