Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Chanticleer 5 Star Book Review

  • RUNNING AWAY From The CIRCUS: Confessions of a Carnie Kid (Who Tried to Become a Priest) by Nove Meyers – Memoirs, Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality

     

    blue and gold badge recognizing Running Away From the Circus by Nove Meyers for winning the 2023 Hearten Grand Prize

    Debut author Nove Meyers breathes life into the big tent of human aspirations and desperations, from his birth into a raucous circus atmosphere to his diligent study for Catholic priesthood.

    Running Away from the Circus is a vibrant chronicle that opens with a vignette of his grandmother, clad in sequins and flying on a trapeze. She spun like a top to enthusiastic applause under the circus tent, until the fateful day when she included her young child in the act, dropping her thirty feet to the sawdust-covered floor below. But this did not prevent Nove Meyers from being born and having a story to tell.

    The boyhood described was as wild as the circus acts. He was encouraged to smoke cigarettes like his father and watched in astonishment as his mother burned up paper money, possibly to protect his uncle, a counterfeiter. Yet despite his unusual upbringing as one of the family’s third generation of circus owners, Meyers was taken regularly to Catholic church services. There, he discovered God, an entity as mysterious as the traveling circus and carnie crowds he was raised among.

    While tending to an elephant in the backyard and working alongside tightrope walkers and a “human cannonball,” Meyers was signing on as an altar boy and making his first confession.

    At age eight he became determined to become a priest, but there were obstacles. When he took a summer job as a carnie, he discovered he would have to work on the Sabbath. He struggled to convince himself that God would understand. Even these early experiences foreshadowed the life that would slowly chip away at the spiritual armor he tried to don. And there were girls. To become a priest he would have to take a vow of celibacy, perhaps the largest barrier he faced.

    In college, after enjoying the companionship of a young woman, he confronted a priest about the celibacy issue, suggesting that celibacy was merely a church-based control mechanism. Advised by the priest to pray, the young Nove lay in bed and talked at length to God, promising to try his best to become a worthy priest, but also asserting that if he met the right girl, he would love and marry her. He wraps up saying, “I hope You’ll understand. Thanks for listening.”

    Meyers demonstrates a clear gift for wordsmithing and a flair for storytelling that expertly handles the quick changes and maneuvers he experienced in the parallel worlds of the church and life under the “Big Top.”

    Based on the paradox he faced from an early age between religious requirements and human behaviors, he creates an enthralling tale, kept buoyant with wry humor and fascinating behind-the-scenes depictions of circus and carnival life that may startle those unfamiliar with it as it charms those who have shared his experiences.

    The choices Meyers made in his progression between the often-enjoyable chaos of the Big Top to the quiet comfort of the religious sanctuary of the church are remarkable, not only for his lively examination of them but for his rational yet spiritually grounded conclusions. Meyers’ dynamic, frank, and amusing saga will have his readers hoping for a second encore to this captivating life.

    Running Away from the Circus by Nove Meyers won Grand Prize in the 2023 CIBA Hearten Awards for Inspiring & Uplifting Non-Fiction.

     

  • UNPAVED by Anthony Horton – Contemporary Fiction, Family Issues, Psychological Fiction

    Somerset Blue and Gold First Place BadgeUnpaved by Anthony Horton is a pensive novel of how returning to one’s roots can reveal hints on how to move forward after a lifetime of grief.

    Russell Nowak-McCreary is a man whose life has been proudly shaped by formidable women. His mother, Judith, was a prominent cardiac surgeon at the reputable St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. His wife, Anna, thrived as a student of Judith’s and has risen to the top of Boston’s best medical campus. And Russell’s work partner Sarah Westroes joined his company, Datatel, as its CEO with a relentless drive to expand its footprint in the tech industry. His childhood was spent without a father figure, only excepting the fond memories of a single summer at his grandfather’s cabin in the Canadian wilderness.

    As he returns to the remote cabin of his youth to set his mother’s affairs in order, Russell takes this time alone to finally process all that he lost.

