Editorial Reviews for Nominees
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 Score: 93+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)
CALLING ALL PARENTS! If you need the perfect little read to settle your children in before bedtime, Happy Makes Me Happy may be the book for you! Happy Makes Me Happy is a cheerful, delightful, lighthearted, and calming children's book by Mr. B's Books! It follows a sweet little girl (who isn't named, serving as a surrogate for the reader) and her constant companion, an adorable Cocker Spaniel (dog) named Happy! Happy is always happy! And he's a calming, comforting presence for both the main character and readers. Happy lights up every room and every gathering with his playful, kind, and friendly demeanor. His positive presence shines like a bright light on every page, reminding the little girl and readers that they aren't alone and, indeed, have a friend and a companion. Happy takes part in everything that the characters do from taking walks, playing, attending picnics and barbecues, and—yes—even sleeping! The fact that this book tries to encourage children to go to sleep is the book's biggest selling point. Every parent needs a book like this! However, that's not its only selling point. It champions values and things like love, kindness, family, friendship, positivity, and optimism. These are things that all of us could use. Happy isn't just an adorable and charismatic lead character, he's also a great role-model to the little girl and readers. He's the friend/pet/companion that we'd all love to have! He's always there to cheer you up when you're down. He's always trying to help and you're always the center of his world. Now, an argument could be made that this book is incredibly straight-forward and simplistic in theme, writing, and illustrations. It's more than adequate, especially when it comes to presenting Happy in most panels. Happy looks distinctly like a Cocker Spaniel with long, fluffy ears, spots, and a contagious smile. The backgrounds, however, are pretty repetitive. In fact, the same background is used for a large portion of the pages. It really isn't a big deal, but in comparison to the big, extravagant, highly-detailed artistic efforts in other children's books, this is more on the plain, minimalist side. It is colorful, vibrant, and appealing nonetheless. Check it out on Amazon!
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 Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
Did you know that about 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with a food allergy? Did you know that, in the USA, there are 200,000 emergency room visits due to food allergies each year? Did you know that 7.6% of children have food allergies, and these allergies are responsible for around 60-200 deaths per year, often due to accidental ingestion or cross-contamination? What's Eating Our Kids? by Dr. Julie Wendt dives deeply into the complex world of children's food allergies, intolerances, and toxicities. It provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide for parents, especially those who need help understanding or managing their children's health issues related to food. Dr. Wendt combines medical insights as a board-certified allergist-immunologist with personal experiences as a mother of allergic children. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the basics of food allergies to specific medical conditions, testing methods, and practical management strategies. It also offers guidance on different types of allergic and non-allergic reactions, emphasizing safety and vigilance for children with severe allergies. This book would be a valuable choice for parents, food business owners, and those who suffer from allergies as it balances scientific detail with relatable stories and actionable advice, helping readers to grasp both the technical and emotional aspects of identifying and managing food allergies. Dr. Julie Wendt is a board-certified allergist-immunologist, having over two decades of experience in the field. Her extensive career includes diagnosing and treating patients with allergies, asthma, and immune-related conditions, as well as conducting research and studying advanced treatment methods for food allergies, intolerances, and toxicities. If we read this correctly (we're not perfect, we get details mixed sometimes), Wendt's sister, Laura, has a severe fish allergy, which led to a frightening anaphylactic reaction. Additionally, Dr. Wendt’s daughter has had asthma and allergies since she was young, and her son experienced eczema triggered by soy and milk. These personal experiences with family members' allergies influenced Dr. Wendt's career path and perspective on treating food allergies. Wendt names a specific incident in which a restaurant customer with a fish allergy was recklessly and negligently given a dish containing the allergen after repeatedly telling the waiter and being reassured that the dish contained no fish. This resulted in the sudden and tragic death of the restaurant customer. This story points out both the potential severity of allergies and how a lack of knowledge and understanding by folks (like the restaurant staff, in this example) can have serious consequences. The author tells us that: “It is safest to assume that restaurant workers and food preparers do not understand allergies or severe allergic reactions. Multiple studies have demonstrated that most restaurant workers did not understand the general principles of causes of food allergy like cross-contamination. Many restaurant workers surveyed had the mistaken belief that if they removed the visible allergenic food by hand, the allergic person would be safe. Unfortunately, even though the allergic person cannot see the allergic food, the body can detect even microscopic amounts that are enough to potentially harm or cause death.” And did you know that just physically removing the allergenic food from the dish doesn't fix the problem? Cross-contamination and cross-reactivity are highly emphasized in this book. The book covers many of the different tests for identifying food allergies: Skin Prick Tests Blood Tests (Specific IgE) Oral Food Challenge The Oral Food Challenge (OFC) is given great props as the “gold standard” of these tests. Even for readers without major allergies, this can be a really interesting read. For example, if you're into medicine and science, you might really love this. In fact, even if you're into the history of some of this stuff, you might find it interesting. Did you know that the first example of food allergy therapy occurred. In 1908, the concept of food oral immunotherapy (FOIT) was first attempted by Dr. Alfred Schofield, who successfully desensitized a 13-year-old boy with an egg allergy. This was also the same year the term "allergy" was coined. Schofield’s early experiment laid the groundwork for modern approaches to desensitizing food allergies through controlled exposure. We didn't know that! The book also talks about more than food allergies. For example, there are huge sections of this book that discuss environmental allergies like from plants, pollen, trees, mold, and pet/animal dander. It even discusses many of the allergenic causes of IBS, especially via a method called a “low-FODMAP diet” with FODMAPs being fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
