Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Highly Recommended

The PERFECT PREDATOR: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson – Memoirs, Medical, Microbiology

The Perfect Predator is just the kind of edge-of-the-seat scientific/medical thriller that Robin Cook and Michael Crichton used to write, that nail-biting search to find the right treatment in the nick of time to prevent a pandemic from sweeping the world.

The difference here is that The Perfect Predator is a true story, and the pandemic that epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee fights on behalf of her husband is one that scientists have been warning about for decades. Her husband wasn’t even the first to be struck down by it – but he was the first to receive a cure that could save many others. If only the world heeds the warning made so clear in this spellbinding book.

On vacation in Egypt in late 2015, Strathdee’s husband contracted a stomach bug. Nothing he hadn’t had before and shrugged off, but this time was different. Somewhere along the way from the pyramids to the clinic to the first of several medevac flights, Thomas Patterson came into contact with one of the deadly, antibiotic resistant virus strains known as “superbugs” – and it decided he’d make an excellent host. At least until it killed him.

And it tried. Over and over again. From Egypt to Frankfurt Germany to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where the couple both worked. Where they had contacts in just the fields that they’d need in order for Steffanie to cobble together the ultimate “Hail Mary” pass. That it would be possible to send a killer, a virus killer, into Tom’s body to eliminate the deadly virus that would otherwise eradicate Tom Patterson’s life.

If it worked, it would be a miracle. But also a clarion call to whoever reads this book that a century of use and overuse of antibiotics has created these superbugs that can no longer be vanquished by what was once a miracle drug. And that if the research and medical establishments don’t get a handle on the problem and find methods of treatment that do not rely on antibiotics, the 1.2 million people who died from antibiotic resistant bugs in 2019 is only going to be the tip of a very large and deadly iceberg.

The Perfect Predator is a compelling story of scientific research that has a very human-centric story at its beating heart.

Steffanie’s memoir of what happened, to her husband, to her family, to her colleagues and to herself is beautifully written. It is also a story that is absolutely chock-full of the science behind everything she does. Not to worry! Steffanie’s writing style thoroughly explains the science without ever getting bogged down – and while making it accessible to any non-scientist reading this account.

And she never loses sight of the human face on all those details, not just what she is going through personally. While she needs to separate “Wife Steffanie” from “Scientist Steffanie” in order to get things done. It is very clear how difficult that is. She is also painstaking in giving credit and kudos to all those who made this journey possible.

The Perfect Predator is the story of one woman’s successful quest for a medical miracle. Any reader who enjoys medical and/or scientific thrillers will be right on the edge of their seat every step of the way. But it’s the warning at the center of the story that will chill those same readers to their bones.

The Perfect Predator by Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson won 1st Place in the 2019 CIBA Journey Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoirs.

May 6, 2022
WHEN the WIND CHIMES by Mary Ting – Sisters Fiction, Kauai Hawaii Travel Books, Single Women Fiction

In When the Wind Chimes by international best-selling author Mary Ting, Kate Summers wants to make this Christmas extra-special for her older sister, Abby, and four-year-old nephew.

A year ago, she’d given up Christmas with her family to spend the holiday with her boyfriend, Jayden, whom she had caught cheating on her the next day. Not only is she hoping to erase that memory, but she also has another even more important reason to make this Christmas special. A few months after her disastrous break-up with Jayden, her brother-in-law, Steve, passed away from cancer, so Abby and Tyler will be spending their first Christmas alone.

After taking a leave from her job as a graphic designer in LA, Kate flies to Poipu, Kauai, determined to make this an amazing holiday, but on her way to her sister’s house, she meets a mysterious man, who gives up his cab for her. Kate can’t get the handsome stranger out of her head, and when she sees him again in her sister’s art gallery–and destroys his expensive shirt with paint–she is both mortified and excited.

