Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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Trevor McNulty, just a teenager, has faced more difficulties in his short life than many will ever do, in Hope for Garbage, by Alex Tully. Trevor’s father walked out on the family some years back.  As for his mother—well, all that transpired with her is ultimately revealed but suffice it to say, her actions emotionally scarred Trevor. Living with a crazy alcoholic uncle who is Trevor’s only surviving family, Trevor is befriended by a kind neighbor man, Tim Tyminski, whom Trevor dubs Mr. T. Enter Bea, a young woman Trevor meets when hunting for salvageable garbage he can fix-up for resale or to give to needy children, Lorene, the woman who keeps house for Bea’s family, Bea’s crazy mother, and Trevor’s counselor, and you have the makings for a story that will keep you coming back for more.

Throughout Hope for Garbage, by Alex Tully, the reader knows Trevor harbors dark secrets, but is encouraged by Trevor’s outlook on life. Notwithstanding his hard times, he is caring and giving. It was refreshing to see this, as so often we see difficult times used as explanations, if not excuses, for going wrong. While it is understandable when such things occur, it is not the story told by every person who has withstood trouble and Trevor’s story is a welcome relief to the standard fare. Readers will quickly connect with Trevor and look forward to his catching a break. Hope for Garbage gives readers hope for themselves and for those who have struggled to survive and to live admirably.


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Find out more about Alex Tully on her GoodReads Author page here, her website here and on her Facebook page here. Hope for Garbage is available from Amazon here.

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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Forty-three years after serving in the U.S. military in Vietnam, 43 years after witnessing acts that offended his conscience, 43 years after carrying around guilt for his part in a war, Jo returns to Vietnam, in Vietnam Redemption . . . Full Circle, by Joseph C. Baginski. Little could Joe know that the most important mission he would see to while visiting the country of his former enemy, was one of seeking solace for his heart, forgiveness for his sins and healing of his psyche. Moreover, Joe could not have known that in doing so, he also would assist others in finding their own internal peace. Four decades and more was a long time to repress memories and for Joe, a trip to Vietnam brought him “full circle.”

Largely told through dialogue between three new friends, Joseph C. Baginski presents a story that will urge readers to continue on, in Vietnam Redemption . . . Full Circle. Joe tells of a fellow soldier, John Berry, who had encouraged Joe to look deeper into the spiritual truth and significance of the events he was experiencing. But Joe, a young man sent to war, trying to stay alive, was not to discover the full truth of John’s words for many years. Now, with an American travel-mate and a Vietnamese tour guide, looks back upon events that transpired during those long ago days.

In Vietnam Redemption . . . Full Circle, Joseph C. Baginski shares a message for anyone seeking healing of any kind, from any injury, whether self-inflicted or brought on by the actions of others. For anyone who has repressed memories and pain, for anyone who seeks to find freedom and cleansing (and really, is there anyone who cannot say they have done these things?), Vietnam Redemption . . . Full Circle delivers fundamental truths worthy of careful and thorough examination that will bring peace to one’s soul.


Vietnam Redemption . . . Full Circle, is available on Amazon here.

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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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Sam and Penny long sought one another, but neither knew of the interest of the other. Their journey to reunite is at the center of the mystery Tamara Ferguson presents in Tale of the Dragonfly: Book II: In Flight. Sam is the local police chief in the Wisconsin town in which he met Penny years before. For her part, Penny moved to New York where she handles her family’s floral business while caring for her autistic son. When they spend time together at the wedding of mutual friends back in Wisconsin, Sam determines it is time to pursue Penny. Each had left a failed marriage behind and Penny had been abused by her former husband. Consequently, they have some difficulty in learning to trust one another. While their mutual friends support their reunion, someone else has another plan in mind, a plan that could leave Penny dead.

Tale of the Dragonfly, set in a lovely Wisconsin lake town, includes a host of characters. In it, Tamara Ferguson has presented a story of intrigue, mystery and love. When Vanessa, the woman Sam (thought he) had divorced, shows up in town and is later found dead, the police and FBI try to put the pieces together. All the while, Sam and Penny seek to determine whether they have a future together. When it becomes clear that Vanessa’s murder was personal, readers will urge Sam on as he rushes to solve the mystery before harm might befall his beloved Penny.