    His mother, Judith, died in her prime from pancreatic cancer. Russell’s only son’s life was taken too soon, and his marriage has fallen apart in the wake of it all. After several dark years enduring grief in compounding waves, Russell comes to wonder how he “felt so incredibly severed from that happy boy who had been satiated with the promise of the future”.

    Meanwhile, a corporate and romantic drama unfolds involving Sarah and Datatel. Russell has to reckon with fraud, insider trading, and illicit offshore bank accounts.

    While Russell isn’t convinced his lover is the one at fault, he finds it harder to trust Sarah after more of her personal life is exposed. As he ties loose ends on his mother’s will in Toronto, Russell struggles to decide: should he take Sarah’s place as CEO, or leave the company for good?

    Anthony Horton’s consistent lyricism gives an engaging rhythm to the story’s slow pace and puddle-hops through time — an arguably welcome reprieve from the typical hustle of an office drama.

    The corporate subplot in Unpaved proves to be the most entertaining and propulsive element of the book. Its rare appearance throughout Russell’s pilgrimage to Toronto and Teapot Lake provides the momentum needed to move our protagonist forward as he finds himself venturing into the backwaters of his past.

    For readers seeking a novel that sees them in their own grief, Unpaved is a thoughtful work that wades gently into the subject with grace. Horton’s careful prose allows us to take comfort in Russell’s unwavering confidence in the face of uncertainty as he determines how to begin the next chapter of his life on his own.

     

     

  • AN EMPTY HOUSE DOESN’T SNEEZE by David Scott Richardson – WWII Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Pacific Northwest

    In David Scott Richardson’s YA WWII historical novel, An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze, teenager Scott Johannsen—“Scotty” to his mom and friends—leads us on an adventure through the wartime Ravenna neighborhood in Seattle, Washington.

    Boeing manufactures B-17s, his grandparents and neighbors grow victory gardens, his parents build a bomb shelter in their basement, and mandatory blackouts occur every night. Scotty navigates a chaotic world filled with danger and wonder yet finds security with family and friends in this heartfelt story.

    Scotty runs with his pack—James, Marty, and Burr. We witness what lengths they will go to on a search for chocolate. With Ravenna Park as a backyard and Puget Sound just a short drive away, Scotty’s life is filled with exploration of the natural world. His fishing adventures with his dad in the Sound become an exciting way to supplement his family’s food rations as he dreams about netting a fighting salmon.

    Scotty’s peaceful life evokes a sense of innocence in another time. Readers see the responsibilities average citizens rose to in their attempts to safeguard their neighborhoods and families against a potential attack.

    Richardson masterfully relates the realities of coming of age in WWII America.

    Scotty’s older brother Eric and his younger sister Grace help him navigate this tumultuous time. Gas shortages, young men sent to battle overseas, and the loss suffered by a community when one of their own is killed in battle.

    Richardson also explores the plight of Japanese Americans during WWII. The loss of this part of his community directly impacts Scotty and his family when his friends and neighbors are sent to internment camps—regardless of their citizenship. To Scotty it seems incomprehensible and senseless, but Richardson confronts such an important historical fact directly.

    Yet more troubles intrude on Scotty’s world. We meet his nemesis, Simon Lashbaugh, a bully who lives on the other side of the park.

    He torments and confuses Scotty until he doesn’t know if he can trust his own brother. In his turmoil, Scotty confides in his sister and his buddies to help save his brother from the accusation that he is an arsonist setting fires during the city’s blackouts.

    Richardson brings to life the experiences of an average American kid who loves his hometown of Seattle—fishing with friends, running errands for his mom, and sharing secrets with his siblings.

    Our hero Scotty is not perfect. He’s a teenage boy who constantly thinks about girls, struggles with math, and tries to please his parents. He wants to survive school and adolescence and make sense of the chaos of WWII contrasted against his serene world.

    An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze grabs readers’ attention with a depiction of the great apprehension and uncertainty experienced by America’s youngest citizens during World War II.

    Richardson’s characters leap off the page and will capture the hearts of all who enjoy a fast-paced historical war story about a struggling family and the boy who helps save his neighborhood.

