Latest Reviews, Interviews & Writing Tips
Rural Rebellion Reviewed by Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published March 5, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author: RossBenes
Publisher University Press of Kansas
ISBN:
978-0-7006-3045-5
In Conversation With Jacquelyn H. Berry Author of FIND YOUR CARROT
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 4, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, Jacquelyn H. Berry, Ph.D. Jacquelyn is a writer, cognitive scientist, and tech entrepreneur devoted to the study and practice of expertise.
An advocate for augmented learning and a founding member of Artificial Intelligence for Africa, she has spoken before the United Nations.
She recently traveled to Egypt as a Fulbright Scholar where, in addition to her research on human-computer interaction among Arabic-English bilinguals, she taught a class about achieving outstanding goals, which led her to write FIND YOUR CARROT.
She is also an also an
avid Tetris player, golfer, and birder, as well as a mother and
beauty pageant competitor, currently holding the title of Mrs.
Dutchess County, New York.
Find Your Carrot: Stop the Foolishness! Get on With Your Authentic Self Reviewed By Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 4, 2021
- Self Help
Author: Jacquelyn H. Berry, Ph.D
Publisher: FYC ENTERPRISES
ISBN: 2370000861757
Amelia Unabridged Reviewed By Ekta R. Garg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Ekta R. Garg
- Published March 3, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Ashley Schumacher
Publisher: Wednesday Books
ISBN: 9781250253026
A high schooler mourns the loss of her best friend after a terrible accident. When she receives an unexpected gift, she traces it to its origin and discovers a secret. Debut author Ashley Schumacher uses innovative prose to explore the depth of grief and the healing power of love in her novel Amelia Unabridged.
In Conversation With Margaret Wolff Author of Coming Home: Finding Shelter in the Love and Wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 2, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Margaret is the author of 21 books, including In Sweet Company: Conversations with Extraordinary Women About Living a Spiritual Life and her most recent tome, Coming Home: Finding Shelter in the Love and Wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda.
She has written 150+ blogs, stories, interviews, and essays for outlets ranging from Beliefnet to Yoga International to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series to the Collective Women’s Initiative and Feminist.com.
She earned degrees in Art Therapy, Psychosynthesis, and Leadership Studies and uses her passions for storytelling and “conversations that matter” as catalysts that help others connect with their best instincts and chart the life they long to lead.
She has facilitated more
than 250 keynotes and retreats for organizations such as The
Parliament of World Religions, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, and
American Montessori Society, and served as a delegate to the United
Nations conference, The Global Peace Initiative of Women, in
Geneva.
Coming Home: Finding Shelter in the Love and Wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda Reviewed By Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 2, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author: Margaret Wolff
Publisher: White Pearl Press
ISBN: 978-1-7355083-0-6
In Conversation With dancer, singer and actor, George Chakiris Best Known For His Appearance in the 1961 Film Version of West Side Story
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 2, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, dancer, singer and actor, George Chakiris. George is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film version of West Side Story as Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks gang, for which he won both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
He has recently published My West Side Story: A Memoir.
In Conversation With Suzy Beamer Bohnert. Suzy has recently written College, Covid, and Questions: Tips and Advice for Incoming Freshmen, Undergraduates, Transfer Students, and Parents.
- By Norm Goldman
- Published March 2, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, Suzy Beamer Bohnert. Suzy has recently written College, Covid, and Questions: Tips and Advice for Incoming Freshmen, Undergraduates, Transfer Students, and Parents.
Growing up Suzy played sports participating in leagues, playing in gyms, and gathering the neighborhood kids to join in pickup games until the streetlights were too dim to light the sporting site.
She launched her writing
career as a newspaper sports editor. During that job, Suzy
interviewed numerous coaches, athletes, and fans about sports,
putting complicated games into simple words.
An author of many acclaimed books for readers, her award-winners include Game-Day Youth: Learning Baseball’s Lingo, a Mom’s Choice Award-winner for “Most Outstanding Nonfiction Children’s Book”; Game-Day Youth: Learning Basketball’s Lingo, named Best Books for Teen Boys by the New Hampshire Library Media Association; Game-Day Youth: Learning Football's Lingo, received the Honorable Mention Award for nonfiction in the Readers' Favorite International Book Awards; and the Game-Day Goddess Sports Series, 3-Volume Set, was selected as Best Books for College Students by StudentAdvisor.com, a Washington Post Co. College, Covid, and Questions: Tips and Advice for Incoming Freshmen, Undergraduates, Transfer Students, and Parents, Game-Day Goddess: Learning Baseball’s Lingo, Game-Day Youth: Learning Basketball’s Lingo, Game-Day Youth: Learning Baseball’s Lingo, and Game-Day Youth: Learning Football's Lingo each won the Readers’ Favorite Five-Star Award.
