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“Unity in Diversity”: No Bear Is an Island, by Mawson and Mark O’Dwyer

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  (2026). ISBN: 978-1-7645894-0-6 No man is an island, entire of itself/Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main . —John Donne, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions , 1624 In a polarizing world, where Othering has divided and not united, where difference is a liability instead of a strength in the eyes of (far too) many (especially those in power), it’s important to teach our children (while being role models) that everyone has a unique (hi)story, set of interests and goals, hopes and dreams, and they are all of equal value. Such recognition of the worth of diversity in our social circles is a pathway to seeing we can learn from others while learning about ourselves when we step out of our comfort zone and engage with those who are different than we are. This is the beautiful and timely message of No Bear Is an Island . Strength in numbers, communion in community, and the truest truth there is—we all could use a little empathy, help, and compassion to get us t...
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“Film Investing 101”: A Review of Hollywood Money Traps: What Every Film Investor Needs To Know by Alexia Melocchi

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  (2026 Little Studio Films). ISBN: 979-8995735335 There are few businesses with the unique combination of deep mystique, risk and reward, and stuck-in-your-throat cautionary tales as the film (and television) industry. The chance for fame and riches—which motivates many industry aspirants—or simply to make a consistent living doing what you love as a Creative (which has kept me in the game as an actor, director, and screenwriter for more than 36 years) often leads to high risks and unfulfilled dreams. Just as heartbreaking as an unproduced script or career-boosting role that ultimately doesn’t happen is financial loss, which, for some, can be nothing short of devastating. Although there are myriad books written by actors, directors, writers, and producers about the vacillations and hazards of the industry (I’ve read dozens), there are few that capture the ABCs of its financial aspects in such an organized, easy to read and absorb, case-study format as Alexia Melocchi’s Holly...
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“Highland Gothic”: A Review of What Happened at the Abbey (The Strathbairn Trilogy, Book 1) by Isobel Blackthorn

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  (Next Chapter, 2025). ISBN: 979-8272238542 Five years ago, I was asked to review The Ghost of Villa Winter , the fourth book in a series written by the talented and prolific writer of thrillers, Isobel Blackthorn. I was deeply impressed by her ability to bring a locale to life, to make it an essential character in a well-crafted, page-turning mystery. Blackthorn does a great deal of research concerning the locales about which she writes (like Stephen King and Castle Rock, Maine), which draws the reader immediately and deeply into the story. What Happened at the Abbey (the first of a trilogy), although the locale, characters, and time period are far different than those of The Ghost of Villa Winter , offers the same opportunity for reader immersion through palpable atmospheres and authenticity of Time and Place. I am a fan (and writer) of thrillers, especially those with a Gothic setting and atmosphere, and the Scottish Highlands offer Blackthorn a perfect canvas and palett...
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A Review of Guru Within Guru Without by Padmanabha

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   (Infinite Heart Publications, 2026). ISBN: 979-8-9958409-0-9 There are few words/concepts when it comes to the pursuit of the spiritual that are more misunderstood, maligned, and mysterious than the word guru . The dictionary definition is surprisingly straightforward: A Sanskrit term for a spiritual or intellectual guide, teacher, or master. All students, after all, require teachers and guides. In 30-plus years of spiritual study and practice, I have had many teachers and guides, but not a single one that I would term a guru. For many folks who grew up in the sixties, the word guru conjures images of the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi falling in and falling out. Those with a deeper knowledge of student-seekers and their gurus might think of Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) and his guru Neem Karoli Baba, or even Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love encounters with (the unnamed in the book) Gurumayi Chidvilasananda and Bali’s Ketut Liyer. No matter your level of knowledge ab...
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“Coming of Age in the West”: A Review of Destined to Ride Alone by R.G. Yoho

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  (Naples, FL: Speaking Volumes, 2016). ISBN: 979-8-89022-307-4 It was at the West Virginia Writers Conference in 2012 that I first met Western writer R.G. Yoho. We’ve stayed in contact ever since, as he’s steadily gathered awards for his ten classic Westerns, including this one, written for young audiences. Not only am I a lifelong fan of Westerns on the screen and page; I love and write in numerous genres, which are a special type of literature where the tropes are not only expected—they are the criteria by which the reader judges the writer’s specific contributions. While I was reading Destined to Ride Alone , I was also reading the seventeenth book in Louis L’Amour’s Sackett saga and Comanche Moon , the second book in Larry McMurtry’s Gus and Call tetralogy. Although they are each writing for different audiences, Yoho, L’Amour, and McMurtry are all masters of the Western trope. Destined to Ride Alone (the title itself is the trope of all Western tropes) takes as its cent...
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“A War Without, a War Within”: A Review of Bob Van Laerhoven’s The Long Farewell

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  [Translated from Dutch by Vernon Pearce] (Next Chapter, 2025). ISBN: 978-4824156709 In 2021, I was asked to review a novel by an author named Bob Van Laerhoven. Set in South America in a time of revolution and turmoil, Alejandro’s Lie had the kind of depth and dark beauty of story and character that reminded me of Walter M. Miller, Jr.’s A Canticle for Leibowitz , Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind , and Frank Delaney’s Ireland —novels that you don’t just read; instead, you enter them fully and inhabit them, as they inhabit you. After such a memorable, moving experience, I welcomed the chance to review The Long Farewell , especially when I saw that it took place before and during World War II. Although I’ve long been fascinated by the rise of the Nazis, with all that’s happening today (especially in America, where I reside), I’ve been compelled to read book after book about the years 1938 to 1945. As I started The Long Farewell , I’d just finished one book by Erik La...
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“Happy 100th Birthday to the Mother Road!”: A Review of Route 66: 100 Years, by Jim Hinckley (Ed.)

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  (Beverly, MA: Motorbooks, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2025). ISBN: 978-0-7603-9148-8 This beautifully designed coffee table book, edited by Jim Hinckley (a statue of whom is a popular Route 66 tourist destination in his hometown of Kingman, Arizona), helps to further the case that the myriad books about the Mother Road that continue to be published are very much like the businesses and attractions on the route itself. Each offers a unique view of the landscape and menu. Although I have read more than twenty books and many articles about Route 66 in the past four years—including titles by Hinckley and some of his coauthors here—I found an impressive amount of new information, which I attribute to not only the authors’ varied experiences, but how those experiences shape their individual approaches to their chapters. More on that to come. No matter how educated you are on the subject matter, chances are excellent you’ll learn something new. The photography in Route 66: 100 Y...
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