Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Chanticleer 5 Star Book Review

ENLIGHTEN UP! Finding Clarity Contentment and Resilience in a Complicated World by Beth Gibbs – Personal Transformation, Meditation, Spiritual Growth

Beth Gibb’s Enlighten Up! Finding Clarity Contentment and Resilience in A Complicated World is not a simple how-to book, but rather an invitation to begin a journey of self-discovery.

This journey follows the “five-layer method,” based on the Upanishads, a 3,000-year-old East-Indian wisdom tradition. After a quick history lesson on the pursuit of self-awareness, Gibbs walks readers through the five layers of achieving it, for a happy and fulfilling life. Throughout the book, Gibbs includes breaks for mindfulness and grounding exercises to get the most out of each section.

Gibbs writes about the assumption that the goal of enlightenment is to, “suppress or eliminate their emotions, live everlasting bliss, and face every situation with equanimity,” and how that assumption is unrealistic.

She sees a better understanding of self as a way to improve many aspects of one’s life. Following her advice won’t create a drastic overnight transformation, but it involves a lot of reflection and hard work to make these changes last. It’s clear that the benefits of developing better self-awareness are more than worth the effort as they can lead to better lifestyle choices, reduced stress, and strengthened relationships, all of which contribute to personal happiness. At the end of the day, many people wish most of all for happiness for themselves and those they love.

Beth Gibbs does a wonderful job blending her explanations of Eastern wisdom traditions with Western beliefs and scientific thought.

Before Enlighten Up! Readers may not have heard of the Upanishads, but Gibbs’s down-to-earth writing style makes it easy to understand and think about the culture and purpose of enlightenment and meditation. For instance, she refutes the idea that practicing enlightenment is to suppress or eliminate emotions and live in everlasting bliss. Gibbs dives deeply into these ideas, such as exploring the distinction between our emotions and our feelings.

Within each section, Gibbs writes about her own journey of enlightening up and how it is about, “feeling, being, and acting authentically.” From Enlighten Up! readers will learn how to feel 100% authentic and comfortable in their skin by working through the layers of awareness, aided by the offer of breathing and calming exercises.

Enlighten Up! Finding Clarity Contentment and Resilience in a Complicated World is a must-read for those wanting more peace of mind in their loud and busy lives.

Enlighten Up! by Beth Gibbs won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Mind & Spirit Awards for Spirituality and Enlightenment Non-Fiction.

June 7, 2023
A LONG WAY From CLARE by Robert W. Smith – Historical Fiction, Conspiracy Mystery, Irish-American History

Twenty-four-year-old Conor Dolan had intended to surprise his older brother and catch up after years apart. However, what he finds when he arrives in Chicago will spark a harrowing mystery, in A Long Way from Clare by Robert W. Smith.

Kevin, a beat cop in twentieth-century Chicago’s worst neighborhood, was found six weeks before Conor’s visit, in what the police have dubbed a suicide. However, Conor has his doubts. Each time he asks people about Kevin, he is met with resistance and denial. When Conor speaks with Detective Flynn, the man assigned to Kevin’s case, his suspicions become certainties. Flynn’s bizarre behavior, the minimal effort on the police’s part to investigate, and the men following Conor at every turn convince him to stay in Chicago rather than return to his home in Springfield.

Conor’s determination to find answers to Kevin’s death lead him in a dangerous dance with darkness amidst the shadows of Chicago’s underworld.

He finds an ally in undercover Pinkerton agent Rebecca Fletcher, who has been assigned to find information on a secret Irish society, Clan na Gael. Clan na Gael, a militant organization bent on establishing a united, independent Ireland, is planning the assassination of a visiting British dignitary. And Rebecca has uncovered evidence linking Kevin with them. Now Conor finds himself in the middle of a corrupt city, fighting for justice for poor immigrants and searching for the truth about Kevin’s life. The more he learns about his brother, the less sure he is that he actually wants that truth. At great risk to himself, Conor faces the corruption, where his own destruction is just one misstep away.

