ANGIE MANGINO
journalist | author
book reviewer
copy editor
ANGIE MANGINO
journalist | author
book reviewer
copy editor
When The Bell Rings
A Firefighter’s Journey
By Robert Gass
2025
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The unique style of this memoir draws readers in.
Arriving at Penn Station with his family for a day of Christmas shopping, dinner, and a Broadway play in midtown Manhattan, the author notices a toy fire truck with the numbers 75 on its side in a gift shop window.
Drawn by an irresistible pull of memory, he leaves his family to make an impromptu subway journey to his old firehouse in the Bronx, promising to catch back up with them at the theater. He got off the subway at the 183rd Street station.
“Across the street, weathered brick and boarded-up windows stared back. The old firehouse. Decades had passed, the vibrant red paint replaced by urban decay, but the outline was unmistakable. Engine 75. His company. And with the clarity of a siren, it all surged back.”
The first firehouse, nicknamed Animal House, was at 2283 Jerome Avenue, Bronx, until July 31, 2000, when Engine 75, Ladder 33 and Battalion 19 moved to their new and current quarters at 2175 Walton Avenue, Bronx.
The author shares firsthand intimate memories of his days at the firehouse in a collection of captivating short stories that give readers an insight into what he witnessed and experienced.
In the seventies, the Bronx was burning, plagued by a wave of arson.
It experienced a surge in crime, including not just arson, but gang violence, widespread looting, with cars stolen or damaged. Not even the firefighters’ personal cars and emergency vehicles were safe.
When The Bell Rings shows how the firefighters had to deal with all this, keeping readers interested from start to finish.
What elevates this memoir beyond a mere recollection of emergencies is his unflinching examination of the emotional toll of his 27-year career as a New York City firefighter. His stories start during his rookie days and continue through his ascent to Battalion Chief.
“At home, my wife held me a little tighter, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken fears I brought through the door after each tour. In her warmth, the chill from that room and the quiet desolation began to soften.
There was always another tour, always another call.
Perhaps this was simply the toll paid for being in the business of rescue, the hidden invoice tucked somewhere under the heroics and triumphs.”
Through his eyes, readers witness the transformation of the Bronx during some of its most turbulent decades. It’s both a historical and personal witness to the events.
“The ghosts of my firehouse days wouldn’t be silenced, not entirely. The victories, the crushing losses, the faces of the saved and the forever gone – they were etched into the fabric of who I had become. But somewhere in the act of facing them, there was a sliver of peace to be found. An acknowledgment that even within the chaos, there had been moments of grace.”
Particularly moving is the memoir's conclusion, where he reflects on his return to the old firehouse site.
“As I slowly ascended the stairs, back to the elevated platform and the ride back towards the heart of Manhattan, a strange lightness settled in my heart. It wasn’t forgetting the past, or the delusion of a burden lifted. It was the quiet knowledge that for all the gritty chaos, for all the pain and heroism my career had held, I’d walked through the flames and emerged on the other side. Scars and all, I was still standing. And in its own way, that was a victory hard-won, and one to be cherished.”
Big and Small In the Mirror
By Mary Feliciani
2025
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
A playground soccer game at school recess shows bullying in action.
The interaction between Carlo and Danny at the match reveals their different ways of handling conflict.
“Today Carlo and Danny were the team captains, so they faced each other in the middle of the field. Danny had a temper and he sometimes intimidated Carlo when they played opposite each other.”
This simple setup does an excellent job of establishing the tension that drives the story.
Later at their homes both Carlo and Danny feel small when they view their reflections in mirrors: Carlo feeling empty and vulnerable, and Danny feeling insecure as a consequence for his actions.
Using mirrors to illustrate the boys’ self-perception, the author helps young readers understand better how bullying affects both the victim and the perpetrator. Continuing the use of different mirror reflections based on their actions and self-esteem throughout the rest of the story strengthens this message.
A key moment in the story happens when Carlo sees his friend Marco's approach to handling Danny's intimidation. Rather than responding with anger or retreating in fear, Marco uses humor to defuse the situation.
When alone after the game the conversation between Carlo and Marco delivers the heart of the story.
“‘Still, it’s a good idea to not feel insulted, right?’ said Marco. ‘If we act like we don’t care, maybe Danny will stop saying hurtful things to us and other people. He is mean to a lot of boys.’
‘Yeah,’ Carlo said, then added, ‘there isn’t anything wrong with us.” There’s something going on with him—maybe he doesn’t feel good about himself.’”
This exchange offers valuable strategies for handling bullying while promoting empathy. Carlo's realization that Danny's behavior might stem from his own insecurities encourages compassion alongside self-protection.
Rose Tingyi's illustrations beautifully complement the text, enhancing the emotional tone of each scene. The visual representation of the mirror scenes particularly stands out, highlighting self-reflection.
Discussion questions about the story at the end add ways to further help those bullied by others. They open up a conversation, providing a way for adults to help children process their own experiences with bullying, and to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Fentoscience
By V.S. Sury
2025
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 3 stars
What is Fentoscience?
In the Introduction the author tells readers about Professor Bagus Baglicochus Bagdenborg, a.k.a. Jestus Jesticus Jestimedes.
“Now, what is that “fentologic” thing about the professor?
As you are well aware, nanotechnology is the latest buzzword. When a material is finely ground (reduced) to the size of nanoparticles, it exhibits new and surprising properties in that state (“nano”, is smaller than “micro”).
Well, Professor Bagdenborg drew inspiration from that and applied the principle in the field of logic. When logic is ground to even a finer state than “nano”, to that of “fento”, it transmutes into fentologic. Fentologic is thus by far superior to standard logic, thereby opening up vast vistas of knowledge.”
Forget scientific experiments and mathematics. Imagination and intuition are the keys!
“But if science—even fictitious—is not backed up by mathematics, at least it should follow logic. Right? Fortunately, logic comes in many packages: specious, persuasive, rhetorical, fanatic, political, eristic, and even defiant.
But Fentologic, developed by the beloved professor Bagdenborg, beats all types of logic hands down. I have chosen that as the medium for describing the scientific adventures of this book.”
The author builds in this book on the fantasy, fiction, and humor initially introduced in his book Jestus to travel on these scientific adventures.
Fans of that book will enjoy adventuring further with Bagdenborg.
The writing style is not for every audience.
Chapter one’s first paragraph illustrates the style.
“Professor Bagdenborg firmly believed that his research in the various fields of physics was far in advance of his contemporary scientists’ best efforts. More than that, he was afraid that if he published his works openly, it would attract the attention of some men of evil genius. (It was bound to happen sooner or later.) If diligent men with enough perseverance dug deeper into his theories – that too, was a certainty, given the ultra-inquisitive nature of some men – they would discover new ways of releasing sub-Planck spatial energies that were uncontrollable, that were a billion-billion times more powerful than man on Earth has ever witnessed. The fools (they would rush where angels fear to tread) would arrogantly believe they could control that immeasurable energy. The truth was that even the most sophisticated, elaborately controlled experiments would be totally ineffective in the face of the mighty release of that super energy. It would be like triggering a mini Big Bang. That would be goodbye to the Earth, which would shatter into billions and billions of pieces doomed to wander forlornly forever in the bowels of interstellar space. Ten thousand years of painstakingly built civilization and the more infinitely patiently built planet Earth, by Nature, would vanish forever in one foolish second.”
To fully appreciate the story requires an audience with a familiarity with science and its methods, as well as the ability to go beyond them.
The Maiden’s Sleep
By Michael J. Stiehl
2025
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
“I hate kids, and yet there are two in the pile of sticks and mud I call home.
‘Please help us,’ says the girl with hair the color of flax seeds.”
The author immediately draws readers into the action with this beginning.
The man known as Bow finds himself listening to them, deciding if their offer for him to find their father Aston Ozker is something he should accept to do.
His own daughter, known as Knife, died from a plague called the Maiden’s Sleep, making him lose his own will to live.
“She fumbles in the pocket of her enormous frock coat and pulls out a small leather bag. With a lackadaisical flick, she plops it on the ground just out of my reach. It spills open, and a sea of worn copper pieces sluices across the ground. It’s a paltry, laughable sum and more money than I’ve seen in months.”
Bow had no inkling of what he was getting into.
Fast paced action brings readers along effortlessly after he makes the decision to help them.
This fantasy novella is a good read. Readers find a believably constructed world with a strong plot built around alchemy that contains well-defined characters.
Yet what impressed the most was the underlying emotions so skillfully shared to give it a deeper level that made the experience compelling.
Camel from Kyzylkum: A Memoir of My Life Journey
By Lara Gelya
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The author begins the story of her life journey from Kyzylkum to Florida with
“I WAS BORN IN UKRAINE and went to school there. But I spent twenty years of my life in the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan— from 1968 to 1988. I was working as a geophysicist at geological expeditions and geological sites for the exploration and excavation of uranium and gold.”
She goes on to tell in a detailed narrative the events from Ukraine to the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan; later from the Soviet Union to Austria; then Italy; and eventually into the United States; first in Buffalo, New York; then Valencia Lakes, Florida.
Reading all these facts told by the author takes time for the reader, but although more showing would have made it easier for the reader to experience, learning all that happened adds to the impact of the events.
As she shares the events and her feelings during them, included pictures highlight the story she tells of immigrating from Russia to the United States giving readers more understanding.
“I LANDED IN NEW YORK CITY, at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, on the morning of March 15, 1990. A representative of HIAS met me and some other Soviet refugees who were on my flight. He gave me a ticket for the flight to Buffalo, New York, and showed me where to wait for the flight. A Jewish organization in Buffalo had agreed to be my sponsor. By that time, my cousin Rimma, with her husband Yury and little daughter Elina, were already in Buffalo. They had arrived a few months before me.”
The journey was not an easy one. Telling her story from childhood to being a grandmother, she shares it all with readers. Leaving all she knew, seeking an uncharted freedom with many hardships along the way, her determination was, and is, her strength.
“As a camel from Kyzylkum, I plan to keep going through my life journey, swaying like a ship on the waves of time— the high temperature of life’s hardships and troubles makes me stronger.”
Helvetica Light is an easy-to-read font, with tall and narrow letters, that works well on almost every site.
The 5 Moons of Tiiana
By PT Harry
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The very first paragraph does much to bring readers into the setting.
We see Rez Cantor’s home in Corin and feel his sense of helplessness.
“It was overcast, the sky dark with a cold drizzle, melancholic clouds hanging low over the city. I stood looking out the window of my flat, caught up in my thoughts as I rested from my fencing workout. The view was monochromatic and depressing for several reasons. First, it was sorely cold. The winter storm that had swept down from the north had brought an icy chill to Corin, peppering my window with a mixture of rain and slush. Its bleakness made me shiver and yearn for warmer days and the bright, gay lights that normally winked on at this hour. It was odd not to see my home’s usual collage of color—the rainbow hues that painted the evening skyline. The lack of their sight was disheartening, depressing me further, for I realized the lights were dim for good reason—that my home was withering under a cold, failed sun, and there was nothing I could do about it.”
His sense of duty prompts him to go beyond helplessness to step up to the given challenge.
First, he must survive if he is to make a difference. His mission is to rescue the princess. In the process, he fights against the unknown to save her by finding the answers needed to prevent the destruction of the five moons of Tiiana.
The author tells the story well, but the tendency to have paragraphs with the word “I” too many times throughout the story tends to pull readers out of full immersion in the story. The book would be more powerful with stronger rewording of those sections which would greatly improve the pace.
“I stood out like a sore thumb. I was out of uniform, dirty, filthy, and sweating—a complete wreck. And I needed a way to arm myself without drawing unnecessary attention. I removed my sword and pulled my shirt from my belt, draping it over my hips. Underneath this covering, I hid my knife and the nitro blaster; the auto-lock was too big. I put everything back into the closet for my return. I then headed upstairs and quickly found myself surrounded by Imperial uniforms. Everyone was filing into the rotunda for the ceremony. I bucked the flow of bodies and pressed forward, searching for a face I recognized. I wasn’t having much luck.”
The dialogue and descriptive paragraphs, however, engage readers much better than just the telling.
“...It was then that Kensey, one of my men, spotted me.
‘Captain!’ he yelled, moving toward me, a look of disbelief on his face. ‘Captain, you’re out of uniform.’ He then realized his lack of protocol and saluted me. ‘Sir, sorry, Sir. We just heard about the Princess. I’m sorry.’
I returned his salute, then pushed him back against the wall. I whispered to him, ‘Where are the men?’
‘They’re waiting for you back at the deck. You weren’t there so they sent me to look for you. Captain… What’s going on?’
‘Listen, Kensey. Get the section—bring everyone here. We need to find a pilot.’
‘A pilot? Why?’
‘Go! Do it—that’s an order!’
Kensey saluted. ‘Yes, Sir.’ He then disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone.”
The photos add to the story, helping to ground readers better in the setting.
Overall, this is an interesting journey to embark upon for science fiction fans who will enjoy this intricate story.
Crypto and Bitcoin: A Millionaire Mindset for Opportunity
By Mike Duniec
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
What do you know about digital currency?
Does the mere mention of it cause you to shake your head in confusion?
The author strives to give readers the history and background to dispel the mystery.
“In this comprehensive exploration of the digital currency revolution, we embark on a journey through the intricate world of cryptocurrencies. From the genesis of Bitcoin to the myriad of crypto assets that have followed, this book delves into the technological innovation that has challenged traditional financial systems and sparked a global conversation about the future of money. Each chapter is a deep dive into the key moments and critical developments that have shaped the cryptocurrency landscape.”
The author begins a dialogue with readers to share the history as well as giving things to consider for the future of cryptocurrency.
Readers meet Roger who becomes the narrator as a human connection to the digital world.
