by Jack L. Kennedy Close your eyes. Fantasize. Try fantasy for fall. No one stretches and adorns that literary genre better than Jim Webster, pictured, who in two new paperback novel ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy People, not preaching, promises or pessimism, form the rapidly beating, reassuring heart of Gospel Memories -- The Future Can Rewrite Our Past, a book deceptively larger than ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Mark Spivak, author of Friend of the Devil (Black Opal Books) instantly proves to hungry skeptics that it Is possible for a journalist to cook, eat, drink fine wine and write ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Pain, comfort, relief and recovery are terms which often vary in meaning, and may take years to adequately discern and define. But butterflies, even broken humans depending ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy-- Warfare uses many weapons, and internal battles are the most difficult. That is the major lesson perhaps in The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are REAL by longtime ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Using the right ingredients is important when choosing or writing books. But when introducing the power of the printed page to a younger audience, three varied new volumes show ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy After the holiday turkey and cheese dip are gone, why not turn instead to some food for thought. Ancient Alien --Theory Decoded by Robert Sickler (XLibris) may not be ...more

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FACINATION WITH A RIVER Recommending a particular book specifically for holiday gift-giving could be a limiting idea given that every day is a good excuse for buying a book. For any excuse and ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Does the future mirror the past? Doug Welchman apparently thinks so, in his science fiction fantasy, Psi Ops and the Battle of Minds. (XLibris) Militarism, dictatorship ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Benor Dorfinngil embraces the term virgin territory from both human and geographic perspectives. The lusty, life-loving lead character in British fantasy author ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Anyone who likes dogs, colorful characters and good writing will read A Dogs Choice by Allan Meyer. (Arizona Vintage Investments) The book is the perfect prescription for a ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Determination, dedication to others and lack of prejudice in any sense are good qualities for anyone. Their development help make The Lucile James Story a broad, universal ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Life can be a dream, or a nightmare, a varied and vivid cast tells readers in LucidOthernaturals Book Two self published by author Christina Harlin, pictured at left. One ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Many elements make good teachers, and learners and the lifetime process never stops. That is the most evident, memorable message in A Teachers Tale by Joe Gilliland (True ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Good real estate is often difficult to find today. The most elusive, debatable plot, perhaps, is common ground, Rachel Held Evans says, forcefully, faithfully and from ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Working together builds individual strengths, but life is not always harmonious, even for rising music groups. If you like country music, romance and soap operas, you ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Magnetic books have many faces. From Working to Wisdom by Brendan Hare (Jappa Flats Publishing) is like a mirror, reflecting the march of time. Its sub-title, "The ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Literary treasures worth digging into are often hard to find. Custers Gold by M. John Lubetkin (Bookstand Publishing/2014) is an exceptional excursion down many roads. The ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy History blends with mystery, nostalgia with charm in Craig Ewalds historical novel, Only Jody Knows. (Author House) Anyone with a broad appetite for good writing, simply ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Motivation is a powerful force, and propels colorful characters to do often questionable things under pressure. That is certainly the case with Mike Tyson, pictured at ...more

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Brian David Bruns thought riding into the mist during the nearly 500-mile bike ride across Iowa "was cooling." Everyone else, he writes, thought it was like "riding into a steam bath." by Paul ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Sometimes, the most compelling characters in a book are not human. That is the case in Hants by Arthur James (Blackstone). The title refers to a three-generation farm that ...more

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Gift-giving can be a frustrating experience: What to get that person who has everything. Two books have crossed our desk that solve gift-giving for someone who also enjoys art books. "Days of ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Those wanting to lose pounds while gaining hope, common sense and good humor will find the perfect recipe in Slim by Design by Brian Wansink (William Morrow.) Any parent, food ...more

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Molly McAme with her pet mouse, Nibbles, confronts Santa on Christmas Eve. Is there a child, preferably a little girl, whom you would like to become excited over the reading of books? Well, 'tis ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Good stories led by lively, creative people quickly cross geographic boundaries. One of those books that should appeal to a wide readership is The Calamities of Kalamity ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Four words the reader might not readily associate with military subjects perhaps best describe both Hal Moore, A Soldier Once and Always and its young, widely recognized author, ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Raising Abel subtitled The Life of Faith by Ronald Ragotzy, M. D. (Balboa Press) has medicinal properties without even claiming them. It might be just what the doctor ordered ...more

