Back on Track

New reviews coming soon! I'll be importing my work from the past two years, but in the meantime,
I'm reclaiming my small place on the web.

Saturday, January 29, 2005

Poetry Review

calling all hearts
by rodney timms
ISBN-10: 1885473850
Review by Heather Froeschl

For everyone who knows a child, "Calling All Hearts" is a book of poetry that will reach out to you and touch your soul. What better way to reach the world and inspire than by the written word? Rodney Timms has not had an easy life and it is his mission to change the lives of those children that are suffering as he did.

Each poem is filled with emotion and caring. Each page supports Childhelp USA, an organization that helps to prevent child abuse. Each person who reads this book will come away wanting to help, wanting to make the call that can save a life. This book will deeply touch those who have been abused, and those who know them.

Rodney Timms is a survivor. His poetry is telling and straightforward. It is sometimes sad and often evokes terrible images of child abuse. It is these images that he hopes will encourage the reader to take a stand against the violence. He offers poetry of joyful love for his grandchildren and special memories of his family as well. "Calling All Hearts" is a creative and expressive outreach that will speak to the heart of everyone who reads it.

Poetry Review

calling all hearts
by rodney timms
ISBN-10: 1885473850
Review by Heather Froeschl

For everyone who knows a child, "Calling All Hearts" is a book of poetry that will reach out to you and touch your soul. What better way to reach the world and inspire than by the written word? Rodney Timms has not had an easy life and it is his mission to change the lives of those children that are suffering as he did.

Each poem is filled with emotion and caring. Each page supports Childhelp USA, an organization that helps to prevent child abuse. Each person who reads this book will come away wanting to help, wanting to make the call that can save a life. This book will deeply touch those who have been abused, and those who know them.

Rodney Timms is a survivor. His poetry is telling and straightforward. It is sometimes sad and often evokes terrible images of child abuse. It is these images that he hopes will encourage the reader to take a stand against the violence. He offers poetry of joyful love for his grandchildren and special memories of his family as well. "Calling All Hearts" is a creative and expressive outreach that will speak to the heart of everyone who reads it.

Friday, January 28, 2005

Fantasy Fiction Review

Mindlings: Encounters Within Inner Space
by Normand R. Bernier
ISBN-10: 1587363976
Review by Heather Froeschl

Enter the world of John Robis, literally. Professor Robis is invited to participate in an experiment that attempts sensory input to the extent of causing the mind to delve inward. Much like an attempt at astral projection, but in reverse. Under the direction of a benefactor and under the guidance and care of a dear mentor, John enters into himself. What he finds is a whole world, a kingdom of mindlings.

The mindlings are energy, beings that are very real and are under the lordship of John but also in control of him as well. John's will, his drive, is personified in Sir William and likewise, his other personality traits come to life before his eyes. All of these interact with each other, within the realm of Robisohm, within John Robis himself. Through the experiments being performed John is able to visit his inner kingdom and sort through conflicts that have arisen. His castle is crumbling and the mindlings need guidance. It is up to John to decipher what is going on.

Through it all he is learning what creates mental illness, what reality is, what our soul's journey's entail. In the end he must make decisions that will alter the course of his own being and those of the mindlings within him.

This is a highly thought provoking novel of fantasy. Readers will see themselves in the conflicts that must be overcome by the characters and will likely learn a little something about their own lives and mindlings. The book is very well written, the story captivating and compelling. I highly recommend Normand R. Bernier's "Mindlings" and encourage readers to take a "strange journey inward."

Monday, January 24, 2005

Fiction Review

Slumach: The Lost Mine
by Edgar Ramsey
ISBN-10: 1594579970
Review by Heather Froeschl

Gold fever can be deadly. The lost mine of Slumach calls to those who desire the untold riches of the legendary tales. But there is a curse upon the mine and those who seek it. Their worst nightmares come to life as they trek closer to the hidden gold and most never make it out of the rugged mountain terrain alive.

Slumach was executed for murder in 1891. In the previous months it is said that he would come into town with bags of gold nuggets. Anyone who tried to follow him was never seen alive again. Just as his execution was being fulfilled, he muttered a curse..."When I die, the mine dies." And so it was, so it seems.

The story follows Professor Paul Gregory and his young assistant Bev Dayton, and also a couple of lowlife criminals, Kevin McCarthur and Randy Smith, as they follow through with intentions to find Slumach's lost mine. Do they beat the odds and come away with bags of gold? Time will tell, but they do find the realization of their own nightmares.