“Roger sat in his apartment sipping on the piping hot coffee he had made. He asked himself what a morning would be without a coffee, then reclined on the couch to enjoy the pleasant weather. Since it was Sunday, he didn't have much work to do and had decided not to turn on his laptop until the next day. As he sipped the coffee, he remembered that the price of the coffee had almost doubled since he last bought it due to inflation. If the central bank continued minting U.S. Dollars and expanding the money supply, depreciating it in the process, inflation would never stop. His gaze settled on the bookcase that had been a part of his life for more than ten years, and he thought that if only cryptocurrencies had been incorporated into the system, the problem of inflation might have been mitigated since the bitcoin system, unlike traditional banking and payment systems, is based on decentralized trust. (Antonopoulos, A. (2017). Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain. Chapter 1. https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook/blob/develop/ch01.asciidoc)
This unique approach helps to generate a better connection between readers and author to attempt to address their concerns.
“The volatility of cryptocurrency is both a lure for investors and a warning for the cautious, making it a fascinating study of market dynamics.”
Yet the jargon of it puts off many. To remedy that for readers interested in taking a deeper dive in understanding cryptocurrency the author provided a Glossary at the end of the book.
This Silver Medal Winner in Finance - 2024 Global Book Awards accomplishes its goal.
Malooca and the Look of Love
By Mary White Hirsen
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Just eighteen pages broken into nine short chapters makes this book enticing.
It holds so many important lessons shown, not preached, in lyrical rhyming lines.
Its brevity holds its strength.
Illustrations by Callah Barnes enhance the words.
“Malooca Blutz was born in Coolville, but it must have been a mistake;
That’s what the junior high kids said, and it made her heart just break.”
Different from her classmates, Malooca navigates sixth grade.
Sometimes teased by them, while other times just ignored, she found her way by finding what she loved to do. She loved to draw, paint, and imagine. With Art class the last one of the day, she held onto the anticipation of that time to get through the rest of the school day.
In Art class her spirituality and creativity eventually found an appropriate outlet.
Deciding on her entry in an upcoming Valentine’s Day Art contest on the theme of “The Look of Love” at first frustrates her.
“Malooca pondered so fully, but she was almost down to the wire.
She hadn’t come up with one good idea. And her time was about to expire.”
She perseveres, though, learning along the way.
The events at and after the contest at the conclusion are inspiring.
It’s easy to see why this book was a finalist in the Literary Global Children's Book Awards Inspirational category.
Shattered
By Jenell M. Jones M.ED.
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
“I am Jenell Jones, the creator of my strong, inclusive, African American, and Christian home. I have a huge family, and everyone in my family—whether I birthed them physically or not—is wanted, needed, and cared for. I am willing to sacrifice anything for my family, and I strongly believe that raising children is what God has empowered me to do.”
With these words the author introduces herself to us. They will remain relevant throughout this heartful story. Continuing in the introduction, she describes her story better than any summary I could write.
“This story is about my journey as an adoptive parent to Mercy, my second adoptive child, and how she became an intricate part of our family dynamics. This story is about the changes and challenges her presence and, most recently, her absence have brought to our home. This story is about the dysfunction within the adoption system and how laws and health care have changed our lives forever. It is a story that is raw and filled with emotional, disturbing, and traumatic experiences. It is a true story, written from a firsthand account and experience.”
Getting to know Mercy is a captivating story.
We see her now, learn of her past, and we become caught up in how her story develops. We experience joyful moments along with traumatic ones. With her mother we get angry at a system that hurts Mercy instead of helping her through not only their treatment of her, but also their impact on the entire family from the withholding of pertinent information.
The author writes from her heart.
Her intense love is evident as she fights for Mercy, while challenged with the need to balance protecting the rest of her family at the same time. Most times it becomes an all-consuming battle.
As to the author’s writing style, it is one of telling the story. Developing it more into showing the story would have carried even more impact. That said, it is still a story that needs telling. If readers look at it as a conversation rather than a literary piece, it will capture the heart.
Night Sirens
By Stefan Vucak
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In chapter one readers meet Frank Hram as he steps onto the crowded sidewalk.
“Endless rivers of people, and streets were arteries that channeled the never-ending streams. Blank faces, tired faces, animated faces, an anonymous tide ebbing out of the city. Tomorrow morning the flood would carry in those same faces. A treadmill stuck on fast with no off button.”
Frank defies living as they do by having a two-bedroom apartment in the building that houses his business. He walks alongside the people to the Emporium Hotel Blink’s Bar, his favorite spot for a drink.
“Make it a double.” Frank cast a quick glance at the mixed clientele. Easy to be picked up here by either sex, knowing from personal experience, but he wasn’t hunting this evening, and would not need to for a while yet. He simply wanted a drink with bodies around him.”
This vague reference to hunting is the first clue there’s more to Frank than the normal guy introduced.
After a newfound acquaintance named Dan that leaves with an enticing woman, Frank shares more of himself with readers.
“It takes maturity, training, and a lifetime of experience to recognize a feeder, provided one chose to be recognized. There were little mannerisms a feeder can adopt to prevent recognition, and Frank used them all. This woman flaunted her desire.”
Throughout the rest of the chapter Frank reveals more of himself.
Enter Nadala Robinson in chapter two which introduces both her background and new opportunity.
She received an email from Deputy Commissioner Neville Trusk, Australian Federal Police offering her a transfer to Taskforce Crimson. Her interview would be with Inspector Kurt Porter at the Spencer Street Police Center. The change of pace from routine detective work appealed to her, so Nadala reported to Porter.
“‘Welcome to Taskforce Crimson, Detective,’ Porter told her in an even voice devoid of emotion. ‘You signed a nondisclosure confidentiality agreement … Our existence is not secret, but what we actually do definitely is, covered by the Crimes Act 1914. Everybody knows we deal with organized international crime and its impact on Australian commerce, and we promote that image. … From this moment on, you will not refer to or discuss any aspect of your activities with anyone.’”
The story develops into one of feeders, Covenant Keepers, and Taskforce Crimson. It expands both psychologically and emotionally beyond the story, with Frank and Nadala key players in it. The pace of the action proceeds a bit slowly with the added insights and romance, but this adds much to its impact and strength. The characters being relatable keeps the story moving forward well, allowing the concept of energy feeders to become believable right through to the satisfying conclusion.
The Dish Dog
By Peter Davidson
2024
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In Chapter One, Harley Ross, a busboy at Dominique's of New York receives this notice.
“Dear Mr. Ross,
ALERT: We recommend that you buy McClintok Mining (MCMG) common stock within two days of receiving this investment letter. Sell your shares when the price makes a significant price increase, expected within four days of your receiving this letter.
Mail your $5,000 fee to Emerald Investment Strategies, P.O. Box 1497, United States Postal Service, 185 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002.
Remember, if you do not submit your fee within two days, you will not receive another investment letter.
Happy Investing.
And remember, Loose Lips Sink Ships.”
The thirty-one-year-old man sends his check.
In Chapter Two an unnamed man goes to Box 1497, discreetly takes the envelopes, and proceeds to the library on Houston Street.
“He found a table in the back of the library where nobody was seated within twenty feet of him. He pulled the envelopes from his pocket, all addressed to Emerald Investment Strategies. He put a pair of cloth gloves on his hands and withdrew a small penknife from his jacket pocket. He sliced open the envelopes; there were eleven of them and each contained a check for $5,000. He methodically checked off the names of the payors on his checklist. Everyone had paid.”
The subsequent chapter introduces Dr. Kimberly King, known as K.K. by her preference.
Further into the book readers follow her path into the FBI, to her assignment of this case, and throughout her investigation.
Insider trading involves access to confidential information that gives an illegal advantage when trading stocks.
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How is Emerald Investment Strategies getting the information for their newsletters?
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Who are the eleven sending them $5000 each to have this advantage?
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How will K.K. investigate?
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Will she be able to root out Emerald Investment Strategies and put an end to the insider trading scheme?
The author created relatable characters with enough mystery involved to keep the well told story moving along at a nice pace.
The dialogue realistically furthers the narrative.
The clues are there for the reader with a satisfying twist at the ending.
Shout the Battle Cry of Freedom
By K.M. Breakey
2023
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Shout the Battle Cry of Freedom
By K.M. Breakey
2023
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
This reviewer feels it important to first share the author’s statements at the end about this book before the review itself.
The concern is that some readers may misconstrue the message of this work of fiction as a depiction of the majority of Americans and as a call to violence before getting to the end, if at all, to read the note.
In the note to the reader at the end the author writes:
“When you write reality-based fiction you’re taking a gamble – cause reality takes discontinuous jumps.”
“I do not advocate violence. I never set out to write a book about insurrection, I simply went where the characters took me. You might call this novel a cautionary tale. An alternate future to spur discussion and debate.”
The Canadian author shares this description about this fiction built on the news on his website. http://www.kmbreakey.com/
“My latest novel, Shout the Battle Cry of Freedom, takes readers on an inside tour of America’s decline – COVID insanity, violent crime, open borders, descending Dystopia. However, a new leader emerges – a patriot who’s ready to die fighting for freedom. Is it too late to save the once-mighty nation?”
At the beginning of the novel readers meet Thomas Baker.
If the idea of an All-American millennial boy from the South, first a quarterback, then a member of Congress aligned with former President Trump until he believes Trump didn’t go far enough appeals, readers will relate to him.
If the idea that the problems in America don’t fall into the conspiracy theories held by Thomas Baker, he will anger readers.
That’s the gamble since the main character will come across as either a hero or a traitor.
The story goes on with the introduction of other characters, full of a rehash of media news and conspiracy to support a sharp divide in America.
What part in the divide does the media and politicians propel by using the fear and uncertainty people feel to inflame the division?
It took a while for the real story to get underway, but when readers continue, the action picks up the pace. The author’s use of dialogue realistically brings the characters to life. Readers become invested in following what drives Tom Baker whether agreeing with him or not.
To the protagonist Tom Baker the American Dream is no more. To get it back he goes to extremes, willing to die and to kill to do so.
Is this the answer for America? Or is this a warning?
Readers who are objective enough to read with an open mind, and willing to differentiate between fact and opinion, will understand better what’s at risk.
Nine North
By Art Smukler
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Nine North
By Art Smukler
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
“Two years and one day after Nelson Bennett died, he rose from the dead.”
What a powerful way to immerse readers into the story!
The author goes on to introduce Jake.
“… ‘Nelson!’ Jake yelled. ‘Nelson!’ The man was about fifty feet away – close enough for Jake to clearly make out his features; far enough to provoke enough doubt to make Jake wonder if he was hallucinating. There was no way Jake could ever forget or mistake Nelson’s face. It was the face of his older brother, his only brother and only sibling.
The man turned, stared straight at Jake, his blue eyes locking onto Jake’s blue eyes. Abruptly, he glanced over his shoulder, a startled look transforming his gaunt, clean-shaven face, and he placed his index finger in front of his lips. Then he pivoted, and like a snowflake landing on a hot windshield, melted away.”
As readers learn of Jake Bennett’s life in the present with insights into his brother, Jake’s writing aspirations, his job as a waiter, and his tangled relationship with Gina Carton, the story engages them.
They next meet Dr. Todd Horowitz, senior psychiatric resident at New County Medical Center. Learning some of his back story and relationship with his fiancé Tanya Roth, efficiently develops the setting for the intersection of their lives beginning with Jake’s confinement in Nine North.
An intriguing faster pace rapidly develops with intrigue and danger that navigates psychiatry in action, the Hassidic Judaism community, and the financial world seamlessly.
The dialogue is authentic, with characters both believable and endearing, which makes it easy for readers to care about them throughout the story to its satisfying conclusion. The last chapter further rewards readers with a glimpse into the lives of the four protagonists seven years later.
Nine North is a book that will stay with readers after their enjoyable journey with it.
Lawn Darts & Lemonade
By Steven Manchester
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Lawn Darts & Lemonade
By Steven Manchester
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In this sequel to Bread Bags and Bullies, which was set during school winter break of 1984 during a late Nor’easter in New England, readers will again enjoy the antics of the three brothers now during the summer of 1984.
The author shares why he wrote this follow-up novel.
“In twenty-five years of writing fiction, I’ve never written a sequel—until now. At my core, I am a storyteller, and there are times when a story requires a bit more real estate than a single novel. Lawn Darts & Lemonade is one of those stories.
With many more lessons to learn—and fears to overcome—Wally, Herbie, and Cockroach step into the unforgettable summer of 1984.
Within each comical passage and every heartfelt scene, Lawn Darts & Lemonade is a tribute to my greatest heroes—my mother and father—who believed it was their job to raise me and my siblings. Thankfully, they took their job very seriously and worked hard at it.
My siblings and I are eternally grateful to them both.
Enjoy the stroll down memory lane,”
~Steve Manchester
Chapter one begins in the present day with the now grown men grieving the death of their father. As a close-knit family with their mother, they celebrate the man’s life through the sharing of their family memories.
“‘To be loved this much by so many people…’ I paused to compose myself. ‘…now that’s what I call a successful life.’ I’d been reduced to an eight-year-old again, feeling lost—even orphaned. Losing my dad was wreaking havoc on my inner child, making me feel panicked. Failing miserably at concealing this, I raised my glass and was immediately joined by my mom, my wife and children, my siblings, nieces, and nephews: the family my mother and father had created.
I pictured my dad’s smiling face. ‘I did this,’ Pop used to say, referring to our family. As a dad myself, I now understood the incredible pride that the old man carried with him. Family is the whole shebang, he’d say. Everything else is a distant second.’”
It’s May 1984 in chapter two, beginning the story of that summer. As readers engulf themselves in much simpler times, getting to step back in time to relive the summer with the boys.
“It was the last day of school, Friday, May 25, 1984. Winter had melted into spring and, although most days felt like they went on forever, spring was finally giving way to summer. The black rubber boots, lined with bread bags, had long been tossed into the closet, along with our green snorkel coats.”
