Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Murder in Monte Carlo
by Kathryn Lane
Investigating stolen art is not a pretty picture…
Nikki’s dream job becomes a reality when a New York antique art dealer hires her for a covert mission aboard a cruise ship.
Her task is to gather evidence on two passengers suspected of stealing art from the New York dealer. The presumed thieves, posing as art experts, quickly befriend Nikki, plunging her into a moral quandary. Can she remain impartial?
As her investigation intensifies, she identifies a third suspect and breaks into his cabin. The situation escalates when he arrives unexpectedly and finds her rummaging through his belongings. Narrowly, she manages to escape his menacing threats.
At one of the ports of call, she witnesses a chilling murder in broad daylight. The realization dawns on her that a far more sinister plot, possibly involving cartel members, is unfolding. Could this be a scheme to launder illicit profits through an international network of anonymous art transactions?
With the stakes higher than ever, Nikki must decide if she should continue her perilous investigation...knowing that she could become the next target.
A Hundred Magical Reasons
by Laura DeNooyer
Most fairy tales have happy endings, but is it too late for this one? After all, Mrs. Charlotte Rose Gordon, the disgruntled town recluse, is eighty-eight and has grown weary of fighting the dragons of her past—including the desire to clear her husband’s name of a 1918 crime.
Dragons of a different kind pursue Carrie Kruisselbrink.
During 1980, the summer of her private rebellion, Carrie defies parental expectations and pursues her café dream. While waiting for funding, she takes a job with Mrs. Gordon.
As Mrs. Gordon unfolds the story of her oppressive childhood and delightful friendship with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, Carrie never expects to encounter her own fears and soul-searching.
In this modern-day fairy tale that weaves between 1980 and the early 1900s, Mr. Baum’s influence impacts each woman’s personal quests on a hero’s journey neither anticipates. Can Carrie and Mrs. Gordon find common ground in battling their respective dragons?
Deadly Dance
by BV Lawson
Some secrets refuse to stay buried...
When Scott Drayco's ex-girlfriend begs him to prove her wealthy fiancé, Harry Dickerman, is innocent of murder, Drayco is torn. Harry seems suspiciously eager to marry a much younger woman, but he also appears to be a model citizen. The police call it an open-and-shut case: Harry’s ex-wife was found dead in his home, killed with his letter opener, and only Harry’s prints were on the weapon.
But Drayco isn't convinced. As he digs deeper, he discovers unsettling cracks in the case. Could corporate espionage be involved? What role does a shady attorney play in this deadly game? And why was the victim living in a mysterious commune for Wall Street refugees—a place that seems more about drugs, sex, and blackmail than peace and love?
With the help of his former FBI partner, "Sarg" Sargosian, Drayco uncovers a possible Russian connection that could be the key to unraveling the mystery. But as he plunges deeper into a world where everyone harbors dark secrets, Drayco must navigate a treacherous path of lies and deceit.
In this deadly dance with the devil, can Drayco uncover the truth before he becomes the next victim?
GENRE WINS
(HONORABLE MENTIONS)
BooksShelf
FICTION WINNERS
Redlined
A Memoir of Race, Change, and Fractured Community in 1960s Chicago
by Linda Gartz
Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, Redlined exposes the racist lending rules that refuse mortgages to anyone in areas with even one black resident. As blacks move deeper into Chicago's West Side during the 1960s, whites flee by the thousands. But Linda Gartz's parents, Fred and Lil choose to stay in their integrating neighborhood, overcoming previous prejudices as they meet and form friendships with their African American neighbors. The community sinks into increasing poverty and crime after two race riots destroy its once vibrant business district, but Fred and Lil continue to nurture their three apartment buildings and tenants for the next twenty years in a devastated landscape—even as their own relationship cracks and withers.
After her parents' deaths, Gartz discovers long-hidden letters, diaries, documents, and photos stashed in the attic of her former home. Determined to learn what forces shattered her parents' marriage and undermined her community, she searches through the family archives and immerses herself in books on racial change in American neighborhoods. Told through the lens of Gartz's discoveries of the personal and political, Redlined delivers a riveting story of a community fractured by racial turmoil, an unraveling and conflicted marriage, a daughter's fight for sexual independence, and an up-close, intimate view of the racial and social upheavals of the 1960s.
Little Boy, I Know Your Name
A Second-Generation Memoir from Inherited Holocaust Trauma
by Mitchell Raff
Breaking the Inherited Cycle of Trauma
In his unflinchingly honest memoir, Mitchell Raff candidly recounts his journey to overcome generational trauma and break free from decades of addiction. With raw vulnerability, he lays bare his destructive coping mechanisms and the far-reaching consequences they wrought on his life and on those around him.