The story is an interesting one and a temptation to anyone who has ever wondered about gold fever. The author has created very deep backgrounds for the characters so that the reader will truly understand the nature of the curse in the end. However, in order to do this each character goes through numerous flashbacks and very detailed memories that can be confusing to the reader. Jumping from character to character and memory to memory was a bit mind boggling, though each was like a story in itself and demonstrates the author's talent for short story telling. Edgar Ramsey shows a knack for detail and description. My main complaint is with the flow of the stories, and more than a handful of typos and misspellings.

Overall, the book is a good read if you can get through the head hopping.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Fiction Review

American Warrior
by James Snyder
ISBN-10: 0741423200
Review by Heather Froeschl

"American Warrior" is a novel of a boy becoming a man, coming to know himself through an intense life full of abuse, self defense and ultimately overcoming his fears and desires to do what must be done to survive.

Paul Brett gets slapped around by his dad and attacked by neighborhood boys until he is convinced to become what he sees an old Dutchman reveal as he breaks up a fight. Can he learn to be such a warrior? For years he practices, trains with the old man, and he develops a sense of self through it all. Training in the military is but another intense step toward Paul's coming of age and he demonstrates his strength while forming a fast friendship. He continues his training until it is time to go to Vietnam.

There, Paul joins a Top Secret Forces group known as SOG, Studies and Observations Group. It is here that the novel takes a truly unique turn. This is not your typical Vietnam story. The author explores the illegal aspects of the war; the campaign occurring across the Laotian border along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The writing is intense and in depth with moments of pure terror and deep sadness.

Paul's life is not an easy one to read about. The war is not the end of the tale, and what becomes of him is terrible and intense. Can he survive? Will he ever be able to go home and hold his wife in his arms once more?

James Snyder had written a deeply thoughtful story. His treatment of the war is respectful and realistic. The plot is well designed and fulfilling. Snyder's characters are full of human flaws and hopeful growth, just as they should be.

Friday, January 14, 2005

Fiction Review

Starlight, Starbright
by Barbara Elliott Carpenter
ISBN-10: 1410716864
Review by Heather Froeschl

Growing up in the forties and fifties was in some ways very different than going through life in subsequent decades, but several things remain the same. How a child feels when their family makes a move and starts a fresh life is universal in time and place. New friends are made and your entire world is completely changed. The process of adjusting and exploring a new environment, while growing up, is what "Starlight, Starbright" is all about.

Sissy comes of age before our eyes under the guidance of her parents and in the companionship of her brother and sister, the neighborhood widows, a trash lady and two very different grandfathers. Her normal, every day escapades range from discovering what it is like to use the indoor bathrooms at her new school to understanding who Santa Claus is; from squinting at fairies hidden in the roots of a tree to spying a princess in the eyes of a forgotten woman.

Sissy develops into a young lady with dreams and desires and begins to understand that life is sometimes not fair and often unkind. The widows share stories of truth-based gossip and Sissy comes to know why male statues wear fig leaves. In her early teens she finds her first love, experiments with red lipstick and flusters from her first kiss. Along the way, she is true to her friends and close to her family.

Barbara Elliott Carpenter offers a look back at the not so distant past and opens a window to what growing up in the forties and fifties was like. Many things are different now, but many still remain the same. Children have lessons to learn and life to explore and those are universal moments. Sissy is a character so real that you will feel you too grew up with her. The descriptive settings in the book are as vivid as your own memories and the stories shared are much like those that are passed down in families from every corner of the earth.

"Starlight, Starbright" will keep you turning pages until you are through and then leave you with satisfaction that you've just shared something very special.

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Fiction Review

The Rape of Alma Mater
By Wells Earl Draughon
ISBN-10: 0595332498
Review by Heather Froeschl
It isn't often that a work of fiction can make me sit up and take notice. In the case of Wells Earl Draughon's "The Rape of Alma Mater" I have sat up and I feel like I have been sleeping throughout my entire life. The book is a must read for anyone who has concern for society's education, freedoms of speech and press and the ability to think for oneself. Of course this is a work of fiction, but it is written on the experience of the author as a graduate student during the timeframe of the book, as a demonstrator, and as a college faculty member.

In 1967 male students feared for their lives and enrolled in college to avoid the draft. The Vietnam War deeply affected the entire populace as students became increasingly concerned over how much say they had in their own futures. So they began to protest. They tasted power. This was democracy, wasn't it? The people have spoken. However, when the war ended and there no longer was a major cause for banding together and making change, they invented reasons to stand and protest. What resulted was a complete rape of the education system and eventually the press that covered it, the government that allowed it to happen for fear of not getting re-elected, and society as a whole.