     

  • IF TWO ARE DEAD: A Garnick & Paschal Mystery by Jeanne Matthews – 19th Century Mystery, Murder Mystery, Women Sleuths

    An enigmatic raven-haired beauty mysteriously murdered and cast into a stranger’s grave, left for scurrilous resurrection men to uncover in the dark of night! In Jeanne Matthews’s historical mystery If Two Are Dead, Detectives Quinn Paschal and Gabriel Garnick take up this case of vicious murder and ignite a mire of secrets and resentment at the pinnacle of 1867 Chicago society.

    After catching the body-snatchers in the act of stealing a freshly buried corpse to sell for medical research, Quinn and Garnick realize the body found in Emmett Buck’s grave is by no means that of a young man, but that of a woman, whose bloody head and clean clothes point to a complex mystery. With only her appearance and some identifying jewelry, Quinn insists they can and will catch the killer of ‘Marietta A.V.’ Enlisting the help of an unscrupulous journalist, they locate her husband, a wealthy and influential doctor.

    The woman’s husband, Dr. Horace E. Vinings, offers them an incredible reward if they can find Marietta’s killer. But Quinn and Garnick suspect he might not like the answer he receives.

    Meanwhile, another case comes to the offices of Garnick & Paschal Private Detective Agency—one that might be even stranger.

    Fact meets fiction when famed author Charles Dickens takes a secret departure from his American book tour to recover his precious diary, stolen by a woman who he’s certain is working at the behest of his late brother’s widow. If the contents of that diary get out, it could mean terrible scandal for the beloved Victorian wordsmith, and his extramarital lover.

    Caught between the cooling leads of a murder and the incessant demands of Mr. Dickens, the detectives will have to push through danger, injury, and countless layers of deception to reveal the truth of both cases.

    Matthews brings readers into the chaotic, grimy streets of 19th-century Chicago with vivid detail and riveting suspense.

    If Two Are Dead fills your nose with the smell of slaughterhouse offal dumped in the rivers, conjures the chill of wind and rain kept at bay by thick coats and coal-burning stoves, and illustrates the city in all its tenuous juxtaposition of glittering grandeurs and industrial horrors.

    Making excellent use of a unique time and place, this clever story builds from its setting of a city in transition. Resurrection men supply the rapidly-expanding field of medicine with fresh corpses to examine. Charles Dickens tours like a modern pop star. The rich and powerful must hide their indiscretions against the social standards of the day.

    As Quinn and Garnick try to safeguard the reputation of Dickens, they also dig up long-buried secrets and cruelties to catch Marietta’s murderer. Even if it means potential disaster for Chicago’s most elite society.

    In this tale about the murky underworld of 19th century Chicago, every character has hidden sides to them—suspect, detective, and victim alike.

    Quinn must constantly reevaluate the motives and interpersonal connections that her suspects need to keep in the shadows. This is never truer than for the dead. The murdered Marietta’s own goals could illuminate what happened to her in her last days, but Quinn will have to parse words tainted by distaste and ignorance to discover who this young woman truly was.

    Regardless of the reward, Quinn dedicates herself to finding justice for Marietta. Her driven spirit and quick mind compel readers to root for her throughout the investigation.

    Quinn faces social and physical danger alike as a female detective in 1867. But even a brush with death and its lingering injury nothing will slow her down—especially as the pressure mounts in both investigations.

    More troubling, however, are the conflicts that start to grow between her and Garnick. As partners and lovers, they rely on each other. But Quinn isn’t sure if she wants the life of commitment that Garnick seems to desire. And as Quinn brushes off Garnick’s worries and trudges on despite the harm this murder case has already brought down on her, she fears she may have pushed him too far away. The arrival of someone from Garnick’s past forces Quinn to confront the choices she’s willing to risk for the sake of their relationship.

    If Two Are Dead interrogates how the unjust gender roles prevalent at the turn of the century dictate the lives of women—whether or not they choose to accept them.