A Long Way from Clare revolves around the brotherly love between Kevin and Conor.

The reader sees their relationship through Conor’s memories. Kevin gave up so much to make sure his brother became more than himself. A seven-year-old Conor was once protected from the reality of eviction by Kevin, who strives to make the whole thing seem like a grand adventure even as their mother sends them across the ocean to their uncle. He does this again on the horrifying journey from Ireland to America aboard a cramped, filthy ship. Conor is never fearful because Kevin has given him strength and assurance that all will be well as long as they are together.

As a young adult, Kevin joins the army and later the police force to provide Conor with an education. He made certain Conor became a lawyer while Kevin himself walked the beat of the worst section of Chicago. Conor truly begins to understand Kevin’s sacrifice as he investigates Kevin’s death. However, he also finds a duality in the brother he loved and respected. He’s uncertain and confused when he learns of Kevin’s secretive life, struggling to reconcile this with his kind and caring brother.

Chicago itself becomes an integral part of the novel. The massive government corruption in the early twentieth century defines Conor’s story just as much as the other characters.

Conor’s fledgling law office cannot survive without the consent of precinct bosses, their “heelers,” and the coppers patrolling the ward. Everyone from the local priest to the court clerk has their hands in the coffers. Stuck in the capital of debauchery, Conor cannot fathom how his caring brother has spent most of his adult life working in the ward. The smog, the filth, and the human depravity overwhelm Conor’s upright values. Though he feels the pressure to break laws to benefit his “protectors,” Conor refuses.

The plight of immigrants, especially the Irish, becomes foremost in Conor’s mind since the city itself seems to devour these poor masses.

In his search for answers, he encounters so many people – women in particular – who’ve been abused and used, crushed beneath the feet of men seeking their own freedom from those at the top. They hurt those beneath them because they themselves are being hurt, going so far as to kill their own children rather than allow the city to consume them piece by piece. This dark and horrifying picture of the Windy City is the one that Conor must face.

A Long Way from Clare skillfully entwines the bonds of family, the underbelly of a corrupt city, and the resilience of those who struggle for justice. Robert W. Smith’s storytelling plunges readers into early twentieth-century Chicago to deliver a riveting narrative where the truth is irresistible.

June 5, 2023
THE GREATEST MATCHMAKER In SPACE: Eudora Space Kid Book 4 by David Horn – Picture Books, Sci-fi, Children’s Adventure Books

David Horn’s Eudora Space Kid series continues with another fabulous middle-grade Sci-fi novel, The Greatest Matchmaker in Space.

Horn takes us back to the decks of the Athena, an AstroLiner and the flagship for the Astrofleet of the planetary Republic. The intrepid Eudora is ready to fly into another adventure, this time as a matchmaker for Captain Jax.

Eudora loves math and science, and even though she’s only in third grade, she dreams of becoming a chief engineer on an AstroLiner. But, she would settle for Captain if that’s what they offered her. When she visits Cafeteria 1 for dessert, she finds Captain Jax, who, per usual, yells, “Get off my bridge.” He’s used to kicking Eudora off the bridge while he’s working, but he must be deeply distracted to confuse it with the cafeteria.

She notices his sad eyes and dejected manner and asks what’s wrong. To her surprise, he invites her to sit with him, and she excitedly realizes the Captain of the Athena is going to confide in her.

He’s been thinking about Miss Allison, Eudora’s teacher. She’s shocked because she loves being in Miss Allison’s class. Does Captain Jax want to fire her?

In fact, he says that he’d like to go on a date with Miss Allison. In her relief, Eudora agrees to help, claiming romance as her specialty alongside engineering. Even though Eudora’s a math and science genius, she’s seen her mother reading all sorts of romance books, so she suggests a double date. Now all Eudora has to do is talk yet another person into going. Easy, right?

This book becomes laugh-out-loud funny as Eudora realizes she’s in over her head.