Draughon's characters are so real that I feel as if I know them. Their inner turmoil is deep and torturous. Their maturation is obvious and satisfying as we follow 35 years of their lives. Through this time period we watch as things get so out of hand that even the original protestors are hoodwinked by their own propaganda. The plot flows so swiftly and surely as the reader becomes caught up in its waves and is quickly carried to the end of the book where one will sit thoughtfully for hopefully a good long while.

This book is highly recommended for those who ever wondered how things came to be in today's society, but even more so for those who never thought about it.

Saturday, January 8, 2005

Non-Fiction Review

If There's One Thing I've Learned...: How To Seize Your Once-in-a-lifetime Chance To Get It Right
by James Green
ISBN-10: 0976105845
Review by Heather Froeschl

I've always had the belief that when you are ready for the lesson the teacher will appear, be that a person with whom you interact - or not - a personal experience, or a book. Our souls are on a journey in life and our lessons come to us; sometimes we are not ready for them. But even a missed opportunity can teach us something, and very often it is a more memorable thing. Do you have to learn everything the hard way? Or is it possible to gain from other people's experiences?

In "If There's One Thing I've Learned..." James Green introduces you to 87 people who share their own moments of truth. As in every lesson, it is up to you to pay heed to the teachers. Read their stories and you just might learn how to "seize your once in a lifetime chance to get it right." At the very least, you will be touched by the memorable tales they tell.

These are stories that revolve around every aspect of human life. Read about the one that got away and might have been a soul mate. Listen to an amazing story of someone who escaped the World Trade Tower on 9-11, because of a backpack. Come to understand the viewpoint of "the other woman." Realize how a simple thing like being kind can deeply affect a person you encounter. Be reminded to look for the signs around you. All of these stories touch on the most important things in everyone's lives: love, family, friendships, happiness, and time. Through these tales about careers, marriage, lust, neglect, sorrow, fate and the lessons of life, you just might see yourself. In fact, I dare you to read the book and NOT see some aspect of your own life. I don't think it is possible.

James Green has interviewed ordinary people and found the most meaningful story that each one has to share. Each incident is open for examination by the reader. Each person who shared his or her story does so in effort to help you in your own life. It is an unforgettable read that will hopefully remind you to not let that possible soul mate walk on by, not let that nasty boss get you down, not forget to go fishing with your son, and to act on your dreams before it is too late.

Non-Fiction Review

If There's One Thing I've Learned...: How To Seize Your Once-in-a-lifetime Chance To Get It Right
by James Green
ISBN-10: 0976105845
Review by Heather Froeschl


I've always had the belief that when you are ready for the lesson the teacher will appear, be that a person with whom you interact - or not - a personal experience, or a book. Our souls are on a journey in life and our lessons come to us; sometimes we are not ready for them. But even a missed opportunity can teach us something, and very often it is a more memorable thing. Do you have to learn everything the hard way? Or is it possible to gain from other people's experiences?

In "If There's One Thing I've Learned..." James Green introduces you to 87 people who share their own moments of truth. As in every lesson, it is up to you to pay heed to the teachers. Read their stories and you just might learn how to "seize your once in a lifetime chance to get it right." At the very least, you will be touched by the memorable tales they tell.

These are stories that revolve around every aspect of human life. Read about the one that got away and might have been a soul mate. Listen to an amazing story of someone who escaped the World Trade Tower on 9-11, because of a backpack. Come to understand the viewpoint of "the other woman." Realize how a simple thing like being kind can deeply affect a person you encounter. Be reminded to look for the signs around you. All of these stories touch on the most important things in everyone's lives: love, family, friendships, happiness, and time. Through these tales about careers, marriage, lust, neglect, sorrow, fate and the lessons of life, you just might see yourself. In fact, I dare you to read the book and NOT see some aspect of your own life. I don't think it is possible.

James Green has interviewed ordinary people and found the most meaningful story that each one has to share. Each incident is open for examination by the reader. Each person who shared his or her story does so in effort to help you in your own life. It is an unforgettable read that will hopefully remind you to not let that possible soul mate walk on by, not let that nasty boss get you down, not forget to go fishing with your son, and to act on your dreams before it is too late.

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Children's Fantasy Review

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo
by Obert Skye
ISBN-10: 1416928065
Review by Heather Froeschl
Have you ever felt as if you were meant to be doing something spectacular? Something more important than playing dodgeball in gym class? Leven Thumps never felt that way, but he should have because he was destined to do something so important that it would ensure that all of us would still be able to dream. Imagine that! A boy who could protect every dream in the world of Reality! But first, he has to realize who he is. In “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo,” by Obert Skye, Leven will meet Winter, Geth, Clover, and himself, and be introduced to the most magical place ever.