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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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I just completed one of the most engaging reads of recent months: Long Live the Suicide King, by Aaron Michael Ritchey. It opens with 17-year old JD, who is troubled by an event that transpired just days prior while with his friends and under the influence of drugs. JD decides to leave behind those friends and to go straight. But then, not wanting to face the difficulties of life or the knowledge that death will come to him one day anyway—and probably after a prolonged and painful disease as happened to his grandfather—JD decides he will either commit suicide or instigate an event such that someone will do the deed for him. All JD needs is a plan, time to dispose of his worldly possessions, and a note to leave behind. When others at school learn of his intentions, JD is dubbed “the Suicide King.” But then unexpected things begin to happen.

The beauty of JD’s story in Long Live the Suicide King, is that JD discovers more about life and about himself with each passing day. He comes to appreciate that to commit suicide would be to take the life of someone he does not even know yet, someone still in the process of becoming who he will one day be, someone who will continue to change as time moves forward. When JD befriends an old woman and neighbor, Inga Blute, he discovers from one who has experienced extreme violence, that every moment of life is one to guard and savor.  With insight from friends, Marianne, the “model” Christian girl who it turns out has problems of her own, Cathy (whom JD nicknames “1066”) who, though an outcast, is enormously talented and a big dreamer, and Ray, a former drug dealer who decides he can begin his own life anew, JD hovers between the darkness of despair and the light of a new life.

Aaron Michael Ritchey tells JD’s story with compassion and with a unique voice that shows itself most notably through JD’s sarcastic, humorous bent. Indeed, Ritchey’s voice is one this reader most certainly will want to read/hear again. When push comes to shove and JD thinks his life most surely is lost, he discovers all the things worth living for—and they are simple things, like “the way girls smell.” Long Live the Suicide King is an engaging, thought-provoking read, particularly worthy of the attention of anyone who has ever engaged dark suicidal thoughts and/or of anyone who has ever encountered someone who has done so. Hard to put down, Long Live the Suicide King, is thoroughly satisfying.

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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Maya and Fillipo, those two siblings and best friends that tour the world in their cruise ship with their parents and pet cat, Otello, are off to a new adventure in Maya & Fillipo Talk Business in Seattle, by Alinka Rutkowska. When the children view Seattle from aboard the Fun Princess, they find skyscrapers, the Space Mountain, and Mount Rainier, all rendered wonderfully by the illustrator, Konrad Checinksi. Once their feet reach terra firma, the children tour the city. There they visit the market, where fruits and vegetables are traded and where they learn that vendors sell their goods there, rather than through a middleman, so as to earn more for themselves. Then the children visit the Space Needle. Along the way, they learn that the guide is frustrated with not earning enough money, though he is a busy man. Finally, they meet the owner of a building they can see from the Space Needle who is plenty wealthy—he just doesn’t have time to spend his money.

Alinka Rutkowska, has delivered in Maya & Fillipo Talk Business in Seattle, another helpful life lesson for young people. This time they learn that it is not how much wealth one has that makes a person happy, though not having enough can certainly make life more difficult. In any case, some people like their simple jobs, while others complain of their “big jobs.” Rutkowska follows the story up with a quiz to test reading comprehension and with facts about Seattle. Young readers are sure to enjoy the journey and delight in Checinski’s quirky illustrations, and parents and teachers will appreciate the helpful lesson guides provided. All aboard for a great adventure, young readers!

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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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As readers are sure to do in the future, I’ve followed along with Maya and Filippo on a few of their adventures of late. This time, with Maya & Filippo Separate in Skagway, by Alinka Rustkowska, I joined Maya and Filippo, two children who live on a ship at sea with their parents and cat, Otello, to visit Skagway, Alaska. Here, for the first time, the siblings, also best friends, separate for the day. Maya and Mom take a train trip on the White Pass, while Filippo, experiencing a difficult day, goes with Dad to the playground. First, Filippo gets rained upon—but that is just the beginning of his troubles. Even so, he learns something important along the way, a lesson worth sharing with young readers: no day is so bad that it cannot turn around and things look better when one is not grumpy and complaining.

