the irises-
I break off a stem
and go to my love
-Kiyoko Uda

Haiku, an old form of Japanese poetry, captures a single moment in a few short words. While the main focus is on capturing nature, there are many haiku’s that capture other events and emotions; and one of those emotions is love. In this collection, Patricia Donegan gives the reader a collection of love haiku, from the ancient masters to modern haiku poets, many of them in English for the first time. She splits the collection up into three parts: yearning, passion, and remembrance. The first part deals with that often one-sided, part of love, the yearning for someone to be your lover. The passion section is about the passionate affair between two people. The final part, remembrance, is all about remembering old loves long ago and wishing that they would return. Like other haiku, these are short and get to the point, delivering their message in short staccato bursts, that highlight the passion and pain that is love quickly and successfully. This is a collection for people who love the simplicity of haiku and love that poetic feeling of love.

Reviewed by Kevin Winter

When does intrigue cross the line into obsession? When does obsession become stalking? Rosemary Graham looks at first love in Stalker Girl. When Carly’s mom moves upstate to direct a summer camp, Carly spends her vacation working in the camp kitchen. She meets Brian, who divides his time between washing dishes at camp and strumming out tunes with his band. The two become intimate and Carly thinks she’s in love.

Eventually, summer fades into fall and the romantic bond weakens once Carly and Brian return to New York City. As Brian’s band gains popularity, Carly’s emotions spiral into a tangled mess of jealousy and insecurity. After making a scene at a gig, Brian ends the relationship.

“She raised her head, took a deep breath and a tentative half step left, toward the rest of her life. But then out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of that red sweater, and she went the other way.”

When Carly discovers he’s seeing someone else, she wants a glimpse of the new girl, Taylor. Using social networking and Internet sites, Carly’s curiosity consumes her as she searches for details of the privileged Taylor’s life. The peek turns into fixation, and Carly trails Taylor through New York City. How far will Carly go?

The author divides the novel into three sections: the stalking escapade, a flashback to the summer, and the consequences. Graham focuses on Brian’s and Carly’s relationship and the quick descent that leads to the break. Considering the number of teens who are “wired,” the novel offers a scary look into a very real situation.

Reviewed by LuAnn Schindler

This enchanting collection is a sampling of all things dragon; philosophy, magic, mechanism, environment, menu, subterfuge, climate, culture, and dragons as friends and protagonists. I met several old winged friends and made some new ones. This was not a story that failed to entrance. Often anthologies are offered with one or two prominent writers to carry their more earthbound colleagues. Not so with Wings of Fire. The level of writing is so consistently high one feels seized and borne aloft!

“Hear a dragon’s riddling:
as round as an apple, as deep as a cup, and all the kings horses can’t pull it up.
Which was a well of course.”

 Some stories were origination sources for series dear to lovers of science-fantasy. In St. Dragon and the George we meet Gordon Dickson’s Teaching Assistant Jim Eckert, transmuted into Gorbash, before the mourned Mr. Dickson injected Aragh or the sandmirks or the Welsh archer. In Weyr Search Lessa of Ruatha Hold sabotages her family’s slayer and is impressed to become the loved and loving companion of the golden queen of  Pern’s Dragonfolk.

Some jewels stand alone, limned by flame. Ursula K. Le Guin pits Winter Dragon against moonshine.  S. P. Somtow’s dragon underlies Bangkok and supplies both enchantment and wondrous nourishment. Jane Yolen steals the Wart from the Once and Future Kingand performs a draconian transformation of Merlin.

A wondrous volume!

Reviewed by David Sutton

Adding to the already-large collection of erotic anthologies to her name, editor Violet Blue has chosen the best in Sweet Love: Erotic Fantasies for Couples. Each story is a masterpiece—leaving behind dry, formulaic writing, and really working to bring creativity to our fingertips. These authors are truly inspirational, especially when you’re thinking how to “spice up” your love life. Readers will enjoy N. T. Morley’s “Five Senses” where a wife blindfolds her husband as he attempts to control his desire and his senses are overwhelmed. Allison Wonderland’s “A Week and a Whip” has a wife consulting her friends as to why her marriage has gone dry, to sudden inspiration that brings excitement back into their home.

