Nonfiction Short Review Extravaganza #2: Home Repair, Computer Software, Cookbooks, Personal Finance

 Nonfiction Short Review Extravaganza #2: Home Repair, Computer Software, Cookbooks, Personal Finance 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

This is the second part of my current project of writing short reviews for various publishers and groups. The pay isn't much separately but together it's better than the nothing that I mostly make.

The Complete HVAC Bible for Beginners by Bryan Allen Lawson 

For Read & Review 

The Complete HVAC Bible for Beginners is a handy guide for identifying, installing and repairing an HVAC system.

The book is a simple step by step process that explains the essential components of the HVAC system like the condenser and air filters. It also tells what they do individually and how they contribute to the whole system.

The highlights of the book involve the installation and repair process. For example, it discusses the key differences and challenges in installing the system and the post-installation checklist to determine whether the system works or needs improvement. 

There is also a section for common problems. It identifies what to inspect and work on when the air flow is weak or insufficient. It also says what to test and replace when the compressor won't start.

The Complete HVAC Bible for Beginners is helpful if someone wishes to DIY their HVAC system. They know what to install and how to repair it.

Microsoft Office 365 Bible by Zen Tasker Publishing 

For Rick Sterling

Microsoft Office 365 Bible is a fascinating guide to the various programs that the cloud-based productivity suite and how they help users complete tasks and organize files.

The book breaks down each platform, what they do, and how they enhance one's files and workspace. Chapters include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Skype, Teams, OneDrive, Forms, OneNote, and Publisher. 

Each chapter takes users step by step through the platforms, their functions, and benefits. For example Word’s chapter describes the initial interface and features like the ribbon and status bar. It also offers suggestions for text formatting and document visualization. There are also extra touches like graphs, tables, visuals, and tables of contents. 

Microsoft Office 365 Bible is a simple guide for using MS Office and making the most of this productivity suite.

The Ninja Slushi Cookbook for Beginners by Makilunape Kokiyuope 

For Michael Cheng

If  you are looking for an icy treat especially in the summer, you might want to create one of the recipes in The Ninja Slushi Cookbook for Beginners.

The introduction talks about the treat's versatility as being useful year round focusing on different recipes, some with a creamy blend just like icy chill. It also emphasizes creativity as culinary experimentation is explored.

Recipes and meals include Dreamy Blue Raspberry Fruit Punch Slushi for Fruit Slushi Recipes, Fresh Ginger Ale Soda Slushi for Soda-Based Slushi Recipes, Fruity Run Spiked Slushi for Spiked Slushi Recipes, Easy Matcha Latte Frappe as Frappe Recipes, Quick Cherry Frozen Juice Slushi for Frozen Juice Slushi Recipes, Special Blueberry Iced Tea Slushi for Tea-Based Slushi Recipes, Lime-Infused Daiquiri Spiked Slushi for Sugar-Free Slushi Recipes, and Sweet Vanilla Cream Milkshake for Milkshake Recipes.

The Ninja Slushi Cookbook for Beginners will lead Readers to some tasty smooth icy delicious treats.

Dr. Now's 1200-Calorie Diet Plan by Ian S. Garrett 

For Michael Cheng 

Dr. Nowzardan’s Weight Loss Formula has been discussed, praised, debated, and practiced. This book is an example of the diet. It specializes in nutrient-dense foods with essential vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. 

The introduction focuses on maintaining a positive mindset and creating a supportive environment. These attributes along with routine and preparation and maintaining flexibility and balance help people stay focused on dieting.

The meals and recipes include Whole Wheat Toast with Avocado and Tomato for Breakfasts, Chicken Fajitas with Bell Peppers and Whole Wheat Tortillas for Main Dishes, Nutty Quinoa Pilaf with Vegetables for Side Dishes, Creamy Smoothie Blended with Blueberries and Protein Powder for Snacks, and Decadent Coconut Macaroons with Dark Chocolate Drizzle for Desserts.

Dr. Now's 1200 Calorie Diet Plan will provide Readers with a goal and step by step process on how they can diet their way to good health.

Smart Money for Kids by Dreamdrift Publishing 

For Paid Readers Club 

Many kids and adults need help with how to manage their money. This book provides that much needed assistance. 

