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Fiction A set of lies agreed upon RETURN TO TAYLOR’S CROSSING By Janie Dempsey Watts 277 pp. CreateSpace Reviewed by Dennis C. Rizzo I recall my Austrian-born mother being chastised by an elderly matron for innocently drinking from the “colored only” fountain at an Oklahoma bus station. In Return to Taylor’s Crossing , Janie Watts has penned a story that draws out memories like this from anyone living in America in the 1960s. It is clear she is drawing on personal experiences living in the Deep South; her character’s white bigotry rings all too true. Interestingly, she has also used colloquial dialogue in her characters, requiring some   familiarity with the phrases and idioms. Dropped conjunctions and disrupted tenses are characteristic. “Care for some pie?” he said.   “I’m putting away this slaw,” she said.   Old Miss Lizzie, who wore red lipstick that matched her New Testament she carried in her pocket piped up. “Go ahead, Lola, I take care of it.”   “Are you sure...

Matilda Bell is left heartbroken when she falls out with her beloved grandfather just before he dies. Haunted by regret, she makes a promise that will soon change everything . . . When spirited former singing star Reenie Silver enters her life, Mattie seizes the opportunity to make amends. Together, Mattie and Reenie embark on an incredible journey that will find lost friends, uncover secrets from the glamorous 1950s and put right a sixty-year wrong. I have read every one of Miranda Dickinson’s books and I am a big fan as her books never disappoint. I have to admit to being a little nervous about this book as when I read the synopsis it mentioned about  uncovering secrets from the 1950’s and as much as I love uncovering secrets, I am not comfortable with the 1950’s as my knowledge of that era is limited but luckily enough the authors beautiful writing style I have come to know and love soon had me immersed in the storyline. Mattie and Rennie strike an unlikely friendship on a chanc...

Nonfiction Puffs of steam and other lies THE CARNIVAL CAMPAIGN: How the Rollicking 1840 Campaign of “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” Changed Presidential Elections Forever By Ronald G. Shafer 279 pp. Chicago Review Press Reviewed by Marty Carlock There was a happy time in American history when presidential candidates did not campaign for themselves. They sat modestly at home and let their adherents extoll their virtues. This golden age came to an end in 1839. In December of that year the Whig party met to choose a candidate for the presidency. The Kentucky statesman Henry Clay expected to win, but the convention thought he had too many political enemies and, as a slave-holder, would be a loser in the North. They settled instead on ex-General William Henry Harrison, a hero of the Indian wars, who had been out of the public eye for so long that no one had any idea what his policies might be. Not to worry – the Whig politicos’ strategy was “never to defend or explain anything, but persistently ...

It's Christmas in the Cornish coastal village of Mount Polbearne - a time for family, friends and feasting.  Polly Waterford loves running the Little Beach Street Bakery. She's at her happiest when she's creating delicious, doughy treats and the festive season always inspires her to bake and knead something extra special for the village residents. In fact, the only thing she loves more than her bakery is curling up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Huckle. She's determined that this Christmas is going to be their best on yet, but life doesn't always work out as planned...  When Polly's best friend Kerensa turns up with a secret that threatens the life Polly and Huckle have built together, the future begins to look uncertain. And then a face from Polly's past reappears and things become even more complicated. Polly can usually find solace in baking but she has a feeling that's not going to be enough this time. Can she get things back on track so that everyone ...

Nonfiction King of the Puerto Ricans BEDLAM’S DOOR: True Tales of Madness and Hope By Mark Rubinstein, M.D. 296 pp. Thunder Lake Press Reviewed by David E. Hoekenga, M.D. This collection of stories from Doctor Rubinstein’s practice of psychiatry is truly far stranger than fiction. For example, the one entitled the ‘Man of Means’ tells of a very well dressed man in a soiled and threadbare suit hanging out outside the Regency Hotel. He carried a gold-plated cigarette case and matching gold-plated lighter. An elegant briefcase was filled with a few million dollars in Monopoly money. Rubinstein diagnosed this man as “paranoid with delusions of grandeur.” One of the admirable parts of this book is that the author includes an afterword with a follow-up on each client. Several psychiatrists in New York had seen Man of Means, but none could track down his past. Rubinstein wrote, “I feel in love with psychiatry because each patient—though sharing human commonalities—had a unique personal story....

Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. Even if she is spending it alone housesitting a spectacular Fifth Avenue apartment. What she didn’t expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous–and mysterious–owner. Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife’s death looming, he’s isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings… This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist? I have enjoyed the Manhattan With Love series by Sarah Morgan but I am so pleased me are on book three as from the first book in this series it was clear that Eva was going to be my favourite character and so I couldn’t wait for her story and I was desperate for her to find her prince charming. Uber Genie is still going from ...

Today I am thrilled to be kicking of the blog tour for #MySilverLining  and I am joined by the sparkly Miranda Dickinson who is going to share with us what inspired her to write Searching for a Silver Lining.  I’ve always wanted to write a road trip story and over the years have played around with possible ideas. But when I dreamed up Mattie Bell and Reenie Silver I knew their story needed an incredible journey at its heart. I love the idea of unlikely and unusual friendships, and the possibility of writing one that grows and develops during a physical journey really excited me.  I’m also a huge fan of 1950s music and fashion, so it was great to be able to work this into the tale, with a modern day story that slowly unlocks secrets from sixty years ago. My love of Fifties’ music is reflected in the book, both in the story and in the chapter headings, each of which is named after a 1950s hit song.   Being a singer (my ‘other’ job when I’m not writing), I really w...