    As an Irish woman, Quinn also faces more than her share of bigotry. But most keen in this story is the role of a wife. Quinn sees the terrible power that husbands wield over their spouses, how it defines the secrets behind Marietta’s death and the scandal of Charles Dickens’s stolen diary.

    Quinn doesn’t want a conventional life. She’s a detective first, and these investigations only give her more reason not to put such complete trust in anyone as to marry them. But, despite it all, she does want Garnick.

    Balancing flashes of grim violence with the excitement of discovery and the humor of a cantankerous Charles Dickens, Matthews delivers a satisfying murder mystery.

    Each new clue will spark burning questions in the reader’s mind. Matthews carefully constructs and expands the investigation, never quite giving the game away. And just as the answer begins to emerge from the fog, a new twist reframes what we know, rewarding those who share Quinn’s knack for catching subtle connections.

    If Two Are Dead is a gripping tale of family and professional betrayal set in the dangerous streets of Chicago that dredges up one secret after another. But even those secrets buried six feet under can be laid bare once more.

     

  • ROSES In DECEMBER: Hamilton Place, Book 2 by Mark A. Gibson – Family Saga, Contemporary Fiction, War in Afghanistan

    Roses in December is the epic conclusion to Mark A. Gibson’s compelling two-part family saga, Hamilton Place. Now focusing on the family’s next generation, James Hamilton Jr.—Jimmy—follows in the footsteps of the father he never met, a Vietnam War hero who died in battle, and ultimately finds his own path in life.

    Pressured by a conning mother-in-law only out for monetary gain, the elder Jimmy’s widow, Becca, is pushed to marry Mack Lee, her deceased husband’s older brother who proves to be a cheating and abusive husband. Trapped in this loveless marriage, Becca hopes that attending church will remove her son from the toxic influence of her new husband and set him on the right path to a good life. But it’s the discovery of young Jimmy’s superior photographic memory that opens the door to a brighter future, and he sets a course to an outstanding medical career, coupled with military service in Afghanistan.

    Gibson delivers the recent past with a great sense of immediacy, showing events that ripple into our contemporary world using pop references that are relevant in today’s world.

    There is no shying away from the thorny reality of world conflicts and tragedies, such as the 9/11 terror attacks. Jimmy’s budding empathy and photographic memory become both a blessing and a curse when all the best and worst parts of his life are only one visual recall away. This unique and imaginative narrative follows Jimmy as he grows into a man named James who must come to terms with his most painful experiences.

    Roses in December develops on the themes of love, loss, and resilience revealed in its predecessor, A Song That Never Ends, with thematic vines are grafted together into a deeply rewarding whole.

    Many of the same elements from the first book return in this two-part series, with its details now paying off, from a special photograph the Vietnam medic uses to cover a chest wound, to James referencing the unique bandage to his hospital interns. Roses in December is laced with connective details that immerse the reader in the lives of its characters as family mysteries come to light, including the long-held secret that Becca has kept from her son, James. And the story comes full circle when the adult James shares the full family history with his own children.

    While Roses in December can certainly stand on its own, reading Gibson’s books in sequence will help lay a solid foundation for this generational saga. It will also serve to impart a core of knowledge about the characters and their relationships, and their development within the family’s overall dynamic. Together these volumes prove a truly satisfying duo, with Roses in December blossoming into a beautiful conclusion to the Hamilton Place Series.

  • COMBAT MISSIONS by Burl D. Harmon – Wartime Memoirs, WWII Aviation, Military History

     

    Gold and Blue Military and Front Line Awards First Place Badge for Service to Others

    Sometimes, a close and personal story can reveal the true weight of major historical events. Combat Missions, a memoir from WWII veteran Burl D. Harmon, achieves this by detailing how Europe’s vicious aerial battles shape a young boy’s entry to manhood.

     On December 7, 1941, Harmon is summoned to his high school’s auditorium to hear President Roosevelt proclaim it as, “a day which will live in infamy…” Soon after, his draft notice arrives. Harmon’s junior college studies and work at the local Rexall drug store are put on hold as he joins the vast flood of young American men and women conscripted into military service. Leaving his small Iowa town and a family mostly sheltered from the grim realities of the outside world, he travels to New York City with people from every imaginable background.