The book walks Readers through the process of earning and saving money. While kids are limited on ways to earn money, they can find chores or services. Kids are also encouraged to create a saving plan for a goal, say an expensive gift and to put money into that goal instead of spending recklessly.

Saving and spending are important themes in this book. A budget helps kids control, divide, and manage their money. Chapters are also devoted to discerning the difference between needs and wants and whether it's appropriate to spend money and how much.

While kids hopefully won't have issues with debt or bad credit, the book still provides information for what they are and how they can be avoided. You are never too young to learn not to pay for something that you can't afford and may have trouble paying back later and to be careful when using credit for emergencies only.

The Smart Money Guide for Kids is an important tool that teaches about a subject that many need to learn about no matter their age. 

Nonfiction Short Review Extravaganza #1: Cookbooks, Coloring, Healing, Languages

Nonfiction Short Review Extravaganza #1: Cookbooks, Coloring, Healing, Languages 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

I thought that I would show off my most recent projects. I have joined or been asked to join various book review sites for pay. Mostly, I review short Nonfiction books, post the reviews and that's it. Reviews are also shared on Amazon.

The Anti-inflammatory Diet for Diabetics by Evelyn Sophia Harper 

For Read & Review

The Anti-inflammatory Diet for Diabetics is an excellent book that provides recipes for readers with diabetes to lower their inflammatory foods rate. 

The introduction describes which anti-inflammatory foods are preferred like leafy greens and fatty fish and which to avoid like added sugars and processed meat. The book also includes tips on structuring meals for blood sugar stability such as the balanced plate method for diabetics of 50% non-starchy vegetables, 25% lean protein, and 25% healthy fat low glycemic carbs. 

The recipes include Tumeric and Cinnamon Chia Pudding for Breakfast, Lentil Soup with Garlic and Cumin for Lunch, Mediterranean Baked Eggplant and Tomatoes for Dinner, and Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries for Snacks. 

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Diabetics is a great book to help people plan, prepare, and eat delicious meals that will give them good health and make dining a pleasant experience. 

 

DMSO Healing Protocols by Alexander Reid

For Read & Review 

The book DMSO Healing Protocols is a great guide on how to use this sulfur based component for therapeutic and healing properties. 

The book explains what DMSO is and the benefits for its use like for pain relief and as an Anti-inflammatory agent. It addresses myths and misconceptions like that DMSO is illegal and unregulated. In fact it is frequently recommended for joint pain, arthritis, and inflammation and is carefully monitored.

The most interesting parts are the case studies of people who tried DMSO and how it worked. Examples include Daniel who used DMSO in magnesium oil and daily stretching for his sciatica pain in his lower back legs. He experienced a reduction in his nerve pain within ten days.

The DMSO Healing Protocols provides good and helpful assistance for those who are ill or in great pain and need a path to holistic wellness. 

Easy Italian Phrases Book for Beginners Next Level Publishing 

For Read & Review

If readers are planning on visiting or working in Italy or any country where Italian is the dominant language, they might want to take the Easy Italian Phrases Book for Beginners. 

The book goes from how to pronounce letters and sounds, to translating important words and phrases, and continues with suggestions on how to begin small conversations and dialogue. Readers will learn that a is pronounced like in “Father.” They will learn phrases like “Grazie” which means “Thank you.”

The phrases are arranged by context and topic. For example, asking how much a ticket costs for public transportation is “Quanto costa un biglietto?” Readers will also learn many of the hand gestures which are a part of Italian culture such as the “I don’t care” gesture which involves bruising the underside of your chin with the back of your fingers. 

Yes, even swear words and expressions are described in the book.”What the heck” is “Ma che cuvalo.” “Piove sul bagnato,” it rains on the wet, means,”bad things often happen to the same people.”

Besides learning how to speak words and phrases, the book offers some points about Italian culture and what one can expect. This is particularly highlighted in the chapter about workplace etiquette and behavior. The book includes points that meetings often start late (though workers must try to be on time regardless) and that it is quite common for long discussions to occur during meetings. 

The Easy Italian Phrasebook is the perfect companion to enjoy the beauty, history, society, traditions, culture, and language of Italy. 

Epic Vehicles Bold & Easy Coloring Book

For Paid Readers Club

This is the perfect coloring book for any child who is fascinated with cars, trucks, planes, boats and anything that can travel on land, water, and air.