Sometimes, you need a good pep talk! Sometimes, you need to be reminded of who you are and what is possible! And, sometimes, you just need a fire lit under you—something to get you UP and living your best life. Gifted and Empowered is a true 'GET UP AND SHOUT' motivational, self-help, and personal development book by Carole D. Monteiro! Monteiro's positivity and optimism are contagious! This is a book about finding your passion and your gift, then using that passion and that gift to make your life fulfilling, prosperous, and satisfying. It's a book about letting your light shine rather than letting it go unrecognized and hidden away. We all have passions. We all have gifts, whether we recognize it or not. However, many of us fall under the oppressive weight of doubt, guilt, and some false sense of humility—the feeling of not deserving or feeling worthy of great things. Nothing could be further from the truth. We're all worthy and we're all incredible and gifted in our own unique ways. God, Fate, the Universe, Evolution—or whichever you believe in—gave us purpose and an opportunity to make a difference. Monteiro tells us that the "greatest gift in life" is described as using one's unique talents and gifts to live a life of purpose. The author emphasizes that each individual has been bestowed with special gifts by their creator, and these gifts should be recognized, nurtured, and shared with the world. Living through your gifts leads to personal fulfillment and can also positively impact those around you. Here are some key takeaways we got from this book: - The difference between a gift and a passion is highlighted as significant in understanding one's unique potential. A gift is an inherent talent that comes naturally and serves a deeper purpose, while passion is a strong desire or enthusiasm that may not always align with one's true abilities. Passions can inspire growth, but gifts reflect enduring strengths meant to be shared with the world. The key is recognizing when a passion aligns with a natural gift to maximize personal fulfillment and impact. - There are two main types of gifts: natural and spiritual gifts. Natural gifts are described as innate talents or abilities that a person is born with, such as artistic skills, athletic ability, or compassion. These gifts come easily and often require little effort to develop, but they can be honed over time to achieve greater impact. Spiritual gifts, on the other hand, are seen as abilities granted by a divine source, such as the gift of wisdom, empathy, or leadership. These gifts are not tied to birth or genetics but are seen as blessings meant to enrich both the individual's life and the lives of others by fulfilling a higher purpose. - Gifts could include things like athletic abilities (like throwing or running) or others like interior design, a key example is provided in this book. - The author emphasizes the value of listening to feedback as it can provide insights into our gifts that we may not easily recognize ourselves. It explains that feedback acts like a mirror, allowing others to reflect back to us qualities or talents we might overlook. Sometimes, those around us can see our gifts more clearly than we can, and their observations can guide us toward a better understanding of our unique strengths. - "Practice is winning. If you practice more than anybody else, you will beat everybody else." This passage emphasizes that consistent effort and dedication to honing one's gifts can lead to success. By practicing more than anyone else, you gain a competitive edge and excel beyond others. - “...a diamond shines brightest after enduring pressure.” This metaphor is used to emphasize that setbacks and challenges are essential for personal growth, helping individuals develop resilience and reveal their true potential. Just like a diamond becomes brilliant under pressure, we, too, can shine the brightest when we overcome adversity. - Challenges can be like social chapters in your life story. Challenge can highlight your gifts in unique ways. They can be opportunities to learn and grow. - Name your doubting/negative/inner-critic voice something like “Mr. Boring” and don't let it dictate your life. There are times when this book did sorta read like a generic and overly-idealistic self help book. However, there were also times when it was engaging, inspiring, and even well-written. Some of our favorite passages include alliterative lines like “...destined to make a difference...” and “...a tapestry of love and transformation.” Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)
Colin the Crab Falls in Love is a beautiful, romantic, and heartwarming children's book by Tuula Pere! If the Francis the Fox series is our favorite of Tuula Pere's children's book series, then the Colin the Crab series is a very close second! Colin the Crab is an excellent character in every sense of the word. Unlike Francis the Fox, he's a great role-model for kids. Colin has a heart of gold—a HUGE, ENORMOUS heart. He is loving, kind, caring, respectful, considerate, self-sacrificing, and unselfish. To top it off, he's hardworking, intelligent, and skilled. At the same time, he isn't a Gary Stu. He's not a Superman without a kryptonite. No, Colin does have weaknesses which are worth exploring. Thankfully, this book and series does an excellent job at that. Colin is a giver and not a taker. That's great, to an extent, but in The Caring Crab he had to learn that there are limits to that. He had to be reminded not to run himself into the ground and burn himself out. He had to learn self-love and to take some me-time. Colin is also a bit conservative in his activities. He doesn't like to step outside his comfort zone. In fact, new situations and activities—especially social ones—seem to make him anxious. He does have a degree of social awkwardness and possibly even social anxiety. That's not to say that he doesn't get along with people. In fact, he seems to be everyone's friend and everyone loves and cares about him. However, he's apprehensive about doing and trying new things that the other characters do. For example, Eddie the Eel is really high on driving his motocopter, probably the best vehicle in town. However, Colin finds the motocopter to be unfamiliar, uninteresting, and maybe even a bit scary throughout most of this book. It's like a grandpa encountering and trying out a drone for the first time. He's content with his cart, which is familiar and practical. He's also not big on fads and fashions. That fact is demonstrated by his encounters with Sally the Starfish, someone who is obsessed with her looks and the way that she dresses. Colin is content with wearing the same ole' overalls every day because they're familiar to him and help to hold his tools. The other thing about Colin, that was also emphasized in Colin the Crab Finds a Treasure, is that Colin doesn't seem well-versed in terms of romance and intimacy. He really doesn't connect well romantically with sea creature-women/females. He is friend-zoned constantly, which was pretty evident in the other two books as well. The females constantly ask him to help them and listen to them vent, but they don't necessarily consider him to be any more than a good friend or like a brother. In this book, Colin has a number of conversations with characters like the Newts, Sally the Starfish, and Mrs. Catfish. In particular, his conversation with Mrs. Catfish, who is widowed, is telling. Mrs. Catfish talks about the pain of losing her