While Sweet Love is full of “gettin’ down and dirty,” it shows that communication is key. The way each character interacts with their significant other before and after, even during, their sexual encounter is different yet necessary. Many of us are guilty of not communicating our passions and needs to loved ones. This book, albeit with a few stories that may turn readers off, will certainly inspire them to open up, even when the subject is not about intimacy.

Reviewed by Robyn Oxborrow

Savage Safari contains the info on 16 African predators, the different African environments, ratings on the most dangerous animals and a fold out section on fantasy animals created with the best (or is it the worst?) of several African animals. With its illustrations, charts, text and imaginative fold-outs it should appeal to a wide range of age groups. It includes both academic information like the animal’s Latin name and quirky facts like the names of the birds that hitch a ride on the animal’s back.

“Whether screeching through the rainforests, prowling the wild savannas, or lurking along rivers, these brutes make quick work of all who dare cross their paths.”

This book is as close to a website as you’ll get on paper. Each double spread is divided with multiple boxes and headlines, each containing snippets of information in boxes about enemies, allies, habitat, and characteristics. Savage Safari manages to include a lot of information on each page without sacrificing photographs and illustrations—there are several on each double spread. Paging through this book, young readers can find just what interests them in an instant. The photographs showing the animals in action in their environments are excellent. There are plenty of animal books out there, but Savage Safari succeeds in being memorable.

Reviewed by Jodi M. Webb

The Carne family – a widow and three daughters – live in 1930s London.  Dierdre, a journalist in her twenties, is writing a novel.  Katrine, also in her twenties, studies Drama.  Shiel is young enough to have a governess – the distraught Miss Martin, ever befuddled by this family’s favorite entertainment. 
 
The Carnes have invented a game turning actors, literary figures, even their dog and a doll into imaginary friends who ring them up and give them birthday presents.  They invent dialogues for these characters, quoting them in a heartbeat.  Miss Martin never is sure what’s real and what isn’t. 

Then Dierdre accompanies her mother to jury duty.  When Judge Toddington sweeps into court, he becomes woven into the game as “Toddy”.  One day Dierdre covers a charity bazaar where the real Lady Toddington has a stall.  Lady Toddington takes a liking to Deirdre, inviting her home.  Very funny scenes unfold as a friendship develops between the two families, just when Miss Martin is sure the relationship is fictional. 

In this sly tale, all of the characters captivate, including the governess and the Toddingtons. 

A séance brings the Brontes into the story.  So as not to be a spoiler, I’ll say no more. 

Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan

Magic Bleeds is book four in the Kate Daniels series and it doesn’t disappoint. Kate Daniels works for the Order, a paranormal protection agency, as a liaison between them and the mercenary guild. She’s an appealing blend of toughness and vulnerability, and though her stubbornness can be frustrating, Kate is intelligent and very layered. In Magic Bleeds, her secret heritage comes back to haunt her in the form of an egomaniacal killer, who wreaks havoc on the supernatural creatures of Atlanta. Also haunting Kate is her relationship with Curran, the Beast Lord and master of the city’s weres, and their struggle to make room for one another is the bulk of Kate’s inner turmoil, even as her very existence makes it difficult for her to open up to others.

The primary strength of Magic Bleeds lies in the world-building, and that it is so self-contained, a new reader can pick up any book in the series and never feel lost. Also, the cast of characters around Kate are just as interesting and flawed as she is, making her tech/magic world so colorful and well-written that there are times where it seems modern-day Atlanta is full of beasties and knights. The plot of Magic Bleeds is intricate and page-turning, and the action is thrilling. In a sea of kick-butt, take-charge women, this is definitely one of the top urban fantasy series, and Kate Daniels is a unique and very human protagonist.

Reviewed by Angela Tate

It would take a pretty hard heart to not love Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah, the tale of one puppy’s special day when he grows to “doghood.”  When I first read the title, I feared that this might be one of “those” children’s books – too cute by half, groping for the cheap joke over any real substance. I cannot remember the last time I was so glad to be wrong about a book!

“A new meaning of life
Now came Alfie’s way
The passing down of tradition
on this his special day.”

Combing charming dreamy illustrations of the various breeds that make up Alfie’s family, an entertaining rhyme scheme, and a positive message about the mitzvoth, my kids and I were all hooked on this book.  Author Shari Cohen understands the need to treat her young audience with respect and never writes in a manner that might be mistaken for condescension.  Instead, combing her duel responsibility both to entertain and teach, she weaves together the importance of acts of kindness and devotion with visual and textual humor.