The pictures are bold and easy to color making it appropriate for a 3-5 year old audience. Also each page comes with a description or fact about the vehicle pictured so the child can learn while coloring.

For example the page with a rocket includes a coloring page and a paragraph that reads “Did you know?. Rockets are so powerful they can travel over 17,000 miles per hour to break free of Earth's gravity. That's fast enough to go around the Earth in just one hour!”

This coloring book will help kids learn about and color their favorite vehicles as they dream about the day when they might drive, steer, or fly them themselves. 

The Freshly Milled Flour Bible by Anita Miller 

For Book Square Publishing 

The Freshly Milled Flour Bible is a great book for those who love to eat bread and many other grain products.

The introduction reveals the process of milling grain and how this process offers benefits like strength and stretch and how it impacts gluten development. Tips include how to keep milled grain fermented and how protein affects dough strength and rise. It also offers a step by step guide on making the perfect loaf of bread such as adjusting hydration, making kneading and shaping easier. 

Bread varieties are included like red hard wheat, soft white wheat, barley, and rye. The book includes the bread’s traditional uses, baking behavior, gluten strength and baking performance, milling and hydration, and adjusting recipes from commercial white flour. There are also recipes for products like soft sandwich bread and light and fluffy muffins. 

The Freshly Milled Flour Bible guides Readers through milling and preparing grains as well as making excellent meals from them. 

April-May Reading List

 April-May Reading List 

Last month was pretty good but I also received plenty of job offers and interviews so I am doing quite a bit along with my reading and reviewing.

Mantis Equilibrium (Book 2 of The Mantis Gland) By Andrew Adams Johnson

Folded Steel (The Forge Trilogy in The Shadow Guardians Series Book 3) by G. Russell Gaynor 

Blunt Force Rising (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery Book 4) by Russ Colchamiro 

Reaping By Numbers: A Dead End Job by Nicole Givens Kurtz 

 All Silence Must Cease (The Peacebringer Series Book 2) by Raymond W Wilkinson

Beyond Tomorrow's Sun by Ronald McGuire 

From Emoji to Empathy: Mastering Customer Service in The Digital Age by Susan Williamson 

Justified Anger by Jennifer Colne

The Corsico Conspiracy by Raphael Sone

Secrets at The Aviary Inn by MaryAnn Clarke

The Mantis Corruption (Book 3 in The Mantis Gland Series) by Adam Andrews Johnson 

Losing Austin by Michael L Bowler

Visage to Moros by Tamel Wino

Ismene and The Voice by Juniper Calle 

Paper Castles by Ellie Ember 

The Lindens by Barney Jeffries

Life Into Death by E.S. Sibbald 

Survive The Cursed by Ashton Abbott 

Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes

Cease to Exist by Ian Lazarus

If you have a book that you would like me to review, beta read, edit, proofread, or write, please contact me at the following:

Bluesky

Facebook

Goodreads 

Instagram

LinkedIn

LitPick

Reedsy Discovery

Threads

Upwork

Email: juliesaraporter@gmail.com 

Prices are as follows (subjected to change depending on size and scope of the project):

Beta Read: $50.00-75.00

Review: $50-100.00**

Copy/Content Edit: $100-300.00

Proofread: $100-300.00

Research & Citation: $100-400.00

Ghostwrite/Co-Write:$200-400.00

*These are books reviewed for LitPick and will only feature a summary and a few paragraphs. The full review is on LitPick's site.

**Exceptions are books provided by Henry Roi PR, Coffee and Thorn Book Group, LitPicks, BookTasters, Reedsy Discovery, Voracious Readers, and other noted book groups. Payments are already arranged through groups like Michael Cheng and Books Validator.

Payments can be made to my PayPal, Payoneer, or Google Wallet accounts at juliesaraporter@gmail.com

Well that's it. Thanks and as always, Happy Reading.

 

Lunch Ladies by Jodi Thompson Carr; A Pleasant Dining Experience With Lovely Characters on The Side

 Lunch Ladies by Jodi Thompson Carr; A Pleasant Dining Experience With Lovely Characters on The Side

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Jodi Thompson Carr’s Lunch Ladies is a tasty delightful treat that pays tribute to the unsung heroes of every school dining experience, the cafeteria workers. Through their cooking, serving, and cleaning up, they make sure that every kid has at least one hot meal a day. Now with Free Lunch programs being held under scrutiny, their role within academic settings is even more important and should be all the more recognized. This book is a lovely pleasant experience of a few weeks spent exploring the inner lives of various characters, particularly three protagonists who work at the Hanley School District’s lunch department in Hanley, Minnesota.