Can she get Miss Allison to agree? And what about her own date, Arnold? Captain Jax is counting on her, and she can’t let him down because he could help her get into the Astro University. But when she runs into a love triangle between Captain Jax, Miss Allison, and the MedBay officer, how will she untangle the mess?

Find out in David Horn’s latest installment aboard the Athena, The Greatest Matchmaker in Space. Readers will love Eudora’s antics as she marches boldly into the romance department on the AstroLiner. This book flies high with five stars.

June 1, 2023
DAWGS: A True Story of Lost Animals and the Kids who Rescued Them by Diane Trull & Meredith Wargo – Memoirs, Animal Rescue, Animal & Pet Care

We love our dogs. We love our cats. But what do we do when people no longer want them, use them for cruel purposes, or release them into the streets with no thought for what will happen to them? Diane Trull’s memoir with Meredith Wargo, DAWGS, shines a light on these questions.

Trull begins the story as a fourth-grade teacher in Dalhart, Texas. One of her young students asks about an article in a local paper showing photos of adorable dogs at a shelter who were up for adoption, wondering what happened to those who weren’t adopted.

Instead of dodging the question, and with great trepidation, she answered it with the truth: those who weren’t adopted would be put to sleep. Her tiny students were understandably shocked. Then one of them said, “I don’t want any of those dogs to die. Isn’t there something we can do to save them?”

That simple question, asked by a child in a classroom in 2003, started a profound adventure in the lives of Diane and her husband, Mark, and her students.

Together, they started a private dog shelter, working with a reluctant animal control officer and an even more reluctant city council to take in as many pets as possible, feed them, groom them, and bring many back to health until, hopefully, someone would adopt them.

This was no simple task. For most of us, taking care of one or two animals in our homes is enough. How can someone take care of hundreds? Without government funding, and with a workforce of only two adults and a small group of nine-to-ten-year-old children, the struggles started to pile up. The noise of barking dogs brought constant complaints, the food and medical attention cost too much, and the sheer effort to take care of these animals in the harsh weather of the Texas Panhandle overwhelmed the volunteer school children even with help from other concerned citizens.

The development of the shelter is in itself a remarkable story. But even more profound is its effect on the children who volunteered for months, or even years.

The shelter had a strict code of ethics regarding those young volunteers including full permission of their parents, and a required balance between school and their work at DAWGS. Its motto, then and now is, ”Making a difference, one animal at a time, one child at a time, one day at a time.”

Students who participated learned life lessons of responsibility, compassion, and dedication that helped shape them as people. Some of these fourth graders are still involved with the shelter after nearly 20 years.

Many dogs have their stories told in this book. Tales of abandoned, damaged pets who were nursed back to health at the shelter and subsequently adopted. Also told are the stories of the many companies and individuals whose key donations and hands-on work have made this shelter work.

A heartwarming story? Yes. But equally important is the hard work and grit that ensured the success of this shelter. Highly recommended.

DAWGS by Diane Trull won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Hearten Awards for Uplifting & Inspiring Non-Fiction.

May 29, 2023
MIGUELITO’S CONFESSION by Miguel A. De La Torre – Historical Fiction, Cultural Heritage Fiction, Latin Literature

Miguelito’s Confession by Miguel A. De La Torre shows the resonate struggle of escaping the generational cycle of poverty and injustice.

Human nature is a product of circumstance, interwoven with the impact of one generation on the next. Sometimes history teaches people lessons of pain, cruelty, and inhumanity. How can someone rise above the disadvantages they’re raised in, the pressures that hold them hostage from their own goals and wishes? Especially at risk are the innocent children caught in the midst of a maniacal battle within the corrupt powers of society. Can an illegal immigrant find success and happiness despite the brutalities of life? And what is the personal cost of pursuing justice?

Manuel de la Cruz is dying, and he is alone.

At the end of his life, he suffers from dementia, a mixed blessing that releases him from the violent slice of history he had fully participated in. It allows him to forget the cruelty and violence he inflicted as part of the police force during the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Even the times that followed are lost to him, all he did to escape from the consequences of his actions by escaping to the U.S.