The well-done dialogue allows listening in on the boys. Realistic descriptions recreate their experiences evoking the sights of them dodging lawn darts in the back yard and summer excursions in the neighborhood to the taste of watered-down Country Time lemonade mix, the “healthier” drink from their Kool-Aid during the rest of the year.
The author, as he has done before, has a writing style that brings the boys’ adventures alive, told from the perspective of a father now with sons of his own.
While it’s a wonderful continuation of their story, the author shows his talent as a storyteller in making this an enticing stand-alone novel on its own. Readers new to the story will have an enjoyable read that will be satisfying, but this reviewer anticipates they will want to go back to the original story, too.
28th Amendment
By Stefan Vucak
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
28th Amendment
By Stefan Vucak
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
“‘Talk to me, XO,’ Captain Vasily Bandera growled, his steely eyes fixed on the radar masts of the Chinese Type 052D Luyang III guided-missile destroyer and its heavier Type 055 Renhai-class consort heaving themselves over the horizon, bearing down on him on a reciprocal course.”
With this start thrusting readers into the action on the South China Sea, the stage is set for the struggle between China and the United States. China President Zhou Yedong and U.S. President Samuel Walters are set firm against each other.
“According to White House statements, the 7th Fleet continues to exercise its right of free passage through these waters, daring China to do something about it.
The Chinese president had done something about it by sending hundreds of armed trawlers, part of China’s Maritime Militia, to fish in Exclusive Economic Zones of all South China Sea countries in blatant disregard of numerous protests.”
Will this lead to war?
President Walters takes a stand on this, as well as introducing the 28th Constitutional Amendment to set Congressional term limits. With the proposed Amendment elections for all of Congress will coincide with the four-year election of president. Rather than constant campaigning, the Congress will have to act for the benefit of the citizens.
Additionally, Walters urges the Supreme Court to reverse its 2010 decision to restrict the influence of Big Money and Super PACs in the nation’s political process and to stop kickbacks overseas he wanted the Justice Department to unbendingly implement the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Will the secretive Omicron Group succeed in the assassination of this president who is challenging their comfortable status quo?
This political novel brings readers into the underbelly of corporate and political greed, international economic and military conflicts, and assassins, keeping them intrigued along the way to the satisfying conclusion.
Crossing the Lines
Stories by Tony Press
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Crossing the Lines
Stories by Tony Press
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Readers get to enjoy this collection of thirty-three stories published in Boston Literary Magazine, SFWP Quarterly, Toasted Cheese, and twenty other publications. Different titles and different versions were in some of their appearances, but the heart of the stories remain. Length of each story varies, using just the right number of words to convey its message.
“After the Whistle,” the shortest, is only three paragraphs, but the impact will stay a long time.
“Quickly he was the sole missing worker, and then he was found.”
“At Last,” the longest, needed eleven pages to fully experience the storm while driving back from Spring Green to Madison, the stop at Barneveld, until his return to the road. Much is told in his reflections, with even more told through his interactions at Barneveld.
“He’d only gone to Spring Green and the Frank Lloyd Wright thing to please his mother. She’d made him promise that if he got within 100 miles of it, he must go, for her. Among the many mysteries that made up his mom, her fascination for Wright and his designs was high on the list. She otherwise had no interest in architecture, worked as a beautician, and lived in a nondescript Fresno home. But she had asked, and he had gone.”
The size of the rest of the stories varies between these two, with the order of the works chosen to give a balanced picture of the events. Dialogue is realistic, adding to a sense of being there with genuine people.
Readers will enjoy this journey, experiencing different people, events, and experiences that will stay with them after crossing the lines. Through the author’s compassionate view of humanity, in our differences we discover our sameness.
Identity Crisis
By T K Kanwar
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Identity Crisis
By T K Kanwar
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In the Prologue Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov’s letter immerses readers into where this book is headed. Readers who jump ahead immediately to Chapter One without reading will miss a key thought to consider in their reading.
Chapter One begins in Toronto on August 18, 2025, where readers meet Sam Dhillon at the High Park subway station.
“The Toronto Transit Commission had struggled to keep up with the city’s explosive population growth for decades, but in recent years things had gotten much worse. Air-conditioning was non-existent and the crowding during morning rush hour was so bad that he would usually have to wait for two full trains to pass before he could squeeze on board. How long before they bring out those big sticks to push people inside?”
Chapter Two goes back to October 24, 1992, when Sam felt connected to his city leading into Chapter Three when readers meet Jennifer Moore, a 19-year-old Freshman at New York University in New York City on September 17, 2018. The background of the two main characters is now set up well for readers to rejoin Sam in Chapter Four in 2025. Later readers will rejoin Jennifer.
The author established these transitions excellently. Readers will seamlessly follow the story, anxious to know more about both of them when reading. Racial and cultural issues blend into the fabric of both of their experiences and readers have much to ponder keeping open to the ideas presented.
Both Sam and Jennifer are believable characters that readers will care about. Excellent dialogue enhances the story with a plot that will have readers involved in the happenings in their lives.
After the story concludes a return to the prologue for a rereading of Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov’s letter seems appropriate, bringing the story full circle. The author gave readers much to consider in the subset of this compelling story set in Canada and the United States.
FX 26
By Steven Vucak
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
FX 26
By Steven Vucak
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
At the beginning readers meet Ogdan Kostan.
“A former Air Force major, he had what other men called command presence. With his tall, trim frame, he dominated everybody around him, expecting deference and usually getting it. He did not have to work at it. That’s how he was: driven, ambitious, and ruthless. Only the survivors ruled. The rest followed in his jet wash. During his abridged career as an advanced fighter test pilot, they’d taught him well how to survive… at every level. To him, a customer was simply a bag of money, and a competitor someone to destroy because they took money he felt rightfully belonged to him. …He held high hopes for his F/ X-26 Wasp sixth generation fighter concept prototype.”
His ambition brings readers into the inner world of his civilian aviation business Rebus Aviation, and his interactions with the Air Force, the US Department of Defense at the Pentagon, the Secretary of State, and the US Congress, as week as with his employees and competition.
The cutthroat industry, with sabotage, bribes, disloyalty, and fierce competition, governs the initial chapters, making getting to know or like Ogdan Kostan difficult. This complicated world of his at first provides readers only a one-sided look at the man.
For readers interested in the process to produce such a prototype, they will find the details.
For readers interested in sabotage and competition, they will have their appetite satisfied.
For readers interested in the government workings to attain fighter planes, they will find an inside look.
For readers more interested in people, rather than specifications, antagonism, or politics, the beginning is a bit slow moving, but some patient reading further into the book will provide what they seek. They will get to know more of the enigma that is Ogdan Kostan, along with the people in his work and private life.
Dad: A Novel
By Steven Manchester
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Dad: A Novel
By Steven Manchester
2022
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Chapter one introduces readers to Oliver Earle.
“How in the hell did I ever end up here? Oliver wondered for the umpteenth time. Recently, it had become his pathetic mantra.”
Readers meet his son Jonah after he picks him up from school.
“On the way home, Jonah asked, ‘Dad, were you all freaked out because you were a few minutes late?”
Oliver looked in the rearview mirror and offered a partial shrug.
The little guy chuckled. ‘You worry too much.’
‘I’m your dad. That’s my job,’ Oliver told him, thinking and you have no idea just how much. He looked back at his son again and grinned. But you will someday.’”
Readers learn of Oliver’s wife, Ginny, and their daughter Layla.
Chapter two begins introducing Robert Earle, Oliver’s father, completing readers’ entry into Oliver’s family dynamics.
“I woke up one morning and realized, I’m 72 years old, Robert thought. Now how in the hell did that happen? Although I’m retired, I …
‘Are you still with me, Dad?’ Ginny asked, yanking him from his daydream.”
Readers see Jonah’s perspective as a first-year college student in chapter three.
“How in the hell am I supposed to know where to go from here, Jonah wondered, if I have no idea where I am?”
The author’s use of similar type musings in the first three chapters is an excellent interconnection of the three men: father, son, and grandson.
Readers connect to the three quickly, drawn into their similarities while alert to their differences.
The men in this family will make you laugh, cry, and most importantly feel both the bond and the disconnect experienced by most fathers and sons.
This book grabs readers immediately, connects with them, and will be one they will not want to put down.
Broken Bloodline
By John J. Jagemann
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Broken Bloodline
By John J. Jagemann
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The story begins with readers meeting the narrator in the summer of 1969.
“My name is Pasquale (Patsy) Scallaci. I grew up in Belmont, a tough Italian neighborhood in the Bronx, one of the five boroughs comprising New York City. I lived with my grandparents, Pasquale and Natala and my father, Vincenzo, on Arthur Avenue and 187th Street, the heart of ‘Little Italy.’”
Readers follow this 18-year-old young man as he shares not only his family’s history dating back to 1893, but shares feel of the history in the nation as experienced by them. Well done transitions between the history and the events currently happening keep readers engaged without any confusion.
Interspersed references to the mafia, the police, Roosevelt High School, Fordham University, Loew’s Paradise theater, or the singer Dion’s beginnings on Belmont Avenue now copied by scores of young men holding their own singing sessions on the corner makes the depiction of this Bronx neighborhood come alive as it rings so very authentically.
Upstate New York provides Patsy with a welcome relief from the streets of the Bronx.
“I could not believe my rapture as I sat on Johnny’s porch drinking a cold one, breathing in the fresh Adirondack mountain air.”
Yet it is here where the mystery takes place that he needs to unravel to know the full story of his familial bloodline.
Readers will not be disappointed as this mystery and history interact.
Captain Arnold
By Arthur M. Doweyko
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Captain Arnold
By Arthur M. Doweyko
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
This collection of 17 stories presents to readers a variety to catch their fancy. Not limited to a central theme, each story offers a distinct stand-alone experience, one or more of which will speak to you. Here’s a taste of three of the stories.
Captain Arnold and the Zantharian Invasion, published in 2020 in ANKH Magazine, Cherry House is the first offering in the collection. A handicapped eight-year-old boy escapes ridicule with his connection to his robot nanny.
“‘That's quite alright. Accidents happen. Now, go to your bathroom. Nina will see to you and help you clean up.’
It was a mantra Arnold heard almost every day, and it invariably ended the same way. Nina, Model N for Nanny, would give him a lecture, or a wash in the tub, or both. She held his hand as they toddled out of the dining room.”
Further along readers meet Apple in “Guardian Angel,” published in 2011 in Christmas Angels.
“Applegate Bogdanski was born in the Aldershot military camp in England in 1947…. In 1951, the Bogdanskis moved to New Jersey, where Apple, as he is known to his friends, began his schooling at Saint James in Newark. …
‘Do you remember what we went over in yesterday’s Catechism lesson?’
Apple thought back, his mind suddenly blank. After a moment, his face lit up.
“Yes. It was about guardian angels, and how each of us has one to look after us.”
“And what is it they look after, exactly?”
The pointer moved a little closer.
Adam knew that the correct answer was that they looked after each child’s spiritual welfare. But today there was a different answer.
‘I think my guardian angel saved my life this morning,’ he said in a whisper.”
The collection concludes with “Five Reasons to Wonder,” a Writer’s Digest Essay Award winner in 2019 which delves into the meaning of our existence.
“The Ohio paper, The Morrisonville Times, June 11, 1891, featured a small column describing 'Gold Chain Found Inside Coal.' Mrs. S. W. Culp shoveled coal into her kitchen stove when a large lump broke and out fell a gold chain. The coal came from the Pennsylvania era, which suggested that it could have been over one hundred million years old.
Welcome to the thin line between what we know and what we don't.”
Each unique tale will challenge the reader with different characters, settings, tones, and perspectives. Some will resonate with them more strongly than others, but all will make them stop after each one to ponder the message portrayed.
The Lonely Vampire
By Ann Greyson
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The Lonely Vampire
By Ann Greyson
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The prologue gives readers the back story. It is 1578 in Gheorgheni, Romania.
“A GRAY MIST lingered over the horizon of the rural town in the Szekely Land in eastern Transylvania. The light was changing in the sky. At first glance, it was a peaceful-looking scene. But the sounds of low moaning traveling through the air evoked something else — menacing, threatening. Because these spooky sounds were not coming from the grazing sheep in the yards of the farmhouses.”
Readers meet Ileana Vladislava, a vampire, as Claymor, a werewolf, takes part in the massacre of the vampires in the area. After destroying the vampires, however, he “caught the scent of vampire in the air near the forest,’ upset that one had escaped him.
Chapter one brings readers to 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England meeting Myrna Ivester and her friend and roommate Siobhan Mulcahy, leading into the rest of the story with Ileana, that escaped vampire, today at Wightwick Hall. Lonely, but still surviving, she keeps herself hidden from Claymor while annoyed by a prying neighbor. Lorraine and Arthur Krag, the neighbors, provide the right touch of comedy as well as the tension added to Ileana’s safety with Lorraine’s snooping.
A chance encounter at the library between Ileana and Myrna has Ileana tempted to risk everything for Myrna after being alone and isolated for over 400 years.
Readers will connect with Ileana and Myrna in this fast-moving folklore horror style novel feeling their needs, fears, and search for happiness.
Knight of Light
By Deirdra Eden
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Knight of Light
By Deirdra Eden
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
As the first book of The Watchers Series, this tale begins by bringing readers into England in the year 1270.
While the publisher suggestion for the book is for those 9-12 years, this fantasy will draw in not only young readers, but those young in heart who enjoy a fairy tale that includes adventure, danger, emotional connection, a young girl’s search for self-discovery, and just the right amount of young romance and humor to balance the scary parts.
“Flames spewed in waves of red heat from the windows. Hot ash floated into the sky like smoldering snow. Screams from the children inside the burning cottage pierced the darkness.
‘We’ve got to help them!’ I shouted and covered my ears to muffle the agonizing pleas of the trapped children. Surfacing memories haunted me of the fire that killed my parents three years earlier.”