husband and missing him dearly, even looking through pictures of their time together. It's hard not to feel for Mrs. Catfish. And this serves the dual-purpose of building up the angst around Colin and the fact that he has no partner and hasn't been able to experience these romantic things. In fact, one of the key moments in their conversation is when Mrs. Catfish makes the off-hand and very painful comment that Colin doesn't know what it feels like to lose a husband or wife. During a fancy dinner with friends, most of whom have a partner, Colin clearly feels like he's missing something: companionship. Eventually, as the title suggests, Colin is able to find someone to love in the form of Clara the Crab, another kind and caring crab who helps Colin to clean the mess in Finley the Frog's museum. Clara & Colin are definitely nominees for “Best Couple!” They are adorable together, complementing and enhancing each other. This book then goes deep into another of its themes: being yourself instead of trying to fit in or do extraordinary things to impress other people. This theme was subtly introduced earlier in the book when some of the other characters tried to pressure Colin into dressing better or driving a nicer vehicle. However, it becomes very pronounced when Colin risk life, limb, and his dignity to learn to drive a motocopter like Eddie the Eel. This results in a bit of an embarrassing and dangerous catastrophe which nearly sees Colin get badly hurt (or worse). Clara, being a great, caring person who isn't shallow, runs to make sure that Colin is OK. Colin then learns that it's better for him to be himself. And, like we said, he's an incredible person! Now, this book had small things that bothered us. Nothing major. For one, the middle portion of this children's book was very wordy and muddled. It was very dense. That's actually something we noticed with this series: the middle portions are very dense and a bit muddled. It also seemed like this book was a rehash of Colin Crab Finds a Treasure, pretty much being the same story. Speaking of that, we kept asking: What happened to Priscilla the Clam? Wasn't Priscilla the Clam Colin's love interest? His girlfriend? Didn't Colin the Crab already go through this romantic arc and find his true love? Or did they just become good friends? If they're good friends, then where is she? Anyway, it's easy to look past these minor things. This is a great book! Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
So, you've written a book... now, how do you market it? What if you could market MORE than just your book? What if you could market your BRAND and YOURSELF, leveraging them for sustained growth and opportunities? Well, Self-Promote & Succeed by Julie Broad, the founder of Book Launchers, can help you do just that! Self-Promote & Succeed is the direct sequel to Self-Publish & Succeed, our 2021 Non-Fiction Book of the Year! Both books are some of the best books on publishing and book marketing that we've ever read! As the title suggests, Self-Promote & Succeed focuses on the marketing, advertising, and promotional side of the publishing equation. Alongside editing, this is probably the most painstaking and frustrating part of being an author. There's nothing more agitating and frustrating than putting all this work into publishing a book only to see it flop and flounder. How do you get your book in front of customers? How do you keep it relevant? How do you sell books? Even if you haven't published a book yet, this can still be an encouraging and inspiring read. Although you don't want to put the cart before the horse, it helps to have a vision and an idea of where you're going, what you want to accomplish, and what's possible. And SO MUCH is possible! Not only could you be a best-seller on various lists (like the New York Times or Amazon), but you could also get invaluable media and networking opportunities that can catapult your outreach and career. And not only does it help to have a vision and to have something to aspire to, this book provides invaluable information how to think about your book marketing and incorporate it before, during, and after writing it. It helps to know who your target market (reader/audience) is, what you're trying to accomplish, and the message(s) you're trying to put forth. Book publishing & marketing isn't a one-size-fits-all, linear process. But this book approaches this uncomfortable truth with an aura of excitement and optimism. Broad tells us that: "Book marketing is one part tried-and-true methods and one part experimentation to find what will work for you, your book, and your audience." In other words, you'll have a lot of tricks, tips, and tools to try out, play with, and experiment with. Some things will work and others won't. Some things will need to be tweaked, adjusted, and adapted accordingly. Many strategies work better when they're combined. For example, an author could use the 99-cent Amazon e-book sale to achieve best-seller status while also leveraging Amazon ads, media coverage, partnerships, and quarterly promotions to maintain post-launch sales. And this book makes it clear that book sales are great, but they aren’t everything. That's not to say you can't sell a lot of books and become a best-seller. Julie Broad herself was a #1 OVERALL best-seller on Amazon with her premier book, More Than Cashflow, which was focused on real-estate. However, she would likely be the first to tell you that the book sales themselves are only the tip of the iceberg. Even more powerful than selling the book itself is building an author brand. When you have a strong author brand—one associated with prestige, respect, trust, and a good reputation—you can go beyond selling just one book, you could sell multiple books for a sustained length of time! You could get paid interviews, speaking opportunities, and media exposure. All of these go a long way in establishing credibility around your brand. Authors can leverage their books to establish themselves leaders and experts in their field. Think about it: How many guests on CNN, Fox News, ABC News, and MSNBC are authors of books on specific socio-political topics? Being the author of a book on a subject can help make you the go-to person on that subject! There are so much information and great topics in this book, here are some of our favorite takeaways: - Broad says there are three main reasons to pay for advertising, those are to: 1. Attract book reviewers 2. Build an email database and author platform 3. Sell books - A brand's reputation is extremely valuable and should be nurtured and protected. One author brand she talks about sold for $6 million! - “Strategically align with corporate partnerships, and media events can give your book and brand a huge boost by helping you tap into larger, already-established audiences.” - Address your readers' hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations. “Does your book improve your reader’s life? This is true even if you’re writing a memoir. If you’re trying to write something that gives readers hope, how do you address their fears and aspirations?” - “Hope and inspiration are not enough to sell your book—even if your story is powerful.” You need a good hook and you need to offer practical advice and steps for how your readers can get to where they want to go. - “You’ll know you have a good grasp on your reader when you can do this exercise easily: Imagine telling