Yet suddenly, in his final moments, Manuel is granted the ability to think clearly again, a sign that justice is possible. As Manuel leaves this world, he is haunted by what his life has been, his impact upon others and his family, and especially the psychological inheritance he leaves his son Miguelito.

Now, this is Miguelito’s story, and he takes a difficult journey.

As a young boy, his family lived in the slums of New York. It’s a filthy, dangerous place to grow up, and its threats are magnified many times over for an illegal immigrant boy who is despised for being Latino. The author is masterful in his portrayal of this revolting setting.

Miguelito seeks out ways to survive his painful world. He learns from others who dwell in the corners of humanity, minorities who are punished for not being what the majorities require. Playing the social games forced upon him, Miguelito discovers some peace, persistence, and answers through his secretive worship of African gods. It’s an unexpected friend who introduces him to this path, helping him weather the turmoil that his mere existence incites around him.

Author and Professor Miguel A. De La Torre lifts conventional history out of a single point of view. Miguelito’s Confession brings to life the complex past settings, and the lessons revealed both sting and inspire.

This is history shown without glorification. Readers will be engaged by the author’s ability to mold multi-dimensional characters with complex motives. The backdrop slice of life is described artfully within a foundation built by preceding generations. Vivid pictures of human interaction drive the present and shape the future, holding the reader in a thought-provoking trance.

Empathy for the characters pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the story, in pursuit of hope. Will they uncover the hidden answer to what can make life worth living, and what can finally bring justice?

May 19, 2023
SAVONNE, NOT VONNY by Robin Lee Lovelace – Southern Literature, Myths & Legends, 1960’s

Robin Lee Lovelace evokes a world in which the mystical intertwines with the everyday in Savonne, Not Vonny, a coming-of-age story set in rural Louisiana.

Nine-year-old Savonne lives in a small room at the back of Mama Gwen’s whorehouse, in Indianapolis in the ’60s. Her mama is one of the working girls, and her father is Mama Gwen’s own son. Savonne’s daddy dotes on her, and Mama Gwen loves Savonne like the daughter she never had; the two of them together make a loving home for Savonne, in the midst of their raucous brothel.

By contrast, Savonne’s birth mother rarely pays her any mind. A “crazy-ass woman” with a temper “as hot as a Mississippi afternoon,” Coco is not at all opposed to beating the bejesus out of someone. In a fury one night, she does something that cannot be undone, and in her headlong flight out of town, she takes Savonne with her.

And so it is that Savonne is forced from the only home she’s ever known and left in the care of her mysterious and reclusive great-grandfather, Pompey.

With Pompey, Savonne enters another world, one of casual acquaintance with hoodoo and root work, a world where Papa Legba guards the crossroads and serves as an intermediary between the human and the spirit world, a world where an enemy might cast a subtle spell or command the serpents, or shapeshift into another form himself. However, as long as Pompey is there to guard her, Savonne is safe. She takes after her great-grandfather, and he recognizes that she too has the gift, the ability to conjure, “the natural.”

But the day will come when Savonne is left to face the forces that would undo her, with only Leatha, Pompey’s old black dog all gone now to gray and stiff-boned, by her side. Before her journey home is over, Savonne must outwit an enemy far more powerful than she — and rely on help from the most unlikely of allies.

Robin Lee Lovelace has conjured a world in which the seen and the unseen alike direct our days, in which the divine intermingles with the mundane, with characters so rich and fully realized they fairly leap off the page.

Pick this story up for the delicious experience of diving headlong into a landscape reminiscent of those spun by the finest Southern writers in the American canon.

Readers may find themselves racing through this novella to see how it all comes out for Savonne in the end, and likely wanting more of Savonne and her world (and maybe those allies too) in her full short story collection, A Wild Region, is available now!

Savonne, Not Vonny by Robin Lee Lovelace won Grand Prize in the 2020 CIBA Shorts Awards for Short Stories.