It's almost time for the 4th of July festivities during the Bicentennial of 1976 and the women of the lunch department are preparing for this event while serving daily meals and dealing with their own problems.

Crystal has an unusual hobby. She scours obituaries mentally matching the recently deceased up with the living, therefore creating couples in her imagination. Her active fantasy life and imagination is a distraction from her conflicts with her aging grandmother and troubled niece.

Coralene is happily married to her husband, Jasper. Her simple life is about to become complicated when her wayward nephew, Tanner moves in.

Sheila lives a life of routine, eating at the same places, watching the same shows, and indulging in her independence and predictability. That predictability goes through a severe change when she reunites with a former acquaintance only to find herself falling in love with him.

Lunch Ladies is one of those types of novels that isn't really about anything. Well no, it's about various things like love, separation, family, and death but the focus is not so much about what happens than who is affected by these circumstances. It's a few months in the lives of these characters as they deal with the various shake ups in their lives. There's enough quirky charm and harsh drama to make the Reader like, even love, these characters as they go through these shake ups.

It's the kind of book that has details that are almost too precious to be ignored like character names for example. Coralene and most of the female members of her family have names that are variations of Cora-Cora, Coralene, Coravelle, DeCora, etc.-I would comment some more but the names “Edsel” and “Jean” are frequent on my mother's side of the family, the Riopelles. 

Crystal’s late mother's name was Pearl and she had a twin sister named Ruby. Crystal's grandmother and niece lucked out by being named Leonora and Darcy respectively. (Too bad, Emerald and Sapphire or Diamond and Amethyst would have been pretty.)

There are three sisters on the Bicentennial parade committee nicknamed, Hi, Lo, and Glad. Sheila catches the attraction of a named Tom Downlane (He joked that he's “Tom who lives Down the Lane.”) One of Crystal's obituary projects is named Roger Squirrel. The names reveal the idiosyncrasies of the characters.

The characters have little traits and quirks that make them stand out and Readers infer and learn who these people are just by their thoughts and mannerisms. Crystal's obituary reading/matchmaking is certainly very strange but leads to much speculation. Perhaps she is a firm believer in life after death and wants some sign that it's possible. Maybe she is obsessed with death and wants to meet it head on. The strongest possibility is that she is in search of a story. 

Crystal is unable to take any type of charge in her life. She works at a hard job with little recognition or pay. Her mother and aunt died. Her grandmother is losing her faculties. She is at odds with her niece, Darcy who calls her out on her lack of attention to the real world around her. Crystal’s only means of escape are inside the little matchmaking fantasies inside her head. They are the only ways that she can connect and truly feel like she contributed something to someone. Inside her head is where she finds freedom and involvement.

While Crystal’s headspace is where she finds comfort, Coralene looks more outward. She wears loud printed pants suits to be seen as more modern, willing to change but still do her job. She is a very central force within her family and community. She is a warm nucleus that draws others in, particularly Tanner.

Tanner has had a difficult life with his neglectful parents. He can be polite and soft spoken but also carries a lot of anger and resentment. This attitude plus his dubious reputation adds some strife into Coralene 's home, life, and marriage. He has never been close to someone who has natural warmth like Coralene so he doesn't know what to do with it, nor does she know how to react to it. However, Coralene and Tanner are both decent enough people that the love is present even when they are at odds.

Sheila is the oldest of the trio and probably the most regretful. She is a former English teacher who had a previous romance but now has a rigid private life. She goes to the same Denny's every day to the point that she befriends Lexi, the young server. She corrects the girl’s grammar, answers her questions about life and love, and gives her anecdotes from her teaching career. That she has a close intergenerational friendship with someone who would normally be a casual acquaintance shows Sheila’s awareness that her independent life comes with strings like loneliness and emotional instincts that are aching to be filled.

Her late in life romance should be a breath of fresh air, a late flaming roar of passion. Instead it unnerves and confuses her, asking more questions than answers. It forces her to confront her feelings of love and mortality. For a woman whose life became rigid routine and living vicariously through acquaintanceship with others, Sheila can't handle the deep emotional chasms, the countering attachments, and rapid disruptions that this relationship brings to her.