Auriella, a young orphan girl, runs into the flames to save the children, but is then repaid by a Shadow Lord, disguised as a nobleman, accusing her of being a witch. He stirs the villagers by declaring that she had survived the fire in the village that had killed her parents, and now has run into the fire and come out unburned.
“Fear surged through my body and the instinct for survival took over. I kicked up the burning rubble at my feet and showered him with hot embers. He released his grip just long enough for me to twist free. I raced toward the edge of the village, sprinting over sharp rocks and
twigs, ignoring the pain on my bare feet.
Heavy footfalls pounded behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. A group of men from the village chased after me, including the abomination who had disguised himself as a nobleman.”
Readers are immediately plunged into this story, fearful with Auriella, rooting for her success in this battle of good vs evil.
The author’s excellent descriptions and characterizations of the young girl, as well as of the other characters in the book, will hold readers throughout to a satisfying ending, while enticing them into continuing their connection with Auriella in the subsequent books of the series.
Generational Lessons from Dad
By Brian Baleno
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 3 stars
Generational Lessons from Dad
By Brian Baleno
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 3 stars
The first chapter of this personal family history begins with a cell phone ringing while the author Brian is on a business trip in Chicago.
“To this day, I cannot recall who phoned me that July morning.
I know it was either my younger brother Michael or my mother. The only recollection I have is hearing the news that my dad had a stroke and was being rushed to a hospital in Pittsburgh.”
Both he, who was 27 at the time, and his brother Michael, the second oldest, in Seneca Falls learned of the stroke by phone. The rest of the family, spanning in age from 9 to 21 years, included Steve and Kim, who were in college, and Katie and Matty who were living at home in
Pittsburg with Mom and Dad.
“The perspective of those at Baleno family home in Pittsburgh was very different. They were living at home. They experienced Dad’s stroke and subsequent seizure firsthand.”
In this chapter readers meet Tony Baleno from the perspective of his children at the time when his stroke caused the uncovering of a tumor that required brain surgery.
In subsequent chapters the author shares the family history throughout the generations, complete with old photographs to punctuate the story. The author tells the history by recounting the lives of the family members, beginning with his grandparents, to his parents’ story, to his generation, adding piece by piece the lessons they passed on. Hard work and commitment to family define this Italian American family.
“Transferring these lessons from one generation to the next, Dad has combined the core principles of work ethic, education, and discipline with values such as humility and ethics.”
This first-person account moves a bit slowly in parts due to the telling rather than showing writing style, but it has much to offer. Readers will find the author talking to them to share his family history, rather than witnessing it for themselves, but readers who spend the time to absorb all the author offers from what he has learned, will find inspiration in the telling of it. Our society, especially now, can use the reminder of aspiring to and of practicing the core principles and values the Baleno family history embodies.
Murder Comes to Madtree
By Georgann Prochaska
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Murder Comes to Madtree
By Georgann Prochaska
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
“Wedding Invitation
Lena Vincenti and Julian Mueller
Request the honor of your presence
Saturday, October 24, 2014
At 11:00 a.m.
Elizabeth Madtree’s Apple Orchard Resort
(No gifts and no dead bodies, please)”
With this begins the sixth Snoopypuss mystery by the author and Lena’s fifth marriage.
Readers of the previous five mysteries will find the familiar characters of past stories, knowing their past history and interactions adding to the enjoyment of this one.
It’s the day of the wedding at the Elizabeth Madtree Apple Orchard Resort with three people staring up with a solitary police car sitting off to the right of them.
“Julian’s and Lena’s wedding guest checked their watches and cautioned children to stop squirming. A man behind Alice said, ‘You’d think they’ve had enough practice to start the ceremony on time. They’re both in their sixties, for God’s sake. How long are they going to make us wait?’
Alice easily imagined Lena being late to heighten the intensity of her entrance, but Julian, a retired truck driver, liked a schedule. So, what was the delay?”
The ceremony gets under way as a second police car arrives. As it proceeds a third police car comes, followed by an ambulance and another police car. The couple exchange their vows. Two more police cars arrive.
After the wedding ceremony, Elizabeth the owner has solicited Alice Tricklebank’s help to return with Audrey her bloodhound to assist in the murder investigation, additionally offering rooms to Cyril, Sylvie, and Virgil at the resort. Lena, of course, wants to be part of it. From celebrating to investigating Alice and Lena are at it again!
Readers experience this adventure along with Lena and Alice. The mystery plays out with good dialogue and description, accompanied by compassion, and touches of humor.
As a stand-alone story from the rest of the series, however, new readers may not understand the dynamics of the friendship of Lena and Alice, Audrey the slobbering bloodhound, along with the Bottom Ridge posse of Sylvie and Virgil in their eighties, with ninety-year-old Cyril, Virgil’s older brother.
There are some clues from the past, such as Sylvie’s passed note to Alice after the appearance of all the police cars which included: “Hope you’re ready because this Bottom Ridge posse stand ready to sink our teeth into a good murder investigation, again.”
The story later references to them.
“Had it been just the previous Christmas that Sylvie and Virgil had been Alice’s house guest for another wedding. They had weathered her stairs and kept a protective eye on her. Alice studied Virgil. Without his vigilance, she might have died.”
Similar type clues to Lena and Alice’s friendship, and to Audrey performance in previous cases, intersperse the story, but this reviewer recommends reading prior stories to get the full character development and history to relate more closely to familiar characters and to appreciate fully the story set out here. It will make this good cozy mystery even more enjoyable.
The Menu
By Steven Manchester
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The Menu
By Steven Manchester
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Chapter one has readers meet Phinneas Michael Reed before he is born through his birth. Not the normal course in a novel, but one that sets the tone of this inspiring story.
“Through the veil of fog, the taller shadow handed the other a thin book and patted him on the shoulder. The gold embossed, burgundy cover was the approximate size of a menu…. Gently and lovingly, God wrapped his arm around Phinn’s shoulder. “This is your life. Order whatever you wish, but keep in mind—whatever you choose to taste, you have to finish,” He told Phinn before sending him into the world.”
In chapter two Phinn is just about to turn 25 when his girlfriend Tina tells him she is pregnant.
“Although the small token was hardly wrapped by a professional hand, Phinn was excited to see Tina’s face when she opened it.
After a long yawn, she peeled off the wrapping paper and stared down at the tiny pair of booties. “Oh Phinn,” Tina said, “they’re…”
He handed her a piece of paper. “This is the real gift,” he said, excitedly. “It’s a poem.” He smiled. “The first one for our child.”
“You wrote a poem?” Slowly—almost reluctantly—she accepted the paper. “Unborn Child,” she read, already choked with emotion.”
Readers journey with Phinn, with whom they easily will connect, from this start to all the events in his life: the good, the bad, the unexpected. They meet the people he meets in his life, watching him experience not only his choices, but the choices made by them. Each choice impacts not only the one making the choice, but additionally those in their lives.
The author’s note shares the purpose in the writing of this story.
“The spiritual journey is a personal one for me; I am not only a believer but a follower. That said, I did not write The Menu to recruit. I penned The Menu to connect, while also sharing my vision of “going home” and how the miracle of death should be no more feared than the blessing of birth.”
And connect is what he so superbly did! No matter one’s beliefs, readers will connect to Phinn and to all that transpires during his life. They will laugh with him and cry with him. They will most likely see something that parallels their own life in at least one thing that happens to Phinn. Phinn’s poems shared in the story beautifully bring this book to an even higher level.
This book is a gift of love from the author that readers will cherish.
Autumn Leaves
By Stefan Vucak
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Autumn Leaves
By Stefan Vucak
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Readers meet Dr. Dural Sinclair as his plane lands in Melbourne, bringing him home from tow days at “the Australian Clinical Psychology Association symposium in Sydney.” Rather than staying overnight to network in Sydney he chose to come home.
“That would have meant losing half a day by the time he got back. Anyway, he had two patients scheduled for tomorrow morning.
A more compelling reason to be home was getting Lenora’s welcoming embrace and Daniela swarming all over him …”
The story begins calmly sharing his family life and how it began. As the story progresses, however, his perfect life is struck by tragedy after tragedy that challenges him to his very core.
Readers travel his life with him through its various seasons, sometimes angry at his choices, sometimes heartbroken for his pain, but always connected with him hoping for the best. At the conclusion they stand with him at the falling of the autumn leaves.
What Stories Are You Living?
By Carol S. Pearson
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
What Stories Are You Living?
By Carol S. Pearson
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In the preface Betsy Styron of the Myers & Briggs Foundation introduces readers to Pearson and her work.
“When you read this book, and as a result take the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator® (PMAI®) instrument, you will be introduced to a variety of characters, each recognizable as someone familiar because you see the same qualities in yourself or someone with whom you are close.”
She continues with sharing the “decades-long relationship” with the author, “an expert in the field.”
The book is designed to best serve readers’ needs with its benefit obtained whether read from cover to cover or jumping around chapters to those that are currently most relevant in one’s life. This reviewer did both and found so much great information both ways.
The author shared many interesting insights.
“When we are in a confusing or beguiling situation, the mind tends to create a story, often connected to something we have seen or heard or read, but that may be dissociated from reality. … As you know, stories can be based on either fact or fiction. It is almost always helpful to determine the difference.”
“The PMAI instrument is designed to focus on the stories that you are living at any given period in your life in order to help you stay current with yourself rather than remain stuck in old self-perceptions that lock you in place and sap the energy right out of you…”
What are the top three archetypes in your life now? Idealist, Realist, Warrior, Caregiver, Seeker, Lover, Revolutionary, Creator, Magician, Sage, Ruler, or Jester?
The author includes a “free PMAI® Core Report as our gift to you, and we recommend to you take it now as you begin to read the book.”
This reviewer did as recommended, finding the assessment to be easy to take and accurate in its report of my current strongest archetypes during the present pandemic. It gave insight into how the three archetypes that are strongest in me now developed in response to the current radical changes in my life. Other archetypes that were strongest before this receded to the archetypes that are now strongest out of necessity. At a time when so much does not make sense in our society, this logical analysis was very helpful and appreciated.
The author concludes illustrating the benefits.
“Letting yourself feel the support of these twelve archetypes and all the people living them in ways that contribute to a better world can help you stay focused on knowing what is yours to do and doing it.”
Readers will benefit from the effort to discover their own personal archetypes by uncovering the stories currently playing out in their own lives.
Birthright: Poems
By Erika Dreifus
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Birthright: Poems
By Erika Dreifus
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
How do those who came before us affect our own lives? What do we inherit? What do we become from choices made with what to incorporate into our own lives? How does our spirituality, reading, and life experiences make us who we are?
Readers will find themselves relating to their own legacy reading these poems that so beautifully share the author’s life. The strongest pull of this collection is in both its variety and in its seamless flow.
Family history and connection brings one to share in the author’s birthright, making readers reflect on their own family ancestors in the process.
Biblical references make religious life come alive when seen in the totality of one’s life.
Literary references make readers see known works in a new light, connecting the written word to life experiences.
The author’s life in New York shows through with all the clarity and distinct voice of a New Yorker.
“Through the lens of one person’s experience of inheritance, the poems suggest ways in which all of us may be influenced in how we perceive and process our lives and times.”
This reviewer found these poems memorable with the skillful writing, keenly placed order, and rich open sharing of feelings to which we all can relate.
Bad Love Strikes
By Kevin L. Schewe, MD. FACRO
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Bad Love Strikes
By Kevin L. Schewe, MD. FACRO
2021
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
At the beginning readers meet Bucky Smith. It’s June 17,1942 at 10pm local time in the Nevada desert Area 51.
“On this Wednesday night in June 1942, something happened that forever changed the course of history for Indian Springs Airfield in the remote southwestern desert, altering the destiny of Second Lieutenant Jack “Bucky” Smith as well.”
The sky grew light that night followed by an earthquake like eruption only to return to darkness. In charge at the site, Bucky assessed the situation up close for his report of the incident.
“The next morning, everything began to change at Indian Springs Airfield as the reality of the alien spaceship crash began to sink in. By direct order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt the following day, June 18, 1942, this alien spacecraft crash site and its adjacent runway under construction became the nation’s highest-level designated top secret.”
At only 24, Bucky received a two-rank promotion to Captain and the president called him to the White House, asking him to become part of the White Hole Project, a military program that would use Bucky’s skills both as a pilot and as one who could keep secrets under with the threat of the atomic bomb spiraling.
It’s June 9, 1974 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in chapter four when readers meet Kevin Schafer, known as Bubble Butt (BB) and the rest of the teens who would become the Bad Love Gang. Thus begins the adventure that will intertwine the two generations in a story involving time travel and history. With the idealism of the young people intent on saving Jewish people when the opportunity to do so appears, this dark time in history that gave us the Holocaust gets a beam of light from their spirited personalities.
“In order to get the full sensory effect of traveling through time with the Bad Love Gang,” the author shares in the foreword, “I highly recommend that you download the 21-song soundtrack listed on the next page…”
While this soundtrack contains perfect period songs to complement this leap into time travel, and the concept of a soundtrack to enhance the story is appealing, this reviewer is compelled to point out that when doing that on the first read the songs took me out of the story and into my own memories of the time. To give a fair review of the story I had to read the book again without the musical distraction, but that may only be a personal prejudice, with my recommendation that readers try both to find their own preference to enjoy this story.
The Long Tail of Trauma
By Elizabeth Wilcox
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The Long Tail of Trauma
By Elizabeth Wilcox
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The prologue of this memoir begins: “This is a story of mothers. This is a story of daughters. This is a story of the trauma we carry and the trauma we tend to.”
It goes on to introduce readers to her personal story with her mother, gradually building throughout the book to her mother’s story and her grandmother’s story. The theme goes beyond the story of personal memory, to the historical events that played a key role through the generations, as well as to the impact begun by them.
In the prologue, the author explains this theme.