Keats’s Odes Reviewed by Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published March 1, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author: AnahidNersessian
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
ISBN:
978-0-226-76267-8
Cleo Can Tie A Bow: A Rabbit and Fox Story Reviewed by Bee Lindy of Bookpleasures.com
- By Bee Lindy
- Published February 26, 2021
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author:Sybrina Durant
Publisher: Sybrina Publishing
ISBN: 979-8685994844
In Conversation with Award Winning Children’s Author, Sybrina Durant Contributed to Bookpleasures.com by Bee Lindy
- By Bee Lindy
- Published February 26, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Everyone Dies Famous Reviewed By Michelle Kaye Malsbury,
- By Michelle Kaye Malsbury
- Published February 25, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author:Len Joy
During a Pandemic, Can Rejection Notices Come in Handy? Contributed To Bookpleasures.com By Joel Samberg
- By Joel Samberg
- Published February 21, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
During a Pandemic, Can Rejection Notices Come in Handy?
As a writer, I was sheltering in place long before it became mandatory. It is from my home-office where I work on my books, edit fiction and nonfiction by other people, write magazine articles and reviews of newly published works, and try to develop what I hope might be a brilliant literary idea or two somewhere along the line.
Understanding Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Guide to Mental Health Disorders for Family and Friends Reviewed By Joel Samberg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Joel Samberg
- Published February 17, 2021
- Health & Fitness
Authors: Carlin Barnes, MD and Marketa Wills, MD, MBA
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-5107-4594-0
Slow Boat Reviewed By Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published February 15, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author:Hideo Furukawa
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 978-1-78227-328-8
The Anointed: New York’s White Shoe Law firms: How They Started, How They Grew. And How They Ran The Country Reviewed By Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
- By Norm Goldman
- Published February 14, 2021
- History
Authors: Jeremiah Lambertand Geoffrey Stewart
Publisher: LP Lyons Press
ISBN: 978-1-4930-5633-0
Meeting in Positano Reviewed by Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published February 12, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-1635-42043-2
Swords, Starships and Superheroes – From Star Trek to Xena to Hercules: A TV Writer’s Life Scripting the Stories of Heroes Reviewed By Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com
- By Dr. Wesley Britton
- Published February 11, 2021
- Biographies & Memoirs
Author: Paul Robert Coyle
Foreword by Steven L. Sears
ASIN : B08M953MG2
Publisher : Jacobs/Brown Press (October 28, 2020)
In Conversation With Jay Bushman author of Novel Advice: Practical Wisdom for Your Favorite Literary Characters
- By Norm Goldman
- Published February 10, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Jay Bushman author of Novel Advice: Practical Wisdom for Your Favorite Literary Characters.
Ja
y writes for many kinds
of media. Jay works at the intersection of traditional and emerging
formats, reinterpreting and reimagining classic stories in new ways.
He won an Emmy for his work as a writer and transmedia producer on the groundbreaking series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, an interactive adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
He was the co-creator and co-showrunner of the sequel interactive series, Welcome To Sanditon.
The Love Proof Reviewed By Ekta R. Garg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Ekta R. Garg
- Published February 10, 2021
- Women's Issues
Author: Madeleine Henry
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 9781982142964
Using Your Book to Promote Your Business Contributed to Bookpleasures.com By NancyJ. Hite
- By Nancy J. Hite
- Published February 10, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
The thought of retirement
can cause a number of reactions in people. Panic is one, certainly,
but another is the idea that it’s all in the future and everything
will be fine. We get that idea from media, from books, and from how
our parents may have lived or are living their own retirements. The
truth: retirement in the 21st Century is going to be a very different
experience than it’s been in the past. Modern medicine and
longevity have created a new reality. Retirement is not a 21st
Century concept. We have to think differently.