The illustrations in Maya & Filippo Separate in Skagway, by Konrad Checinski, are delightful, bold and colorful. The story, by Alinka Rustkowska, urges young readers to follow along and perhaps even to create adventures of their own. This time youngsters will visit Skagway, learn a little something about the White Pass and about hiking in bear country. Following the story, teachers and parents can test children’s comprehension and can share further information with them about the Alaska Gold Rush and about safe hiking practices. All aboard, young readers! Next stop: Skagway, Alaska. Don’t forget to bring along, your sense of fun and adventure!


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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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Two young ones fascinated by the world around them engage in another adventure in Maya & Filippo Visit a Glacier, by Alinka Rutkowska. Living on board a cruise ship with their parents and curious cat, Otello, they dock in Juneau, Alaska. Excited to see a glacier, Maya and Filippo set out with their guide. Along the way, they learn about Mendenhall Glacier and the creeks and dry land created when ice melts, where bears and salmon make their homes. The young adventurers discover a bear that is preparing to lunch and learn about them and about how they hibernate. Finally, they discover a fireweed, a flower used to predict the coming of summer and later, of fall. All in all, a happy, fun and educational day for Maya and Filippo becomes one also for young readers.

Alinka Rutkowska offers children a unique way to visit various ports of the world, the latest in Maya and Filippo Visit a Glacier. Accompanied by Konrad Checinski’s colorful and creative artwork, children will happily turn pages and are sure to revisit the tale time and again. Parents and teachers will find the quiz aid at the end of the book helpful for measuring understanding and comprehension. Finally, the “Did You Know?” facts at the end provide further details about bears, the differences between them and the koalas that Maya and Filippo discovered in Australia on one of their previous adventures, and further facts about the City of Juneau and the State of Alaska. One of a set of Maya and Filippo adventures, the entire series is sure to delight.


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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite. 

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When Nathan Frost discovers terrorists seeking to destroy U.S. currency, he stumbles upon an undercover plot to bring mass destruction to New York City, destruction on a level that would make the events of 9/11 seem small by comparison. Joseph C. Reiss introduces Agent Frost in The Incendiary Agent, a man who evades the rules as and when he deems it necessary to see his mission to conclusion. Drawn by the lovely Diana Calabrese, he enlists her aid along with that of some additional law enforcement cohorts. Together they follow the counterfeit plot and, over the course of 72 hours, circumvent the plans of the Russian mob and an array of international terrorists.

The Incendiary Agent is a fast paced thriller, so much so that I was surprised to find the ultimate resolution of the matter brought about in a just a few paragraphs. Even so, I cheered for the good guys! Also, at times Frost seems to enjoy stepping outside the rules a bit too much (an idea reinforced when he tells of the manner in which he disposed of someone who had hurt a friend of his, as a consequence of which the agency recruited him, all without any remorse on his part—though he had clearly taken the law in his own hands). Even so, Frost is made a more sympathetic character when he laments the loss of a good cop whose name he had used and who was killed as a consequence thereof. In the end, readers are content to learn that Frost is willing to do the hard things, not to benefit himself, but in exchange for protecting the freedom of others.


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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.

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Readers will be happy to learn from Francis Yee, in The Stock Market is Predicable, basics that will assist them in making their investments. Written with an eye particularly toward those with funds in 401(k) plans, IRAs, Keoghs and the like, Yee successfully makes the market and investments understandable to the newbie investor.  He sets forth the basics of different investment vehicles, paying particular attention to mutual funds and also of the cost to invest in different kinds of vehicles. Then Yee discusses the importance of some basic tax law. Once done, he summarizes predicable, seasonal market influences.

In The Stock Market is Predictable, readers will learn of the importance of researching the stocks and funds in which they might invest to learn primarily of their management, goods, and market placement. Francis Yee then explains stock market patterns and in particular what he dubs the Winter Pattern and the Summer Pattern. Readers will learn the main causes of those patterns. They will also learn when and how to trade out their investments so as to maximize their profits by taking those patterns into account. While I have general knowledge of the different kinds of plans that hold funds for investing (such as 401(k) plans) as well as tax law, I genuinely appreciated learning Yee’s approach to maximizing investment earnings. Any reader looking for a helpful primer on investment strategy would do well to spend some time with The Stock Market is Predictable. If they do so, I predict their own earnings may increase.


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