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Molly and Nick, two characters in a new children's book by Marissa Irvin Gould, can't wait to share their new presents with kids at school by Mari Winn Taylor Marissa Irvin started playing ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Books can capture both the heart and the head, and often do both. Mind, body and soul are all elements in a concise, caring, literate and loving approach to several ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Life has many plot twists. Hidden Relationships of The Homicide Detective by Herman L. Hinton (XLibris) is not a typical detective story, although it is written as if it were ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Finding reliable and readable advice in print is not always easy. Sometimes, alleged experts offer their vast or half-(v)ast knowledge in very authoritarian ways, as ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy In a sense, Colin Brown has written an at times unconventional travel book. His feelings are evident early in Outside the Camp, subtitled "The wisdom, humility and power ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Some alleged experts often are barking up the wrong tree when they give advice about pets. There are many misconceptions (a.k.a. old wives tales but why not credit ...more

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Many stories have been written about the ferocious tornado that cut through the center of our town, Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011, but they were written mainly for an adult readership. Carolyn E. ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Author Ean W. Burchell knows what book he distrusts the most: the Holy Bible...anyones view or translation of it. The onetime educator/skeptic has compiled his bitterness ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy-- Do you ever feel worlds apart from someone? Or do you suspect those around you are from another planet at times? Even those readers who may see science fiction as galaxies ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Books, like the authors who pen them, can have both good and bad moments. This is certainly true of A Twist of Lyme, by Andrea H. Caesar and edited by Nancy Grossman ...more

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The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the ice-ridden Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and ...more

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by Mari Winn Taylor "You know what they say about the Bootheel?" Elsie Arnold asks her police detective friend Bob Ashlock in a scene revealing the possible location of one of the abused ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy If good books are a banquet, The Foxes of Caminus by Laura Burroughs (Burroughs Books) has something for all tastes and ageswith a dash of surprise and spice. There are enough ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Colorful, memorable characters and Lamar author Ben Reed all show strengths from which readers can benefit in Truth with Stretch Marks. The Missouri Southern State ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Sacrifice The Essence of Life brings life to the old adage, truth is stranger than fiction. It was Mark Twain who explained that "fiction is obliged to stick to ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy You cannot judge a judge by his cover. That is one of the themes of The Judges Wife is Missing by the late Dale German (Abbott Press, division of Writers Digest.) It is ...more

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"To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance."--George Washington by Paul Teverow My native Rhode Island claims the oldest Jewish religious structure in the United States, the Touro ...more

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by Susan Branch For a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, you can't do much better than Ripples in Opperman's Pond by Douglas P. Zipes. You'll keep turning pages as the ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The most lasting structures are preserved by the memories of people, built of bricks and stones but mortared together by faith. That may be the major message of the small ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy-- Faith and relationships build upon each other. Joe Camp, a St. Louis native, is the father of several successful movies about Benji, the loveable little canine. Camp ...more

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You may be too prissy to follow the suggestions offered in the travel book, Naughty Girl's Guide to Los Angeles by Sienna Sinclaire (Naughty Girl Press, 2012). Although the Ozarks are a long ...more

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The Nation of Brunei, with a population nearing a half million in 2012 and extensive petroleuum and natural gas fields--Forbes ranks it as the fifth richest nation out of 182 with such resources--is ...more

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by Susan Branch Spycraft and insider medical knowledge combine to give the reader of this thriller something special. In the book Osprey (EXLIBRIS, 2012) Peter Williamson has dedicated his ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Sometimes, a few words can describe modest but powerful books. Falling Into Place by Hattie Kauffman, pictured, (Baker Books) is such a volume. Yes, she is an Emmy ...more

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by Jack Kennedy The premise of The Actor by Douglas Gardham (iUniverse Inc.) starts out promising. The Canadians first novel has intriguing autobiographical elements. We are told that ...more

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by Jack Kennedy Life has been a complex, emotional, paradox for Denver newsman/editor M.J. Burke Sr. Funeral in a Feminine Dress is labeled a memoir. The often physically and emotionally ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Anyone who has ever been a small, confused, but maturing child will be drawn in to Little Joe by Michael E. Glasscock III.(Greenleaf) The initial premise is powerful yet ...more

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In December of 1991 the Soviet Union (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or U.S.S.R.) was officially dissolved. From it emerged Russia (the Russian Federation) and a number of independent ...more

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by Mari Winn Taylor Nostalgia. The word creates a warm, fuzzy feeling. If "nostalgia" refers to an overall interest in the past--places, persons and things from one's earlier life or what ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy History is basically made by people. Recalling the narrative, we cite big events, headlines, global crises, wars and tragedies. But Widow Walk by Gerard LaSalle ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Paul J. Pitlyk fought two wars, simultaneously. One was in Vietnam, as a neurosurgeon in 1965. The other conflict was constantly within himself. The stark tale that ...more