In Conversation With Sterling Mire Author of The AOM System: Manifestation Mastery in 30 days
- By Norm Goldman
- Published February 9, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
The Invisible Woman Reviewed By Ekta R. Garg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Ekta R. Garg
- Published February 9, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Erika Robuck
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780593102145
In Conversation With Michael J. Merry Author of Waters of the Chagres
- By Norm Goldman
- Published February 8, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com once again welcomes as our guest Michael J. Merry. Michael has publisher ten works of fiction, his most recent one being Waters of the Chagres.
Water of Chagres Reviewed By Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com
- By Norm Goldman
- Published February 8, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author:Michael J. Merry
Publisher: PublishNation LLC
ISBN: 9798570408920
If there’s one strand that links Michael J. Merry’s most recent selection comprising one novella and five short stories is its range of characters that deal with hair-raising challenges.
Once again with Water of the Chagres Merry illustrates his adeptness for effective characterization.
A Question of Identity Reviewed by Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published February 5, 2021
- Crime & Mystery
Author: SusanHill
Publisher: The Overlook Press
ISBN: 978-1-4683-0050-5
Pointing and Shooting in George Plimpton’s Apartment Contributed to Bookpleasures.com By Joel Samberg
- By Joel Samberg
- Published February 3, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
Recently
I came across a book called George, Being George, with
recollections by notable people on their encounters with the writer
George Plimpton. I’ve never been notable enough to have been asked
to contribute, but I do have my own ‘George being George’ story.
The Final Gift Of The Beloved Reviewed By Michelle Kaye Malsbury of Bookpleasures.com
- By Michelle Kaye Malsbury
- Published February 3, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author:Barron Steffen
I’m Fat. So What? Contributed to Bookpleasures.com By Patrice Shavone Brown
- By Patrice Shavone Brown
- Published February 3, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
I
am Patrice Shavone Brown, the CEO of Restoring Bodies and Minds, LLC.
My organization is a mental health facility. We work with adults that
suffer from severe and or persistent Mental illness. Over the
last ten years, I have dedicated my life to helping others. Life for
me as a businesswoman has not been easy. The one strength that I have
always taught my members was journaling. Through journaling, there is
healing.
Writing Advice: When to Stop Writing? Contributed To Bookpleasures.com By Lon Varnadore
- By Lon Varnadore
- Published February 3, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
Before
you think I am telling you to stop writing forever, I mean knowing
when to stop writing for the day, or the week, or even month, if you
have had a rough patch, is a good thing.
How a Person Who Hates Self-help Books Writes a Self-help Book Contributed To Bookpleasures.com By Steven Joseph
- By Steven Joseph
- Published February 3, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
I
hate self-help books. Well, not exactly. I enjoy Chapter One. Chapter
One typically introduces us to some common problem with that simple
solution. It is like reading the last chapter of the Wizard of Oz,
and the author is a self-proclaimed wizard. This Wizard then
describes to us how he or she got to hand out the diploma to the
Scarecrow, the ticking clock to the tin man, and the medal of bravery
to the lion. Now, start to read Chapter Two.
The Nature of Fragile Things Reviewed By Ekta R. Garg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Ekta R. Garg
- Published February 2, 2021
- Historical Fiction
Author: Susan Meissner
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780451492180
The Mermaid and the Minotaur Reviewed By Joel Samberg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Joel Samberg
- Published February 1, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author: DorothyDinnerstein
Publisher: Other Press
ISBN: 978-1-63542-094-4
Sunday in Ville-d’Avray Reviewed By Joel Samberg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Joel Samberg
- Published February 1, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Publisher: Other Press
ISBN: 1635420458
The Man of the Crowd: Edgar Allan Poe and the City Reviewed By Lois C. Henderson of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lois C. Henderson
- Published January 31, 2021
- GENERAL NON-FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Scott Peeples,with photographs by Michelle van Parys
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691182407
Centricity Reviewed By Steve Moore of Bookpleasures.com
- By Steve Moore
- Published January 31, 2021
- Science Fiction
Author: NathanielHenderson
ISBN: 978-1735759098
In Conversation With Anahid Nersessian Author of KEATS’S ODES: A LOVER’S DISCOURSE
- By Norm Goldman
- Published January 31, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, Anahid Nersessian. Anahid received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and has taught at Columbia University and UCLA.
Her first book, Utopia, Limited: Romanticism and Adjustment was published by Harvard University Press in 2015, and her second book, The Calamity Form: On Poetry and Social Life, by the University of Chicago in 2020.
She has recently published, KEATS’S ODES: A LOVER’S DISCOURSE (University of Chicago Press).