     With no prior mechanical experience, he works diligently to become a flight engineer, training to master a lexicon of manual tasks and learn the intricacies of air-to-air combat amidst bombing runs. His training takes him even farther from home, to Detroit, Lorado, Texas, Puerto Rico, and even Cuba.

    In these unfamiliar places, Harmon experiences other, more hidden sides of adulthood, including a visit to a notorious brothel in Havana. The reader feels his innocence shedding, but not his moral compass, which keeps him from indulging in many of the temptations that entice other draftees.

    Once trained, Harmon spends most of his deployment in Italy, where he flies a total of 38 perilous missions.

    He takes readers into the cockpit to experience aerial battle with first-hand, harrowing descriptions. But this memoir shows much more than just the violence of war. It’s also about the men he served with, the officers he served under, and the good and bad of both. He names beloved friends and respected officers, gives us glimpses of those who survived the war to live fruitful lives, and memorializes those who were lost in Europe’s battle-scarred skies.

    Harmon reveals the struggles and joys of his own life in the shadow of war.

    We see his quarreling parents in Iowa, the often tormented and confusing love life of a young man, and the family he befriends in Italy with the kindness they bestow upon him. At the conclusion of the war, he tells us of how it was to come home. He has to readjust to a quiet existence as he stumbles around trying to figure out a way forward until, ultimately, he discovers his love of teaching.

    Decades later, at 85, Harmon takes on a new challenge when he joins a group called Global Volunteers, which places him overseas once again. The adventure takes him back to Italy, near the place where he was stationed during the war. It’s a bittersweet return. He makes new friends but discovers the family that he’d spent time with during the war is gone, chased from their home by fleeing Nazis who rampaged villages and confiscated everything they could find ahead of the Allied force’s advances.

    This trim volume shows how the experience of war shaped Harmon’s character and the course of his life, looking back now at 97. Readers interested in the Greatest Generation, who risked their lives to win a war against a rising fascist power, this memoir offers fascinating and meaningful detail from that time. For those who want to understand the way war can change a young boy’s life, Combat Missions is a personal, compassionate must-read.

    Combat Missions by Burl D. Harmon won First Place in the 2021 CIBA Military & Front Line Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction.

     

     

  • THE TRUE ADVENTURES Of MILTON GINSBERG by Carolyn Russo Kinne, Illustrated by Libi Holder – Picture Books, Children’s Adventure Books, Animal Stories

     

    Carolyn Russo Kinne’s children’s story, The True Adventures of Milton Ginsberg, follows the journey of a delightful little kitten from Washington to British Columbia, Canada and back.

    Milton is the bright star of this story, even with his harrowing beginning as a stray with his mother and brother. While the humans’ storyline feels beyond Milton’s understanding, both the tense and tender moments make this beautifully illustrated story memorable!

    The upbeat tone Milton narrates in is one of this story’s treasures.

    This cat truly has nine lives as he faces each step of his adventure with luck. Pair that with his humble beginnings, and children will fall in love with Milton as he describes how his mother finds him and his brother a forever home with two humans, Dave and Nancy.

    The tension builds when Dave and Nancy decide to move to British Columbia. They try and find homes for all three cats, but the people who take them on are only able to accept two. Milton’s family decide he is the adventurous one, and take him north. It’s a touching moment as Milton says goodbye to his mother and brother.

    Milton’s indomitable spirit captures Dave and Nancy’s heart just as much as the reader’s.

    Excited at first to be a traveling cat, Milton quickly discovers drives are long, bumpy, and boring. He can’t wait to get out of the car when they stop for supplies. Out gallivanting, he’s shocked to find the car has left while he was away. But he is one lucky cat, and when his people return calling his name, Milton runs to them and the story proceeds north.

    After a disastrous time in British Columbia, the family winds their way back to the continental US to create a home. This is where Milton can grow into the wonderful, mischievous cat he was always meant to be.