someone why you wrote your book and how you know it’s for them.” You need to know your readers intimately. What do they want? What do they like? What makes them tick? What will make them come back for more? - So much of book marketing is author marketing. We hate to admit it, but a lot of readers purchase books because of name-recognition and familiarity. How many of us buy books by Stephen King, Tom Clancy, or John Grisham because we know what to expect from them and trust that they'll provide it? - Have fewer calls-to-action in your social media posts and ads so people know what you want and what you're offering. - This book outlines the “Essential information” to place on author website. You'd be surprised how often we want to reach or learn more about an author only to not have any of that available online! - Network like Dale L. Roberts, who networks with others in the industry “like a boss” - When influencer-marketing, don't be all about taking and pushing. Remember that influencers are human too. Be human and be willing to give and support them and their work as well. - Use different marketing angles, as many as possible! Go where your customers are. Some are digital-only, some are physical-only. Some are on LinkedIn or X, others are on YouTube or Twitch. - Don't hold back the good stuff that make you memorable, highlight them. “We see many authors hold back the good stuff of who they are out of fear. That makes brand building difficult because the very thing that makes you memorable is you.” - Learn how to do a zero-sale audit - Leverage awards, accolades, and endorsements like the Outstanding Creator Awards! This is a fabulous, fantastic book on publishing and book marketing by one of the best. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)
Could you imagine being stuck in an elevator with THE Adam from The Bible? What if you could talk to a man who has seen God face-to-face? What kinds of stories would he tell you? Would you believe him? Would you think he was crazy? What would you ask him? Flight 316 actually surprised us with its terrifically intriguing premise. The execution was a little rough, but not offensively so (like another Bible-based novel we read this month that made us feel like tearing our hairs out by the end). This, at least, was pleasant and well-meaning. It was unaggravating save for some light feminism, occasional foul language, and slight tweaks concerning Bible characters like Simon of Cyrene. Flight 316 follows Grace Jackson, an internationally-renown psychologist and therapist. Grace grew up as a devout, semi-obsessive Christian who became drastically disillusioned with the faith and God as she encountered more negativity in her life and in the world (extreme poverty, famine, disease, war, etc.). She asked herself why God would allow such terrible things to happen including to good people. She started to question if God existed at all and if her faith may have been misplaced. By the time we meet her in the book, she's between being an agnostic and an atheist. We're told that she actively denounced the belief in God in her writings and interviews, painting believers as been misguided, superstitious, or possibly even mentally ill. On a fateful flight from Dallas, Texas to Honolulu, Hawaii, Grace encounters and sits next to a strange man who smells of leather and cinnamon. Sparking a conversation, the two quickly develop a level of trust and intrigue in each other. However, the conversation takes a dramatic turn when the man in question claims that he is THE Adam from The Bible, the very first man and human being! Grace reacts the way that many of us would, with a mixture of shock, fear, unease, and curiosity. She begins to think that Adam is suffering from a mental illness or possibly even some sort of head injury/trauma like many of her clients. When he insists and speaks about being the first man with stern certainty and seriousness, Grace retreats and initially refuses to sit with him until a long thinking process and an intervention by one of Adam's employees (who is also on the flight). The employee reveals that Adam never seems to age and says that they all came him “Dorian Gray” jokingly. Now, this whole set up in the beginning is good to great. However, after that, it starts to become pretty shaky. First of all, the whole mystery and surprise gets lost too soon. That was a bit of a bummer. It would've helped if we had a little more build and suspense leading up to the big reveal. However, we almost immediately flash back to THE literal Adam in THE literal Garden of Eden with THE literal Eve living with THE literal God. So, there's no mystery, suspense, or surprise of who Adam really is. He's not mentally ill, delusional, or pulling Grace's chain. We learn that Adam has been alive for practically all of human history, having encountered many of the patriarchs, apostles, and important Biblical figures like Samuel, John the Baptist, Peter, and Jesus himself! It also turns out that Adam has been disguising himself under different pseudonyms like Simon and has been involved in various events throughout time including being there at the crucifixion. Perhaps the most interesting thing in this book are the descriptions and background information of the Garden of Eden and the Fall. We get a decent idea of what Eden may have been like. One of our favorite things is that Adam seems to have a lion pet named Simeon who kinda acts like a Golden Retriever. We also get a little more motivation behind why Eve was tempted by Lucifer/Satan/the snake and why she made the choice that she did. It's actually a decent explanation. Many of us would've made the same choice if someone threatened our kids and family members. It reminded us a little bit of how Luke raged out in Return of the Jedi when Vader threatened to turn Leia. However, the temptation scene also points out how cartoonish some of this book is. Satan literally spreads his arms, dances, and sings while he's tempting Eve like he's the Genie from Aladdin. Later in the book, there are some other cartoonish moments like the whole Jesus-laying-the-smackdown-in-Hell thing. It just seemed more like something you'd see in a Japanese anime than in a serious biblical work. So, there are some warnings we'll give you depending on your world view and sensibilities: - There's a bit of a feminist twist to the creation and existence of Eve that the narrative seems to be needlessly fixated on. - The book seems to have an anti-abortion message, advocating for the “rights of the unborn.” That may offend some people and delight others depending on if you're pro-choice or pro-life. - There's a surprising amount of foul language in this supposedly-Christian book that may put off more traditional Christian readers This book also begs the question: What the heck were other passengers thinking with this seemingly-crazy passenger claiming he's the son of God? Like, when you're on a plane, you can hear everyone. No one thought this was alarming? And why did Adam choose a busy plane of all places to meet someone to have a supposedly-secret and supposedly-sensitive conversation? Like, it sounds good in concept, but when you step back and think about it, it becomes a bit funny. The book does provide some interest and intrigue, attempting to answers questions like: Why suffering/bad things happen? What was God's actual plan/goal in regard to dealing with Jesus? What was Satan's actual plan/goal in regard to dealing with Jesus? What did Jesus' spirit/soul do while he was dead? Why did Jesus have to die? Why was Peter given so much props in there church despite denying Christ three times? We actually enjoyed this book and what the author was trying to accomplish. This is a work of Christian fiction that draws mostly-positive attention to The Bible and Jesus, which we can definitely commend and get behind. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