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by Mari Winn Taylor HAVANA, 2003 Author Celso Gonzalez-Falla must have felt pleasure in being able to report that one of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista's more brutal followers, one that took ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The past always leaves something for the present. We may not realize the value of the legacy until many years have gone by. Uncle Martins Family, a Memoir by Joyce ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Few people have fond memories of reaching age 50. Jan Atkinson, author of Menopausal Killer Sharks, (iUniverse) has many diverse, often profane, sometimes witty ways ...more

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by Susan Branch Why do we read memoirs? Usually, it's to find out how others cope with the events of life that we all must experience. Sometimes, it's to make contact with exotic lifestyles that ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The word hustler in sports or other human endeavor usually relates to energy, willingness, and other virtues physical or mental. But in The Sporting Stings (Black ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The title of the thin little volume from AuthorHouse seemed intriguing. How to Stay Married for at Least 100 Years offers some humor, a lot of advice, and a preachy ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Politics, power, intrigue, pressures past and present often make good reading, when expressed by a good author. That certainly is the case in the intellectually and ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Writing can be like cooking. At times, all the ingredients for a tasty meal are there. Mixed together by a knowledgeable hand, they do make a satisfying souffle. On the ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy A Touch of Nerves (D. C. Hampton) has more twists and turns than a rutty Ozark roadway. It is a well written tale of how nerve gas disappears from an army research ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Although there is a good thread throughout with purposeful intentions, the sewing of the fabric of Bring Forth the Light by an author penned Emmanuel (Balboa Press) seems ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy-- Ty Vincent M.D., a family practitioner from Wasilla, Alaska (think Sarah Palin), was hungry to give good advice to the masses about health. Thinking Outside the ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Pit big business against a small, active, creative person and you have a promising plot for a book about an alert young teen that crosses into several areas of ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy MAURINE H. BEASLEY-- Books and the people in them can be magnetic. They can attract a variety of readers for many reasons. Women of the Washington Press by Maurine H. ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Call Me a Survivor by Michael J. Carnes is a small, unpretentious volume on its face. But it takes only a few pages to be drawn into a story that this well-known ...more

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This is the Hour of Lead--Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow-First-Chill-then Stupor-then letting go.....--Emily Dickinson, from her poem "After great pain, a formal ...more

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Happy Halloween! "Witches" is a woodcut, circa 1500, by Hans Baldung Grien, a German who chose not to follow in the footsteps of his family of professionals, and instead become an artist. His ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Manhood and Other Stuff is rather direct. The subtitle is The Testosterone Principles 2. The extremely self-confident author is TC Luoma, the publisher Balboa Press.  ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy-- Are you certain you know where you are? Or even who you are? Do forces keep shifting around you? Are you finding that what you thought was reality is actually mystical, ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy It sometimes may seem that life is an uncertain, winding and often confused experience, with day to day movements lived through a haze. We wonder when and how it will end ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy They say you cant tell a book, or person, by the cover. Backstage by Ron Hull (University of Nebraska Press), with Hull on the front cover in an interviewers chair, is ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The most interesting friends often are the ones who seem quite different from you, but given a chance they will grow on you and surprise you. They are hard to forget, and ...more

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by Susan Branch While most of us will not face the sudden, crushing tragedy that confronted Samantha Light-Gallagher, all of us will suffer losses and, yes, tragedy in our lives. Samantha ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy "We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemys side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and ...more

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by Susan Branch A 7-year-old is ripped from her home and sent to a concentration camp in the Ukraine. How will this affect her development and life? There are two saving graces in young ...more

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Meet the smiling Stammer Family, Danielle and husband Andrew, Emily at age 3 and Ethan at 17-months, Easter/April 2011. What happens when you haven't been paying attention to the weather forecast ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy When Mike McDonalds wife was raped and murdered by an outlaw biker gang, the Persian Gulf war Marine veteran set off on a mission. In Thunder Road by David Donaghe ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Ruby Hillsman had conviction, a variety of experiences as a nurse for more than 30 years, ministers wife for 20, and business owner. She also had an idea. Why not, she ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy College students often may seem scary. They imagine they see good grades, misjudge their personal or intellectual strengths, have friends who seem odd to their ...more