Billionaire Leonardo Medici, the heir and CEO of Medici Real Estate Holdings, is the most sought-after bachelor on the island and the most elusive. Lee just wants privacy and a temporary nanny for his four-year-old daughter, Bridget. When Kate applies for the job, neither is aware of their previous connection to each other until they meet in Lee’s mansion after Kate is hired by his permanent nanny, Mona. Bridget quickly bonds with Kate, and as they grow closer so do Lee and Kate. Kate’s rocky relationship past, however, keeps her on edge, and she must find a way to overcome the damage done by her cheating ex before she can ever learn to love again.

The unpredictability of life and fate’s subsequent role in a person’s future is a major theme within this novel.

Abby, Kate’s sister, never expected to be a widow in her twenties. Steve, her husband, died suddenly from cancer. The disease progressed more quickly than doctors predicted, and she is left to fend for herself and Tyler. Moving to Kauai, the place where she and Steve honeymooned, is an attempt to escape her sadness and find peace in the place where their life together began. Starting her own gallery in such a small community was another uncertainty, and while the gallery struggles at times, destiny brings Lee into her small business, and he becomes her best customer. Lee purchases art to stage his more expensive listings, which is how he encounters Kate a second time after a quick-passing rainstorm brings them together the first time. Had Kate not jumped into his cab, slinging water all over his suit, they would not have met. Kate would have never seen the ad for a nanny had Abby not come down with a cold and needed Kate to drop Tyler off at preschool, and she would not have gotten the job had Mona not needed a replacement nanny for two weeks. The kismet that brings Lee and Kate together is an interesting and humorous part of the novel. This fate-filled string of coincidences adds a hint of the supernatural to their love’s beginning.

Vulnerability is another great theme found in the award-winning, When the Wind Chimes.

Abby is most definitely a strong woman. She not only begins her own business but also must be both mother and father to her son. However, Abby can’t do everything on her own. With her struggling business and the demands of her private life, she welcomes the help Kate brings and hopes she will stay on the island rather than going back to Los Angeles. The close relationship between the sisters is touching, and Kate’s job search shows how much she loves Abby and Tyler. Even though she fails to find a job as a graphic designer and has no experience as a nanny, she takes the job, planning to give the money to Abby to help her support Tyler.

However, Kate’s willingness to try something new despite her uncertainty extends to her own artistic ability. Since her horrible experience with Jayden, she has lost her confidence and desire to paint even though Abby has successfully sold Kate’s pieces in the past. It takes courage and a release of her own fear to get her in front of a canvas, but her regained confidence brings her into contact with Lee again–albeit accidental. Lee has his own vulnerability issues. Opening up and bringing Kate into his life is a risk. He cannot allow just any woman into his life. Most of the women who approach him are only interested in his money or looks, and he must protect both his privacy and Bridget. His own past causes him trepidation because he harbors a deep hurt that is known only to those within his immediate circle. Both he and Kate learn to face their deep-seated emotions rather than burying them beneath fear and uncertainty, but to do that, they must give vulnerability free reign.

When the Wind Chimes is more than a romance novel. It’s a heart-warming, feel-good read that will leave readers wanting more.

Mary Ting won the Grand Prize in the 2020 CIBAs in the Chatelaine division for Romance and Romantic Fiction novels for her spell-binding novel.

March 25, 2022
LOVE, LIFE and LUCILLE: Lessons Learned from a Centenarian by Judy Gaman – Biography, Women’s Memoirs, Aging

Award-winning author, motivational speaker, and podcast host Judy Gaman befriends a fun-loving and feisty centenarian in her CIBA Grand Prize-winning novel, Love, Life, and Lucille.

The list of titles and accolades Judy Gaman has accrued begin to pale when she encounters Lucille Fleming for the very first time. The whole reason for the meet-up with the centenarian was specifically to get her opinions on “aging gracefully,” the featured topic of a new book Judy planned to write. What was scheduled as an hour-long interview turned into an absolutely delightful, near three-hour visit. Lucille turned the tables and began asking questions about Judy’s life with compelling earnestness—something Judy rarely experienced. She was unprepared yet exhilarated.