“It is a story buttressed by its psychological underpinnings, such as the importance of mother-child attachment and the ways in which separation and trauma can influence generations to come. It is a story of the early childhood trauma that our mothers carry, evident in my own mother’s later age as PTSD, as well as their remnants in us and in the children we bear. It is a story in which I have intentionally layered my voice with hers and with the imagined voices before us, unearthing a palimpsest of maternal history. It is what happens after the incidence of trauma has passed but its vestigial tail remains.”
Research to substantiate the author’s assessment documented in the Endnotes adds value to this highly readable and relatable story.
Readers begin in London, England in 1989 and end in Fairlee, Vermont in 2018. On the journey, however, they are transported as far back as 1904 England, as well as to Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s, before and after World War II. They witness the trauma and its aftermath in the lives of this family, and in so many other families.
It gives a new perspective to better understand the dynamics between mothers and daughters that may prove to help others in their own familial relationships. It’s additionally an interesting story readers will enjoy.
GoodReads: Best Short Stories 2019
The Collected works of Beatrice Williams, Catherine Habbie, Simon Bradley, Sandra Black, Alexis Harding, Jason Branson, Anna Halabi, Bernard Smith, Bruce Hanslow, Oliver Baer, Aiman Sabir, and Candace Lott
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
GoodReads: Best Short Stories 2019
The Collected works of Beatrice Williams, Catherine Habbie, Simon Bradley, Sandra Black, Alexis Harding, Jason Branson, Anna Halabi, Bernard Smith, Bruce Hanslow, Oliver Baer, Aiman Sabir, and Candace Lott
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Entries into their “500 words and more” annual competition in 2019 make up this assembly of short stories from the “New Authors” group at GoodReads. In it are a variety of tales that fluctuate from horror to holidays to comedy, offering something to everyone’s preferred taste.
The top three prize winning stories begin the collection with first place Beatrice Williams’ “The Monster Baby” drawing readers in with a crying baby on a train.
“The shrill loud pitched wail wafted through the entire coach and filled each compartment. In those few seconds people revisited their personal hell.”
“The Mighty Wurlitzer” by Catherine Habbie, second prize winner, tells the story of David O’Toole and a pipe organ from “an era gone by.”
“David O’Toole watched the eyes of the visitors, show emotions ranging from morbid curiosity, to that of sheer terror in a matter of seconds. He prided himself on having procured it in under 5 minutes of entry to the museum.”
Third prize winner Simon Bradley in “The Forgotten Soldier” shares a Halloween experience centered around a statue of the forgotten soldier in the village town square.
“People often wondered if they had imagined it all; the night that changed the face of the village from a dreary idyll, to what it is now, a bustling place with pizzazz.”
Readers will find that the remaining fourteen stories round out this assortment keeping them mystified or laughing, depending on the author’s method in the writing. The creative approach to the story topics will keep readers involved, happy to have taken the time to indulge in each one. Together they make for an interesting total read.
(Imagine if you will that Agatha Christie approached me this year asking me to review her new book (first published in 1920, but as if published in 2020.)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
By Agatha Christie
2020 (in recognition of the 100th anniversary of publication)
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
(Imagine if you will that Agatha Christie approached me this year asking me to review her new book (first published in 1920, but as if published in 2020.)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
By Agatha Christie
2020 (in recognition of the 100th anniversary of publication)
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The protagonist Hastings, in this first book by the author, brings readers into the mystery.
“The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as ‘The Styles Case’ has now somewhat subsided. Nevertheless, in view of the world-wide notoriety which attended it, I have been asked, both by my friend Poirot and the family themselves, to write an account of the whole story. This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensational rumours which still persist.”
The tone quickly is set in the author’s cunning wording: “intensity of interest,” “world-wide notoriety,” “sensational rumours” persisting. Already readers want to know more and are willing to meet the characters, explore the scene, anxious to get into the mysterious crime they know is going to happen.
Hastings, home from the Front on sick leave after months in a Convalescent Home, meets up with John Cavendish.
“We had a good yarn about old times, and it ended in his inviting me down to Styles to spend my leave there.”
Three days later John Cavendish meets Hastings at the Styles St. Mary train station.
“The village of Styles St. Mary was situated about two miles from the little station, and Styles Court lay a mile the other side of it. It was a still, warm day in early July. As one looked out over the flat Essex country, lying so green and peaceful under the afternoon sun, it seemed almost impossible to believe that, not so very far away, a great war was running its appointed course. I felt I had suddenly strayed into another world.”
In just four sentences the author gives a geographical and physical description, sets the time and weather, informs the war continues, and shares the emotional impact of the area for Hastings, a testament to her writing skill.
At the Cavendish country place Styles Court the circumstances of the mystery progress introducing the unique character of Hercule Poirot, a Belgium refugee and an old friend of Hastings, who is indebted to Emily Inglethorp for her hospitality to the Belgium refugees of the war.
“Poirot was an extraordinary looking little man. He was hardly more than five feet, four inches, but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible.”
After the murder, Hastings reaches out to Poirot for help in solving the crime.
Exceptional characterizations bring all parties alive for readers, clues both written and drawn assist in their quest to solve the murder along with Inspector Japp and Poirot, and the ultimate logical, but not easily early on recognized conclusion of the puzzle will leave them satisfied.
This reviewer looks forward to more mysteries of this caliber from this author, hopefully with the return of the lovable, and at times comical, character of Poirot.
Reviewer’s note: And as we know, Agatha Christie did just that!
Fearless Men, But Few
By K M Breakey
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Fearless Men, But Few
By K M Breakey
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In chapter one readers meet Eamon Clarke.
“He was born in Galway in 1985, and a fortunate wee fella he was. A decent looker with a gift for gab, and athletically inclined to boot. He comes to figure large in this tale, and now’s a good a time as any to get acquainted. … ‘cause the greatest threat in Ireland’s long history loomed, and there were gonna need ‘im, so they were.”
The author’s writing style immediately immerses readers into Ireland, hearing the lilt not only in the conversations later, but in the descriptive prose.
Chapter two, set in Dublin, Ireland in January 2011, brings us into Eamon’s life.
Chapter three set in Somalia in January 2011 introduces Yasif Mohid Rahim.
“Yasif Mohid Rahim was just eighteen, but his creased forehead gave the appearance of a thirty-something. He was world-weary, though he’d seen little of the world. Mogadishu was the farthest he’d been from his native Dhahar in Somalia’s Puntland region, and he’d only just arrived.”
To the author’s credit, the writing style takes readers out of Ireland into Dhahar when meeting Yasif.
Throughout this thought-provoking and fast-moving 64 chapters of story readers follow along from Mogadishu in July 2011 to Ireland in December 2019, from the point of view of Eamon and Yasif alternately. Immigration and nationalism figure prominently in the lives of both men as their homelands struggle, with despair rearing its head for both of them as they fight to survive and thrive. The well-done characterizations make them come alive on the page as the dialogue puts readers right into the heat of the circumstances of their lives.
Memoirs of the Senator’s Wife
By S. M. Ford
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Memoirs of the Senator’s Wife
By S. M. Ford
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In a prologue in 1921 Tulsa Oklahoma readers meet Michelle Renee Lachapell, not quite knowing its immediate connection to the story which later will become relevant. Chapter one is set in 1940 Texas where Estella’s childhood comes into view.
“Two decades later, a frustrated mother was shouting at her young daughter to clean up for supper.
‘Estellaaaaaa, get out of the sun! You look like a field hand and your hair is a mess!’”
Estella’s mother had big dreams for her daughter that did not seem possible for this poor family at the time.
This story ambitiously tackles the intermingling of the relationship between men and women, their strengths, their sexuality, their betrayals. Set in a historical backdrop of the society and politics of the time from this beginning to Estella’s present life as wife to a senator, poverty, racism, and ambition enter in to further expand the story.
Add in a Secret Service agent protecting her husband who develops a connection with Estella and the plot develops.
Readers will find a quick read right up to the conclusion that will at times cause them to pause to absorb the bigger issues presented.
The Third Daughter
By Talia Carner
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The Third Daughter
By Talia Carner
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
It’s 1889 in Russia.
“Blood pounded in Batya’s temples with the effort of pushing the cart. On the rutted road, the mud-crusted wooden wheels clanked with each turn, and the axles screeched in protest of the heavy load.”
With her mother, father, and younger sister 14-year-old Batya set out to who knows where, Jews driven out of their home in Russia.
Real events in a tragic history inspired the author to share the fictional story of one woman. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century over 150,000 women were lured from Eastern Europe into unknown to them prostitution in South America.
Batya’s family looked to the distinguished Reb Moskowitz as a way to a better life for her. Instead he led her into a hell that was unimaginable to any of them.
The author masterfully pulls readers into the story and keeps them there throughout this heartfelt read until the conclusion. As a bonus at the end there is a glossary, historical background of the book, and a Reading Group guide to further enhance the fictional story with the historical facts.
Bread Bags and Bullies
By Steven Manchester
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Bread Bags and Bullies
By Steven Manchester
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Chapter one begins in the present day.
“So many channels and not a thing to watch, I thought, my thumb clicking away on the sleek remote control. Back in my day, we only had three TV stations and those were always … I chuckled. ‘Wow, when did I actually become my father?’”
As his mind “flashed back to a simpler time … the 1980s” he is torn from his daydream with the scream “Stop it, you’re hurting me!”
“…My two boys - Dylan and Alex - had just started their winter break from school and were already at each other’s throats.”
Chapter two now transports readers into the story of 12-year-old Herbie, with his brothers Wally and Cockroach (given name Alphonse) during their school winter break of 1984 during a late Nor’easter in New England.
Readers instantly will relate to Herbie and anxiously follow the antics he and his brothers initiate during this cold winter recess from school. Each new day of the break brings readers deeper into their lives as well as transforming readers back to the different, simpler times that were the eighties.
The author, as he has done in many of his previous books, brings a writing style of storytelling that resonates with readers to make them live the experiences along with the characters of the story.
Cogrill’s Mill
By Jack Lindsey
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Cogrill’s Mill
By Jack Lindsey
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
“George Cogrill was uneasy. It was a bright sunny day in June and it was his birthday, but he had received a summons from his aunt. No matter what the weather, or the occasion, his aunt always made him feel uneasy and a summons from her could not be ignored.”
Readers learn of the dynamics of the relationship between Aunt Jane and George on George’s thirtieth birthday. Half of George’s income and half of his water mill the most treasured thing in his life, now was to belong to Victor Gloam. When George finds out Victor is deceased, half the inheritance became the property of Victor’s daughter Victoria.
Readers will follow the newly formed relationship developing between George and Vicky in a fast-moving tale that is fun, romantic, sad, murderous, and sometimes just outright strange,
This is an adventure readers will be happy they entered, eager to see where it will conclude.
8 Seconds to Midnight
By John Leifer
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
8 Seconds to Midnight
By John Leifer
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In chapter one readers meet Dr. Ayesha Naru, daughter of General Omar Malik, the top-ranking Pakistani military officer. Professionally the doctor uses her late mother’s maiden name at an attempt to keep her work separated from her father’s renown.
Chapter two introduces the setting of the novel to which the American public is unaware.
“A year and change had elapsed since the United Islamic State had launched a biological attack on the four busiest airports in America. … They almost succeeded.”
Readers now meet Commander John Hart, the leading bio warfare expert in the United States, a physician, Navy Seal, and senior intelligence officer. It was he who “led the team responsible for liberating the vaccine from a clandestine laboratory in Pakistan.”
Hart works with, and is engaged to, Dr. Elizabeth Wilkins, the preeminent virologist who runs the Bio level IV lab at the CDC, the US Health protection agency.
Fifty-four action filled chapters keep readers engrossed in the story of bioterrorism, nuclear warfare, deceit, and personal interactions around the globe right up to its satisfying conclusion. It is a timely tale reflecting the shades of involvement, as well as the personal consequences, revolving around these and the other characters introduced.
Singing Out Loud
By Marilee Eaves
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Singing Out Loud
By Marilee Eaves
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
This memoir of an ex-Mardi Gras Queen begins with the summons from her mother.
“In early spring of 1962, while I was living in a locked ward at McLean Hospital, no longer hallucinating, in therapy every day and recovering from the psychotic break that had landed me there, an attendant came to my room to tell me I had a phone call. …’Marilee,’ my mother said, ‘you’ve been invited to be Queen of the Krewe of Osiris Ball for next year’s debutante season!’ She was so excited. I could hear it in the upbeat pitch of her voice.”
The author is willing to be vulnerable sharing her mental health struggles as she looks to find herself amid the backdrop of her life in New Orleans as part of the Mardi Gras society. Her family lineage has her next in line in this elitist membership of kings and queens of the Mardi Gras. This culture embraces her as it suffocates her.
The tone of the book aptly sets the tone of her life: sometimes funny, sometimes frustrating, sometimes happy, sometimes sad.
Readers will come to a new understanding of the history and culture of the Mardi Gras while gaining a better insight into the reality of those dealing with mental health issues.
Edisto Tidings
By C. Hope Clark
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Edisto Tidings
By C. Hope Clark
2020
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In this sixth book in the Edisto Island Mysteries the author immediately plunges readers into the action and setting.
“POLICE CHIEF MORGAN’S radio crackled. ‘Chief, you there?”
About to exit her patrol car, Callie stopped and freed her mic.
‘What is it, Marie?’
‘A disturbance at the new Mexican restaurant. Thomas called it in.’
This was Edisto Beach in December, three days before Christmas, and Callie’d just rolled up at an old friend’s house on Pompano Drive to pick him up for a long lunch, because nothing happened this time of year. At least not until the small cadre of habitual visitors arrived for a brief Christmas.”
Readers of the previous books in the series will welcome seeing Callie Morgan once more, anxious to know how she will develop in this latest story.
To the author’s credit, however, is that readers who have not read the previous books, like this reviewer, will gather the necessary information of the back story quickly as the author so skillfully proceeds.
One indicator of an excellent book in a series is this ability to stand on its own for the enjoyment of readers.