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Mark Rohr, author of the book Joplin - The Miracle of the Human Spirit greets a visitor at a book signing he held recently at the Joplin Public Library. Large in stature, Mark Rohr presents an ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy A Fathers Day thought--do not just keep your memories in the top drawer of your dresser. Pass them along. This is the dominant message of Top Drawer Dads Celebrating ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Author Michael Fontana has a unique and often compelling idea. In The Sacred Machine (DWB Publishing) two backwoods self-professed country preachers go down a rocky ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy A good book can be like a fine tapestry, with many different threads carefully and tightly interwoven to make a picture with which various folks and times can identify.  ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy-- During an election year, political rhetoric often claims that what happens in Washington is criminal. Appropriately, perhaps, Executive Deception by Pat Riley has cops, ...more

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by Susan Branch-- Sherman is famously quoted as saying "War is Hell," but he didn't bother to add that desperate, unscrupulous men and women involved in war will commit any crime, no matter ...more

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by Susan Branch So you don't remember much of the history you learned in school? Or you don't remember the details, just a general idea of what happened? Or you remember only the major ...more

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by Susan Branch Have members of any generation experienced as much change in their lifetimes as those born in the first half of the twentieth century? Some of them, like the author of Essays ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy A sincere appreciation for life and location and people adds more smiles to your miles and makes the journey last a lot longer in both head and heart. That certainly is ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The importance of both physical and spiritual health is a subject in which many can identify. I Fought the Lord, and the Lord Won, a memoir by James W. Anderson (West Bow ...more

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by Susan Branch Fifty is a big and threatening birthday for many women, but Amanda Wilson, the main character in Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines finds it totally intimidating. She has more ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy A Murder in West Covina subtitled Chronicle of the Finch-Tregoff Case bills itself as a based on fact dramatization. It is written by James L. Jones, M.D. That ...more

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Some readers may be a bit leery over paying any sum to read a book entitled, "Scammed." After all, it would be so easy for an author to borrow what he exposes. Christopher Elliott, however, is ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Survival stories often are compelling. In The Streets Terry L. Dorn, pictured, tells us his life story as he tries to find new paths for both body and soul. It is a very ...more

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Robert C. Samuels, at about age 45, woke up very early one morning thinking nothing of the slight weakness in his left leg. When he woke up a second time to begin his daily routine, he realizes that ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy How to Write a Killer SAT Essay in 25 Minutes or Less by Tom Clements (TC Tutoring) is a promising venture that appears to be two books in one. It is what the title ...more

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Small boys with swords and guns often fantasize about defending their neighborhoods, their streets, their homes or their church from bad guys. In Sanctuary, Pittsburg, Kansas native Terry W. Drake ...more

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by Susan Branch Quick! Name a famous African American athlete who competed in the Olympics. Jesse Owen may come to your mind first, but there are many other possibilities. You probably ...more

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Moinette will make you think twice before uttering a racial slur or thinking that African Americans are lucky because they got free passage here. She is the principal character in Susan ...more

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A work that "will raise the viewer's consciousness" is how author Michael Kaminski categorizes his unauthorized account of the life and work of filmmaker George Lucas. The Secret History of Star ...more

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Food for thought as found in good books is the perfect Christmas present, and will brighten your Festival of Lights without adding a calorie. This is certainly the case with Mindless Eating, ...more

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by Susan Branch Some read to be entertained, some to be enlightened. There is food for thought for both groups in Pamala Kennedy Chestnut's fictionalized book, More Than Rice--"journey ...more

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by Susan Branch Those were the days...To the boomer generation, there are many things about Growing Up the Greek Way in the Big Apple (iUniverse, March 2011) that will bring back memories, ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Try wrapping teaching, testing, tutoring, sex, attempted murder, egos, child abuse and discrimination into one book. At times, Chain Gang Elementary (Thornbriar Press) does ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Searches often are difficult, winding, and multidimensional. That is certainly the case with The Falling Away by T.L. Hines (Thomas Nelson, Sept. 14, 2010). The book, ...more

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I was on amazon.com finishing the placement of an order when amazon, consistent with its policy, tried to dazzle me with other things to buy. Well, one of the things that popped up was the suggestion ...more

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Lovers of history line up at Hastings Books on September 24, 2011, to have copies of Joplin autographed by its author, Leslie Simpson. by Mari Winn Taylor A building doesn't have to be old to ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Passion and knowledge are important tools for any communicator. They are just as valuable for dentists who write books on gum disease as they are for great novelists. Dr. ...more

