The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

UK Father Tells of Struggle with Government Agency



Title: My Fight For My Family (The Mega Pig File)
Author: David Jordan
Length: 224 pages
Genre: Nonfiction/ Memoir / Misery Memoir
Audience Type: 16+
Format available: Paperback and Ebook

BLURB FROM AMAZON CUSTOMER'S REVIEW

"If Dave, the author, had not been so committed to keeping his family together whatever it took, not only his first child, but his other two children would have been lost to the "CARE" system. DAVID took on a GOLIATH family court.... not many win."

BOOK BLURB

"A man's struggle to keep his family together against all odds. 
What would you do if social workers came knocking on your door, with only 'smoke and mirrors' evidence they had come for your children? Would you fight for your family or simply let them steal your children? "

SYNOPSIS
Written in the first person “My fight for my family” is a detailed story starting in 1985, it chronicles a man’s struggle to keep his family together against all odds. His girlfriend Martha was pregnant with nowhere to live, she was allocated a council flat. The flat was on the ground floor and she soon discovered that the tenant above was a schizophrenic who paced the floor and had loud argument’s with himself. When she brought her baby daughter back home she became tired and run down, a relation, trying to help, suggested that she should ask social services to help her find more suitable accommodation.  The intervention of Social Services resulted in the baby being taken into care and placed with a foster mother, this was the start of the family’s problems, which were to continue for many years.

Martha’s mental health grew worse. In the course of taking the child into care she was taken from her pram, when her mother tried to prevent this, she was accused of injuring her, causing her further anguish. Lengthy battles then ensued between the father of the child, who wished for custody and access for the child’s mother under supervision, and social services.
Appropriate accommodation was needed before the baby, Sally, could be returned to her father.

At a custody hearing, after reports had been read, an ex lady barrister approached the father and offered to speak on his behalf, her opinion was that social services had all but destroyed the family unit.  Considering the fact that Martha was told by the foster mother that she was no good as a mother and should give her child up for adoption, the reason for her mental decline was clear.

She received care for her mental problems and in due course went home to resume family life.

Two more children were born into the family, Rachel in 1991 and John in 1992.  In 1995 the children were visited by a health visitor and declared to be developmentally delayed.

A Care Order was sought by social services.

By now David, the children’s father, knew he had yet another battle on his hands.

He did not shirk his responsibility, driven on by the love for his family and his determination to keep them together he addressed every point with which he was attacked.  When social services concerns were not divulged to him he replied that this was a violation of his human rights. He wrote letters of complaint to the local authority, and also to the local Government Ombudsman.
Conflicting opinions regarding the children’s welfare caused him to question the reports and he enlisted the help of a solicitor to obtain Legal Aid in support of his claim that the actions of social services had caused Martha’s mental illness. In the course of obtaining the information which he needed, he received correspondence about his case printed by case workers and noticed that   the computer data base reference and name Mega Pig were printed at the bottom of the document.

He could draw only one conclusion from this, that it was derogatory comment.
David went to extraordinary lengths to challenge the unnecessary actions taken against his family even employing a Barrister, to unsuccessfully, sue social services due to a precedence that had previously been set by the House of Lords.

It is impossible to convey the power and depth of this story in a synopsis. The bravery and tenacity of the father, a fragile mother and three vulnerable children, their lives disrupted by a team of social workers who were not fit for purpose. Starting with a heart-rending scene of a mother being robbed of her child, followed by endless meetings and court appearances, sub standard housing and police involvement, the story is lifted by Martha’s adventures in a mental hospital and David’s bravery in confronting the establishment.  It has the makings of a good film.


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG



 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Amazon Vine Voice Reviews Do You Have a Dream


Title: Do You Have a Dream?
Subtitle:  140 Insights to Building Confidence, Overcoming Stress and Loving Yourself"
Author: Grace Allison
Winner 2017 Best Spiritual/Inspirational Texas Author Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-61699-202-6
Amazon Best Seller available in E Book, Audio Book, and Workbook http://a.co/gt0xmX4




Reviewed by Jacqui Murray, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer

 Grace Allison’s pithy little book, Do You Have a Dream? (ThinkAHA 2017) shares 140 ways to address change and come out better for it. It’s broken into ten sections like Do You Believe in God and Emotions — Energy in Motion so you can quickly focus on where you need help. Each tip is brief but rich with a section at the end where you can write items that you want to refer back to. With a focus on the spiritual and the positive, I found many that resonated with me. My favorites: What is the Value of Prayer? and Five Keys to Creating Your Dream.
The whole book takes only about twenty minutes to read. It’s called a ThinkAHA book because you think about the tip and later, after re-reading it, you get that epiphany. Recommended for those seeking solutions to recalcitrant problems in their lives.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, and the thriller, To Hunt a Sub. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for TeachHUB, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning. The sequel to To Hunt a Sub, Twenty-four Days, will be out this summer.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Askatechteacher@gmail.com





 MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace Allison is known as GracetheMystic and is author of several books. Learn more about her at www.gracethemystic.com. Network with her at:

photo
    


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG



 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Poet Rates Marketing Book for Authors

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically
Subtitle: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career
Series: The multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
ISBN 978-1-5369-4837
Available as paperback and e-book on Amazon



Reviewed by Samanthi Fernando originally for Amazon 

Carolyn is a great teacher for your continuing education as an author. Filled with well researched tips and best practices, this book is a must-have addition to your modern reference library. I have been learning from her numerous publications over nine years now and I found several gems of wisdom in this one too! Her lessons are practical and tested - the Q&A format she uses in one chapter is fun and easy to follow. In my favorite section "Onward and Upward" Carolyn touches on visualization - a technique I used to create the Enchanted Bay Area poetry collection. You will never want to give up promoting your books after reading this. Be sure to check out what she says about the magic of Internet links.  

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Samanthi Fernando is a multi faceted poet who happens to be a tech professional in "real" life. She blogs about poetry, travels and uses it as inspiration to write about poetry, and publishes poetry. Her chapbooks are light and inspirational and make great gifts or thoughtful substitutes for hum-drum greeting cards.  Learn more about her at http://starsafire.starrayz.com.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG



 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Friday, June 2, 2017

Historical Author Reviews Dr. Bob Rich's New Novel

Review of Guardian Angel by Max Overton

Title: Guardian Angel
Author: Dr Bob Rich
ASIN: B0711C623T
ISBN: 9781521212677
About the book:

I recently had the privilege of reading Guardian Angel by Bob Rich again and found it even more enthralling the second time round. It is a novel of Australia, but the message within applies to all men and women everywhere and in every time. It is couched within the framework of Christianity, but it applies equally to any and all religions that preach a message of love and acceptance. Reincarnation is a thread that runs through this story, and shows how our actions are not limited to one life, but  through many incarnations as we strive to learn the lessons necessary for our growth.
The protagonist, a young Aboriginal girl, Maraglindi, is born of an act of hate, but she typifies Love in its most elemental form, and all who come in contact with her during her short life are touched by this love. It changes their behaviour for the better, and each one spreads this message of love to others, enveloping families and communities. But this is so much more than just a story with a message; it is a history. Guardian Angel is a story set against the backdrop of Colonial Australia, where we get to experience the lives of rich and poor, privileged and deprived, the white overlords and the downtrodden, dispossessed Aboriginal First People of this glorious country.

Guardian Angel is a book I would not hesitate to recommend, not just as a story that describes the racial discord of earlier times, but also as one that holds out a hope that things can be different. We live in times where hate is rearing its ugly head once more, so we need stories like this to remind us that hate can be overcome, not by violence and more hatred, but by love.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Max was Bob Rich’s first editing client, back in 1999. Since then, his writing has soared, and he is the author of masterful, gripping stories in several genres, including historical fiction. Max and Bob do beta reading for each other, which is why this is the second time Max has read Guardian Angel. His suggestions on the earlier version have greatly improved the novel.


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG



 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Advance Peek at Pat Patterson's New Dining and Driving with Cats


Dining and Driving with Cats-Alice Unplugged
Author: Pat Patterson
Publisher: IonPublishers LLC , Charleston, S.C. 29401
Editor: Bryna Kranzler (award winning author The Accidental Anarchist)
Release Date: June 30, 2017
ISBN978-0-9987922-1-7; ISBN 978-0-9987922-2-4
Available from Amazon, Ingram, Baker and Taylor, (Paperback and eBook)
Trim 8.5x5.5 paperback  
Price $12.95  
Page Count: 260  Word Count: 82,000     
                      ARCs Available on request in Kindle, EPUB, PDF, Paperback


           EARLY REVIEWS from ARC READERS at: REVIEWS

Synopsis for Dining and Driving with Cats - Alice Unplugged  by Early Reviews from ARC readers including indie reviewer Karen Purejoy: is a little different from many of the titles you receive and at first blush you may think it will be a little tame for your tastes. However, an acquaintance, Karen Purejoy, (an Indie Reviewer) told me about your site and thought you would identify with the main character's determination and resourcefulness. Her name is Alice and she will not be quickly forgotten.