Lessons Writers Can Learn from the World of Remote Work Contributed to Bookpleasures.com By Sharon Koifman Author of Surviving Remote Work
- By Sharon Koifman
- Published January 29, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
If you ever get a chance to hang out with high-ranking corporate executives, they will often tell you that they work 12 hours a day, that they barely have time for lunch, and that they sleep as little as possible. In fact, they don’t even tell you about it...they gloat about it.
In many cases, the people who brag about 12-hour workdays are probably lying or at least exaggerating. I know, because I used to tell the same stories. Yes, I did sit in an office for 12-hour days, trying to look busy. But the real truth is that many people who park themselves at their desk that long aren’t actually being productive for 12 hours a day. Not even close.
In Conversation With Hank Garrett, Actor, Comedian, Wrestler, Body Builder and Author of From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight
- By Norm Goldman
- Published January 29, 2021
- AUTHOR INTERVIEWS- CHECK THEM OUT
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Hank Garrett who was raised in Harlem in a multi-cultural neighborhood. In the 1950s, poverty was a way of life. Survival was the goal and violence was the means. By age 12, Hank was carrying a .25 caliber handgun.
A serendipitous meeting with Sammy Davis Jr. changed the trajectory of Hank’s life, and Hank stepped into the worlds of comedy, acting, martial arts, and wrestling. Lying about his age, at 17, Hank balanced a career as a pro wrestler with doing comedy acts at various clubs, all while still attending high school. By age 19 he had landed a role in a successful television series.
You Were Not Born To Suffer Reviewed By Michelle Kaye Malsbury of Bookpleasures.com
- By Michelle Kaye Malsbury
- Published January 28, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author: Blake D. Bauer
Spring Garden Reviewed by Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published January 27, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Tomoki Shibasaki,translator Polly Barton
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 978-1-78227-270-0
Savage Road Reviewed By Ekta R. Garg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Ekta R. Garg
- Published January 27, 2021
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Chris Hauty
Publisher: Emily Bestler Books
ISBN: 978198212661
Soul Seeker Reviewd By Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com
- By Dr. Wesley Britton
- Published January 26, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Kaylin McFarren
Publisher : Creative Edge Publishing LLC (October 27, 2020)
ASIN : B08KGZ2FK8
Authors Bring Our Angels and Demons to Life in Their Books Contributed To Bookpleasures.com By Kevin Groh
- By Kevin Groh
- Published January 25, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
How
is it that authors manage to make readers sympathize even with
villains, murderers, and monsters, even though they do evil?
Eat That Frog! for Students: 22 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Excel in School Reviewed By Michelle Kaye Malsbury of Bookpleasures.com
- By Michelle Kaye Malsbury
- Published January 22, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Authors: Brian Tracey andAnna Leinberger
Home: A Story of Resilience and Healing Reviewed By Cheryl Hart of Bookpleasures.com
- By Cheryl Hart
- Published January 22, 2021
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author:Carrie Barnes
Illustrator: Lyn Meredith
Publisher: Roundtree Press
ISBN-10: 1949480097
ISBN-13: 978-1949480092
Forget Russia Reviewed By Joel Samberg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Joel Samberg
- Published January 21, 2021
- General Non-Fiction
Author: L.Bordetsky-Williams
Publisher: Tailwinds Press
ISBN: 978-1-7328480-4-7
Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Los Childhood Reviewed By Ekta R. Garg of Bookpleasures.com
- By Ekta R. Garg
- Published January 21, 2021
- Biographies & Memoirs
Half of a Yellow Sun Reviewed by Wally Wood of Bookpleasures.com
- By Wally Wood
- Published January 19, 2021
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Chimamanda NgoziAdichie
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
ISBN: 0-676-97812-6
Writing During the Pandemic, How a Dummies Book Saved my Sanity Contributed To Bookpleasures.com By Dr. Janet Brill
- By Dr. Janet Brill
- Published January 19, 2021
- ESSAYS CONTRIBUTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
It
was the morning of March 3rd, 2020, a sunny beach day in Florida,
when with eyes wide with fear I looked at my husband and said “Sam,
half a million Americans will die from this virus, we need to pack up
the dogs and drive home to Pennsylvania and hunker down.” As a
health professional and researcher, I had studied the 1918 Spanish
flu and knew that this “novel” virus attacked more than just the
lungs, as the 1918 virus had done. I knew this was going to be
horrendous.