The Hanley setting leads a lot to the book’s characterization. It's a small town where everything, even the seemingly most minor issues become big deals. Everyone is involved with the Bicentennial from designing floats, preparing catering services, planning themes. The changes in the lunch department becomes a source of conflict as Sheila wants to survey students and faculty over the food choices and portions. This book shows that line between networking and annoyance where it's nice to have a support system when one needs help but it can also be suffocating because everyone is in everybody's face and in everybody's way. 

Also while Hanley looks idyllic, that might be on the surface. Some characters like the slow pace and friendly neighbors but others are just used to it. Characters like Crystal and Sheila are so used to their routines, hobbies, and mindsets that they don't have any desire to aspire for something different. Why dream of getting away? There are bills to pay, shows to watch, kids to raise, committees to join, lunches to cook, and obituaries to read. Hanley is a comfort zone that they benignly accept. It's not a bad place, just ordinary, regular, typical, nice, and pleasant.

There is an edge to the book that keeps it from being too copying or schmaltzy. That edge is hinted at in some of the character's subplots though not deeply explored until late in the book. Something terrible happens that jolts the characters out of their complacency and personal conflicts. It seems to come unexpectedly though, it was subtly hinted throughout the book.

 This incident forces the characters to come out of those benign comfort zones that they built around themselves, to make great changes, and to reshape their lives. Like many hard times, the characters’ strength and resilience comes through because of the events around them.

Lunch Ladies is filled with memorable characters and a setting that can be sweet and harsh, funny and tear jerking, vulnerable and strong, charming and realistic, beautiful and tragic. It is a delectable feast of great emotion.

Chomp, Press, Pull by Elaina Battista-Parsons; Sensate Memoir About Sensory Issues

 

Chomp, Press, Pull by Elaina Battista-Parsons; Sensate Memoir About Sensory Issues

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Sensory dysregulation can be a very difficult condition to live with. The body has trouble processing and interpreting sensory information from the environment leading to unusual or uncomfortable responses. It can lead to oversensitivity or under sensitivity to stimuli and difficulty distinguishing different sensory inputs. The person with it could respond by having emotional meltdowns, anxiety attacks, motor coordination problems, and often avoiding certain environments or activities. It is caused by Neurological disorders such as Autism, sensory processing disorder, developmental delays, trauma, and early life experiences. Occupational therapy, environmental modifications, sensory integration activities, and medication can be used to treat it. 

As with many neurological and psychological conditions, it is something that causes people to view the world differently but can be controlled or diminished if too overwhelming. Unfortunately, this was not always the case as Elaina Battista-Parsons reveals in her amusing and moving memoir, Chomp Press Pull. When she grew up in the 80’s, her condition was barely understood or treated. Battista-Parsons’s book is rich in personal experiences and sensory detail from someone who had to look at the world in her own way.

The Introduction gives us a compelling glimpse of what it's like for someone to live their daily life with such a condition. In 1995, Battista-Parsons sat in her classroom, sweated, and shifted uncomfortably because of the class’s heater. Despite her objections, the teacher wouldn't let her leave the room or open the window in January so she had to endure this miserable time in class growing ever more uncomfortable and barely paying attention to the dull lecture on Jack London.

When she was very young long before she was diagnosed, Battista-Parsons used a variety of means to deal with the sensory complications like chewing and biting on anything whether it was edible or not, pressing down hard on things such as crayons to paper, and pulling on objects like hair and string. She also had various comfort objects to hold and take comfort in their texture. Chief among them was a Mork doll from the sitcom, Mork and Mindy. Battista-Parsons carried Mork around so often that she referred to him as “(her) husband.”

Since Battista-Parsons spent much of her childhood in the 80’s, the book refers to many of the trends of the era. She describes banana clips on big hair, Swatch watches and neon bright colors, going to the mall, dancing to music videos like “So Emotional,” “Control,” and “Rhythm of the Night,” and scented merchandise. A delightful chapter is devoted to that favorite fad of many 80’s girls: scratch and sniff stickers. Battista-Parsons loved and collected them, probably because they gave off a nice smell that isn't too overpowering for her. Among her favorites were plump strawberry, pizza slice, and two bananas. This chapter showed that despite her sensory difficulties, Battista-Parsons was able to find delight in things despite or even maybe because of these issues.

