Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: Sarah Hinrichs

ABOVE THE DIN (Diary of the HepC Wonder Drugs) by Labar Laskie – Memoir, Hepatitis C Cure, Insightful and Transformative Non-Fiction

Labar Laskie closely explores the experience of chronic HepC in her unique memoir, Above the Din.

These days, Hepatitis C infection is curable with a simple treatment that lasts only a few months. In 1999, when author Labar Laskie receives her diagnosis, she sees no good option. The only possibility for a cure lies in a treatment with dismally low success rates and poses a significant danger. Not wanting to jeopardize her life, Labar embarks on a fifteen-year-long search for an alternative cure, hoping to find a wonder drug. Her waiting ends in 2014 when she begins her three-month-long treatment of two pills daily while keeping a journal of each day’s progress.

She goes through a string of doctors, many urging her to do the toxic treatment.

Labar tries every alternative treatment under the sun, but only if they don’t pose any known adverse effects. Eventually, she meets Dr. Right, who supports her choice to pursue other treatments. They work together on her care for over a decade. During this time, Labar and her young daughter become hooked on flying trapeze. The activity helps her manage the mental strain of her chronic illness. These precious moments with her daughter make the journey to recovery doable.

Above the Din‘s short, easy-to-read chapters come accompanied with illustrations by Lona Powell.

Humor and honesty abound in this story despite the grim topic of severe chronic disease. Labar’s years of research and connecting with people like her provide valuable insight and knowledge. Beyond that, she does an excellent job of including disclaimers about not being a medical professional herself and for people to do their own research. Her purpose for writing this story is to help others find strength, hope, and inspiration.

As Labar’s story progresses, the past and present intermingle.

Her early days dealing with shock and fear juxtapose her abundant present-day knowledge and wonder drug treatment. The best example of this comes in the chapter where Labar learns the extent of her liver disease. The treatment is working. This takes the uncertainty of the end of her Hepatitis C story away and enables her to focus on the journey itself.

Something positive comes out of her Hepatitis C diagnosis: through trapeze, Labar learns to overcome her fears and stand up for herself instead of just going along with the opinions of others to keep the peace. Hopefully, Hepatitis C will be outdated one day, but these critical lessons Labar learns along the way are universal.

December 10, 2021
Summer Girl by Linda Watkins – Coming of Age Fiction, Women’s Literature & Fiction, Romance Fiction

Visit an idyllic island off the coast of Maine, long before the days of the internet and social media, in Linda Watkins’ romance novel, Summer Girl.

Jake, a local teenage boy on Cutter Island meets Andi, who visits for the summer with her mom and stepdad. In this summer of 1965 the two hit it off almost immediately, spending every moment they can together.

But not long after they profess their love for one another, tragedy strikes, forcing them apart with little hope of ever seeing each other again.

Twenty years pass until the summer of 1985. Jake, now a successful writer, returns to Cutter Island with his wife and kids for the first time in many years. Andi also arrives with her husband and young son. Once they learn of each other’s presence on the island, all the memories of that summer long ago come flooding back. And so do the unanswered questions of what happened on that fateful night. But a different question burns in their hearts and demands to be answered. Does first love, true love, ever really die?

Watkins’ writing flows elegantly.

Andi and Jake look back on their past with nostalgia, heartbreak, and regret. Cutter Island and the characters on it feel immediately familiar, like old friends in a place we’d like to visit. This summer vacation on a quiet island community off the coast of Maine, with all the fresh seafood at an arm’s reach, comes to life. Past and present in Summer Girl take place in a time before the internet became ingrained into everyday life. Readers can take a momentary break to disconnect and truly get lost in the story.

Jake and Andi show their impressive amount of depth, and accurately portray the simple naivete of youth during the fateful summer in which they meet. Their romance stays grounded and realistic. Watkins’ beautiful writing paints a picture of inexperienced teenagers with honesty and vulnerability that makes their parting even more emotional.

Summer Girl tells a story of love against all odds.

True love leaves an infinite effect on someone’s life, for better or for worse. This story stands on love, hope, and perseverance. Accept the invitation to the remote Cutter Island and smell the mouthwatering preparations of the summer night’s lobster bake. Keep an eye out for Jake and Andi among the hungry locals and vacationers.

Summer Girl by Linda Watkins won 1st Place in the 2018 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for contemporary literary novels.