    Libi Holder’s beautiful illustrations will delight children and adults alike as they meld with Kinne’s story to paint the highs and lows of Milton’s adventures.

    Holder’s soft representations of nature, our hero Milton, and his own hero will hold the interest of young readers and provide a sense of satisfaction to the story. A second set of illustrations spread throughout the book, drawn by Carolyn Russo Kinne’s own daughter, Rose, adds an engaging generational feature to this children’s tale.

    Readers will love following Milton on his adventures as he and his family navigate growing up and finding their place in the world. This enchanting story will warm your heart and endear Milton to you as another admirable animal character in the canon of children’s literature. As fun companions to the story itself, Kinne includes activity pages at the end of the book, complete with discussion questions, a maze, and more!

    Carolyn Russo Kinne’s The True Adventures of Milton Ginsberg will have readers ready to write their own adventures about always landing on your feet and being surrounded by those who love and care about you.

     

  • JAKE FORTINA And The ROMAN CONSPIRACY by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Global Thriller, Terrorism, International Mystery & Crime,

     

    blue and gold badge recognizing Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy by Ralph R 'Rick' Steinke for winning the 2023 Global Thriller Grand PrizeTalk about a ripped-from-the headlines thriller in Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy!

    In this multinational geopolitical thriller by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke, a power-crazed Russian oligarch wants to usurp the current Russian dictator to take his place as the head of the government. He forms his own paramilitary force to steal priceless paintings from a Vatican church with plans to resell them for billions to fund his campaign. But why stop there? He also explodes illicit small-scale atomic weapons to further destabilize the Russian leader and cast himself as the country’s new czar.

    Meanwhile, a crazed U.S. right wing military adjutant buys loads of AK-47s from the Italian mafia to arm U.S. paramilitary groups intent on enforcing their own far-right views in America.

    Jake Fortina, an Army foreign area officer with special training to handle international and political-military duties at embassies and in international duties, is on vacation in Italy with his new bride when he runs into an old military chum who pretends he doesn’t recognize Jake and speaks with a Russian accent. That sets off alarm bells for Jake who manages to photograph the man along with his car’s license plate. That information is turned over to his superiors which opens the door to the rogue oligarch’s nefarious plans. He overhears the right-wing U.S. officer launch a drunken tirade against the American “left wing” government while in the company of an Italian military officer with suspicious ties to the Mafia. That leads to investigations of the weapons transfers to the U.S. paramilitary movement and a reported assassination attempt on a U.S. politician.

    Steinke breaks the mold by pairing a thriller with nuclear stakes to a careful and scholarly level of detail.

    From the price of AK-47s on the black market, the history of a fine wine, to a detailed examination of an officer’s dedication to this country, this novel delivers a healthy dose of information, history, and the fabric of being a member of this elite corps of public servants. More of a clear cut story without the murkiness of a John LeCarre. Fortina is part of a world fashioned and lived in the military. Highly educated, loyal to country, with a military life forged in the hills of Afghanistan and at the tables of the world’s finest restaurants in his role as attaché in Rome. Steinke presents a different kind of thriller hero. There is little ambiguity regarding who the good guys are, nor of the clarity of decision-making and the chain of command to which Jake and others ascribe to.

    For readers intrigued by how the real world handles existential threats, including but not limited to roiling Kremlin politics, rogue nuclear weapons in evil hands, and the U.S. paramilitary threat, Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy is an important and intriguing novel.

  • LET’S WORK SMARTER: Harmony Lane Adventures Book 2 by Katharine Mitropoulos, Illustrated by Laura Watson – Children’s Animal Stories, Picture Books, Creative Thinking Skills

     

    Katharine Mitropoulos’s Let’s Work Smarter, the second book of the Harmony Lane Adventures series, begins on a beautiful day at the Harmony Lane Farmer’s Market. There the residents are hoping to reach their fundraising goal to fix up the local playground.