The Doctor's Voice by Dr. Pietro Emanuele Garbelli, the owner of Transforming Healthcare LTD, is more than just a typical professional development and healthcare management book. It's a spirited critique of modern healthcare and medicine, particularly as it pertains to doctors. Many of us put doctors on a pedestal. We think of them as having all the answers, high pay, and having everything together. Some of us think of them as superheroes, forgetting that they're not superhuman. However, did you know that doctors have higher-than-average rates of suicide, burnout, low job satisfaction, and mental health issues? Dr. Garbelli passionately discusses the many potential causes and—invaluably—potential solutions to these issues. One of the key things that we took away from this book is that doctors constantly suffer from disruptions, speed bumps, and—what we like to call—“bottlenecks” that inhibit and interfere with their work. These inefficiencies in the current existing healthcare system limit the amount of patients that doctors can see during a shift and the amount of care and attention they can provide to each individual patient. They also cause needless and increased frustrations and agitations for doctors. The author compares this to incessant and overlapping red alerts on the Starship Enterprise (from Star Trek), inviting readers to think about how many “red alerts” doctors are currently dealing with at any one time. For example, junior doctors often have to gain permission and access from senior doctors. That shows that many doctors aren't trusted to make decisions on their own. This creates hurdles and hoops for them to jump through, bottlenecking the care process. The author argues: If doctors are expected to have full accountability (having responsibility if anything goes wrong), then why don't they have independence of authority and action? The author tells us that a full waiting room isn't a badge of honor or a sign of being busy, it's a sign of an inefficient healthcare system, one that is overburdened, overworked, underfunded, and understaffed. Gabelli compares the environment in hospitals as being like a “street market” or “zoo.” In other words, it's full of disorder and chaos rather than being streamlined and efficient. Gabelli talks about the silent “moaning” of healthcare workers and doctors, comparing it to the pressure in a tea kettle or pressure-cooker building up, crying and screaming out. Doctors are not allowed to let out steam. And the institutions normally emphasize patient care over the needs and concerns of their workers. He reminds us that human beings aren't meant to function like pressure cookers. Compounding this problem is the severe understaffing of doctors, nursing, and other medical personnel. Garbelli argues, rightfully, that if every branch of military has reserve soldiers, then why don't hospitals have more reserve doctors and nurses? This is a spirited and passionate diatribe about the existing American healthcare system from the perspective of an experienced doctor who also brings knowledge and a perspective from outside of the country, being from Northern Italy. This is definitely something that resonated with us. Some of us are healthcare workers, doctors and nurses, from other countries. We are often appalled by the American healthcare system. Patients are often appalled by the American healthcare system. If we are the #1 country, then why don't we have the #1 healthcare system? Why don't we have the best hospitals? Why don't we have the best treatments? Why is everything so complex, convoluted, and complicated? Why is everything so inefficient and ineffective? We definitely smelt what the doctor was cooking. The audiobook is also brilliantly illustrated by Damian Lynch in a crisp and clean British accent! Now, with all that said, the most interesting part of the book was actually the humorously long “About the Author”/acknowledgments section at the end. It's because the author's actual personality and life story are fascinating. Apparently, he grew up gay in conservative Northern Italy. He also suffered from pneumothorax, which helped to build his empathy and understanding for patients. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 88/100 (8.8 out of 10)
Ultimatum by Vladimir Fleurisma is a sci-fi/monster novel that explores themes of survival, the loss of humanity, and the fragility of civilization in the face of global disaster. The novel is marked by intense action scenes, moments of horror, and psychological tension among its characters, who must constantly confront the limits of their endurance in a world that no longer makes sense. During a conflict with an entity known as the Coalition, six 240-megaton nuclear warheads explode over the continental United States, destroying much of Pennsylvania and presumably kickstarting a global nuclear catastrophe. With the world embroiled in a nuclear winter, little to no direction or leadership, and facing an uncertain future, survivors like D (a marine) and Jaime (a 1st lieutenant) find themselves in a sort of bunker below the rubble. They are joined by the likes of Zach (a civilian), Andre (a sergeant), Colt (a tactical leader of the group), Jade (Colt's lover), and Cella (Jade's sister and rival who has a strong scientific background). Their lives become a mundane, miserable, and monotonous cycle of rationing food (including barely-edible meat) and being starved of normal human companionship and intimacy. We soon learn that the world outside of the bunker is full of dangerous predators—mutated bioweapons—called “Uglies.” They are alternatively given other names throughout the book like Brogs, Sniffers, Abnormals, Unnaturals, SOULS (Strategic Operational Urban Land Squads), and ASPERS (Amphibious Strategic Precision Exploration Rampage Squads). In fact, the characters have a few violent and even deadly engagements with these fearsome creatures. We also learn about a mysterious virus that spread throughout the globe, presumably explaining the creation of the Uglies. The virus is a key threat not only to the creatures but also to the human survivors, as it is highly contagious and has no known cure. The virus adapts quickly, further complicating efforts to control it. Similar to our first reading of the book, our second reading didn't exactly wow, impress, or endear us to the book, its plot, or its characters. There's something very dry, goofy, silly, cheesy, and disjointed about all of it. For example, so many of the human characters and their conflicts seem unnecessary and childish. The grand majority of these characters act like they immature high schoolers who have never had a serious relationship with the opposite sex, can't navigate their emotions or feelings, and certainly can't modulate their feelings of jealousy, pettiness, and insecurity. For example, several of the female characters (primarily Jade & Cella) have an intense feud over a bottle of perfume given as a gift to one woman rather than the other. They then have a wager over the perfume bottle, then argue over other items like Dede's edible panties collection. Speaking of panties, we get a lot of descriptions of characters' butts (and other private parts) and their underwear. Specifically, there's a whole line of dialogue about thongs. It just seems so unnecessary. Oh, yeah, there's also this huge emphasis on the characters (including female characters) having body hair, specifically armpit hair. Now, that is something we can understand and forgive the book for. It does add a little realism to the otherwise-fantastical story since people in a bunker/crisis probably wouldn't be able to shave and practice hygiene to the level they normally would. Ok, fine. The problem with all of this—the perfume, the butts, the armpit hair, etc.