May 17, 2023
EVER AFTER by Barbara Francesca Murphy – Murder Thrillers, Women’s Friendship Fiction, Mystery

Ever After by Barbara Murphy reveals the treachery, fear, love, and emotion woven throughout a tenuous friendship.

Imogen Armstrong Brown can’t wait to be interviewed by a local newspaper. She holds the well-hidden secret of her sworn enemies, four women who rebuked her from their close group friendship. A tragic event around Horseshoe Bay featuring this scrupulous group had shown Imogen that the group was neither sincere nor innocent, but deeply pretentious, ruthless, and defiant even to the law.

Over the course of this story, readers will learn of all the dark corners that Nora, Tiffany, Lydia, and Reeva try to hide.

Each character’s background and upbringing paint their aspirations and fears in the present. Even the strengths in their personalities, such as being hardworking and loving, are hampered by challenges from mental disorders to trauma from bad parenting, and sometimes a simple lack of contentment. Murphy showcases the coping strategies that each of the four employs in a desperate bid to maintain sanity, closeness, and unity despite a harsh reality.

The pains of the past will demand resilience from the four women if they want any chance to turn fateful challenges into opportunities for change and progress.

Readers will find all the women linked together by Justin, an intriguing character whose admirable nature and willingness to help others is overshadowed by his flirtatious and proud behavior. A breathtaking reveal is just around the corner as these relationships are teased apart.

Murphy’s easy choice of words gives this text a flow that welcomes readers of all ages. Engaging dialogue shows the depth of her characters as they play off of each other.

Ever After sparkles with breathtaking twists and turns that will hold readers in suspense from beginning to end, particularly after a hypnotic prologue that promises an unforgettable and extraordinary adventure. With each secret revealed, the story offers a deeper look inside the world of its perfect-looking people. For thriller lovers and supporters of women’s friendships, this will be an exciting and highly inspirational read.

Overall, Ever After is a composition whose words will pull at the heartstrings of its readers. The brilliant uses of elements such as tragic flow, dramatic irony, anxiety, denouement, and catharsis, combine to produce an unforgettable read. Murphy’s magisterial work shines a probing light into the nature of friendship, the life-altering impact of infidelity, and the ultimate cost of a truly poor decision.

“Some paths lead us into the light, but others take us down an ever-dimming pathway into darkness.” – Wofford Lee Jones

May 15, 2023
READY… SET… FROG! by Katharine Mitropoulos – Children’s Picture Books, Children’s Friendship Books, Children’s Animal Stories

One can’t help but smile upon meeting the bespectacled green splay-toed creature on the opening pages of Katherine Mitopoulos’ delightful children’s book, Ready … Set …Frog!

The story centers around the charming, lively character Frogathan Spots, aka Frog, who loves a challenge. When Frog learns his street is hosting a neighborhood fair, complete with an obstacle course, he starts anxiously preparing for the event. Unfortunately, his friends keep interrupting his practice set-ups, asking for help with their own business. Almost ready to bow out of the contest, Frog musters the courage to join the fun along with a rabbit, kangaroo, and grasshopper. Though the final results may not be all that Frog hoped for, the lessons he learns are truly trophy-worthy.

Within this whimsical tale, Frog realizes the importance of helping others.

Whether picking an apple for a mole baking a homemade pie, assisting a tall giraffe to wear a floppy purple hat on a sunny day, or rescuing a stranded little feline, Frog is there to help his friends in need. When Frog realizes he hasn’t had time to practice for the race, his mother helps him see that he did his training, just in unexpected ways. Perhaps more important is his mom explaining that it’s okay to say no sometimes to helping others, and instead take the time we need for our own endeavors. Like anything else, learning to balance our own needs with those of others takes time and practice.

Mitropoulos’ heartfelt, creative storyline is highlighted by Laura Watson’s endearing illustrations.

These anthropomorphized characters take on charming quirks as we see them seated at the breakfast table with plates of flies, glasses of milk for the kids, and coffee for the adults, happily perusing the morning paper. Mom and daughter accessorize with bows, jewelry, and fluttering eyelashes, while dad sports a striped necktie. These friendly amphibians have expressive facial features that will draw in young readers and adults sharing storytime.