November 15, 2021
WISHES and KISSES by Heather Pallotta – Heartwarming Children’s Books, Children’s Literature, Stories in Verse
A triumphant treasure in the bustling world of children’s literature, Heather Pallotta’s Wishes and Kisses is a work of art that will let every child who experiences it know that they are greatly loved and how magical they make the lives of the people around them.

In the world of Wishes and Kisses, we are all made of sunshine and love, wishes and kisses, and how our uniqueness makes us perfectly us. Children will learn that some days will bring warmth and wiggles and others they may feel down and not quite themselves, but that all of these feelings are okay. The story reminds children (and adults) to fly high and follow their dreams to the stars.

Heather Pallotta has been an artist since 1999 and was inspired to create children’s books by her children. She aims to teach confidence, love, uniqueness, and endless possibilities through her highly imaginative books.

It is beyond doubt that Wishes and Kisses was written with an abundance of love for her children by watching their growing imaginations and exploration of themselves and the world around them.

The illustrations, also drawn by the author, are simply stunning, beautifully reflecting the thoughts and feelings of the story itself. Parents and children will love these beautiful drawings and the uplifting message that will surely inspire the next generation of readers and artists.

Pallotta has other stories within the world of Wishes and Kisses to come, the first being Ruler of Daffodils.

Wishes and Kisses won 1^st Place in the CIBA 2017 Little Peeps Awards for Children’s Literature and may be downloaded for free here.
October 11, 2021
GIRL with a GUN: An Annie Oakley Mystery (Annie Oakley Mystery Series Book 1) by Kari Bovée – Historical Biographical Fiction, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Historical Mystery

From humble beginnings in rural Ohio, fifteen-year-old Annie Oakley becomes a household name when she competes in a sharpshooting competition against the renowned marksman Frank Butler. Her life changes wildly from that day on in Kari Bovée’s mystery novel, Girl With a Gun: An Annie Oakley Mystery.

Colonel Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill, asks Annie Oakley to join the Wild West Show after the event. While reluctant to leave her family – who need her support – she can help them a lot more with an impressive salary. Annie becomes the new star of the traveling show.

Along with her beloved horse Buck, Annie settles into the Wild West Show lifestyle. She immediately befriends her tent-mate Kimi and her infant daughter Winona. When Kimi turns up dead soon after, Annie suspects that something more sinister than a tragic accident killed her. She begins investigating the matter herself when no one else will. As she looks into the murder, her horse Buck and others around the camp fall ill, and it seems like someone is trying to hurt Annie and her standing in the Wild West Show. Can she figure out who wants her gone and what happened to Kimi before the murderer can strike again?

Girl with a Gun brings readers right into its historical setting, with memorable figures like Buffalo Bill, Frank Butler, and of course the protagonist Annie Oakley. The real-life facts and chronology of Annie’s life change and move around for the sake of the story, as Kari Bovée adds to the historical fiction genre with a fun mystery series that reimagines the life of the talented sharpshooter.

Annie first appears as a loveable and relatable character, and her depth becomes clear as the story continues.

Fictional news headlines reflect the story’s events in exciting tones. These headlines add flavor to the drama and underlining mystery the characters face, and reflect the public’s opinion of the conflicts within the traveling Wild West Show.

Annie’s character defines the story around her. She cares deeply for her family and friends, and strives to protect them. Readers will get wrapped up in the trials and tribulations she faces at every turn, including a whirlwind romance.

Girl with a Gun: An Annie Oakley Mystery is the first in a trilogy of mysteries based on the exciting life of a prolific female sharpshooter. This story will excite both the casual mystery fan and historical fiction reader. This book won 1st Place in the Mystery and Mayhem Book Awards for Cozys and Not-So-Cozy Books in the 2018 CIBAs.

September 30, 2021
ELFABET: An A to Z of Woodland Folk by Sylva Fae – Children’s Literature, Children’s School Issues, Early Readers Books

Sylva Fae helps early readers learn their alphabet with another delightful children’s book, Elfabet: An A to Z of Woodland Folk.

Little Eric, king of Ladybirds, also known as ladybugs, needs a way to learn his letters to spell many dazzling words. Little Eric uses the world of the forest folk around him as inspiration for his elfabet. Get ready to meet a whole trove of fantastical creatures from dragons to pixies, to fairies and goblins, and many more for every letter of the elfabet!