This mystery presents the clues throughout, keeping readers searching for answers with Callie, but not so blatantly obvious that they take away from the gratifying conclusion.
As stated before, readers don’t need to read the entire series to enjoy this book, but when they finish this book, this reviewer expects they will want to read them all!
Hollywood: Hollyweird Part 2:
Last Ditch Effort!
By Art Norman, Jr.
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 2 stars
Hollywood: Hollyweird Part 2:
Last Ditch Effort!
By Art Norman, Jr.
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 2 stars
Continuing the story in Part Two, the author tells of the weirdness of Hollywood with the book title taken from the name of a documentary he was involved with from 2005 until 2009. The writing style continues in short conversational chapters, but readers of this book who have not read the original book most likely will be confused at the beginning.
“They were holding him back. He was saying, ‘Just let me go please! Let me go! All I want is my gun.’
They were all dressed for Christmas. Nice and warm inside the Mansion. The black guy was on ends, tripping so hard it was frightening to visualize. All he wanted was to have a white wife – blue eyed, blond white girl – and he chose to suggest to go home to her family. But now, the Dad was all over it and they had to call the police because there was only two. Just enough to hold him back, but the liquor was kicking in.
All that protein – monstrous – they had to call ‘em the police ‘fore all heck broke loose. Then, as if on cue, I wake up in Hollywood feeling all weirded out in Last Ditch Effort Part 2. Nice to meet you.”
This reviewer believes a continuation of a story can work well, but only if each book is a stand-alone story of itself with subtle references to the prior work providing readers with enough information to understand it from the very beginning.
The first book ended on 10-24-15. After the two short beginning chapters, this book shows a beginning on 3-25-16 reaching its conclusion with
“It’s 7pm now on 7-18-18. We’ll stop in to a nice sized city, Greenville, NC, to do some shopping tomorrow as we venture on back to Beulaville! Peace. I’m out!”
This ending is followed by a brief introduction to Hollywood: Hollyweird Part 3, a mystery novel.
The author has a wealth of material from his life in Hollywood and away from Hollywood. For the first book this reviewer believed that if readers took the time to put together all the colloquial snippets, they would get a clearer picture of this memoir of his experience. This second part would have made more sense if included in that first book for a complete memoir, combining the two narrations eliminating the unnecessary with a clearer structured story arc. Then, rather than a part three, if that story is to take the mystery format rather than a memoir, this reviewer believes it would be a stronger book on its own in that genre.
Return to Harmony
By Les Barbanel
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Return to Harmony
By Les Barbanel
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The author, a licensed psychologist, begins by sharing a perspective that outlines the concepts of conflict management of this insightful book.
“Mature love is the virtual of a pathway encompassing distinct but overlapping phases that I refer to as the love cycle.”
These phases include:
•Romantic
•Discovery
•Recovery
“Letting-go and starting over with a new partner is always an option but for couples willing to do the work, the successful management of the obstacles to mature love and a return to harmony is a reasonable objective that can be met.”
In this book divided into three sections the author proceeds with information about the erosion of love, love rekindled, and love preserved to present an analysis of the process with examples to highlight the suggestions.
The end of the book includes added help with a relate-ability scale, hypothetical scale scores, and anxiety management, as well as a glossary of terms, references, and a recommended reading list.
This new approach offers hope to readers who wish to circumvent the obstacles that hinder the attainment of true harmony in a mature love.
The Passive Writer
By Damon Brown & Jeanette Hurt
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The Passive Writer
By Damon Brown & Jeanette Hurt
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Most freelance journalists are unaware that they already have a ready resource for passive income.
“This is perhaps the biggest key to passive income: Recognizing yourself not only as a beat writer, but as an expert in your field. … All you have to do is figure out what they (your audience) want the most and then organize a painless way for them to get it. Then, you just need to get out of the way.”
The authors found five key principles in the creation of a passive income for a writer. By sharing these in five separate chapters they break down each into an easily understandable do-able plan of action. Each chapter opens up ideas to individualize to one’s own writing career.
“Success Stories from the Trenches” and “Your Next Steps” follow to reinforce the five tenets, with this helpful guide concluding with information about each of the authors with ways to connect with them.
This reviewer, who is a freelance journalist and author, now has a personal strategy to implement going forward from reading this book, confident that other writers will gain the same for their careers.
A Means to an End
By Peter Martin
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
A Means to an End
By Peter Martin
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
With flashing lights and blasting music Diane dances with her best friend, Glenda. Dave approaches Diane on the dancefloor, quickly groping her and ignoring her plea to be left alone.
“A voice came from behind. ‘Is he bothering you?’
Diane turned to see a tall dark curly-haired guy approaching.”
What follows is a punch to Dave’s eye, a brawl, leading to the bouncers unfairly throwing out the two girls and Raymond, their champion.
Such begins this story in October 2010 when Raymond and Diane first meet.
The definition of the phrase “a means to an end” is “something that you do because it will help you achieve something else,” making it a most appropriate title for this novel as readers get to know Diane, Raymond, Glenda, and Diane’s parents more intimately as the story develops.
A Means to an End has been described as “A tale of love, loss, lust, about what people will do to satisfy their needs, and how it can make or break them.”
Readers will keep reading as they follow the couple through tumultuous years absorbed in their actions and interactions until the surprising conclusion in July 2013.
The Adventures of Bang Bang Man
By Phil Nork
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The Adventures of Bang Bang Man
By Phil Nork
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Readers meet Matthew Davis as Dr. Darla poses a question to him that immediately sets up the story of the Bang Bang man.
“Matt, what was the trigger that got you into this situation in the first place?”
What situation? The aftermath of a heart attack has this obese man confined to hospitalization. Dr. Darla’s delving into what got him to this place in his life seemed to be his last hope.
“This was so different for me. It had been a long time since I trusted someone. … I was at the lowest I ever had been and there was nowhere to go but up.”
Written from Matt’s point of view the story of his life continues, with his childhood, his ex-wife, and his fascination and ultimately compulsion with betting on horse racing at the track. A conversational approach in the author’s writing keeps readers involved as they come to care for this man.
Why is he called the bang-bang man? Readers will learn the reason for the title in this engaging story while additionally finding themselves identifying with the compulsions, albeit not necessarily as extreme, in their own lives.
Matt would never see himself in this view, but he has much to teach all of us.
Sam: The Cat Without a Tail
By Gloria Lintermans
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Sam: The Cat Without a Tail
By Gloria Lintermans
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
This endearing story of Sam, a cat without a tail, is one that children will enjoy. That enjoyment is the criteria of a well-done children’s book.
The captivating illustrations by Kristina Tosic enhance the story, showing not only the actions, but the emotions.
Alex’s Mom brought home the kitten to him. He immediately named his new friend Sam.
“Seeing the new kitten, Alex’s big brother Richard burst out laughing. Pointing at Sam, he said, “he has no tail! All he has is a stub of fur. He’s a ‘stubby.’”
Confused, since he has always looked like this, Sam goes to Alex who he knows likes him. After a few days, however, when Sam first ventures into the backyard, the other cats he meets make him aware of how he is so different from all the other cats who have beautiful tails.
The story continues with his sadness at the awareness of his difference but is turned around after an incident with a visit from Aunt Marsha teaches Sam how his difference makes him special.
After the story is an explanation of Manx cats, which is what Sam is, as well as information for parents and caregivers to support children in the development of their self-worth.
This Academics’ Choice Awards winner will be a welcome addition to every child’s library.
The Deprived
By Steffen Hou
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The Deprived
By Steffen Hou
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Based on research and personal interviews by the author, he dedicates the book “to people who are wrongly imprisoned, to the exonerees, and to the relatives of death row inmates who have been executed for crimes they never committed.”
Ten chapters, ten people, bring the research together to share with readers personal stories that give the innocent on death row a face and family that prevents them from being easily dismissed from our minds.
The book begins with the story of Nick Yarris, a Caucasian man born in 1961 who Pennsylvania courts convicted in 1982 with the death sentence. It was not until 2003 that exoneration came for Yarris. His story begins the book, with the conclusion of his story continuing at the end.
Facts about the other nine similarly tell their stories.
This non-fiction is filled with information for readers. This reviewer believes the use of the fiction writing technique of plot and arc would have tied the stories together more strongly for readers, making for a stronger overall impact, the reason for the 4 rather than 5-star rating.
That said, however, the stand-alone stories, when readers take the time to absorb them, are very good insights into the lives of the ten, and do make an impression that will make readers ponder more seriously the death penalty from the evidence of the innocent on death row.
Dear Pastors and Priests
By Ayman Alhasan
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Dear Pastors and Priests
By Ayman Alhasan
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Is world peace possible?
The author offers a well-researched and passionate plea that despite the situations in the world today, there most definitely is a way to take “one stop in a long journey to inspire world peace.”
To achieve this the author “proposes a vision and a plan of action to assist peace-loving Christians, Muslims, and Jews to inspire god’s peace on Earth.”
The contents of the book divide into five messages as chapters, followed by five appendices with further supporting information and ideas.
What this reviewer found especially important was the messages directed to Pastors, Priest, Imams, and Rabbis was to see the “shared beliefs, virtues, and values (not rituals)” in order to inform their followers while they work together across the divides of religion.
Although directed to religious leaders, readers will find a wealth of information and ideas that can begin the process individually as they share it with others in their community.
“Those who resist building bridges of compassion and understanding between all cultures and faiths may have already contributed to large-scale human tragedies.”
From Destitute to Plenitude
By Helene Louiesa Mynhardt
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 3 stars
From Destitute to Plenitude
By Helene Louiesa Mynhardt
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 3 stars
Beginning with racial reclassification in the first chapter, this second book in the trilogy does not transition as smoothly as it could from the first book. Neither does it stand alone as strongly as the first book did on its own. Readers need to read the first book to appreciate this one.
Chapter two does, however, pick up from the election of Mandala from the end of the first book with the well-known rugby win with which Mandela attempted to unite South Africa.
It is only in chapter three that it becomes a memoir again with Louiesa’s marriage.
“Louiesa and Harold decided on September 1, 1995 for their wedding. After weeks of deliberation as to where to married – Harold was Roman Catholic while Louiesa was Presbyterian – they decided to get married at a neutral venue – in court.”
The memoir continues in chapter four with her launching Sterling Debt Recoveries, inspired by the presentation given by the owner of an attorney firm to the Standard bank employees.
“He decided to start his own business and had never looked back. If anyone in the audience felt they were worth more, than his advice to them was to become an entrepreneur. This was a clear message intended for Louiesa who felt singled out – it was also something she needed to hear to decide about her future.”
Throughout the rest of the book, however, too much detail weakened the story. Readers will read of the challenges and legislation issues around Sterling Debt Recoveries, with the conclusion of this book not as satisfying as that of the first one.
Louiesa’s story is a good one, with this reviewer believing it to be an important one that readers should experience. Perhaps rather than telling her story in a trilogy, the author would have a more impactful memoir combining these books, without so much detail, into one. When the author shares her personal story against the historical backdrop is when it is at its strongest.
Memoirs of a Play-white
By Helene Louiesa Mynhardt
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Memoirs of a Play-white
By Helene Louiesa Mynhardt
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
An autobiographical memoir finds its strength when the telling of a life shows the backdrop of the culture and history. This book, part one of a trilogy, does that well.
Set against the backdrop of Apartheid in South Africa the author is born.
“On December 30, 1957, Doris gave birth to another daughter who she named Louiesa. Louiesa had a light, milky complexion, curly, dark brown hair, and deep blue eyes.”
When 14, Louiesa pretended to be 16 to get much needed part time work at OK Bazaars.
“Louiesa was paid R8 a day at OK Bazaars … employed in the staff parcel department.”
At work she used the canteen and restrooms reserved for “Whites Only” never aware that no other “people of Colour” was there. Her employer knew she was of the Coloured race but hired her as white “to help her because of her desperate need for money.” Whites earned R8, Coloured R3, with Blacks paid R2 in 1971.
One day while waiting for her bus home to her “non-white” area, a confrontation with a woman on line gave Louiesa her first introduction to the term “play-white.”
“What a cheek you have to be standing in this non-white bus line, but at work you’re a ‘play-white!’” the woman Martha said before attacking her physically, leaving Louiesa to get onto her bus “with blood-stained clothes and serious injuries.”
In 1976 Louiesa went “job hunting in Johannesburg,” which led to her hire at Standard Chartered Bank, emphasizing to the manager that she was Coloured.
“The employees were mainly White people, and she was scared of becoming once again another ‘play-white.’”
The book continues to detail her employment, to share entertainment of the Apartheid era, and ends with Nelson Mandela becoming “the first democratically elected Black President of South Africa.”
The Real News
By John Bernard Ruane
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The Real News
By John Bernard Ruane
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Written as a satire, The Real News attempts to tell “The Never-Before-Told Stories of Donald Trump and Fake News!”
With a merging of public figures and fictional characters, most of the fifteen chapters revolve around President Trump and the media. Oprah Winfrey, Davide Letterman, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Matt Lauer, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and others additionally find their way into the author’s sight.
With the constant barrage of “Fake News” accusations, especially on Twitter from President Trump, journalism and the media are in the forefront. The line between sensationalism and traditional journalism blurs more and more in our society today.
Readers will appreciate the satire better after a quote in the book describing the journalism standard held for generations. As a journalist, this reviewer can attest to the standard from personal experience and training, reading this quote, and remembering the newsroom editor speaking them almost verbatim.
“Get all the facts, get two solid sources, and don’t be influenced by anyone trying to sway the story in the direction of their own opinion or agenda. And that includes your associates in the newsroom!”
Readers will find sections that make them laugh or be angry, depending on their opinion of the persons involved. Most importantly, however, is that this satire will make them think about the direction reporting and politics are going today, and the integrity and standards that are being lost in the process.
Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks
By Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks
By Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
“This book is meant to be read in the span of an hour and immediately implemented,” the authors advise.