    The next day, after having met their fundraising goal, Mouse takes charge dividing everyone into groups, each with their own job to do. Kangaroo, Frog, and Kitten are tasked with planting a flower garden, which turns out to be hard work! They decide they just need to work harder to get the job done but end up making a mess. Cheetah and Mole work hard while cleaning up the sandbox, causing sticks and leaves to get all over the place. Painting the fence are Giraffe, Bear, and Bunny, who all have their own plan for the design.

    By lunch everyone is no closer to finishing their tasks and everyone is exhausted! Mouse suggests everyone needs to work smarter instead of working harder. If everyone takes the time to think of creative ways to accomplish their tasks together and in an easier way, they will all be done fixing up the playground in no time!

    The Adventures of Harmony Lane came about from the author’s bedtime story she made up for her children. With a background in psychology, linguistics, and speech-language pathology, Katharine Mitropoulos has created stories that will help teach children the valuable lessons of teamwork and learning.

    At the end of Let’s Work Smarter parents will find several prompts they can use with their children to foster development and a love of learning. Based on the story, the suggestions provide insight into the value of the task along with an activity parents can incorporate into their child’s daily routine.

    Just as it was in the first Harmony Lane Adventure book, Ready…Set…Frog!, illustrator Laura Watson’s bright and colorful art creates a visually stimulating world. Her lighthearted, whimsical style is a perfect match for Mitropolous’s lively anthropomorphic characters, and the little details are a delight for children to find as the story is read.

    Following in what already feels like a rich tradition of Harmony Lane books, we see the animal residents come together to think creatively and work as a team to solve a task in an unexpected way. We see each group approach the solution to their task in a way that emphasizes mindfulness and planning ahead, which allows for parents and children to easily connect this story to their day-to-day life.

    Mitropoulos’ Let’s Work Smarter is a brilliant story about problem solving with vivid art. It teaches children the valuable lesson that not only can they accomplish their goals, but that any challenge can be overcome when you work together!

     

     

  • THE BEST I CAN DO: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness by Cheryl Landes – Memoirs, Mental Illness, Family Dysfunction

     

    Cheryl Landes’s The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness, follows the devastation of a happy marriage as mental illness slowly takes over the mind of her husband. Landes must then make the journey back to peace.

    Cheryl and her husband, Tom, had known each other since their college days. A classic love story, Landes does a beautiful job with the set up, and then delivers the tragedy of Tom’s spiral into paranoia as their plans for the future begin to fall apart.

    The Best I Can Do tells the story of what happens when Tom insists someone is trailing him, believing a car passes by his and Cheryl’s home every day even though no one else sees it. He claims someone installed listening devices in their house and refuses to speak unless his white-noise devices are on. As his paranoia increases he locks the refrigerator with a chain and a padlock to protect himself from the certainty someone—perhaps Cheryl—wants to poison him.

    When Tom is laid off from a job he’s had for ten years, he decides to switch careers from sales to finance. The shift takes the couple from Seattle to New York City, disregarding Cheryl’s objections. With compassion and love, we follow her journey to understand his illness as she sets the boundaries she needs to rebuild her life.

    But New York is only the beginning of a series of moves, all orchestrated by Tom’s inner voices.

    He wipes out their savings, spends money the couple doesn’t have, and before long, Cheryl’s resilience is tested as she finds herself homeless and regularly sleeping in her car. The story jumps around, back and forth in time, from Seattle to the East Coast and back again as it weaves the tangled web of Tom’s life into a narrative that resembles the clear struggle of Cheryl’s new reality.

    Pride keeps Cheryl from telling anyone at her white-collar job about her situation as Tom, thoroughly in the depths of his mental illness, is rarely seen. He pops up occasionally with no answers regarding his long absences or evidence of clarity. Cheryl’s inner voice attempts to warn her about her own downward trajectory, but not soon enough.

    Landes’s novel is a fascinating and grueling tale of navigating the complexities of living with a person dealing with mental illness.

    The Best I Can Do: A True Story of Navigating the Complexities of Mental Illness and Homelessness is a heart-breaking memoir. Cheryl Landes does a superb job of chronicling the ups and downs of her life as her husband becomes a prisoner of his schizophrenia.