Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Amistad (June 2010)
ISBN-10: 0061957844
Reviewed by Jo O’Neil

Nicknamed ‘Monkey Night’ by those who taunt her mercilessly in high school, Davidia Jone’s life-defining, tragicomic moments with an abusive mother, repulsive father, and the rich, unattainable boy she has a crush on are narrated via flashbacks which can be difficult to pull off in a debut novel. But Ms. Carter’s voice is so appealing that the reader becomes immediately engaged. The parable to the film, ‘Sixteen Candles’…

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Feeding Strays by Stefanie Freele

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Paperback, 268 pages
Publisher: Lost Horse Press; First edition (September 1, 2009)
ISBN: 978-0980028959
Reviewed by Patricia V. Davis

If you read only one collection of short stories this year, Feeding Strays must be it. In fact, if you’re short on time, just the titles of some of the stories in this collection are worth its price ─ “Because Condoms Seem So Desperate, She Also Buys a Fern”; “All My Drownings”; “Priests and Balloons”.…

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Midori by Moonlight by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

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Midori by Moonlight

Author: Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN: 978-0312372613

Reviewer: Patricia Volonakis Davis

Though Midori by Moonlight was published in 2007, I only just discovered this book a few months ago. And I’m delighted that I did.

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How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

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Review by Patricia Volonakis Davis

Gibson’s debut novel appealed to me on many levels – as a writer, as a teacher, as an observer of human minutiae, as a person who grew up on NY’s Long Island, and as a long time Gatsby fan. The plot revolves around a teenage girl, Carley Wells, whose very nouveau-riche indeed parents, in a ‘money can get us whatever we need’ scheme, hire a…

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The Fighter Pilot’s Wife by Gilberta Guth

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Published by Call Sign Press
Reviewed by Nigel Voight

Between 1951 and 1998, Gilberta met, loved, married, had children with, and eventually became the widow of, Joe Guth, a pilot in the United States Air Force. This is her story about him and their life together. Her memoir is a detailed, inside look at the life of a military wife, and, appropriately for this month’s holiday, a love story.

Using her husband’s letters from abroad…

Reviewed by Natasha J. Stillman

Iron Man, directed by John Favreau, (Elf, Zathura: A Space Adventure) is a slick and well-paced ride from beginning to end. Favreau has never directed a film on this action scale before, and it’s to his credit that he cast Robert Downey Jr. to play the title role. Downey Jr. certainly embodies Tony Stark — a brilliant inventor, unapologetic weapons manufacturer, and billionaire playboy. Tony finds his conscience and makes a really freakin’ cool robo-suit after he is captured by a fighting faction in Afghanistan.

While…

Reviewed by Miranda Krebbs

If you are a fan of R.G. Ryan’s blog, you’ll not be disappointed by his compilation of stories told from his favorite seat in the corner of a coffee shop.  After reading Snapshots at St. Arbuck’s, I have no doubt that there is a “Saint” of St. Arbuck’s incarnated in R.G. Majestically he reigns over his favorite cafe, as the clientele there provides him a glimpse into the human soul.

In his book, R.G gets to the heart of precious moments with candor and wit. He invests…