Fae’s Elfabet charms readers and fills us with love on every page. Just like in Rainbow Monsters, where readers got to learn about colors by getting to know a rainbow of monsters, Fae makes learning the alphabet fun and engaging. Everyone knows that “A” is for apple and “D” is for dog, but now readers will get to explore a whole new and fantastical world. A world where “A” still stands for apple but is collected by elves, and “D” is for fire-breathing dragons!

Both Sylva Fae and illustrator Katie Weaver dedicate this book to their children, who inspire their work.

In her illustrations, Weaver uses an array of bright colors and draws various subjects to encourage creativity in children. On each page, the drawings are within each corresponding letter, and readers will wonder and daydream about what magic lies beyond the edges of each letter. By the time children reach the end of Elfabet, they will be inspired to write and draw their own stories of the woodland folk.

Make the road to reading get off to a fun and creative start with Little Eric, the king of Ladybirds in Sylva Fae’s Elfabet: An A to Z of Woodland Folk. This title won 1st Place in the CIBAs 2019 LITTLE PEEPS Awards for Children’s Literature.

September 1, 2021
SAVORING the OLDE WAYS SERIES: Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table, Book One by Carole Bumpus – French Cooking with Food and Wine, Culinary Memoir and Biographies, Culinary Travel

The retired family therapist turned travel writer and culinary memoirist, Carole Bumpus shares the delicious first book in her new series, Savoring the Olde Ways: Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table.

In this first book, Carole takes readers on an intimate food tour of the Champagne, Alsace, Lorraine, and Paris regions of France. After being introduced by a mutual friend, Carole builds a special friendship with Josiane and her mother. Wanting to understand what brings and keeps European families glued together through generations of happiness and hardship, Bumpus begins by interviewing Josiane’s mother. Hearing about traditions passed down and the challenges of cooking during the war, the plan for a culinary tour of France is born among the women. Unfortunately, after travel delays out of their control, Josiane’s mother passes away before they can make the trip. Determined to make a dream trip a reality, Carole and Josiane set off to start a journey of a lifetime in honor of the woman who inspired it all.

Savoring the Olde Ways: Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table, takes readers along on an intimate view into the culinary lives of the people in Northeastern France.

Mouth-watering descriptions of food and heartwarming traditions tempt readers through every chapter, where history has had a powerful impact on both. Culture does not stop at borders. Bumpus encounters recipes from Italy and French recipes influenced by German cuisine. Following World War II, people from surrounding countries came to France in search of work and brought their traditional recipes with them. The Alsace and Lorraine regions of France went back and forth as being part of France and Germany. Carole and Josiane spend an evening with three generations of a family that experienced this flux of their nationality over the course of a century. Family and tradition helped to keep families strong during troublesome times in history.

The French have a reputation for being rude, but Carole finds everyone she meets to be nothing but warm and inviting.

Residents eagerly share their recipes, memories, and traditions with the visitors. Josiane brings Carole to the regions she and her family grew up in, and they take part in the long tradition of Sunday family dinner. Traditions like this may seem less common in modern culture, but still, very important to the families who keep it alive. The importance and similarity of the family traditions that Bumpus encounters show that we all aren’t that different.

Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table won 1st Place in the 2019 CIBAs – Instruction & Insight Awards.

Full of the warmth of family, mouthwatering food, and the importance of history, readers will relish this tome of culinary arts and a good home-cooked meal. The journey continues in Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table: Book Two and Bumpus’s Italian adventure in September to Remember: Searching for Culinary Pleasures at the Italian Table.

August 9, 2021
WALTZING A TWO-STEP by Dan Juday – Inspirational Memoir, LGBTQ+ Memoir, Coming-of-Age Memoir
Dan Juday’s memoir Waltzing A Two-Step is a humble and compassionate look at his formative years.

Born a few years after the second world war, Dan experiences a peaceful and happy childhood in rural Indiana, moving frequently before the family settles on a rural area of land named Springwood in Clinton County, Indiana. The Juday family were devout Catholics and enrolled Dan and his siblings in Catholic schools until the family moved to Springwood. Public school became the only option for the siblings. There Dan does his best to fit in but his status as a minority Catholic in a mostly Protestant community in the 1950s brings its own challenges.