Judy couldn’t stop thinking about this “dressed to the nines” woman with an ear-to-ear smile and a sturdy, affectionate hug. Her contact with this larger-than-life woman was so infectious, Judy made up an excuse—so that she could see her again. During that second meeting, the two became fast friends as they set Fridays aside as their day to get together. Before their next planned meeting, Judy learned that Lucille had gone into cardiac arrest. She was dead for three minutes before she came back full of vim and vigor as if nothing had happened. Five months later, Lucille was more than ready for TV interviews. With that, Judy made plans to write a second book about Lucille and their relationship.

Once Lucille agreed to Judy’s literary plans, their Friday get-togethers morphed into long, memorable, eye-opening, and at times, heart-wrenching lunch outings.

The two would share their life experiences—many happier Lucille memories than Judy’s dark, divorced-riddled childhood recollections. At the same time, those outings provided valuable lessons for Judy. She realized she had stopped thinking about her work to-do list but, instead, was “simply living in the moment” when she was around Lucille. “With every lesson, she taught me, she was making me stronger, both mentally and emotionally.” Judy had no idea that her newfound strength from her newfound best friend would carry her through a series of unforgettable roller-coaster events.

Award-winning author Judy Gaman retells the remarkable, life-changing story of her relationship with Lucille, the woman who profoundly changed her life.

Life, Love, and Lucille reads more like fiction than nonfiction. A true storyteller, Gaman enthralls her audience by taking common scenarios—visiting a friend; going to restaurants—and turning them into significant unanticipated spiritual encounters. During those moments, Gaman realizes that Lucille’s optimism came from years of perseverance through life’s ups and downs, which gave her optimism and determination, qualities severely lacking in Gaman’s life. Little by little, Lucille’s passion for life and people began to penetrate the carefully-protected recesses of Gaman’s heart.

Gaman’s first-person narration delicately weaves a consistent theme highlighting the pair’s incredibly close relationship: Lucille’s stories; how Lucille’s stories affected Gaman; Gaman’s personal, gut-wrenching struggles with family members; and the testing and strength of their faith in God that led to wholeness.

Drawing each chapter to a cliffhanging close further heightens the storyline. From one human-interest situation to the next, Gaman fills her narrative with a sequence of circumstances, slowly evolving from lighter, happier junctures to more heart-rending ones. Judy Gaman masterfully weaves her story, heartfelt, funny, outrageous – all to a compelling must-read narrative.

Through Gaman’s Love, Life, and Lucille, Judy Gaman gifts us all with the experience of what it is like to meet a woman who chose hope, love, and life above all else. Highly recommended!

March 21, 2022
OUR TIME to DANCE: A Mother’s Journey to Joy by Eva Doherty Gremmert – Epilepsy, Biography, Parenting

Our Time to Dance: A Mother’s Journey to Joy by Eva Doherty Gremmert demonstrates the importance of advocacy for those who are disabled, intellectually or otherwise.

In the early morning of August 18th, 1979, Eva Doherty Gremmert awoke with a contraction. A young mother already, Eva is worried about how she will cope with caring for two infants. She tried to calm her concerns by remembering that babies typically arrive easier and more quickly the second time around; however, the delivery ends up being long and exhausting. Once her son Nick arrived, Eva could not shake the feeling that something might be wrong. For the first several months of Nick’s life, doctors actively ignored her concerns and told her nothing was wrong with her son.

A mother knows best, and with a lot of courage and determination, Eva and her husband Arden finally find a doctor that listens and agrees with their concerns.

Their world becomes full of physical therapy and pediatric neurological appointments. When Nick reaches school age, Eva and Arden also become very involved in ensuring he receives the right educational program. Sometimes, a whole new program needed to be created. The road is often tricky, but Nick is full of life and love, and of course, dancing.

Eva crafts Our Time to Dance into a beautiful story of a mother’s unyielding love. She holds nothing back as she describes her fears of motherhood and the emotional toll of caring for her intellectually and physically disabled son. This book ultimately is not just about Nick’s particular story but also about the importance of advocating for those with disabilities and their families. Eva describes many instances where educational professionals could not provide Nick with the proper program and, subsequently, underestimated his unique abilities and potential to learn.