—is that they aren't presented in a serious, gritty, or realistic way. They're presented in a silly, goofy, and humorous way which really ruins the mood and tone of what's going on in the book. It's so hard to take this seriously. We have notes about “hot pink yoga pants,” “bacon,” and a “T-Rex toy” that a character keeps playing with. Why? None of these things seem to mix, mesh, and mash. There's also this over-the-top, cartoonish MMA/fighting side-plot in which the characters engage in all-out free-for-all battle royals, striking, biting, eye-gouging, and strangling each other to near-death. It's really ridiculous and hard to get behind. Like, it seems like such a waste of energy and resources for these characters to be fighting, injuring, and wounding each other when there's already a shortage of food and medical supplies. This doesn't make them seem cool, it makes them seem like moronic idiots. And unless they're Austin Powers or Mr. Bean, we tend not to like cheering for moronic idiots. We also get humorous and amusing lines like, “They're eating people and throwing them at other people” while characters like Greer and Timmy are being brutally killed. We really shouldn't be laughing, but the writing and presentation is so hokey and unserious that we found ourselves laughing at arguably Jaime's darkest moment. There's also some sort of surprise about D being more than he lets off, being a killer of over 3,200 people. Ok... but... why? To make him a deeper, darker, grayer character? That doesn't endear us to him or make him seem more human. It makes him seem like a worse person and like a comic book or cartoon character. In a book that lacks almost all suspension of disbelief, this just adds to it. Now, in all fairness, this is par for the course in monster/kaiju fiction. The human characters are typically annoying, unnecessary, and useless. Most people don't watch monster movies for the human characters, they watch monster movies for the monsters. Indeed, the author admits to being a big fan of classic kaiju/monster films, as are we! However, the best monster/kaiju films generally had interesting and likable human characters. The recent Godzilla Minus One movie, an Academy Award-buster, is a testament to that. Godzilla 2014 featured characters played by Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Elizabeth Olsen, who seemed likable, human, and relatable. In fact, the early death scene of one of the characters was genuinely sad and heartbreaking. Why? Well, because the film achieved a feeling of suspension of disbelief. Between Ultimatum and Terror in Big Bend by Ethan Richards, it's going to be hard to choose which of these cheesy monster books is better or worse. Both have genuinely great monsters, subpar formatting, and mostly forgettable human characters. However, Terror in Big Bend at least seemed to have more respect for the reader's time and attention span. It didn't have characters arguing needlessly about perfume, butts, and thongs like petulant, drunk high school seniors. The formatting in this book could really use some work. As it stands now, it is a bit of an eyesore. However, this book does have one big, huge redeeming quality: THE MONSTERS! The so-called “Uglies” are actually well fleshed out in this book. We learn so much about them. They kinda reminded us of the Tyrants (super bioweapons) from the Resident Evil franchise like Nemesis. There are also multiple types of Uglies: SOULS, ASPERS, Bogs, Sniffers, Unnaturals, and probably more. It's really interesting how these creatures sound different, smell different, look different, and act different. They each seem unique and seem to have a unique purpose (presumably for warfare). That's a big plus. The explanation for their origin, while convoluted, is also somewhat interesting. For example, it's found that the Uglies have a reproductive system based on earthworms. A love and knowledge of science, especially biology, does shine through in this book. There are also some decent lines like “You can't talk to a woman when you have to use the bathroom” which are humorous. Jaime & D, though somewhat boring on their own, are actually an interesting couple and great dynamic duo when they're put together. So, this book does have something to offer, especially for fans of monsters, kaiju, and sci-fi. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
The Fox and the Election Fraud is yet another phenomenal addition to the Francis the Fox series by Tuula Pere! This series has solidified itself as perhaps our favorite in all our contests. There's just something undeniable about this mischievous Machiavellian fox and all of his plots and schemes! In terms of continuity, The Fox and the Election Fraud comes right on the heels of The Fox's New Channel, which seemed to follow the events of The Fox's Tower and The Fox's Palace. We love that each of these books maintains a consistent continuity and builds upon the events of the previous books. In other words, this isn't a slice-of-life/monster-of-the-week series in which events happen once, then everything returns to the status quo and isn't mentioned again. No, the story of Francis the Fox is full of ups and downs that compound and build on top of each other. In other words, things have consequence. The plots and characters have consequence. Most of all, Francis the Fox's actions and decisions have consequences. Going into The Fox and the Election Fraud, there was a real sense among our judges that this may be the last rodeo for Francis. In other words, we thought that this might be the final installment in a wonderful series. Thankfully, it appears we were wrong about that finality (we really don't want this series to end); however, that feeling highlights how high the stakes have gotten in the fox's story. In this book, Francis the Fox has just barely dodged serving jail time for his transgressions in the last book. However, his media company, the Fox's Channel, goes into bankruptcy after losing all its credibility (and possibly paying off a settlement). However, in true Francis the Fox fashion, the fox isn't willing to take personal responsibility for his failures and instead blames his old mentor, William the Wolf, for his fall from grace. Readers of the series know that William the Wolf isn't the antagonist that Francis makes him out to be. In fact, William frequently forgave and even supported Francis. He only stood up to Francis had him arrested and prosecuted when his actions became dangerous, destructive, and criminal. In other words, he took the actions that any responsible leader or citizen