Beaten mercilessly as a child by his Holocaust-survivor mother, Mitchell was later kidnapped from Los Angeles to Israel before finding refuge with loving relatives back in America. In his adult life, the echoes of trauma forced Mitchell into patterns of substance abuse, sexual vices, and toxic relationships. But at a certain point, Mitchell explains, you need to own your decisions, for better or worse. After years of painful self-examination and work, Mitchell settled into a healthy relationship and found the strength to endure blows that once would have destroyed him.
Mitchell’s unfiltered account of his trials, failures, and ultimate breakthrough to become the man he always wanted to be is living proof that cycles of generational trauma can be broken, that even the deepest wounds can soften, and that though the road is difficult, it is within reach to not only survive but thrive.
Black, White, and Gray All Over
A Black Man's Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement
by Frederick Reynolds
TFrom shootouts and robberies to riding in cars with pimps and prostitutes, Frederick Reynolds' early manhood experiences in Detroit, Michigan in the 1960s foretold a future on the wrong side of the prison bars. Frederick grew up a creative and sensitive child but found himself lured down the same path as many Black youth in that era. No one would have guessed he would have a future as a cop in one of the most dangerous cities in America in the 1980s---Compton, California. From recruit to detective, Frederick experienced a successful career marked by commendations and awards. The traumatic and highly demanding nature of the work, however, took its toll on both his family and personal life---something Frederick was able to conquer but only after years of distress and regret.
GENRE WINS
(HONORABLE MENTIONS)
BooksShelf
NONFICTION WINNERS
Not Everyone Walks The Stage
by Sierra Andrews
A STORY ABOUT KNOWING THAT BEING DIFFERENT REALLY MEANS YOU ARE THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE!
Sophia is excited about kindergarten and just wants to fit in. She is worried that at graduation at the end of the year she won’t walk the stage like everyone else. Join her as she learns about -- how things work at school, how to make friends, how sometimes we all struggle, how learning is fun, and how she is exactly like her friends!
Sophia’s has a mobility impairment that makes her think that she might not succeed in school. Her literal misunderstanding of “being able to walk the stage” at the end of the year worries her. We follow her journey through her first year in school, where we discover that her experiences are identical to all other students. Sophia’s wheelchair is hidden in the book until the very end to emphasize her common experiences with other students. This wonderful book is perfect for all students to learn important broad lessons about how we are all the same, yet all different at the same time.
The book includes an interview with author Sierra Andrews who herself is in a wheelchair due to a car accident at 18-years old. She gives information about being wheelchair-bound to parents, educators, and students. She answers questions people want to ask but are often afraid to do so. It also includes special sections called Can You Find, Other Ways to Use This Book, Fun Things to Do, and Fun Facts that give readers additional activities that they can do to learn and enjoy themselves. An interview with illustrator Alisa Tverdokhleb gives advice to those who want to be artists.
The Last Words of Albion
by Joshua Ferdinand
Beneath Hadrian’s Wall’s ancient shadow, The Last Words of Albion weaves a captivating journey through Britain’s history with the elegance of haiku. More than poetry, it’s a portal to a past filled with valour and strife, illustrating our evolution. From lush forests to the industrial revolution’s grime, it merges historical gravitas with the ethereal dreams that define us, bridging from Moreland to Metropolis.
This narrative isn’t just read; it’s an exploration of Britain’s rich history, urging readers to connect with the island’s soulful legacy. Its blend of striking watercolours and resonant verses offers a unique engagement with history, appealing to both youngsters and adults alike, and transforming heritage into an interactive saga.
At its core, the book voices a crucial ecological message, spotlighting our bond with the planet amid the spectre of climate change. Highlighting pivotal moments like the Great Fire and World War II, it challenges readers to ponder our collective future. The Last Words of Albion invites you to not only witness Britain’s splendour but also to contribute to the narrative of our shared home, urging a conscious stride towards safeguarding our environment for posterity.
GENRE WINS
(HONORABLE MENTIONS)
BooksShelf
CHILDREN'S BOOKS WINNERS
Cycles of Love
(Annotated Edition)
Odes to the Cyclical Nature of Romance
by B. D. "Bob" Faw
CYCLES OF LOVEis a collection of autobiographical poems illustrating the cyclical nature of love and romance. Whether within a single relationship or spanning multiple relationships over time, love has its ups and downs similar to a sine wave.
Sub-Cycle 1 introduces that glorious infatuation phase as love blooms in a relationship.
Sub-Cycle 2 celebrates the wonderful peak of romance and love, where everything is beautiful.
Sub-Cycle 3 contemplates the waning of affection and the deterioration of the relationship, whether it be temporary or permanent.
Sub-Cycle 4, which completes the sine wave, mourns the depths of depression, despair, and self-evaluation that comes at the end of a relationship or at a nadir within a long-term one.
But life doesn't stop at the end of one cycle. With any luck, when the cycle is over, we pick ourselves back up and start all over again, whether this be searching for a new love, or repairing fences on an existing one. This is what I call Sub-Cycle 5, although it's really a reboot of the first sub-cycle, as the sine wave continues.
GENRE WINS
(HONORABLE MENTIONS)