The structure of the book has two timelines that transition back and forth.

One timeline begins just before Nick is born – the other picks up when Nick reaches adulthood and experiences more severe seizures. This results in his doctor’s suggestion that they prepare for the possibility of his passing. Eva and Arden decide to take a big road trip so that Nick can visit friends, possibly for the last time. As they depart, Gremmert reflects on the many challenges throughout Nick’s life, from physical therapy and his education. On every page of this story, readers see Nick’s abundant love and joy with everyone he meets.

Eva hopes that by writing Our Time to Dance, readers will “find the strength and hope they need and the joy they desire.” Finding the good in difficult situations makes going through them a little easier.

The powerful message contained in Our Time to Dance makes the book a treasure, and is sure to help those who live with and work with persons with disabilities. Gremmert won First Place in the CIBA 2019 Journey Book Awards for narrative non-fiction for her inspirational work. Highly recommended!

March 16, 2022
A SEASON in LIGHTS: A Novel in Three Acts by Gregory Erich Phillips – Contemporary Literature

Gregory Erich Phillips’ A Season in Lights is a well-crafted, engaging exploration of creatives, each following their heart and trying to reach their dream.

Against backdrops of the 1980s AIDS crisis and the more recent COVID-19 pandemic, the story entwines the lives of a 30-something dancer and an older musician as they strive to make their artistic mark in the cultural capital of New York City.

Here in a two-fold unveiling, the story comes to life from the first-person perspective of Cammie, a starry-eyed aspiring dancer from Lancaster, PA, and the third-person reveal of Tom, a more seasoned black pianist. He longs for a classical career but is too often labeled a jazz musician. Cammie first encounters Tom in a studio dance class where he’s taken a job as the musical accompanist. Befriended by the gay dance instructor, Tom heeds the worldly advice offered about surviving in the Big Apple. “All you’ve got to do is convince people that you belong. You’ve got to tell them who you are before they tell you.”

Phillips’ masterful narrative is layered with a backstory for each character, with details revealing multi-dimensional individuals.

Small town Cammie is close to her ailing father; she has a troubled yet artistically talented sister; and a mother who seems to carry everyone’s burdens. Cammie harbors guilt for leaving behind family obligations to follow her own path. Tom has tried to leave behind his own familial ties. Unfortunately, with an absent father who landed in prison for dealing drugs, and an older brother who seems headed in a similar direction, Tom is hesitant about the consequential outcome of such connections. Within their May/December style romance, these primary characters find solace and understanding with relatable family concerns and the need to venture beyond expectations and comfort zones.

As a dancer and musician himself, Phillips clearly draws on his own knowledge and experience to render authentic, believable characters in his writing. Here, personal experience from the NY stage easily translates to the page. Capturing the lighted spectrum of Broadway, the back alley theaters, and side-street clubs, the city becomes a character unto itself. The city seems alive as a place for second chances with its vibrant electric pulse.

In a nod to Broadway, Phillips presents his novel in three acts.

While the overall narrative effortlessly alternates between earlier times and the present day, the trio of segments maintains an appropriate momentum to propel events forward. Whether considering the classic themes of sibling rivalry, racism, and interracial romance, or the more contemporary struggles of theatrical LGBT community prejudice, drug addiction, or the new need for social distancing, the topics are well incorporated throughout the story line.

From the worry and fear showcased in HIV testing and AIDS-related complications ignited in the ’80s to the stress and anxiety of shutdowns, casualties, and the unknowns of the more recent COVID19 virus, Phillips highlights the extraordinary opportunities for friendship and healing. Even though the city and its inhabitants are scarred, the hope remains that New York will rebound. A surprise twist in the book’s final moments sheds a brighter light on the central characters, the NYC community, and the world at large in recognizing that we’re all in this together.

