Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Craig A. Brockman’s Dead Ships: Eternity Is a Frozen Sea tells the story of a party of four, burdened with regret and sorrow, who survived a haunting kayaking adventure on the majestic and harrowing Lake Superior. The story takes place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.), and it…
Review by Jon C. Stott Writing a biography for young readers is a challenge. Much of the life chronicled covers the subject’s adult years, many aspects of which may be beyond readers’ comprehension. When the subject is from another culture, the challenges increase because the social and spiritual milieu in…
Review by Mack Hassler “It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Jordan Bloom’s Never Your Valentine offers a view of a relationship fraught with contempt, confusion, and desire. The main characters in the story are Annabelle, Grant, June (Grant’s sister), Lia (a lawyer), Dove (a bakery owner), other friends, and some of Grant’s family members. The story takes…
Review by Mack Hassler Tantae molis erat Romanem condere gentum “How hard it was to found the Race of Rome” Near the end of Book I, The Aeneid by Virgil (written about the time of Christ’s birth) “ … they were now looking up at the branches…
Review by Mack Hassler I went to the library, because I found that I learned more from one hour in the library than from one hour in class.” — The People’s Historian: The outsized life of Howard Zinn, by Dave Zirin, p. 45. Zinn’s family had come from Siberia early…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Tamara Lauder’s The Spirit Within Us: Understanding the Gifts Within Us offers a practical guide to encouraging personal reflection and creativity. Most people have an untapped reservoir of unrealized potential attributes. The author offers a unique perspective by having the main character, Bicycle Betty, visit planets such as…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Michael S. Nyquist’s Honorable Peter White of Marquette paints a detailed and well-researched account of Peter White’s life. White held many prestigious professional roles, including attorney and Michigan House Representative. He was referred to as Mr. Marquette. He served as a jack of multiple trades, intelligent and…
Review by Mack Hassler An early issue of Clutch was one of the first collections I reviewed, long before Luczak had his idea of editing his series. The geography of Robert Zoschke reaches up and to the East toward the delta of the Menominee into Lake Michigan, so it is…
Review by Mack Hassler The Yooper Poetry Series, originated and edited by Luczak, captivates me in this book Amasa Speaker Factory by Chad Faries (volume VI), which deals mostly with Iron County; and with the Zoschke 2026 edition of Clutch, we get a similar Kerouac-centered “on the road” openness of structure…
Review by Deborah K Frontiera Books of poetry are not meant to be read like novels, page after page for hours on end. Poetry is meant to be read a few pages at a time over a few weeks or more. Even if a reader doesn’t “understand” everything right away,…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Michael Nyquist’s The Iron Queen’s Revenge offers a well-researched study of a woman’s scorn that led to the possible murders of many unfortunate individuals. The true story was based on wealth, power, greed, lust, adultery, attempted murder and murder. The story took place in many locations, starting…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Debbie Nellis’ Max’s Fudgy Friends: Island Adventures with Mackinac Max offers a delightful story about a journey involving friends and delicious fudge. The story took place on Mackinac Island, which is known for its fudge. Max, Louie, Bob, Sam, Allie, Buddy, Benny, and Hank, the main characters,…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Madyson Ann Evans’ Lost Freedom reveals a struggle for survival as the result of a harsh and dangerous experimental disaster. Some of the characters in the story were Millie, Charlie, Sally, Michael, Mitchell, Lisa and other children. The children were housed in a large building with many…
Review by Mack Hassler And when the couple had enjoyed their lovemaking, they shared another pleasure –telling stories. Odysseus told her how much he hurt So many people, and in turn How much he had endured himself. She loved to listen and she did not fall asleep until he told…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw’s Decoding the Moon reveals a view of a heart-wrenching loss, coding, new friendships, and determination. Coding for children involves colorful picture-based blocks, physical tokens, or directional symbols to enable them to solve problems. Lipshaw provides a description and explanation of coding in an appendix….
.Review by Mack Hassler “… though Cook’s body was never found— eaten by the indigenous people Who killed him, his name will live forever in the remembrance of the people Grateful for the services his labors have afforded to mankind in general.” A letter by Joseph Banks…
Reviewer: Sharon Brunner Sara Maurer’s A Good Animal offers an unforgettable story about the rural ways of life, the trials and tribulations of young love, and the joys and challenges of raising farm animals. It took place at a country setting outside of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan…