For Dan, his struggles don’t stop there.

From a young age, Dan knew there was something inherently different about himself that didn’t align with what the world around him expected, and as he grows older and enters adolescence, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. By the time Dan reaches college, the country is facing a lot of cultural changes from the growing political and racial tensions of the 1960s. Young men around him without deferments are being drafted to fight in Vietnam. As he progresses through his undergraduate courses, Dan continues to struggle with finding his place in the world and finding a suitable partner his family would approve of.

Almost by fate, a counselor suggests he switch his minor to Spanish. Dan soon finds a sense of belonging with a group of international students and soon decides to study abroad in Spain. While at the airport, he meets a fellow student named Ricky and embraces the growing desire to live truthfully in a world that is still a long way from being accepting.

Waltzing A Two-Step is a unique memoir in that Dan’s thoughts and feelings serve as a backdrop and rarely come to the forefront.

Dan uses his ability as a strong observer to tell his story through the people and places that surrounded him in his life. Through his quiet observation of the world, he sees the simplicity of life growing up, but as the 1960s bring large cultural shifts, Dan’s simple worldview is increasingly challenged. His struggle to find a sense of belonging is a quintessential part of adolescence and emulates that complex experience throughout the memoir. His journey of self-acceptance of his sexuality will also be relatable to any reader who has experienced similar challenges.

Juday focuses on the themes of family, faith, and self.

He dedicates a section of the book to each with a final one tying them all together as a sort of reckoning. One theme that stands out addresses how people who may only be in your life for a brief moment, in the end, can have some of the biggest impacts. The most beautiful and often bittersweet moments of the book show meaningful relationships that last just a short while. The best example being the immigrant family that lives in the apartment above Dan in New Jersey and welcomes him into their family when he needed one. It’s a beautiful message about life, to embrace the people around you and treasure them as you journey through the trials of life.

Dan Juday’s Waltzing A Two-Step: Reckoning Family, Faith, and Self is a coming-of-age memoir that is a must-read. A compassionate journey of self-acceptance that follows Dan Juday from the rural communities of Indiana, across Europe, and along the East Coast searching for a life well-lived.
- This title is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you buy your books.
June 2, 2021
SAXON HEROINES: A Northumbrian Novel (Women of Determination and Courage) by Sandra Wagner-Wright – British and Irish Biographical Literature, Historical Biographical Fiction, Women in Irish History

Sandra Wagner-Wright’s Saxon Heroines: A Northumbrian Novel is a rich history of four women many centuries ago.

During a time of constant shifts in power across Northumbria and what would later become England, Christianity begins taking over as the religion of choice in the region. Kings from the area renounce Woden and embrace the new faith, which gives them the divine right to rule.

Part of a series that tells of lesser-known women in history, Saxon Heroines concerns itself with the stories of four women in seventh century Northumbria. The novel splits into three parts, each part focusing on a different woman (women) of early Saxon history. First is Ethelberga of Kent, who becomes the new Queen of Northumbria in 624 and must convert the king to Christianity. The story shifts to Ethelberga’s daughter, Enfleda, in the second part; Enfleda’s daughter, Elfleda, in the third. Throughout the book, we witness Hildeburg’s role in King Edwin’s court to her holy life as the Abbess of Streoneshalh. Each of these women lived and died long ago, but they arguably changed the world.

Wagner-Wright transports her readers to a much more challenging way of life.

With few detailed historical records of seventh-century Northumbria, Wagner-Wright does the impossible task of fleshing out the little-known stories contained in the historical record. She takes what the ancient historians have recorded about these four women and tells their stories as accurately as possible. The women were, as Wagner-Wright writes, “present but not visible,” thus, the only things recorded about them were their titles, who they married, and who their children were. With these few facts, Ethelberga, Enfleda, Elfleda, and Hildeburg have unique voices – ones that have been silent for far too many years.

In her author’s note, Wagner-Wright adds historical context to the story’s events and reveals what happens in the years following the last chapter. Readers will do themselves a favor by reading through the front and back matter before digging into the meat. Just as important as the story itself, these portions will aid in the overall understanding of the text. A tale like Saxon Heroines based in history needs added material for readers to reference.

For lovers of historical and Christian fiction (and non-fiction), Saxon Heroines: A Northumbrian Novel could be the perfect book. Set in a time in which Christianity was taking hold across the region, the women of Saxon Heroines each play a pivotal role in the making of history.