A Season in Lights is a modern-day tale featuring artists, dancers, and musicians and their efforts to honor the famous NY song adage, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” Through passion, grit, and determination against the odds, the final reveal is a lesson about making the most of the moment. Phillips has done an outstanding job with this creative, literary presentation that will indeed have readers looking for an encore.

A Season in Lights: A Novel in Three Acts by Gregory Erich Phillips won Grand Prize in the CIBA 2020 Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary Literature – and is a novel that comes with high recommendations.

March 7, 2022
PAUSE by Sara Stamey – Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Family Fiction, Literary Fiction
Sara Stamey’s Pause features a hero who defies gravity, a scintillating setting, and a lovely backdrop for this riveting story.

This story is about women: strong, weak, abused, cherished, divorced, cancer survivors, mothers, sisters, friends, frenemies. It is a book about survival and hope, about getting back to self to reemerge into a life worth living.

Meet Lindsey, a fifty-two-year-old divorced woman going through menopause, living alone with her two cats, and worrying about her 1 and ¾ breasts. Readers will be hooked from the very beginning with the first of many poignant and funny journal entries. Here is Lindsey’s reality: a middle-aged woman suffering hot flashes that sear her skin and cause spells of nausea, who suffers PTSD from an abusive spouse.

Lindsey never thought of herself as a victim, though.

The fact that she walked on eggshells around Nick becomes a reflection of Lindsey’s parents’ relationship. Her father’s abuse of the mother and the mother’s frailty combined with her refusal to accept help and get out of the situation leave Lindsey feeling helpless and trigger her PTSD.

A certifiable mess, Lindsey seeks out an old flame, Newman. And at least for her, the flame ignites, and Lindsey finds herself falling in love. Newman, however, never opens up to her or becomes more available than a part-time lover. When she meets Damon, she is torn between being treated like a queen by a man ten years younger than her or as a booty-call by Newman.

Stamey weaves these issues and more into her novel, giving her protagonist a chance to try on life again after surviving cancer and divorce.

Lindsey’s spiritual awakening occurs as she works as a medical transcriber at a local hospital. While typing up a rush job on an emergency case, she discovers that a friend’s son was admitted with head trauma. The doctor who did the neurosurgery regularly botches the surgery, either killing his patients or leaving them vegetables. She informs the parents of her fears about this doctor while launching a full-scale lawsuit against the hospital that knowingly kept this doctor on staff and destroyed their son’s chances for recovery.

She gets fired for breach of confidentiality and finds herself unemployed, but her original plan to pursue environmental writing, essays, articles, and books after graduating from college beckons. She finds her first topic while riding through a park slated to become a hospital parking lot. She submits her essay about endangered owls living in the trees there; the piece is published and becomes instrumental in saving the space. The paper’s editor recognizes her talent and approaches her with another project with an environmental theme, and Lindsey agrees. A new career blossoms for her, which builds her up instead of tearing her apart.

Stamey develops Lindsey as a woman who won’t succeed until she takes charge and stands up for herself and her dreams.

Lindsey must learn to heal and move beyond cancer, the divorce, and the PTSD of the abuse. Readers will adore Lindsey for all of it. Powerfully written with melodic imagery, Stamey draws her readers in. Be prepared to cry, laugh, and cheer for Linsey as she finally takes the leap of faith necessary to begin believing in herself.

Stamey’s Pacific Northwest backdrop is captured in her skillfully crafted narrative. Readers are with Lindsey on the rapids, riding bikes through a maple forest, or walking beside a salmon-filled stream. We sit with her looking out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset and watching eagles as they hunt along the shore. Stamey’s brush strokes are deft, and her palette is rich as she creates this story’s world.

Stamey’s Pause is a riveting tale of one woman’s exploration to discover herself in a world where she has been dominated and controlled. She learns to take back control and finds herself whole and healed.

Pause is beautiful and thought-provoking and comes highly recommended. This title won 1st Place in the 2020 CIBA Somerset Book Awards for Contemporary and Literary Fiction.
March 4, 2022