They address the three categories who benefit best from this book:
•“own a small business but still manage … email and scheduling.”
•“run sales from an organization but still personally respond to specific intros and leads and update … own CRM.”
•“entrepreneur (or VP or C-level executive) … easily distracted by … inbox instead of focusing on the big picture.”
The authors present as promised a step by step process to eliminate administrative tasks holding one back from productivity. From choosing an admin, tools and calendars, to email rules and follow-ups, the short to the point chapters lead to a wrap up in the conclusion. This is then followed by an appendix of posting and interview questions for hiring an admin as well as template for account information to be used easily by the admin.
Readers will find this a quick read with many helpful tips.
Shattering Silences
By Christopher Johnston
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Shattering Silences
By Christopher Johnston
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Assailants who inflict sexual assault for way too long have had silence working to protect them from being brought to justice. This same silence has worked against victims who struggle to heal and become survivors of the assault.
The author shares his conviction to break the silence.
“After eight years of researching, reporting, and interviewing about rape and sexual assault, I am more convinced than ever that it is our absolute responsibility as human beings to offer any survivors the support, compassion, respect and dignity they deserve and do everything in our power to ensure that we hold their assailants accountable and put them where they belong: prison.”
With in-depth research witnessed in the objective presentation of facts, this book presents the case for the silences to end.
As “we are now in the midst of a growing movement that began to coalesce through a synergy of events:”
• DNA testing beginning in the early 1990s
• FBI’s combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in 1999
• Rebecca Campbell, PhD’s research on neurobiology of trauma studies
• Discovery “of backlogs of estimated 400,000 untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) in the first decade of the 21st century
• The investigative reporters writing of neglected evidence
• Decisions by “enlightened cadre of attorneys general, county prosecutors. District attorneys, and law enforcement leadership to test and investigate the cases.”
• Federal Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in 2014
Readers not only learn more about these events, but through those the author interviewed, additionally get to meet victims and many of the people who are dedicated to help implement change for their betterment as they seek conviction of assailants. What victims, police, prosecutors and medical professionals share will have readers looking at sexual assault from a different perspective than the historical approach of the past.
Wondering Around God
By Elva Anson
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
This book tells details of the author’s life of eighty plus years, but its strength is in her “wondering about God,” a phrase first said by her son when he was seven years old as they readied for church.
“I’m glad I’m a little boy, because I don’t have to know about God. I just wonder around him.”
Readers meet not only the author, but through her growing understanding of God, meet him in diverse manifestations in the circumstances of her life.
“My story begins in Fellows, a tiny oil town on Highway 33, nestled in the oil rich Kettleman Hills, west of Bakersfield, California. My papa was a preacher.”
They learn of a child in love with Jesus, hear of her discovery of sin, and witness her faith increasing. World War II shows her the fear and hate, especially when President Roosevelt issued an executive order that sent her Japanese-American neighbors to internment camps, despite the early enlistment in the military of their sons and daughters when the war began.
As the author left childhood, difficult decisions faced her, eventually leading to her faith being challenged. Finding a wondering partner in her husband, the author wonders about God even more as they have a family teaching their children about God.
Patchwork
By Mary Jo Doig
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In the prologue of this memoir of love and loss dated October 4, 1991 in Bovina Center, New York the author refers to the parallel of her life to her craft of quilting.
“I am forty-nine years old and about to uncover a long, tightly tangled thread that will tug me, one knot after another, back to my childhood.”
Chapter one starts in Manhattan and Center Moriches, New York in 1940. By exploring her parents’ life together from the very beginning the author sets the groundwork of the patterns of her life.
“The diamond was stunning, nearly a carat. Surely my mother’s brown eyes sparkled as beautifully as the precious marquise-cut in the sterling setting my father held out to her.
‘Audrey, will you marry me?’”
Readers will continue reading on enmeshed in the progression of the author’s story, learning the childhood secrets, seeing the challenges she faced, searching for a transformational hopeful outcome.
The author delivers all of this with a compelling narrative, realistic dialogue, and significant symbolism with each patch representing people stitched lovingly into the quilt that denotes her life then and now. This type of strong writing will stay with readers long after the conclusion of this book.
I Only Wanted to Be a Dad
By VASPX
Contributing author: Dr. Robin Hadley
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
VASPX represents their family: Vaso, Andrea, Steve, Petros, and Xristos. The prologue of this book begins with sharing insight into the author’s conflicts on his journey to fatherhood.
“It was the noblest of dreams; it was utter terror.”
With his wife Vaso, Steve Petrou wrote All I Ever Wanted Was to be Called Mom. In it they made a compelling connection with readers as they shared an intimate look at their lives with IVF treatments with their main goal the hope they could help other couples dealing with infertility from their own successes, pains, and heartaches.
This more clearly written book from a father’s perspective enhances their story of becoming parents, making a powerful emotional impact on readers. It helps those who know others dealing with infertility to be better able to help and to learn what not to do that causes so much hurt. It helps couples dealing with infertility by the in depth sharing of this one couple’s experience.
The prologue ends with a beautiful summation of the driving force that compels and keeps readers involved to the end.
“If there are heroes in my story, they are my wife, the world’s mothers, and every woman who tried and didn’t achieve this noble dream. Some of these women carry the scars of their experiences to their dying days.”
“This is only one man’s story – the story of how I handled (or, more appropriately didn’t handle) myself when faced with problems along the way.”
Readers will connect to and care about “this one man,” his wife, and their story.
The Bridge of the Golden Wood
By Karl Beckstrand
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In this “parable on how to earn money” for children, the author tells a story of a boy who finds a problem and in helping others discovers an opportunity to profit from his work solving the difficulty. The illustrations and short story give a strong message quite simply and effectively.
At the story’s end the author asks two questions:
What did the boy do that helped him to find the treasure?
How might you find treasure in trouble?
In reply to these questions is a paragraph of explanation for those who may need more clarification. Earning ideas with examples follow, offering encouragement that education, in any of its many forms, increases one’s income.
The book concludes with a website link “for information on finding customers, managing money, and moving up in an organization.”
While the book speaks to children, the message it contains is one that additionally would profit everyone, regardless of their age.
Running on Empty
By Shelley Pernot
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In this “parable on how to earn money” for children, the author tells a story of a boy who finds a problem and in helping others discovers an opportunity to profit from his work solving the difficulty. The illustrations and short story give a strong message quite simply and effectively.
At the story’s end the author asks two questions:
What did the boy do that helped him to find the treasure?
How might you find treasure in trouble?
In reply to these questions is a paragraph of explanation for those who may need more clarification. Earning ideas with examples follow, offering encouragement that education, in any of its many forms, increases one’s income.
The book concludes with a website link “for information on finding customers, managing money, and moving up in an organization.”
While the book speaks to children, the message it contains is one that additionally would profit everyone, regardless of their age.
Quick and the Dead
By Susan Moody
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
In this first book of the Alex Quick Mystery Series, Alex, a former police detective, at the age of 33 ruminates of being “in danger of becoming a maiden aunt,” unlike her business partner, Dr. Helena Drummond, who at 50 as art historian and university professor, lives a vibrant life, albeit with somewhat of a mysterious past.
“My mobile buzzed. Quick here, I said.
‘Alex, darling.’ It was Dr. Helena Drummond, my collaborator. My friend. And, in several ways, my savior.
‘Hi, Helena!’ I couldn’t help smiling. It was the effect she always had on me.”
They spoke of their appointment with a publisher at 10:30 the next morning, as well as Helena’s evening social plans.
“’And don’t be late,’ Alex warned her.
‘I won’t be – unless I’m kidnapped or something,’ Helena said, going on to repeat once more that she was being stalked.
Since Helena tended to be dramatic my flippant reply was to ‘Tell him to come back the day after tomorrow.”
When on the next day Helena did not show at the appointment, nor answer her phone, Alex regretted not taking Helena more seriously.
Readers will find this mystery literate, witty, and intriguing, as it challenges them to decipher the events that uncover many of Helen’s past secrets in this complex plot.
The Brutal Illusion
By Stephen Jared
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Readers meet twenty-three year old Allyson Rockwell as she dresses to go to watch the stars arrive at a premiere on Hollywood Boulevard for her last night in Los Angeles. A year ago she had come from Indiana to become an actress. Now with her money depleted she reluctantly, but practically, plans to go back home.
A chance encounter in the crowd with Lenny Carson has him leading her through the confusion of people and ultimately to Mr. Laemmle, the top production man at Universal. After the two men rattled on about mutual acquaintances, Mr. Laemmle began to take his leave for another appointment.
“Stepping around his desk, he faced Allyson and right then and there changed her life forever with a simple question. ‘How about tomorrow?’”
With that he gave a contract for seventy-five dollars per week to her and the instruction to report the next day as an actress.
“’I’m so happy Lenny,’” she told him. “’Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You’re the most wonderful man in the whole world.’”
Is he, or is this the beginning of something she couldn’t ever imagine?
Her friendship with a young writer at the studio develops during the story, eventually intersecting with her life with Lenny.
Readers will follow this path with her, caught up in the excitement, intrigue, and sadness of this quick moving, but impacting read.
The Case of the Ex Who Plotted Revenge
By Georgann Prochaska
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
The Case of the Ex Who Plotted Revenge
By Georgann Prochaska
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
This third mystery in the Snoopypuss series earns yet another five star rating, something this reviewer does not give out indiscriminately.
In The Case of the Girl Who Didn’t Smile, the first mystery, Lena Vincenti discovers and reads a child’s diary stuffed in a doll, and immediately calls her friend Alice Tricklebank. The two retired widows decide to take a road trip, determined to unravel the mystery uncovered.
Next in The Case of the Hound Who Didn’t Stay clues from the past intermingle with those in the present, as readers meet Audrey, a bloodhound Alice adopted, after someone dumped her in Alice’s small town of Limekiln.
Now in The Case of the Ex Who Plotted Revenge Phil Greer, Lena’s ex-husband, is out of jail and back in Limekiln looking for revenge against three people: his ex-partner, Lena, both for not lying to keep him out of jail, and Alice who he resented for not keeping her “snoopy puss” out of his business.
To her credit, the author provides just enough background in this third mystery of the series to allow readers to enjoy this as a stand-alone story, while satisfying previous readers with a continuation of previous stories with the focus now on Phil.
“Phil Greer walked out the prison door with all the swagger a man in his sixties could call up… His bones ached from sleeping in prison beds for forty months… Someone needs to pay for my years of missed opportunities.”
The author’s excellent descriptions, enriched characterizations, and realistic dialogue keep readers involved in the absorbing mystery.
Great Cape O’ Colors
By Karl Beckstrand
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Great Cape O’ Colors
By Karl Beckstrand
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Written in both English and Spanish, complete with a Spanish pronunciation guide, this book is book four in the Careers for Kids series. With children dressed in costumes depicting different jobs, it speaks to and encourages bilingual learning, colors, and careers.
Illustrations by John Collado capture reader interest in this simple story exploring job options with children dressed in capes of splendid colors.
The capes of many colors worn in the illustrations teach colors through attracting children’s interest. A color wheel showing the use of both the primary colors, as well as the other colors one attains from their mix in the capes enhances the educational value. In this look at different careers, exploration of occupations of other cultures adds diversity while encouraging interest and understanding.
The author includes online extras at the end increasing the value of this book primarily for ages three to seven.
The Most Hated Man in America
By Mark Pendergrast
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The Most Hated Man in America
By Mark Pendergrast
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In the introduction the author explains his choice of book title by his first sentence.
“Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator of the Penn State football team and now convicted of serial child molestation, is perhaps the most hated man in America.”
He continues, however, to state the book’s premise.
“But what if this compelling story, which has appalled virtually everyone in America, isn’t true?”
Divided into three sections with 23 chapters, endnotes, and a bibliography, this book presents an extensive exploration on all aspects of the circumstances surrounding the accusation. The author explores the allegations against Sandusky, the people who made the charges, the events starting from the public release of the Grand Jury on November 4, 2011 until the June 2012 trial and aftermath. He takes a look at Sandusky through the view of his family, others who knew him, as well as from the man himself in prison interviews.
The author additionally adds information to the Sandusky case from his previous three books on the questionable therapy of repressed memories and how he feels it played a significant part in the condemnation of the man.
Readers can weigh all of the many itemized details of the interrogations, therapies employed, motivations, and quotes from the people involved as they live through the events alongside Jerry Sandusky. From this, readers can form their own conclusion.
Old Flames and Heroes
By Mord McGhee
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Old Flames and Heroes
By Mord McGhee
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Luck, love, and lake monsters play a major role in this adventurous novel which draws in readers as they relate to Oliver.
“Oliver is the most famous boy at Belray Elementary in Bentwood, Pennsylvania.”
He rescued Buddy, the firehouse dog who had fallen through the thin ice, thus becoming a hero.
A little blue sun appears in the sky. Its meaning and its repercussions play an important role in the story.
“It was the sort of magic that followed Oliver around… Oliver doesn’t always understand what he sees and hears, but he has a unique way of pulling it together into his own terms.”
Young readers will enjoy this tale that brims with imagination, transcending the real world in ways only an eleven-year-old can phantom.
Need More Road
By Stephen Jared
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Need More Road
By Stephen Jared
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Eddie Howard has lived in same house in the town of Barstow in the Mojave Desert since his birth for nearly fifty years. In 1939 he started his job at the Security Pacific Bank where he now was an assistant manager. Though bored with his job, change was not something Eddie did.
Another more pleasurable routine, escaping through movies, broke the boring routine that was his life. With only one movie house in town, he would watch the same movie tow, or even three times.
“The day had been long and tiring, but Eddie’s energies improved once he showered and threw on a short-sleeve button down shirt. He marched to The Barstow, thinking about how much he loved movies. They were everything to him. They expanded his mind, his vision, put a beat in his heart. What would he ever do without them?”
