Miriamne the Magdala
By JB Richards
Through the pages of Miriamne the Magdala readers are guests invited to a fascinating period of history. We benefit from the research of a historian combined with the sensitivity of a novelist to produce a work of epic proportion. Because of the massive scope of the book, one review is not sufficient. Three reviews are required.
First is entertaining anthropology. Through meticulous details we gain an understanding of a time at the beginning of one of the world’s major religions. The reader is walking through the marketplace, sitting down to dinner with an extended family, tasting lamb, smelling spices, wearing the finest clothing, and celebrating key life moments. We are given a special look into the culture from table settings, bathing rituals, animal husbandry, and so much more. Readers become part of the family through clever dialogue, comical action, and strong emotions.
Second is the love story between a young man and a young woman. It is a reminder of the excitement of first love in the electricity of touch, the easy conversation, and the enjoyment of companionship. You can feel the growing affection between Yeshua (Jesus) and Miri (Mary Magdalene). You feel for the young lovers because of the difficulty of expressing a burning passion in a culture thick with laws and customs.
Closed-minded conservatives may cringe at the portrayal of the Messiah as a young man with emotional struggles and intimate feelings for a young girl. Open-minded realists will be enchanted by the human side of a historic figure.
Third is weaving throughout the story of the supernatural. There are angels among us – as messengers, as advisors, and oracles. Never far from the narrative of the story are the growing pains of a man with a mission feeling the weight of responsibility. We witness a teenager grow to understand his power with control and restraint with the ever-present hope of healing.
With all the discussion of Miriamne the Magdala, the most moving for me was the ability of the author to relate life 2000 years ago to our lives. One example is an occasion when Yeshua and Miri sat in the garden and looked at the stars; the same stars in our heavens. It is a story about love for each other, a love for humankind, in a world we all share.
100 Wild Mushrooms – Memoirs of the ‘60s
By Eva Pasco
“Dancing with quahogs” – just one of the reasons to read 100 Wild Mushrooms. The collection of memoirs revisits one of the most influential decades in American history from the viewpoint of a teenage girl in middle-America. Vivid stories come alive with details covering family life in Rhode Island in the midst of a cultural revelation, overseas war, civil rights movement, the space race, and the point in history when television began to influence daily life.
You don’t have to be a child of the 60’s to enjoy this book. Whether you’re 60 or 20, you can ride in the backseat of the family car, fighting with your sister with the absence of seat belts. Short chapters make reading easy with insight, humor, and on-point commentary worthy of a talented wordsmith. Pages include memories of wringer washers, Ed Sullivan, Captain Kangaroo, Saturday morning cartoons, roller skating in the basement, encouraging a suntan instead of discouraging with sun block, the Beach Boys and the Beatles, along with questionable diet choices with Halloween and Easter candy binges. It also chronicles how world events affected people as those events came in our living rooms on the TV screen.
How can I relate to these stories? How about growing up in the 60’s with three older sisters. Those home permanents really did stink.
100 Wild Mushrooms is more than an enjoyable read. It belongs among the best of thousands of history and anthropology books about the era. To truly understand the 1960’s, it is important to know what happened on Main Street as well as Dealey Plaza, Woodstock, the Lorraine Motel, Khe Sanh, and the Sea of Tranquility.
Fallen Gods
by Aliya DalRae
For lovers of fantasy, supernatural, and paranormal – visit a small town in Ohio for an unexpected gathering of the Legion (very-alive vampires) who battle centuries-old enemies. In the pages of Fallen Gods you will find a wealth of conflicts worthy of page turning – loyalty of family and friends, right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, vengeance vs. forgiveness, and urges vs. reason.
The fifth installment in the Fallen Cross Legion series centers around the passionate romance between two main characters from different worlds – both with secrets that threaten the relationship and even survival. The story takes place in current times with important flashbacks to medieval adventures involving supernatural activities emerging from the shadows.
Like all the novels in the series, Fallen Gods can be enjoyed as a stand-alone read. I recommend the entire series for ultimate enjoyment. As extra incentive, an introduction to additional interesting characters gifts readers with a tantalizing promise of installment number six – Jun’s story.
Timur’s Escape
by Tabi Slick
Timur’s Escape is a revelation to a part of history seldom visited. The Ottoman Empire (between the 14th and early 20th centuries) is an important part of the world today in culture and politics. Don’t dismiss this work as a history textbook. It’s a story entertaining to a large audience. The author invites the reader to move beyond facts and figures to immerse in a bygone lifestyle and intense emotions. The novel is a seamless blend of history, culture, romance, intrigue, and paranormal adventure.
Readers have the opportunity to inhabit the mind of a vampire including desires, instinct, and a touch of humanity in the form of bloodlust restraint. Intense research brings awareness to family life and ancient traditions interwoven with complex layers of government dynamics. Through all the pages you will root for love to win.
I believe the end of the book is not the end of the story. There is still a wealth of historic events and exciting relationships to explore through the talented pen of Ms. Slick.