His real mother died when he was born, and so Leven was raised by his aunt and her very lazy boyfriend. Those two never had a kind word for Leven and it was one particularly scary night on the back screened in porch (Leven’s bedroom) when the shadows were trying very hard to penetrate the screen and get at him, that Leven came to meet his sycophant, Clover. Clover had always been around, invisible, and Leven had never known it until now. The little creature is just the first of many Leven will encounter and an introduction to the imaginative world of Foo. Leven is soon met up with Winter, a girl who can freeze things with her thoughts (did I mention that Leven can make lightning strike wherever he wants?), and Geth, the altered physical being that is the exiled but rightful ruler of Foo. It is this team’s mission to make it to the gateway of Foo and to destroy it so that the evil Sabine and his dark shadows cannot escape into reality to wipe out the hope of the world.

Throughout the book readers learn of the wonders of Foo and how our dreams would not exist without it. We get to know Leven as he comes to know himself and are introduced to the wonderful characters of Winter, Geth and Clover. I can’t begin to describe them all, but suffice it to say that you have never met anyone like them. Will Leven make it to the gateway in time? Will the group even be able to find it? There are those who wish to stop them and even Leven isn’t sure about his purpose.

This wonderful book is an absolute joy. Young readers will connect with the characters and root for the cause while adults will delight in a positive reminder to believe in the magical and trust in fate. Obert Skye has written a fantastic tale that will have readers of all ages clamoring for more. His fluid style and direct narrative are so engaging as to draw in even the reluctant reader. “Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo,” is the beginning of a journey you will not want to end. Luckily for you, the adventure continues in “Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret.”

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

YA Fiction Review

The Lyon's Crown
by M.L. Stainer
ISBN-10: 1893337030
Review by Heather Froeschl

"The Lyon's Crown" is the much anticipated final book in The Lyon Saga series. The series covers 25 years in the earliest American history and the lost colony of Roanoke Island. "The Lyon's Crown" completes the tale in the year 1612 and explores how things might have been for those who left Croatoan Island for the settlements of Jamestown and Henrico.

Throughout the series readers have enjoyed the historical fiction that is Jessabel Archarde's life. From her trip across the ocean from England as a 14-year-old girl to her having children of her own, we have come to love Jess and admire her strength. What will become of Jess' children, for they are half English and half Native American? After a smallpox epidemic that nearly devastates their Croatoan Island home Jess decides to send her children to live in Jamestown under the guise of English settlers. Hoping that the promise of Master Robert Ashbury to take in the young adults is still good, the three set off on their own adventure, leaving Jess behind.

Throughout this touching work of fiction are historical elements that lend well to children's understanding of our true history. The settling of Jamestown was no easy task and developing the new world was quite daunting. Relationships between the native peoples and the English settlers are compelling to study and this book certainly opens the eyes to what likely really happened. Historical figures like John Rolf, Sir Thomas Dale, and Matoaka (Pocahontas) give a feel of authenticity, while "seeing" the way the settlements were carved out and the development of the tobacco industry was begun gives the reader a better grasp on history than a social studies book might instill.

"The Lyon's Crown" is a satisfying end to a series that I have much enjoyed. I highly recommend the series for readers aged 10 and up who wish to explore history in a personable and enjoyable way.

Non-Fiction/Spirituality Review

Children of the Light
by Bryan, Kevin & Katherine James
ISBN-10: 1412025117
Review by Heather Froeschl

I trust in synchronicity so when "Children of the Light" came to me for review I was not at all surprised. However, I was very pleased to discover that Bryan, Katherine and Kevin James are sharing their experiences so that others can feel inspired and understood.

The James children and their father use energy, "Light," in every aspect of their lives and in efforts to help many others. Calling down the light through meditation can be so beneficial to anyone, and to those one wishes to share it with. The James children have developed this skill early in their lives, working toward their soul missions to be healers and helpers in this incarnation. They have reconnected to their higher selves and are working toward meeting their goals.

There has been much talk in recent years about "Indigo Children" and the like. Bryan believes his children to be such and explains what this means in the book. The children voice their own understanding of who they are and what they do with the Light energy. This book of testimonial offers an understanding to those who share these skills and beliefs and also inspires others to look into themselves, to the Universal Energy and reconnect with their own higher self.

Bryan shares their encounters with angels, deceased loved ones, Jesus, saints, teachers and guides. The three offer their understanding of the Lights and the process of which to call them down through meditation. Examples of what the Light can do are shared with honesty and faith.

The book is short but inspiring. It is an introduction to the topics of synchronicity, telepathy, psychic ability and more and opens the doors to many paths should the reader choose to continue their quest for information and guidance. Having an understanding of the topics already I wished there were deeper explorations into each chapter, but for the person just opening their eyes and mind, this book is a perfect primer.