May 13, 2021
NIGHT RAIN, TOKYO by John W. Feist – Men’s Adventure Fiction, Terrorism Thrillers, Crime Action/Adventure

A fast-paced political thriller, Night Rain, Tokyo is more than just bureaucratic intrigue. Brad Oaks is in Washington D.C. trying to get the Wishbone Pipeline project off the ground for Elgar Steel. Before he can make much progress in his task, he is called home by the news of the death of his boss and mentor, Ernie Elgar. Twin sisters Sarah and June Elgar are at odds about the Wishbone pipeline project. After their father’s death, the sisters have inherited control over Elgar Steel. But soon, they discover they have another sister in Tokyo. Brad is then sent across the world to meet with Amaya Mori to buy her Elgar Steel shares, but he quickly becomes caught in the crosshairs of international politics and his own heart.

Night Rain Tokyo is a heart-pounding, pulse-racing, political thriller that deals with the importance of family, identity, and love in an ever-increasingly complex world. John Feist pulls from his own experience in law and government relations, adding in the realities of bureaucratic hurdles, and this gives the plot a great touch of authenticity. In short, readers searching for an international, high-stakes political crime thriller that hits all the marks, look no further. Feist’s storytelling is smart. However, Feist understands there is more to an authentic political story than lobbying politicians and negotiating international business deals.

At the heart of Night Rain, Tokyo, are the personal struggles of its characters. Amaya has lived her whole life as an outsider in her own culture, while Brad is opening his heart again years after a significant loss. The Elgar sisters are at odds and struggle to maintain their familial bond at the cost of achieving their desired outcome for the Wishbone pipeline project. In real life, there is always more than just what is on the surface, and Night Rain, Tokyo is much more than the international Wishbone project.

Night Rain, Tokyo is the first book in his political thriller series, and he sets the bar high. Readers will not want to miss the next book, Blind Trust, and the just-released third book, Debt and Doubt.

March 10, 2021
END of the RACE by Judith Kirscht – Contemporary Literature, Family Drama, Women’s Literature, Women’s Fiction

An intricate mystery set in a small fictional town in northern Michigan, End of the Race is contemporary fiction at its finest. Annika Wolfson is a young mother and accomplished swimmer that has faced adversity in many areas of her life. Growing up in the Berglund household was rarely quiet for Annika because her father struggled with mental health and his unwavering feud against the affluent Wolfson family. Despite the long feud between the two families, Brian Wolfson and Annika bond as kids over swimming and their dream of the Olympics. Fast-forward a handful of years, Brian and Annika are now married and have a daughter. Their dreams of Olympic gold have been close to reality but always just out of reach.

After facing defeat in Athens a few years prior, Annika dives back into training for one last shot at Olympic gold, but then tragedy strikes. While in a low and vulnerable place, her husband Brian leaves to go on a sailing trip with friends from college and ends up missing. As Annika tries to unravel what has happened to her husband, she begins to suspect that the Wolfsons are not all they appear on the surface. Navigating a complicated family dynamic, she races to find answers as her life comes crumbling down around her and her daughter.

Kirscht keeps readers on the edge of their seats as she delicately deepens the mystery of Brian Wolfson’s disappearance. This mystery is far from the only one within the story. What happened that caused Annika to miss the Sydney and Athens Olympics? What happened all those years ago between Tom Berglund and Karl Wolfson that has created an almost Shakespearean divide between their houses? As the story progresses, Kirscht answers these questions bit by bit as the narrative alternates between the past and present. Towards the end of the novel, the timelines catch up with one another. There are still many things left unsaid and plenty of room for interpretation after the novel’s conclusion.

The mystery is presented mostly through Annika’s eyes, so readers only learn what she does. The full picture of the Wolfson family and their secretive attitude towards any outsiders is never fully explained. Even though Annika is a Wolfson by marriage, she is an outsider to her in-laws and her own family. The frustration and confusion she feels as a result adds complexity to the story as a whole.

Journey to the rustic setting of northern Michigan, where the idea of family may not be as simple as it seems. End of the Race is a quiet and refreshing story that will have readers longing for a trip out on the water.

End of the Race won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Somerset Awards for Literary novels.

March 3, 2021