Beyond this quality of the book itself, the enclosed CD is filled with delightful music and lyrics composed by Cantor Marcello Gindlin.  Most of the songs are tied to the story, and all offer a wonderful upbeat addition to the reading experience.  Full of heart, humor, and joy, Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah is a party at which everyone will want to dance and dance again!

Reviewed by Jordan Magill

A Little Wanting Song is exactly what it sounds like, a soft, melodic story about aching for more than we have and loving what we don’t expect ourselves to. Set in dusty Australia this unique young adult novel revels in the timeless angst of youth, tugging on the reader’s heart strings because the desires of Charlie and Rose are not just understandable, they are palpable. With two wonderfully rich protagonists, Charlie the subdued song writer, and Rose, the pent-up dreamer, this book takes one on a journey through the multitudes of love, from the bitter-sweetness of a difficult boyfriend to the deepness of friendship to the unease of self acceptance. I found the story not only engaging in its raw presentation but the writing equally (and yet contrastingly) dynamic with its poetic tone. A lovely, well-rounded YA book with edge and brilliance, otherwise known as a diamond in the rough.

Reviewed by Natalie Fladager

In fairy tales and myths, one reads of a dragon or a mermaid, a minotaur or a unicorn, or some other fantastical beast.  But have you ever wondered what you would call more than one of a kind?  This delightful picture book takes a reader (or a listener) into a fantasy world, where groups of magical beasts have just such nomenclatures.  Firebirds, mermaids, chimeras, werewolves – all are classified with names that reflect their legend, their environment, or simply Ogburn’s joy in playing with language and lore.

“According to Egyptian and Greek legend, their song is so beautiful that the sun god stops his chariot to listen, causing the sun to pause in the sky.  After several hundred years, the phoenix bursts into flames and a new phoenix rises from the ashes.”

Consider, “a confusion of chimeras”.  Or, “a tangle of gorgons”.  And, of course, “a dignity of dragons,” the book’s intriguing title.  Glee and humor weave all through the book.  Ceccoli’s illustrations richly convey the quirky charm of each creature.  The sphinxes wear “I’ve got a secret” expressions.  The gorgons are obviously having a bad hair day with their snakes.  The cockatrices have icy stares.

In all, thirty-six creatures are grouped and named, some sharing the same page, but each brilliantly illustrated.  At the back of the book, Ogburn provides a rich glossary, giving a short paragraph for each creature and the lore associated with it.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan

In this book, the main character, Victor, who is a murder for hire, finishes a job and within a few minutes finds out that there’s a contract on him. Victor must figure out who would put out a contract on him while trying to elude several teams of would be assassins.

The book starts out simply enough, an early morning murder on a quiet street and then after that there’s nothing simple about the plot line. Hinshellwoood keeps the story moving at a quick pace as the his main character is involved in many harrowing situations. The plot line grows involving other nations, continents, conspiracies and it grows in a way that’s plausible.

Each new chapter starts with what time it is so that the reader can tell how much time has elapsed between once scene in the story and the next. My only  concern is that Hinshelllwood moves Victor around geographically without clueing the reader beforehand. It leaves the reader to figure out why he’s just gone from one country to the next.

Hinshellwood’s writing style is crisp and clean, and he keeps the reader interested. Outstanding elements for a first time novelist. Not only did the story keep me reading on the writing style made it that much easier to read and not want to put down.  The Killer is a killer read.

Reviewed by Marc Filippelli

Everyone knows the prophesy of the human that will one day break free of his elven oppressors and free the world of the cruel tyranny of the Rhonas Empire, but few think of it as anything more than a story.  In fact, the elves’ Devotion spells ensure that the slaves of the empire remember none of the discontent that comes along with their status.  But the latest spoil of the bloody elven conquests, a dwarf named Jugar, is determined to bring about the end of the empire, and his actions may give an enslaved human warrior named Drakis the courage to fulfill the prophesy.

The first volume in this epic fantasy series, Song of the Dragon promises good reading to come.  The world imagined by Hickman is not your typical fantasy realm, with power-hungry elves that resemble aliens more than the traditional ideal and an empire based on conspiracy and lies, held together only by a powerful magic.  The plot twists will keep readers guessing and completely enthralled in the story, while the imperfect characters are inherently likeable.  The next volume in this series will definitely be anticipated!