would take on someone who was causing mayhem at the expense of the populace. However, Francis has deluded himself into believing that William is the cause of his problems. It actually seems like he's displacing his own issues onto the old wolf. It's poetic in a sense. William is the perfect foil for Francis while also being his former mentor and frequent opponent. William is old, experienced, wise, humble, unselfish, and self-sacrificing (such as when he gave his power away in book one). In contrast, Francis is younger, inexperienced, pigheaded, selfish, and willing to use, manipulate, and throw others under the bus for his own personal gain/ambition. With that said, this book—more so than any of the other books—really highlights that Francis has changed in a few ways. Most of all, Francis is older now. He's not the young, sprite, tireless little fox that he was in books one and two. Furthermore, he isn't cute anymore. We know that might sound weird, but some of Francis's previous transgressions and misdeeds could be written off as him just being young and inexperienced. Plus, his cuteness still endeared him to the audience despite his bad actions and decisions. That's not to say he isn't still an immensely compelling character, but his loss of youthful cuteness is noteworthy. Throughout the book, you can also tell that Francis's age is catching up to him. He can't tirelessly campaign and work days and nights without sleep anymore. He is constantly being dragged from thing to thing by his campaign manager and associates because he lacks the zest and energy that he had in his younger years. We almost felt that this might be social commentary or allegorical to actual real-life leaders like President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. These guys aren't spring chickens anymore, and neither are William the Wolf and Francis the Fox. Anyway, as the title suggests, this is a book about the scheming fox trying to win an election (for city mayor) in an underhanded and fraudulent way. His methods for winning the election include bribing people and taking bribes from unscrupulous individuals (like contractors, lobbyists, and special interests), and outright breaking in to steal and destroy votes for his opposition. He also lies, exaggerates, and overpromises. You know, typical political stuff. Oh, yeah, he also hires coyotes to act as his red guard and go out to intimidate voters. Believe it or not, Francis the Fox—one of the greatest characters to ever come through our contests—may not be the most interesting character in this book. That honor might actually go to Flurry, the seemingly unscrupulous female fox we met in The Fox's New Channel. In regard to the previous book, we perhaps oversimplified Flurry by calling her a “Jezebel” and a “temptress.” We placed a lot of blame on her shoulders for the outcome of the previous book, particularly that she went forward with the final plan (to slander William the Wolf) without Francis's approval. However, this book reveals several more layers to Flurry that we didn't realize before. Similar to Francis, Flurry isn't pure evil. She's a very ambitious person just like him. In fact, you could almost argue that she would make a good love interest and romantic partner for him. Perhaps the next book could explore how the two of them fall in love and work together to get prisoners in prison to produce goods for the community? Just an idea. Maybe they make each other better and help each other to realize that there's more to life than gaining power, fame, and financial gain. Flurry actually starts the book out not being so gung ho about Francis's bid for the mayorship. We're told that talking her into it “was not easy.” Interestingly, she even seems to try to talk some sense into Francis, basically telling him that he's upset too many people and that it would be an uphill battle. This is an interesting twist since, in the previous book, it seemed like Flurry was the one egging Francis on and trying to get him to escalate situations. The panel is also interesting because it shows Flurry in a different light from the previous book. In the previous book, Flurry was often overdressed and seemed to have a paparazzi following her around. She had glitz and glamour, perhaps representing the tantalizing nature of fame and fortune. This panel (and other illustrations in the book) show her in casual attire. Her hair, clothing, and accessories are simpler and more upper-middle-class rather than posh and flashy. She seems more human and down-to-earth in this book than in the previous one in which she seemed to be a devil on Francis's shoulder. Yes, she does sorta continue that role, but it's much more dynamic and less black-and-white. Again, Flurry isn't the devil. She isn't pure evil. She's a person—a character with thoughts, feelings, emotions, dreams, drives, and motivations of her own. And that's what makes her so interesting. There is an interesting plot thread that plays throughout this book in which Francis takes bribes from special interests and lobbyists, promising that he will not forget them when he is elected. However, that seems to be a plot thread that doesn't really have a payoff. We're a bit relieved because we definitely didn't want to see Francis get pummeled by gangsters, assassins, or something severe and life-threatening like that. It needs to be said that this book's ending is incredibly swift and abrupt. We turned to the last page hoping that something else would happen, then realized that it was the last page. This book, similar to The Only Blue Crow and The Fox's Tower, ends on a very abrupt cliffhanger. Some readers may find that bothersome. However, it does make you want to read the next book. One last thing that needs to be noted is that Francis is gradually changing and developing, though very slowly. A lot of that seems to be due to the aforementioned age and experience. In probably the most interesting line, Francis confides in Flurry: “For the first time in my life, I've started to question my capabilities.” It's incredible to think that, despite all the bad things we've seen Francis do, we still hope that he can learn, grow, and redeem himself. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
Are you into pro wrestling, social media scandals, and high school drama? Playing with #Fire is an immensely compelling novel by Micky O'Brady! In a lot of ways, Playing with #Fire seems tailor-made for us! It features interesting characters, good drama, commentary on social media and cyberbullying, and pro wrestling! What's there not to like?! Playing with #Fire follows Everly, a former social media influencer and streamer on a platform called TeeVee (which is a bit like Twitch). TRIGGER WARNING: this book includes subjects like eating disorders, self-harm, and self-termination. Everly is a recent survivor of a suicide attempt that was provoked by her cyber-life and obsession with social media. Everly—who was already self-conscious due to rarely receiving positive attention and approval from her parents—became even more self-conscious and fixated with her public image online because of her growing following and presumed fame there. Online, she goes by the handle @MatrixGirl. She becomes “addicted to” and dependent on the opinions and approval of others. In the aftermath of a successful charity campaign she ran online, one of her most loyal followers/donors/simps, @Moonsaulting_Spaceman, begins