Readers learn the time setting as the mid-fifties when the movie showing is Written on the Wind, later replaced by A Kiss Before Dying.
One Friday at the bank a change broke its way into Eddie’s life.
“Time seemed to stop, however, when shortly before closing, a woman, clearly from somewhere else, stepped inside…She looked like a movie star. She looked like Marilyn Monroe.”
Listening as she spoke with the manager, Eddie learns she is from Los Angeles and wants to find a home to buy for her father.
That night, as he sat in The Barstow “…he was heavy-hearted, trapped in a cloud of loneliness thanks to a beautiful woman’s three minutes inside the Security Pacific.”
When Mary Rose introduces herself to Eddie at the bank the next day, the man who avoided changes was beginning to want to change, with no inkling at the time of how radical that change would be.
Readers will enjoy the journey in this compelling nostalgic story that rivals Hollywood’s cinemas in its audience satisfaction and involvement in the life of the protagonist.
Memory Warp
How the Myth of Repressed Memory Arose and Refuses to Die
By Mark Pendergrast
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Memory Warp
How the Myth of Repressed Memory Arose and Refuses to Die
By Mark Pendergrast
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In the introduction the author shares the premise, tone, and reason for this book.
“It has been over two decades since I wrote Victims of Memory, an exploration of the debate of the accuracy of so-called repressed or recovered memories of sexual abuse. … Now it is time to revisit it and update this extraordinary phenomenon.”
“I have updated my research on the subject. … The book … is partly a social and cultural history of our recent past, documenting how this incredible juggernaut of pseudoscience and malpractice, which caused so much harm, came to be…. continues to fester … will inevitably cause another major outbreak and damage the lives of additional millions of people if we do not learn from the past.”
The research is intensive. Just the essential sources after the ending chapter numbers a little over three hundred. These include books both critical of and espousing repressed memories and multiple personalities; about false convictions and sex panic; about day care sex abuse panics and leading interviews of children; about memory, the brain, and suggestibility; related to Sigmund Freud; about incest and other abuse; about religion, cults, history and culture; and about psychology and mental illness. The author additionally list Documentaries cited.
From the introduction of The Return of the Repressed to the ending ninth chapter of Conclusions and Recommendations readers have the opportunity to explore the author’s take on the repressed memories controversy.
Not a quick read, obviously, since the subject matter is complex, it gives readers the chance to evaluate the subject matter intelligently for themselves.
Hidden Treasure
By Alice McDowell PhD
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Hidden Treasure
By Alice McDowell PhD
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
“There must be something more…”
“…Well, there is something more – and this book will show in a clear, straightforward way how you can break through those stuck areas of your life so you can find it.”
The author begins on a personal note from her own experience to guide readers into searching for the Hidden Treasure of the something more in our lives if we make the effort to discover it.
All of life experiences contribute to the unique character structure that we show to the world. Yet the structure we present is not our true selves. When we connect to our true selves is when we experience inner peace; but to find this true self takes work.
“Doing this work helps you realize who you are not. Such awareness sends you on a journey to discover who you truly are.”
Using stories from students throughout, the author gives concrete examples that bring the theoretical concepts to life helping readers to better understand them. Images and cartoons further enhance the ideas.
A character structure questionnaire helps highlight chapters that will be most relevant to the reader as the chapters that follow are individually directed to each of the five structures: schizoid, oral, masochist, psychopathic, and rigid.
The author concludes this encouraging book with what to do now, followed by two appendices to help become aware of your idealized self-image, shadow, and true self, and to help with active imagination and inner child work.
A Boy from Bustina
By Andrew Burian
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
A Boy from Bustina
By Andrew Burian
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
A Boy from Bustina is a memoir that addresses the holocaust from such a personal sense of sharing. As the author describes in the prologue:
“This is what happened to me. This is what I saw. There was not one Holocaust. There were six million Holocausts. I am witness.”
In Part I, An Idyllic Childhood, the only clue of what is to come are the first two sentences.
“How wonderful it is to be a child, that is, if one is allowed to be one. Yes, once upon a time I was a child, a very happy child – but, alas, for a very short time.”
Readers meet Andrew before his 8th birthday with his family in Bustina, Czechoslovakia. The section tells of Bustina, the extended family, their home and his school life.
Part II, End of Childhood, begins with the Hungarian occupation in 1939. This led to wearing yellow stars, to enduring restrictions, and eventually to the family’s deportation.
Part III, Life or Death, begins with their arrival on June 2, 1944 at Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. The guards drove the family forward, with loudspeaker instructions for the elderly to keep to the right while the “fit” were to walk to the left. His grandfather and great uncle followed instructions to keep right, the first family separation. Andrew’s mother went with her father and his brother to care for the elderly gentlemen, while Andrew and his brother Tibi went to the left with their father. Before splitting up they hugged, said “tearful ‘temporary’ goodbyes” to be with each other again when the war was over.
When the guards eventually chose Andrew’s father and brother for work detail, they separated the young Andrew, preventing him from staying with them. His father called to his son in Yiddish.
“I have three things to say to you, listen well…keep yourself clean so you don’t get sick; be a mensch (a person of integrity) and don’t let them make an animal of you.”
Now totally alone, Andrew took his father’s parting words to heart, determined to survive to reunite with his family.
In Part IV, Liberation, on May 4, 1945 young Andrew begins his journey home, followed by the epilogue of how his life progressed with a postscript recounting a speech on December 13, 2015 from his three children for his birthday that brings the writing to a resoundingly excellent conclusion.
“You did everything your father asked of you.
You valued home, you lived a clean life and you stayed a mensch.
Your parents would both be very proud.
Moreover, we are very proud.
Happy eighty-fifth birthday Daddy.
We love you.
-Matilda, Saul, and Lawrence”
Family photographs in this well written book add to this testament of Andrew and his family. This is an important book with a far reaching message all of us need to know.
Baffled By Love
By Laurie Kahn
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Baffled By Love
By Laurie Kahn
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
In the introduction the author, a trauma therapist who specializes in the treatment of survivors of childhood abuse, informs readers of the substance of this book.
“When they were children, my clients were abused by someone they believed to be trustworthy – someone who professed to love them. … Love is why they come to therapy. Love is what they want, and love, they report, is not going well.”
In these true stories of her clients, Kahn shows their struggle and resolve to unearth what prevents them from loving and being loved. In writing their story an element of memoir creeps in unexpectedly for the author.
“Yet over time I came to realize that intertwining my own stories with my clients’ was more honest and human. … At times, we are all baffled by love.”
This honesty and humanity gives the book its greatest strength. Readers are not reading clinical problems, but rather are involved with the personal look at the interaction of therapist and clients. By getting to know and relate to the people, perhaps discovering bits of themselves in the process, readers find that they need not be “baffled by love.”
Ashes
By Steven Manchester
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Ashes
By Steven Manchester
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 starsStu Prendergast, a cruel father, raised the brothers Tom and Jason. Tom, the younger of the siblings is a professor. Jason is a sergeant at Southeastern Correctional Center. Letters to both from attorney Russell Norman at the death of their father for the reading of Stu’s will reluctantly unites the estranged brothers.
Even at death the man torments his two sons with conditions tied to their inheritance.
“My final wish is that my two sons, Jason and Thomas, bring my final remains to 1165 Milford Road in Seattle, Washington, where they will spread my ashes…I’ve always been afraid to fly, so I’m asking that I not be transported by airplane, but driven by car.”
The strained road trip to fulfill the conditions of the will have the two men confronting the tangled roads of the past as they struggle to endure the forced confinement.
Readers will find themselves laughing with and crying for the brothers as they witness the many unexpected paths this journey unfurls.
The author’s past books have tapped the human condition in its multifaceted manifestations, pulling readers into the lives and hearts of the protagonists. This book not only does that, but reaches an even deeper fulfilling connection, with its touch of humor that softens the blows of the truth in the unexpected twists along the way.
Three Shoeboxes
By Steven Manchester
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Three Shoeboxes
By Steven Manchester
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars“It was their fifteen–year wedding anniversary.”
Thus begins the story of Mac and Jen Anderson that will capture the hearts of readers. The occasion has Mac pondering what special gift to give Jen.
“In the hopes of being creative or original … Mac …abandoned his mind and ventured into his heart” for gift ideas.
On the day, fifteen long stemmed roses arrived for Jen while Mac was at work with a card that said, “Thank you for fifteen great years, three beautiful children and one incredible life.” When Mac gets home he announces the children will be staying at Jen’s sister’s house, they have dinner reservations, and most importantly, “all night” just for the two of them, a rarity in their busy household with three children.
The night progresses beautifully as Mac had planned, with only one disruption on their way home when they witness a two car accident.
“The windshield of one of the cars has been shattered, half of it now covered in crimson red. That’s a lot of blood, he thought, his own blood turning cold.”
The story builds from this beginning to a place Mac and Jen never could have imaged they arrive. Anxiety attacks mimicking physical distress with the accompanying sense of impending death begin to torture Mac. Then the symptoms disappear, only to recur again and again, stronger and stronger each time they rear their head.
The author brings readers into this uncomfortable and unfamiliar world where Mac, Jen, and their children suffer the consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Written realistically, this is a portrayal of the inner conflicts, outward expressions, and terrifying confusion within a loving family torn by the unseen demons of PTSD. The author uses fiction to shatter the stigma of mental illness which keeps Mac and Jen trapped and spiraling into unknown territory. Readers will care about this family, remaining engaged through it all by the author’s writing style, until the satisfying, hopeful conclusion.
Marital Advice to My Grandson, Joel
How to be a husband your wife won’t throw out the window in the middle of the night.
By Peter Davidson
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Marital Advice to My Grandson, Joel
How to be a husband your wife won’t throw out the window in the middle of the night.
By Peter Davidson
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
The book title, dedication page, and chapter sections of this book set the tone of the work.
“This book is dedicated to my grandson, Joel, and his wife, Abby, in honor of your marriage.
Abby- you’re perfect as you are – don’t change a thing.
Joel – you’re a guy, and you can use all the advice and wisdom you can get.”
After sharing the hidden truths about marriage, the major sections include: settling into married life, understanding your wife… and other myths, becoming even more exemplary, in it for the long haul, and the magnificent you.
In each sub-section the author shares a short story to illustrate the advice, many of them from his own marriage, giving them a special significance from grandfather to grandson. Brief quotes stand out that separate the book for added reinforcement, such as…
“As the Marital Bus rumbles down the highway of life, there cannot be two people wrestling for the steering wheel, or surely the bus will crash. Know when it is your turn to drive, and when it is time to quietly sit in the back seat.”
Not every reader will agree that all women enter marriage to change a man, or that all men must hold back to say only what a women wants to hear to not make his life as a married man miserable. While some of the advice may contain outdated stereotypical advice, the main idea of the book is an encouragement of the partnership of marriage and of not taking the relationship for granted. The parts of interpreting “Real Estate Speak” when buying a home, as well as the part of overall sound financial advice, are particularly informative while told in a fun, easily understood way.
Overall, this is book that shows many sides of marriage, with an excellent Winston Churchill quote applied to marriage by the author.
“Never give up, never give up; never, never, never, never quit.”
Readers will enjoy this book, laughing at the humorous way the author imparts his wisdom about marriage to his grandson, and to them.
Never, Never and Never Again
By K M Breakey
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
Never, Never and Never Again
By K M Breakey
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
“’Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another!’ – Nelson Mandela”
In chapter one it is March 26, 1976 in Cape Town, South Africa where readers meet Pieter Van Zyl “behind the wheel of his beloved Maserati. … His mood lightened with each passing mile, as Brackenfall and the burden of responsibility faded and Cape Town’s possibilities emerged.”
Pieter had completed his second tour in the military a year ago. He was an Afrikaner “duty bound to family, God, and country.” But for now, he was on his way to a fancy party hosted by Malcolm Montgomery, “that madcap Englishman.”
Chapter two introduces readers to Audrey Hudson, who just flew in from London to stay for six weeks with Emily Morrison, her friend in Cape Town. Even though Audrey is feeling the effects of jet lag, Emily insists on their attending “the social event of the season. … Everyone who’s anyone will be there. Malcolm Montgomery holds the gayest parties.”
It is at Malcolm’s party that Pieter and Audrey first meet. Readers follow them from this meeting under Cape Town’s white rule, through the transformation, under black rule, to a new life for not only them, but all of South Africa.
The author shares the history of Apartheid and its aftermath though Pieter and Audrey, as well as with other people on both sides of the issues, in such a down-to-earth human experience of it that readers find themselves immersed in the story throughout. This experience stays with them long after finishing the book.
A Note to the Reader after the conclusion speaks of the author’s personal rational for writing this important book. Since the book “blends fact and fiction to create texture and historical perspective…this can make it difficult to discern real events and people from imaginary.” He clarifies this in the note, and then includes a cast of his characters followed by public figures referenced to differentiate the two for the reader. This seamless blending of fact and fiction speaks to the impact of the work.
Growth and Change Are Highly Overrated
By Tom Starita
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Growth and Change Are Highly Overrated
By Tom Starita
2018
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
Readers immediately meet Lucas James in the first chapter that the author wrote from a first person point of view. Chapter two continues, heavily indulgent in I’s, me’s, and my’s. Self-centered and selfish? That’s the most obvious first impression Lucas James gives.
When he stays self-absorbed, why keep reading chapter 3 through 43 with such an unlikeable protagonist?
The author hints to the attraction right at the beginning.
“What’s to come will always make sense. It might not be the sense you’re accustomed to. There may be times when you may not entirely agree with my sense. You may prefer to call it nonsense.”
This “nonsense,” however, holds more sense than anticipated once readers approach this satire understanding the exaggeration and ridicule that it is, appreciating the author’s well done execution of this style of writing.
The author keeps readers reading with his humorous writing approach. He rambles at times, but that only enhances the satire. He holds readers to continue, nonetheless, since on these pages are glimpses of people they know, and maybe even shades of themselves.