Watson mixes natural shades for her illustrations with bright pops of color and vibrant shades of green that highlight the characters in center stage.

Mitropoulos’ well-crafted story, in combination with Watson’s artful designs, will both teach and entertain.

May 12, 2023
SORA SEARCHES For A SONG by Once Upon a Dance – Children’s Dancing Books, Picture Books, Children’s Adventure Books

Sora Searches for a Song from Once Upon a Dance will delight children and adults with its synthesis of story and movement.

Once Upon a Dance features several creative works that combine reading with physical activity, and this book delivers that pairing with gusto. Beginning with a beautiful overview of a marsh, we are introduced to Sora, a little cricket who everyone says has no imagination. In place of imagination, however, this cricket has the remarkable gift of transformation. Sora discovers the ability to turn into living beings like birds and fish, which allows for a greater understanding of the different songs sung by all creatures.

The charming storytelling is paired with two sides of dancing instruction.

Ballerina Konora demonstrates a movement in image, and a written description not only explains the motion but also how it relates to the current moment in the story. Konora’s careful instructions are perfect for both visual and auditory learners, as the reader can easily walk their children through the steps.

Sora’s transformations lead to a wonderful gain in confidence that is sure to be mirrored by those who dance along with the story.

With a strong message of celebrating oneself, being open to learning new skills, and finding a place of belonging, Sora Searches for a Song is a book you will read again and again. A worthwhile installment of the wide collection of books from Once Upon a Dance.

May 1, 2023
A FRACTION STRONGER: Finding Belief and Possibility in Life’s Impossible Moments by Mark Berridge – Memoirs, Motivational, Personal Transformation Self-Help

Author and businessman Mark Berridge, through the lived experience of himself and others after traumatic injuries, gained a wide understanding of overcoming disaster, and how to rehabilitate not only one’s body but mind and spirit as well. In sharing his wisdom, A Fraction Stronger is a must-read for anyone facing physical, emotional, or mental barriers.

Berridge, due to embark on a work-related flight from his Australian home to the US later that day, went on a bike ride with friends. He lost control of the bike over a piece of slippery road patch work, he wrecked falling into an open culvert, striking his head; conscious, but unable to move his feet and legs. The left side of his helmet was crushed, his spinal cord injured, and numerous bone broke. Hospitals would become his world as he dealt with spinal injuries and the long road to rehabilitation – relearning how to sit, stand, and walk.

He learned more than just how to move again.

From the very moment he regained consciousness, he grappled with the need to be brave, able later to opine that, “When it counts, you can be braver than you ever imagined.” The experience led him to appreciate the presence of helpers and empathizers he calls “angels.” Along with angels, though, there can be demons – voices and influences that dwell on doom and disheartenment. Yet, amongst their darkness shine “lanterns” – small but significant reasons that life is worth living.

Berridge, whose pre-accident, 25-year career was spent in the world of finance, marketing, and business transformation, writes as if born to the realm of wordsmithing.

He combined his harrowing experience with memorable metaphors and encouraging, credible counseling. This book cites a number of courageous people: celebrated sports figures like paralympic swimmer Karni Liddell; a well-known blind musician, Dr G Yunupingu; and personal connections like Chi, a Vietnamese immigrant struggling with a rare disease and sharing physiotherapy with the author. From even the merest glimmers of hope, Berridge creates a panorama of possibilities, knowing intimately the discouragement that can sweep over a survivor so easily.

Each chapter concludes with a set of questions for self-study. His guidance for those who face physical barriers could also help those grappling with grief, psychological deficits, financial cataclysm, or any seemingly insurmountable trial that many, perhaps all of his readers will encounter at some point – or finding themselves better placed to support others by knowing this story. A Fraction Stronger motivates both individuals and groups seeking inspiration and innovative direction.

April 21, 2023