            The book is pure Southern. The main character's determination and resourceful will not be quickly forgotten. Her name is Alice.  The story is swathed in charm and authored by a South Carolinian  whose voice is mindful of Ondaatje's hypnotic narrative in The English Patient. He has picked up a half dozen 5 STAR reviews  from the first ARC reviewers. You might spot a bit of Irish in the author and his spouse's detailed arguments comparing a dish from one restaurant to the same of another restaurant.

            They, along with the cats, dine frequently along the way. As the miles flip the odometer, we are given insight into how this unusual relationship between the couple came to be, evolved, and gradually, at the end revealed in a secret you didn’t see coming. What, you say? There is a twist in a dining dialogue? Yes! And you’ll just have to read it for yourself–no spoilers here. Dialogue is so natural between the two; you’ll swear he recorded the entire trip. You might also say the book is unusual in that it totally engages the reader from the first page without a hint of violence, bloodshed, graphic sex, drugs or language. His main character (besides the two cats) Alice, does say "you bastards" once.  

Alice is supremely self-confident and comfortable in her own skin as we learn early on when  she promises the author a vehicle of his dreams if he will join her in a multi-state road trip from Mexico across the South and help wrangle two cats into restaurants, diners, cafes and hotels. He expects to find a Suburban or maybe an Escalade in the drive. Alice surprises with a Japanese sub-compact - a Honda Fit. She says it's "flexible." They drive - Scott La. & the Boudin War.  They dine - New Orleans at Gautreau's, Clancy's, and Herbsaint. They laugh - the Carousel Bar.  They cry - tragic death. They remember how it all started with Alice's secret from over thirty-five years ago. When they met he fell hard. He pursued. She said no. She said she had cats. She didn't tell him she also had a secret. 

Over thirty years have passed since Alice revealed her secret. The young man is no longer young but he still pursues her. She calls him hubby. This is their story of a shared love for travel and history, for food and for their sweet and wily cats Munchie and Tuffy. 


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor and--serious stuff for anyone who writes reviews or needs reviews for their books, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

How-To-Understand-America Book Gets Eric Hoffer Award Nod


What Foreigners Need to Know About America: From A to Z
Subtitle: How to understand crazy American Culture, people, government,  
     business, language, and more
Author: Lance Johnson
Publisher: A to Z Publishing
ISBN:97814681723362
Winner: Reader Views Award
First Runner Up: Eric Hoffer's Legacy Award 2017
Available in English on Amazon worldwide
Available in Ukrainian in Ukraine
Available in Simplified Chinese in China 
 

Reviewed courtesy of US Review of Books for Eric Hoffer Award winners 

First Runner-Up Eric Hoffer's Legacy Award
What Foreigners Need to Know About America: From A to Z, Lance Johnson, A to Z Publishing - This enlightening book advises immigrants on what they need to know about getting along in American society. The author addresses misconceptions Americans and immigrants often harbor about one another, then makes the case that differences are often minor and can easily be put aside. The remainder of the book focuses on specific aspects of American society: government, religion, education, the arts, business, and so on. In each case, the author provides an explanation of the American way, then offers tips on how visitors can blend in. Sometimes, the advice is practical; for example, the author provides information on how to apply to American colleges—a key concern for young people from immigrant families. In other cases, the advice is light-hearted—lists of top American movies are provided, evidently for use during those key conversations around the office water cooler after the Academy Award nominations are announced.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lance Johhnson is a playwright and author. His "Communicty Service" has won several awards including one from the Pacific Palisades Playhouse and a national award from the Marine Foundation. He was inspired to write this book to help immigrants, international students, travelers to the US, and even those who must do business or want to open businesses in the US. In this photo he was speaking to international students at Mt. Sac College in California.  Learn more at his website at http://AmericaAtoZ.com.

MORE ABOUT THE ERIC HOFFER AWARDS
The Eric Hoffer Awards are recommended on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's website in the Writers' Resource section on the page for contests. She is an advocate for authors. In that role she taught as an instructor for UCLA Extension's world renowned Writers' Program and is the author of the multi award-winning  #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. She rates her recommended contests on the basis of their credibility and value. Eric Hoffer provides support material like award badges and a template for a media release as well as the opportunity to be reviewed in US Review of Books. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). 

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.