Reviewed by Holly Scudero

Though Steven Guarnaccia’s classic pig tale begins with the expected “Once upon a time…,” his version puts a new spin on pigs, houses, and big bad wolves. The three pigs in question are, in this case, architects—Frank Gehry, Phillip Johnson, and Frank Lloyd Wright—and the houses that are ultimately endangered by the wolf are the famous works of Fallingwater (1935), Gehry House (1978), and The Glass House (1949). Pig Gehry’s house of scraps does not fare well when the wolf huffs and puffs, nor does Pig Johnson’s house of glass. Only Pig Wright’s house of stone and concrete remains standing—which enrages the wolf and leads to a series of attempts to trap the pigs.

Astute readers will find in Guarnaccia’s illustrations many representatives from the world of architecture and design, including Gerrit Rietveld’s Berlin Chair, Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Dining Table, and Philippe Starck’s Voxan GTV 1200 motorcycle, on which the wolf makes his entrance. The flyleaves provide images, names, designers, and dates for each of the works, making this not only a pleasingly illustrated version of a classic story, but also a wonderful introduction to architecture for children.

Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell

Author Chris Bradford knows how to hold a reader with riveting action from the first page to the last. In this five-star book, he sets up his story introducing Dealthstalkers, poisonous scorpions, and culminates it with 180 pages of death-defying action where you wonder how the hero, young Jack Fletcher, can still be alive.

“Despite it being the tail end of summer, … in the sharp light of morning, the burned-out temples that could be seen scattered over the mountain’s forested slopes glinted like broken teeth.” 

In The Way of the Sword, Jack finds himself in his final year of samurai training. A white outcast, few befriend him. And he’s not sure who he can trust when he notices his friend Akiko sneaking off alone at night, and she denies the action. We follow Jack through his training, learning the philosophy of a Samurai, until he reaches the first test to identify the six best students. Jack believes someone is setting him up to fail. Drawing upon every Samurai skill and thought perfected, Jack miraculously earns his place in the challenge for the final three who will be Samurai. At this point, Dragon-Eye, the man who killed his father, enters the story and Jack fights for his life. There is hardly enough space on the page to breathe before the next action rivets him deeper into danger.

Reviewed by Susan Roberts

Jeremy Davis comes from a small city in Texas and graduates – first in his class – from a small college we’ve never heard about.  Then to his surprise, he is accepted at the greatest law school in the world.  At the school, Jeremy soon learns about the existence of the V and D – no one is sure exactly whether it’s a secret society or an exclusive club, but the students selected for membership are assured of great success when they graduate.  Three students are selected for membership each year – no one knows precisely who selects or on what criteria – and this year there are four prime candidates; one of them being Jeremy.  When it appears that he has not been selected, Jeremy and his friends start digging for information about V and D and find more than they’ve bargained for.

“We won’t let her go, Jeremy.  You know we can’t.  You’d only be torturing us for sport.”

Danny Tobey’s The Faculty Club is a well put together and well-paced book with a plot that moves from the believable to the unbelievable, from a campus society to a criminal conspiracy to the supernatural to voodoo.  The primary characters are well-developed and likable.  This is an easy, enjoyable, highly recommended and fun read.

Reviewed by Douglas McWilliams

Megan’s life is a carefully controlled mess; her marriage remains intact only because of her desire to do what’s best for her kids, and her friendships are all superficial at best.  But this is what she has chosen, and she believes herself to be happy enough until her new tenant, Elizabeth, abruptly pushes Megan out of her comfort zone.  Elizabeth thought she had found the life she always wanted in Comfort, North Carolina, but she soon discovers that drama is everywhere, even if it is not immediately apparent.  Megan and Elizabeth are destined to change each other’s lives.

Knit in Comfort is a wonderful little novel, rich with historical references and packed with complex characters and circumstances that might be more common than readers realize.  Megan’s sham half-marriage is heartbreaking, and her consequential broken spirit even more so. Her long-in-coming confrontation with her husband will have readers rooting for her.  The diverse group of women that makes up Megan’s knitting group provides more context and depth for the story.  This is a relatively quick read, but definitely worth picking up.

Reviewed by Holly Scudero