The Queering: The Life and Death of Brooke Skipstone

The Queering: The Life and Death of Brooke Skipstone by Brooke Skipstone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An emotional coming-of-age story about identity, friendship, and love...

In Brooke Skipstone’s “The Queering: The Life and Death of Brooke Skipstone” the reader discovers a 70-year-old grandmother in Clear, Alaska who desperately needs help escaping from her murderous brother and a homophobic podcaster who wants to expose her lesbian romance novels. Taylor MacKenzie, ‘suffocating in a loveless marriage and a lonely existence’, finds solace only in her writing, which she does under the pseudonym Brooke Skipstone, the name of her college best friend and lover who tragically passed away in 1974. She writes an autobiography about her time with Brooke and shares it with people closest to her in the hopes of receiving compassion and acceptance because she is afraid of being killed before anybody in her family or community understands her life story. She stirs up controversy in the conservative community after being accused of encouraging the queering and debasing of America by a local podcaster, but she fights back with the aid of a new, unexpected friend. Can she withstand the insults and abuse from haters? Can she defend the queerness she stands for? And will she make it in the end? …

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few novelists. Multi-award-winning author, Skipstone, pays as much attention to her sentences as she does to her overall themes, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. Her writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create an emotive atmosphere throughout about identity, friendship, and love. An excellent read that comes highly recommended.

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Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey To Prosperity

Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey To Prosperity by James Harold Webb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An inspiring and motivational memoir – a must-read.

James Harold Webb’s “Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey To Prosperity” describes the highs and lows that anyone who achieves success faces. From amazing victories and crushing defeats to recovery and moving forward, he shows throughout this biography that perseverance is what separates successful people from those who fail to seize their chances. He reveals several of the cornerstones to his success, both in his personal life and his professional career, in these inspiring and motivational pages. This was a great read that comes highly recommended, and the reader can take advantage of the author's wisdom and the lessons he has learned in life to boost their own productivity, income, and success.



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Conversations with G: A Physician's Encounter with Heaven

Conversations with G: A Physician’S Encounter with Heaven by C. Norman Shealy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Uplifting the spirit and broadening the mind...

If it is possible for a human individual and an impersonal spirit guide to build a personal relationship with one another, then the author Dr. Norman Shealy was successful in doing so with “G”. They formed a mode of connection that was not only passionate and at times intimate, but also productive, with “G” giving the author glimpses of what human beings could cure if their consciousness would just break free or breakthrough of its illusions. He provides an account of his life, as well as his successful medical profession and healing achievements in his book “Conversations with G: A Physician's Encounter with Heaven.” Additionally, he reveals conversations he has had with his spirit guide who has been a part of his life for more than three decades.

An intriguing piece of reading material in the ‘New Age’ genre that guides the reader on a personal journey through mystical experiences with celestial instructors. Recommended.

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There is Always Room For One More

There is Always Room For One More by Sandra L. Kearse Stockton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An emotional and heartwarming must-read...

In this instance, the word "foster" implies aiding in the growth and development of another human being. Fostering also involves providing for the requirements of another person. A family that makes themselves available to take in and care for children who are unable to remain with their biological families is known as a foster family. It is the responsibility of the foster family to provide their adopted child with a warm and accepting home in which the youngster can flourish and mature. And that’s exactly what Sandra L Kearse Stockton and her husband Aaron E Stockton did for more than 100 children over a 25-year period!

“There is Always Room For One More” is an emotional and heartwarming read that shares some of their success stories and the challenges involved. However, because of the vast experience the authors have, it becomes essential reading for anybody contemplating fostering a child. Very highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.


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Laela and the Moonline

Laela and the Moonline by Lisa Perskie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this YA fantasy, a young girl seeks adventure and enlightenment...

International educator Lisa Perskie Rodriguez has spent more than 30 years traveling and living abroad. In international schools in Guatemala, South America, Brazil, and Colombia, she has worked as a teacher and a school administrator. She lived in Colombia for 21 years, where she raised her kids. She was fortunate to have the chance to help the Wayuu in the Guajira region, an Indigenous group living in rural areas. Her writing vision was nourished by her exposure to various cultures and her study of Spanish and Portuguese. She states that integrating, listening to, and cooperating with those who have different worldviews is not just "nice," but essential. The development of our creative abilities must go hand in hand with the advancement of our scientific and cultural knowledge if we are to advocate for a better, kinder, and more just world. Laela and the Moonline is her debut novel.

To summarize the synopsis: The four tribes of Aerizon once coexisted as a single people, but that era has long since passed. Three of the tribes that make up the Treedles now live in the forest canopy. The Treedles are constantly in danger from the Mergons, the fourth tribe, who are ground dwellers. Laela is a young Treedlegirl maturing in the Aerizon's treetop realm. She will serve as the impetus for enormous change in accordance with her yet-to-be-disclosed destiny… Laela becomes increasingly agitated by the cultural restrictions and demands placed on young Treedle women. She encounters soul-changing psychological and physical tests in her quest to comprehend and express her true self. She challenges conventional gender and cultural norms, in contrast to previous Treedle women. She ventures into the forest and onto the lands below, paving the way for a new era while being propelled by unidentified forces… Laela experiences mental struggles as she grows spiritually, which alters how she views the influence one person can have on the world. She finally finds the strength to speak up in defense of herself and her people.

Laela and the Moonline was a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging coming-of-age sci-fi fantasy. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.


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Nonverbal Epiphany: Steps to Improve Your Nonverbal

Nonverbal Epiphany: Steps to Improve Your Nonverbal Communication by Stephen Furlich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How to improve your nonverbal communication skills...

Dr. Stephen Furlich’s “Nonverbal Epiphany” provides steps to improve your nonverbal communication skills. With this well-researched and well-written book, the nonverbal behaviors of other people will be better understood and recognized by the reader. You will also learn how to use your nonverbal cues to communicate more effectively. Readers of all ages can learn how to develop their nonverbal communication skills for both personal and professional situations. Gestures, facial expressions, interpersonal and professional communication, persuasion, emotions, colors, time, and appearance are some of the topics covered. This was a very interesting book and gets a well-deserved five stars from me. Highly recommended.


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Project 'Spymaker’

Project 'Spymaker’ by Kevin Pierce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent new series for sci-fi fans!

Project ‘SPYMAKER’ by Kevin Pierce and Bryce Forrester is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The authors weave a well-crafted sci-fi thriller that will mesmerize the reader from the start. Skillfully constructed, this exciting and energetic sci-fi will have you turning the pages from beginning to end.

Summarizing the synopsis we find that since the beginning of his life, if it could even be called that, Adam had never experienced any other kind of life. He was at the forefront of some of the most cutting-edge scientific investigations of our century. A secret that is more secret than any other secret can be found in a laboratory in the middle of the desert. The results of the agency's wager which lasted for thirty years were kept in the observatory that has since been abandoned at 10,000 Falling Star Boulevard. The ultimate intelligence operative had been born, and it was undetectable as well as restricted solely by its own biological restrictions… In the pursuit of knowledge, there was only one question that remained: was he the only one?

Due to the fact that I devour works of science fiction, I thought this was an excellent book to read. This is a fantastic find for science fiction readers who are searching for a book that is engaging, multidimensional, and thought-provoking. It has been some time since I read a book that I enjoyed quite as much as this one. It’s a first-rate science fiction story that moves at the ideal pace. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.

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