My Story by Jo Malone quite simply blew me away. This was one of those few books that you begin reading and find yourself eagerly tuning those pages to see what she reveals next but in the same breath you don’t want to finish. I am not a fan of biographies but when I heard that Jo Malone was releasing her story my interest was piqued instantly and I knew I had to get a copy as I have always been in awe of this woman and I wanted to see her journey from where she come from to all she has achieved and experienced along the way to where she is now. I was quite surprised when I began to read the book that Jo Malone had grown up in surrounding areas from me and she was such a down to earth and normal girl next door who suffered the typical struggles of so many families, I always remember my mum and dad commenting on the ice on the insides of the windows too!  Jo Malone doesn’t hold back she pours everything into this book sharing success stories as well as the hiccups and mistakes she m...

Kitty, who runs the Spotted Pig Tea-rooms in the picturesque village of Tindledale, thinks she's come to terms with her husband Ed’s death on active duty. When she learns that Ed’s army dog, a black Labrador named Monty, is being retired and needs rehoming, it awakens her heartache once more. Amber runs the pet parlour, but her love of dogs extends to rescuing abandoned pooches and now her tiny cottage is overflowing with homeless hounds. The only answer is to open a proper rescue centre but where will the money come from?  Kitty knows she could never take on Monty – it would be too painful, but with more than one dog needing a home this Christmas, is a miracle too much to hope for? Every time author Alex Brown has released a book I have wasted no time in jumping straight in and I have loved each and every one of her books. I have always been honest in that I am not a fan of short stories as I have never found they have enough depth for me and I am greedy and am always left wanting...

Fiction Unraveling in America NATIVE BELIEVER By Ali Eteraz 272 pp. Akashic Reviewed by Dennis C. Rizzo Any society tends to be xenophobic. Outsiders are scanned and tested and permitted entry only upon assuaging the fear (or guilt) of the group. In  Native Believer , Ali Eteraz gives us a character who has been successfully assimilated; so he is led to believe. Set in the first person, our unnamed protagonist starts off as a medium-level ad executive at a medium-level advertising firm in Philadelphia. Eteraz chooses average-to-mundane for all of the settings, including Philadelphia. It’s not New York, not ‘top of the barrel’, but life is good. M (as he refers to himself at one point) embraces the new boss at work, then is fired because the boss finds a Koran in M’s apartment. This duplicity startles both M and his Southern-born wife because they have been studiously non-religious. M was not even aware his mother had placed a Koran on the very top shelf of his bookcase, to be disco...

With the days now having a chill in the air it is time to embrace those cosy wintry and festive reads. Comfort & Joy by Cathy Bramley is out today and is currently only 99p. It’s been a busy year for Verity Bloom at the Plumberry School of Comfort Food, but Christmas Eve is finally here. With delicious treats all wrapped up and the ingredients packed away, Verity is looking forward to a relaxing few days with her new boyfriend.  Good food, family and friends – it’s a simple recipe for true comfort and joy, and all Verity’s friends in the village are full of excitement about the holidays too.  But the weather has other plans in store… Relentless rain leads to a power cut that spells disaster for many of Plumberry’s residents. It’s starting to look like this year’s celebrations could be a total washout.  With dreams of a perfect Christmas dashed, will the last of the festive cheer be swept away in the downpour? Or can the cookery school create a Christmas miracle for ev...

Fiction Like having a cuppa with Conan DOING THE DEVIL'S WORK By Bill Loehfelm 308 pp. Picador Reviewed by Alan Goodman A nicely done who-done-it in the long tradition of who-done-its. The author, Bill Loehfelm, brings to New Orleans what Walter Mosley and Michael Connelly bring to Los Angeles and Arthur Conan Doyle brings to London. I don't sense the writing here has quite the bite, the tang of these more well-known mystery writers. But it certainly keeps the reader turning pages. This book was my introduction to the lead character, Maureen Coughlin, who apparently made her first appearances in at least two previous mystery books by Mr. Loehfelm – The Devil In Her Way and The Devil She Knows .  One might better begin with the earlier works, as I felt at a disadvantage jumping into the life of Officer Coughlin somewhere in the middle of her third adventure, where her backstory was essential to the tale, but yet seemed a bit too veiled.  Officer Coughlin is a rookie officer on...

Marriage. It’s a dream come true. Isn’t it? One wet winter night, two women meet on a bridge. One is Tess Taylor, a personal trainer on the way to meet her boyfriend for date night. The other is Kate King, a celebrity married to a handsome billionaire who just happens to make her cry. In the cold dark evening, there is nothing to link them together but the bridge they shiver on. Little do they know they’ll both hold the key to each other’s future marriage… The cover for All She Ever Wished For is such and alluring and festive delight that catches the eye instantly and it holds an equal delightful storyline inside. The chapters alternate between Kate and Tess's point of views and both their individual storys are weaved around the main storyline that connects the pair. Kate has lead a glamourous and full life but things have taken a downward spirial but se is not going down wihout a fight. Tess is the bride to be and as she is counting down the last few weeks until the big day there ...

A new couple have arrived in Tremarnock, but will these glamorous strangers fit into village life? Tremarnock is a small fishing village, crowded with holidaymakers in the summer, but a sleepy Cornish backwater at other times of the year.  Here Liz has found refuge with her young daughter, Rosie, after her relationship with Rosie's father came unstuck. Now happily married to village restaurant owner, Robert Hart, all seems set for a quiet autumn and merry Christmas. But strangers have bought the local guest house and seem to have big plans. Why is he so charming and confident, but she so frightened? Are they who they say they are? And what are they really doing with the guest house? I loved Tremarnock by Emma Burstall so much that after finishing the book I booked my first break away to Cornwall, so when her latest novel The Cornish Guest House arrived I put my current read aside and dived straight in to this book eager to see what the characters that we met in the first book have...