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For those who like their information in one place, they will appreciate the efforts of Joplin middle school teacher Randy Turner doing what he does best on "The Turner Report"--chronicling the day's ...more

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Pictured are David Hallman and Bill Conklin at Casa de los Arcos in Puerto Vallarta where they stayed every February for many years. (Photo compliments of the author) by Mari Winn Taylor For ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Dave McKenzie's memoir The Spirit's Journey (iUniverse) may be many things. Often it is what the title says, a tale not so much of an auto engineer turned experimenter, ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy One sure way to chill out during July: read a book. Surprises are between the covers, particularly if the authors are new or unknown and need your support or solace. The ...more

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The real Rusty, a stray who wound up at the home of author Janus Moncur in Tennessee, says he "escaped from a puppy mill to find a good life." A new book by first time author Janus Moncur--well, ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Some books leave the reader up in the air. In the case of The Lonely Sky: The Personal Story of America's Pioneering Experimental Test Pilot, that is a stimulating, ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Four words might appropriately describe the heart of Kent Farnsworth's cogent collection of thoughts about education: people, plans, caring and rigor. His thoughtful ...more

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by Susan Branch Young Cambridge art historian Adam Locke doesn't believe that his friend and colleague Reggie Crawford died in a car accident, nor yet that he committed suicide. Locke soon ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy If you have several generations of political clout, history, ego and money in the family, write a book about it. If your name is Adlai Stevenson III and you cannot find a ...more

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by Susan Branch A young boy, growing up in a society that he gradually realizes is corrupt, amidst the turmoil of the 1960's--sound familiar? But this is not just another American coming of ...more

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by Susan Branch Valladine! As 10-year-old Henry, his parents, his uncle and his pregnant aunt flee across the Pyrennees to escape from the Nazis, his aunt's labor pains start. He and the ...more

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This image from the postcard collection of Galen Augustus provided the cover illustration for Larry Wood's new book, Wicked Joplin. Wicked Joplin The name should get everyone's attention. ...more

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By Jack L. Kennedy Many believe that the best way to judge something is to experience it firsthand. Others rely on the prophesies of pundits commenting upon things from afar, their academic ...more

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What do you think of the Bible? Swear by it? Swear by it and never even read it? Prefer to have someone else interpret it for you? The following book reviews discuss authors who dare to delve into ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Joe Camp knows dogs and did well as the creator and producer of Benji movies a few years ago. Joe Camp knows and loves horses, too. He went into seven printings with The Soul ...more

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by Susan Branch Theres a missing word that book reviewers and literary critics alike could use to describe certain books. Perhaps impetus would be the best choice to fill this gap. Its the ...more

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In an article, "Zapping Fat" (Tulsa World, May 2007) science writer Cary Aspinwall writes that Dr. Leslie Masters who at the time operated Advanced Skin Solutions, was making about $2,000 a pop ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Stories about strong, creative, caring and versatile women who are former journalists and educators are always nourishing reading. But when one such figure writes about ...more

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Dear Ms. Branning, I decided that there was no better way to review your book, An American Woman's Letters to Turkey--Yes, I Would Love Another Glass of Tea (Blue Dome Press, 2010) than to ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Buffet lines are the best, this reviewer and pseudo-gourmet thinks. You can easily take your time, choose from a wide variety at your leisure, and find it all both ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy 'Ever know anyone who appeared to be all style and no substance? Add five more "anyones" to that. Add a wandering plot with lots of spoiled, silly, sensual, ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy A wise elder once said, "You can't tell a book by its cover." He or she must have been referring to Who Needs Hollywood, subtitled "The amazing story of a small time ...more

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Civil War Veterans Buried in the Baxter Springs, Kansas Cemetery, by historian and genealogist Earleene Spaulding is a book that has just been released. From what started out as a collection ...more

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George Washington Carver on a daily nature walk (Photo courtesy of Tuskegee University) George Washington Carver's desire to do something significant with his life should be an inspiration to ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Some writers are frightening. But in Beth Cooper's case, that is a recommendation, not a criticism. Her Ghosts of Kansas (Schiffer) is an excellent volume to take to ...more

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Photographer Marcelo Bendahan captures the look of Israeli society in his book of photos depicting Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a city of many contrasts. It is a melting pot of people from all over ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Back to the Homeplace, a first novel by William Leverne Smith of Hollister, MO (Vision to Action Publishing) is in some ways unique, as it updates the cliche of the "return ...more

