Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith, Karla Crome (Narrator)

4 out of 5 stars  *****

This book is an episode of Fantasy Science Fiction Dystopia, a world in the throes of war. The characters are mundane or magical but their problems are curiously human. This is not a children's book but an explicit story where mixed breeds struggle to survive using sex and loyalties as tools for status.

This short narrative changes when the protagonist's relationships and popularity create a good life for her. She becomes renowned as a gifted poet inspired by her muse, another female fae. The greater her success, becoming the Poet Laureate of the kingdom, the greater her temptation to seduction that leads to an interlude with the princess of the realm.

The beginning of the end starts with this disloyalty and eventually leads to her escaping, alone, on a ship to avoid the superior army of men and their allies from a nearby kingdom. Her muse is left behind who has another love interest, a man this time, in her life. Obviously, there is more to follow.

The Shotgun Lawyer by Victor Methos (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars  ***

I listen to something different for a change, The Shotgun Lawyer, by Victor Methos. Ten chapters in, a street savvy lawyer who is attractive enough to manipulate girlfriends of boyfriends on trial maintains an image of control but his actual life is miserable. He calls off a wedding to the woman he actually loves and is father to a son that makes him feel guilty for not being present enough in his life. He drives around in an unflattering used car. His past mistakes humble him but he does not want that known because he views it as a weakness in his lawyer life.

By chapter 27, the protagonist's self image wavers when he shows compassion for a grieving mother whose child is victim to a senseless mass shooting by a disturbed individual. He champions the mother's cause of suing the gun manufacturers. This exposes the lawyer's Liberal beliefs, and possibly the author's, as the motive for writing this narrative.  It leans toward righting a perceived wrong concerning the second amendment. That view differs from mine but that does not mean I am angry or judgmental of his cause. Tolerance must apply on such heated arguments. The protagonist is passionately frustrated as he encounters a wall of law that protects owners, retailers, and manufacturers of guns.

As this lawyer takes the case he is accompanied by the lady he left at the alter because she is attracted to the cause. His pursuit of all angles in the case brings him to a discovery that I can agree. The way any gun gets into the hands of felons who then commit horrendous acts of murder is a major component of the problem. It is through the greed of those who buy guns on sale and sell them to felons for a profit who are just as responsible for the murders, not the guns, themselves. However, the mother gets her chance in court to tell the defendants what pain she lives with everyday because of the easy access to such guns. This sends a ripple in educating society to the danger of easy access to guns and the willingness of those who sell as many guns to anyone for profit. The novel ends this way but not before the protagonist makes amends with the love of his life, patches up matters with his son, and goes into practice with she who he once jilted.

The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Krauthammer (editor)

5 stars out of 5  *****

Editor, Daniel Krauthammer, writes a touching testimonial to his dad in the Introduction. It is a pleasure to read the beautiful, thoughtful prose of Charles Krauthammer in this collection of his articles. One can read a few pages at a time because each article is about something different than the last making each reading complete for those few pages. The articles are not in chronological order which makes them fresh and interesting. Charles covers a wide variety of topics. One realizes how accurate, upon review, Charles's opinions are about events. This enjoyable read introduces readers to the smart, logical sensitivity of this author.

Drums of Autumn (Outlander, #4) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars  *****

Gabaldon's epic romance picks up a few more protagonists and thrills readers with her superb writing in Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4). The different setting also provides a new corps of antagonists with one rising to infamy. Diana's flair for blending adventure with history, fantasy with thoroughly researched authenticity makes her one of the world's favorite authors.

Jamie and Claire are still the major characters but the Outlander series shares the focus with their daughter, Bree, and her husband, Roger, who are thrust into a reality centuries old. Every opportunity seems to twist good intentions into dramatic misunderstandings. As such, this tale thrives on archaic customs clashing with urgent impatience. The familiar becomes strange as humanity expresses its gamut of feelings in a beautiful, harsh hope that love is enough.

Love is the overriding theme throughout these novels. It intertwines well with visual descriptions of scenery, time, character traits, and actual cultures. Style engages readers with a concrete world of fictional abstract romance; a joyful journey with its fair share of angst in the environment of entertaining literature. 

The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger

5 out of 5 stars  *****

I learn something immediately about James Monroe on the first few pages of this biography. I am a better student of history having read Unger's brilliant research and presentation. I have a deep respect for this last founding father of the greatest nation ever founded. James Monroe is so essential for America's success in his early years through his last. Men of outstanding character and integrity are true role models worthy of emulation. James is honored throughout the world as such a man. I am not surprised to learn what a devout man of God he is but one who did not use his Christianity as a political tool to lazily rationale his actions. Here is a man who has a tall stature, like George Washington, who commands a room full of dignitaries because of his intelligence, insight, courage, convictions, and behavior. Unger does not only focus on James but on his immediate family, relatives, and broad range of friends. Much of the American heritage I read attributes the men who came before Monroe for many of the accomplishments that James plays an integral part in either forming or finalizing. He helps usher in a time of burgeoning prosperity that strengthens the young United States of America but always with difficulty and hardship. He endures for duty's sake being his best for God, family, and country. He is truly an American hero deserving of the title, "Great." 

Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars  *****

The third book in the Outlander series, Voyager, is just as fresh as the first two because new characters arise while old ones emerge by, what seems, magnetic attraction of time travellers to their acquaintances. The environment changes from land to sea for most of this thrilling adventure. Gabaldon does a great job capturing the dangers associated with this form of expedition since crossing the Atlantic from Scotland to the New World means gambling with one's life. Of course, Claire and Jamie encounter natural and manmade obstacles that separate them - what's new - so their love for each other can strengthen in their heroic efforts to reunite by sheer willpower. These likable protagonists interact with the worst conditions while maintaining a hope that can only exist with a faith that their history together demonstrates. The author handles every twist in the plot with a clever rationale that causes old and new to mesh in climactic fashion.

The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions by David Berlinski, Dennis Holland (Narrator)

5 out of 5 stars  *****

David Berlinski challenges every conclusion in every field of Science for the sake of truth. For example, Science versus Religion and the argument of God's existence. Logic and reasoning are his tools and truth is his standard. Creation, random or intelligent design; the universe or multiple universes; singularities, the Big Bang Theory; String Theory, quantum physics; Richard Dawkins (Atheist), Steven Pinker (How the Mind Works), and their salient points, are just a few of the many topics upon which this author can speak. He does so with style, respect, and humor making this book a cerebral delight.