Because of her awareness of senses, Battista-Parsons associated senses with certain times and places. She had a love for apartments and sometimes stayed overnight at her grandmother's. The taste and smell of tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, braciola, and olive oil filled those days and reminded her of her grandmother's apartment and other small spaces. Small apartments and sheds gave her a sense of coziness that still resonates within her.

Battista-Parsons’ sensory dysregulation gave her the ability to focus on and be aware of people and things that others are not. While Christmas can be a fun time of togetherness, it was also a draining time. Her very large and noisy family’s voices were exuberant but cacophonous. The Christmas music was present and merged with the voices of her family. This is a reminder that not everyone processes events and places in the same way and although they might be having a good time, they can also feel anxious and overwhelmed. It takes great understanding, acceptance, and accommodation to live with such a condition for the person who has it and those who are near it.

As with many young people, Battista-Parsons explored the concept of sexuality, something that her body, particularly her senses, made her very aware of. She cites Billy Idol’s music video for “Cradle of Love” with its beautiful alluring female protagonist for introducing her to the concept of sex. She recognized the power that the girl had in the video over a male onlooker and that a female body can spark certain feelings and turn people on. The sight of “Cradle of Love” and other videos became gateways into Battista-Parsons ' understanding of sex which culminated in various dates and losing her virginity at 19. 

The book is a cornucopia of associating senses with past interests and experiences. She associated linoleum floors and Hela Young reciting lottery numbers on television with her family room. Her father’s green tree air freshener made her nauseous and though he told her that she would be fine, he took her to the nearby hardware store where sawdust and cedar wood were a reliever from the artificial plastic odor from her dad’s car. The sight of figure skaters dressed in their beautiful costumes, skating on the cool ice impressed her enough to imitate them on the living room floor. The taste of sugar bubble gum recalled a babysitter who indulged her interest in the tasty treat. Her mother’s hands touched store fabrics with great care like they were the finest silk. The book is definitely about someone who had no choice but to experience the world strongly and share with others how it looked, smelled, heard, tasted, and felt to her. 

Even though the book is largely about how Battista-Parsons coped with sensory dysregulation throughout her life, that is not by any means her sole focus. She takes several opportunities to recall other important times through her life, many that any reader would relate to. She discusses familiar issues that many Readers understand like conflicts with her family, first crushes, and academic struggles with other kids and teachers. One whole chapter is devoted to many anecdotes that illustrate her various teacher’s specific sense triggers, and sometimes more objectionable behavior like telling bawdy jokes, groping and flirting with students, or dividing classrooms by gender or ability.

Her experience with her first love, Gregg, combines early romance with her sensory details. Gregg inspired her to enjoy various musicians, particularly female musicians but he became very possessive and jealous of her. Her overdeveloped sense of smell attracted her to his cologne and the wood in his parent’s house. Because she associated people with certain scents, she often caught the odor in other boy’s much to Gregg’s chagrin and lack of understanding towards her condition. After about a year, they broke up in the usual pattern of early boyfriends and girlfriends falling out of love as quickly as they fell in.

Battista-Parsons had brilliant clever ways of writing about her sensory issues. One whole chapter describes alphabetically some of the difficulties that her condition caused. Her arm hair felt uncomfortable so she constantly shaved it. Biting fingernails and cracking air pockets became sources of stress relief. Certain colors like green and gray were soothing while red was too overpowering. Anything as simple and innocuous to others like Play-Doh, dry lips, zippers, suitcases, lemons, and sandals could help or hinder her.

Identifying her condition, understanding the symptoms, and realizing that she was not the only one with such problems, helped Battista-Parsons learn about and treat her condition. She attributed many different techniques including Reiki and chiropractic methods as huge factors in helping her treat her sensory issues. She also holds no animosity towards her family for dismissing her problems. It was not discussed or identified much throughout her childhood and if medical professionals didn’t understand and study it, then her parents wouldn’t have been able to let alone herself. 

The chapters describing the research, diagnosis reveal how liberating it can be when you learn about a condition and how you can master it.