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Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, and Viswanathan Anand, as youngsters under 20 years old, have won the World Junior Chess Championship. In 2007 add Daniel Naroditsky, pictured, who ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Perhaps, the televised so-called reality shows have us a bit jaded when it comes to determining what is truth and what is fiction. It is often difficult to tell which ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Vern Miller was a character. To author and apparently good friend Mike Danford, he was Vern Miller: Legendary Kansas Lawman (iUniverse, 2009). To a substantial number of ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy The term "foreign correspondent" for many conjures up the image of someone buckling their swash and charging bravely into battle to prove that the pen is mightier than ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Some older cowhands along this Internet trail will recall the early Saturday cowboy shoot-'em-up movies at the Fox, Paramount or even the odoriferous Orpheum theaters.  ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Often the most important things come in small packages and little moves do not loom large until years later. That may be the major lesson in The Side-Yard Superhero by  ...more

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Two books, were called to our attention that in some way deal with finding a sense of self worth and with it dealing with what life offers. Dougie Goes to School, the second in the "Dougie's ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Often, fiction is truer than reality. Sure, fans of "Survivor Samoa" on television would not believe that, perhaps, but author Mitch Jayne proves it again, in  ...more

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Stephanie Rockey from the Washington, DC metropolitan area is the founder of a dating service called True Life Partners. She decided to share the knowledge she gained from hundreds of client ...more

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Vampires, whether in historical fiction or in modern novels requiring blood-curling realism, always are a source of fascination, especially for youngsters. But is there becoming too much obsession ...more

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Research is showing that children who have been read to at an early age are better prepared to succeed in school. Reading aloud to children helps stimulate brain development as well as to provide an ...more

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Noe O. Vaca ("Ozzie"), a former Ecuadoran educator but now an American citizen living in South Carolina, is spending his later years writing short stories and translating and interpreting ...more

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by Jack Kennedy A slice of life Willa Younger, unfortunately, may represent a declining art. From 1977 for some 22 years, she was the food editor and a columnist for The Joplin Globe. ...more

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by Jack Kennedy Titles can be deceptive, just like people. A Recipe Book for Tutors; Teaching the Kinesthetic Learner by Cynthia Parsons (Rowman & Littlefield) may at first blush sound ...more

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by Jack Kennedy Three varied volumes which might be worth a few minutes of non-demanding summer leisure time have crossed this reviewer's desk. If you do not expect much from them, these ...more

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Review by Jack L. Kennedy Several years ago, a little girl growing up with her big brothers in a farm town suburb of Kansas City met a horse. She would tell stories of the part-Arabian, ...more

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Reviews by Jack L. Kennedy It is often difficult to find the right words, written or oral, when you are under stress or need to comfort others. Two authors of recent inspirational ...more

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An early newspaper clipping shows conductors standing at a dangerous crossing where two rail lines intersected. An interesting book for the lover of trolleys--and not of Aaron Buerge's restaurants ...more

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Reviews by Jack Kennedy It is never the wrong time to pick up a good book, if you can find one. The current bibliographic buffet includes a variety of morsels, some tasty, some tantalizing ...more

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Review by Mark Adams "A light hearted romp" will not be found in any descriptions about The American Lie: Government by the People and Other Political Fables (Paradigm Publishers, July 2007), ...more

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Ever meet a real, live ghost? That may seem like a chilling contradiction in terms until you read Fiddler's Ghost (Wildstone Media, 2007) by well-known Ozark folklorist Mitch Jayne. Jayne is a ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy-- Kennedy was night police reporter, then education writer, for the Wichita Eagle for nine years before leaving for the Lincoln, NE Journal in October, 1973--three months ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy This book is a mystery not only because it is a detective yarn, titled A Nick Turner PI Novel: Love's Worth by first-time writer F. D. Bersey Jr., but because the ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Thrown together in a small book that barely touches their accomplishments, what do 18 leaders have in common? Not much, at least on the surface--and, perhaps, that is ...more

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by Dr. Stephen L. Timme,professor of botany and director and curator of the Theodore M. Sperry Herbarium, Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS Michael Roedel and ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy James L. Castner's novel The Tsantsa Homicides has something for just about everyone. It would be a mistake if the reader were to put it down before the often-chilling ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy Mindless Eating may be the most nourishing book you read all year. It is full of tasty morsels dipped in a rich, creamy, sometimes sarcastic sauce of humor, spiced with ...more

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by Jack L. Kennedy In 1952 a recent Joplin High School graduate enrolled at what is now Pittsburg State University went downtown to check out the environment. He found, at about Fourth and ...more

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