Emma's New Life by Paul G. Wilson

Emma’s New Life by Paul G. Wilson

Rating – 5/5

Emma is a hedgehog who feels she is leading a dull life, and her friends lead a far more exciting life than her. She keeps on complaining how all of them have so much excitement in their lives, however, she barely has any lively moment in her life. She yearns for an adventure.

One day, her wish is granted, and she finds herself transported to a completely different world, the world of the Humans. She tries adjusting herself to her new surroundings but soon finds herself out of depth, facing threatening situations she could have never imagined.

Will Emma be forever trapped in the cruel world of the humans, or will she return to her beloved woods? Read Emma’s New Life by Paul G Wilson to find out.

3 Mini Reviews – Non-fiction

The forced “stay-at-home” situation has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for book bloggers like us. I recently read three non-fiction books – two self-help and one memoir. Here are my thoughts on them:

Sons of Slaughter by Brian McBride – Review

Sons of Slaughter by Brian McBride

Rating – 4/5

Two seventeen-year-old teenagers, Beck and Dean, more like brothers than friends, want to run away from their small town of Clatskanie, Oregon. Defiant and reckless Beck wants to escape from the tortuous stranglehold of his abusive stepfather. For years, a world of his own has been his only refuge from the abuse. One day he discovers his deceased grandfather’s ramshackle cabin deep in the woods and convinces Dean to help him repair it.

Dean, who is still recovering from a failed suicide attempt, agrees to help Beck. He just wants to lead his life quietly, however, an unplanned pregnancy and threats from his former gang, the Howlers, hardly let him do so. Little by little, Dean’s actions and Beck’s shaky grip on reality propel both into the thick of things. Can they come out of it unscathed, or will it scar their lives forever? Read Sons of Slaughter by Brian McBride to find out.

China Basin by R.A. Niles – Review

China Basin by R.A. Niles

On a wintry foggy morning in San Fransisco in June 1950, when the bloated corpse of Carlo Steffano, a mob lawyer, rolls out of a cargo net, Inspector Andrew Johnson hardly feels any remorse for the dead man. However, what complicates matters further is the discovery of another corpse—that of Hector Arroyo—in the trunk of a nearby car. Arroyo is a drug mule and works for the Mexicans.

This piques the interest of Johnson and his partner, Camozzi, since the mob and the Mexicans are fierce competitors. Hence, it doesn’t make any sense for these two bodies to be discovered near each other.  Thus, starts a fateful investigation into these grisly murders, told in the first person from the perspective of Johnson, that plunges him neck-deep into the quagmire of drugs, brothels, and Communism in China.

Playing Dead by Monique Faison Ross – Review

Playing Dead by Monique Faison Ross

Rating – 4/5

Monique, the daughter of San Diego Charger’s football great Earl Faison, never imagined marrying her high school boyfriend would turn out to be the most horrible mistake of her life. She also hadn’t imagined she would survive this mistake to narrate her tale.

Playing Dead: A Memoir of Terror and Survival by Monique Faison Ross recounts the author’s experience of a nightmarish marriage that culminated in a brutally violent incident. Her relationship with Chris was unstable from the beginning, but it gradually turned abusive and denigrating.

True Freedom: How America came to fight Britain for its Independence by Michael Dean – Review

True Freedom: A Novel by Michael Dean

Rating – 4/5

Set in Boston and London and spanning sixteen years, True Freedom: How America came to fight Britain for its Independence by Michael Dean chronicles the events that led to the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783). Focusing on a few prominent characters, Dean provides the readers with an insider’s view into what shaped the revolution.