The Slither Queen by Tamera Lawrence; A Slithering Sizzling Scintillating Success

 The Slither Queen by Tamera Lawrence; A Slithering Sizzling Scintillating Success

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: I suppose there are worse things to turn into than a serpent. You would be on the shortlist to play The Serpent in an adaptation of The Garden of Eden. You would be yelled at by Samuel L. Jackson in one of his meme-tastic roles. You would be coldblooded all year round especially in the hot summertime. At the very least, you would strike fear into the hearts of anyone with ophidiophobia and would look really awesome doing it. The Slither Queen by Tamera Lawrence is about a group of Shifters who can transform into such creatures in a novel that is slivering, scintillating, and sizzling.

Blake Howard, a conniving and ruthless leader of a serpent cult has kidnapped his newborn daughter, Prisca and her mother, Lustra so Prisca can be used in a ritual. But what Blake doesn't know is that Prisca has stronger abilities than he is aware of. One of these is to send telepathic messages in distress. She sends one out to Rachel Garth, who also possesses snake shape shifting abilities. She recently joined with some magic users including her new boyfriend, Gabe and Ariel, a friendly enemy. Rachel is determined to help Prisca and her mother and discovers that her link to Prisca goes beyond similar powers.

The Slither Queen hovers the right amount between Supernatural Horror and Urban Fantasy. There are some truly chilling skin crawling moments made even creepier by the fact that the characters can turn into serpents and therefore frighten many onlookers and Readers. One of the most startling scenes involves Rachel, who is still new to the shape shifting game and is only learning the difficulties of her powers. One of the difficulties is turning during the worst, most inopportune moments and not knowing when to turn it off. One chilling moment reveals this when she turns into a giant serpent while on a ferris wheel in full view of the public and has trouble reverting back to her human form.

The characters are interesting and complex. Rachel is the type of empathetic self-sacrificing protagonist in this type of subgenre, but she has some edges. Her past is a particularly dark one of abandonment, addiction, and estrangement from her mother and sister. Someone with such a toxic past as hers, could either become a bitter misanthrope living for only themselves or a caring idealist so others don’t suffer the way that they did. In Rachel’s case, she is the latter. 

However, Rachel is somewhat bitter about her past, particularly at her mother. There is a running subplot where she has an uncomfortable reunion with her mother who stumbles into this predicament and she is briefly held captive by Blake and his worshippers. Mother and daughter are torn between their angry resentment and the hope for reconciliation.

Gabe and Blake are a little less complex but serve their purpose. Gabe is both a mentor and love interest to Rachel by guiding her through her shifting mistakes with compassion and knowledge. Blake alternates between seductive charisma and ruthless efficiency. He gives off a dangerous and sophisticated aura where it’s easy to see why he has no trouble mesmerizing potential followers and lovers. When he displays his authoritarian violent murderous tendencies,is when his true nature is revealed underneath the charming exterior.

By far the two most complex and interesting characters in this book are Ariel and Prisca. Ariel walks a thin line between good and evil, being a friend of Gabe’s and a follower of Blake’s cult. She fancies Gabe and resents Rachel’s intrusion in their lives. She conspires with Blake because of her intense romantic feelings for Gabriel and her burning jealousy for Rachel.

 On the one hand, it is somewhat understandable that Ariel would feel possessive of Gabriel for years and rage at his attraction to Rachel, whom they just met. But there also comes a time where she has to learn that she is not entitled to him, nor does her love for Gabriel, justify the harm that she puts on Rachel and Prisca, especially the latter. It’s this line between understanding her behavior while not condoning her actions that make Ariel a complicated fascinating character.

Despite being a newborn, Prisca has more going for her than just sleeping and being breastfed by her mother. Despite being an infant, she has a wide range of powers including shifting and telepathy. This awesome but unskilled power is wrapped inside of a tiny body that can’t even sit up yet. It could be great but also explosive and Blake certainly recognizes this deadly possibility.

She also has some awareness of her surroundings that suggest deep wisdom despite having just been born. Her telepathic communications with Rachel come out in visuals, feelings, and short words to suggest a limited vocabulary and understanding, but an awareness of concepts like cause and effect, danger and safety, and possibly good and evil. 

Prisca’s awesome power and how it relates to Rachel become more evident when we learn some secrets about them that link them together in various ways, physically, emotionally, and magically. 

The Slither Queen might not be the best book for snake haters, but for everyone else it’s a highly recommended Urban Fantasy with plenty of magic, plenty of twists, and plenty of serpentine spirit.