writing her increasingly disturbing private messages, demanding that she call him, pressuring her to send him nudes, and insisting that she be with him. When she rejects his creepy advances, as many of us would, @Moonsaulting_Spaceman takes his retribution by doxing and releasing information about her, specifically the way that she looks in real life. Everly, who suffers from an eating disorder and possibly body dysphoria, is apparently overweight. When her image and identity become public, she receives all sorts of nasty, disgusting comments and messages, particularly regarding her size and weight (body shaming) including #SavetheWhales and #BeverlyBacon. @Moonsaulting_Spaceman also starts a malicious rumor that Everly is a “slut” and that she has STDs. With her public image seemingly destroyed and the walls seemingly closing in, Everly makes a regretable decision to end herself. Miraculously, she emerges from this tragic situation with her life. However, her social media, the Internet, and even her smartphone are taken away from her as a precaution. She is essentially banned from accessing the technology that she both relied on and that drove her to suicide. While it's wonderful that Everly survived, could you imagine being her? Could you imagine having all of your connections to the outside world taken away from you? Could you imagine going cold-turkey with social media and the Internet in this day and age? Everly is given no other choice but to strictly focus on her schooling. Her estranged father, whom Everly refers to as “the sperm donor,” only seems concerned with her grades. It's the only thing that seems to garner her positive attention from him. Speaking of her father, he insists on her being sent away to a boarding school, which she and her mother are opposed to. This becomes a minor plot point, but one that persists. Everly's favorite teacher is Mr. Langen, her health teacher, who also seems to act as her surrogate guardian and academic advisor. Mr. Langen gives Everly a few options for her final school project, but really encourages her to do her school project on pro wrestling (of all things). Everly is initially put off by this, seeing pro wrestling as nerdy, fake, and weird. However, with few other options and seeing it as an opportunity to get some exercise (supporting her apparent bulimia), Everly goes along with it. And surprise, surprise! The pro wrestling school is run by Mr. Ben Langen, the so-called “Bullet Ben,” himself! And this is when the book really starts to become exciting and interesting. Mr. Langen assigns Everly to be trained by a masked wrestler, a young luchador with the ring-name “Fire”--thus giving the book its name. As you might expect from the title (and general knowledge of how books go), Everly bonds with Fire. They connect on an emotional and intimate level. Fire is actually able to get a rise out of Everly in a way that no one else seems to be able to, even getting her to eat and laugh. They also talk about different figures and concepts in wrestling. For example, Ricochet, Ric Flair, Kenny Omega, the Great Muta, and recent Outstanding Creator Awards winner Becky Lynch are mentioned! They discuss things like the sanctity of a luchador's mask & identity, giving and taking “receipts” (a way of lettting another wrestler know they've made an error) and moves like the Walls of Jericho (Boston crab) and moonsault. We actually wish that there was more wrestling and wrestling talk. It seems like a huge missed opportunity that the author and the narrative gets away from wrestling and starts focusing on other, less interesting stuff. Anyway, Everly and Fire become quite a couple and dynamic duo. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD Everly eventually discovers Fire's true identity, an often-bullied boy at her school named Calan Adler who is picked on for the scars on his face, particularly by Ford (the handsomest guy in school) and Adler (the school quarterback). It turns out that Calan survived a car crash which came very close to taking his life on the same day that Everly tried to take hers. The crash left Calan scarred. However, just as it seems like Calan and Everly are at their closest point, the wheels immediately come off over a misunderstanding and the shocking revelation that Calan is the owner of the @Moonsaulting_Spaceman username. That kinda makes sense because it was well-established that Calan was fixated on wanting to perform the moonsault, a relatively challenging wrestling move which involves backflipping from the top turnbuckle. Obviously, the revelation of Calan/Fire's username causes Everly to push him out of her life. That is until Mr. Langen, now dating her mom, reminds Everly that she is supposed to finish her pro wrestling project as a part of her grade or risk being sent off to boarding school by her dad. Oh, and by the way, Everly has a best friend named Hazel who is also involved throughout the story... Oh, and by the way, Fire had a wrestling partner named Ronan who he had a falling out with, which kinda becomes important later... Anyway... the final wrestling match between Everly and Fire is interesting, albeit a bit clunky with a very convoluted, over-the-top explanation for what the heck actually happened with Everly's cyberbullying situation. We do get one extremely funny line during this finale: “...the crowd goes nuts. One, they’re sitting here for a wrestling match, which is better than algebra or whatever...” There's also the fact that Everly faces all of her worst fears all at once: Calan/Fire/@Moonsaulting_Spaceman, cameras, streaming on TeeVee, and public scrutiny. This book has a lot going for it. It's also very rough around the edges. It often seems like themes, characters, story elements, and plot threads are caked on top of each other. The constant hashtags can also be annoying and a bit ridiculous after a while. We get that Everly was obsessed with social media and hashtags, but it's just... SO. DANG. MUCH. The hashtags just don't seem to stop. It almost becomes comical, like Everly becomes a caricature of a hashtag-obsessed person rather than a real person. However, the main thing that seems to hold this book back from being absolutely extraordinary is the marathon in the middle. The middle of this book is so bogged down, convoluted, and slow. It really drags. And that goes along with the idea of things seeming “caked” or tacked on. It's like so many different things were just needlessly crammed into the middle of this book. Instead of focusing on Everly improving as a pro wrestler and learning more pro wrestling things (which would've been interesting), attention gets paid to Ford, Arlo, Hazel, Everly's parents, and the relationship between Mr. Langen and Everly's mom. We're not saying that other characters can't have some shine and have their own things going on, but the dialogue and focus seems to linger on these people who really don't warrant it. Anyway, that doesn't change the fact that this is a really interesting and overall good book. It might be one of those stories that might've been better in concept than in execution, but it was solid nonetheless. Apparently, the author is a former pediatrician, a 2nd degree black belt in judo and a brown belt in Krav Maga. What a resume! Well, award-winning author is very likely to be added to that. Check out this book on Amazon! |
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