The Towpath: A Time Travel Suspense Thriller by Jonathan David Walter; The Intricate Fragility of Time Travel

 

The Towpath: A Time Travel Suspense Thriller by Jonathan David Walter; The Intricate Fragility of Time Travel

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Time travel can be a precarious subject with the possibilities and paradoxes. Like going back in time to kill Adolf Hitler or prevent John F. Kennedy’s assassination could lead to history changing for the better or worse. Perhaps the Soviet Union becomes the victor in the Cold War or another dictator is created from the ashes of World War I or II. Imagine going back in time and accidentally killing or falling in love with your ancestor. You wouldn’t be there to travel back but then who killed or fell in love with them? What about seeing the future knowing what is to come but being unable to prevent it? Time travel can be very excruciating and produces many migraines to figure out the rules and fiction has explored the concept in different ways. Jonathan David Walter’s The Towpath is an example of a novel that explores the complex intricacies and fragile strands that the concept of time stands on.

A mysterious character called The Redeemer is in mourning for her daughter, Hannah, who committed suicide. She is searching for a powerful medallion which will allow the wearer to go back in time so she can prevent the girl’s death. Unfortunately, the medallion is accidentally found by Aaron Porter, a teen boy. Once he learns what the medallion can do, Aaron wants to use it to find his missing brother, Owen. The discovery puts Aaron and his friends, Simon and Libby in immediate danger as The Redeemer pursues them with the assistance of a group of Iroquois warriors that she gathered from the 17th century. 

The Towpath has plenty of depth, particularly with its main protagonist and antagonist. The Redeemer alternates between troubled and terrifying. While searching for Aaron, she gives one of his classmates a particularly painful and grisly death. She is willing to kill for the medallion or send the Iroquois to do it and has no conscience when it comes to inflicting pain on the teen. In her desire to save her child from death, she has no qualms about inflicting it on other children.

However, The Redeemer is not completely soulless. Her intense grief over her daughter’s suicide is very real. Her telepathic conversations with Hannah’s younger self pours out the unhinged rage and despair over the girl’s death and the extreme lengths that she goes through to save her. This is a woman whose traumatized grief has driven her insane.

There is a possibility that time travel itself has played a hand in The Redeemer’s cracking mental state. She has completely disfigured herself and has become desensitized to the historical violence in which she encountered. She has some bouts of kindness such as helping the Iroquois in their fights against white settlers but they’re almost always with the specific goal in mind to save Hannah. As she travels back and forth, The Redeemer loses parts of herself more and more until in one heartbreaking moment she is rejected by Hannah who is frightened of and angry at her. She has become the person that she didn’t want to be because of her grief that has eaten away inside her. 

Aaron is someone who if they were on the same side, would understand what the Redeemer is going through. He too has felt tremendous loss. He has no memories of his birth father. His stepfather, a kindly veteran, died. His mother lives in a drugged and depressed stupor so he is cared for by Owen.The loss that he feels after Owen disappears is just as harrowing as The Redeemer’s mourning. He is not just mourning his brother, but someone who had become another father figure to him shortly after losing his last one. 

The twin stories of grief and obsession are fascinating parallels because it serves as a warning. The Redeemer stands as someone that Aaron is in danger of becoming if his sadness and anger overpower him. He could become just as driven, just as heartless, and just as insane as the woman who is chasing him. 

The intricacies of time travel are brilliantly explored particularly after Aaron and The Redeemer both travel backwards in time and encounter Hannah. She is bruised, morose, and detached. Aaron has to help the troubled girl and repair the rift between her and her mother, without running into his past self. However, he desperately wants to warn and protect Owen from his own fate. 

There are plenty of existentialist questions that are asked. If they rescue them from these specific incidents, are they really saving them or postponing the inevitable? Hannah is clearly troubled and her mother’s presence unnerves her. In her drive to save Hannah, is The Redeemer airbrushing the past and not acknowledging her own culpability in creating the tormented soul that Hannah became? Would Aaron’s knowledge of Owen’s future drive him closer to his brother or further away? If they are saved by their loved one’s trips to the past, then what happens to them in the future? They wouldn’t have this drive to travel back in time or maybe not the ability, so they wouldn’t be able to go back to save them. Would running into their past selves lead to a paradox by their mere presence and would they have any memories of this meeting or the circumstances that led to it? 

These questions are addressed and explored in ways that weigh these potential consequences and change things for better and sometimes for worse.