Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

The King of Casinos – Willie Martello and the El Rey Club is the story of how one small casino became the blueprint for thousands of others. Andy Martello came across one photograph that prompted him to look into the history of the El Rey Club, of how it was built up and then destroyed in 1962 by a terrific fire. That one photo brought to life a story that is colourful. That one photo uncovered buried facts and gave the El Rey Club its place in history. For fifty years after the fire that destroyed it the Club was known as a small time brothel, nothing more. Andy Martello brings us the truth about how Willie Martello built up the Club, of how he stepped on the toes of the Las Vegas Mob and of how his little club kick started Francis Ford Coppola’s career. The El Rey Club was so much more than it was thought to be and the only place you will find the truth is between the covers of this book.

The King of Casinos had me laughing out loud in places. Andy Martello has a real storyteller’s gift, a way with words that makes a reader want to be there in the thick of his story. The photographs were a fantastic addition to the book, priceless, and helping to tell the real story of the club. I couldn’t put the book down and I guarantee that anybody who picks up this book will feel the same. Once you start, you won’t want to stop until the very end. Great book, a fantastic piece of history brought to life.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

Enrique Tomás Delgado, better known as Henry Darrow, is a Puerto Rican-American actor best remembered for his role as Manolito Montoya in the 1960s television series The High Chaparral. He also played Don Alejandro de la Vega in the popular 1990s television series Zorro, the first Latino to portray the iconic role. He is the first Latino to win a Daytime Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in the TV soap opera Santa Barbara in 1990. In 2012, he received the prestigious ALMA award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). Co-authored by Jan Pippins and with an introduction by Luis I. Reyes, Henry Darrow: Lightning in the Bottle is a fascinating biography of this talented actor who was greatly instrumental in helping Latino actors land non-stereotyped parts.

First of all, I am absolutely delighted to find a biography of the famous “Manolito Montoya.” Henry Darrow may not be familiar to some of today’s generation, but to those who have known him since High Chaparral (1967 to 1971), an American Western-themed television series which also starred Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell, he was and still is a prolific Puerto Rican-American actor. Henry Darrow: Lightning in the Bottle is a nostalgic and gripping look at Hollywood in the '60s. Darrow is a perfect subject as someone who presents Latino actors as forces to be reckoned with. The writing of this biography leans more towards a journalistic style which resonates with honesty, wittiness, and even Darrow’s struggles in the entertainment industry. Inspiring and an absolute joy to read, I highly recommend this to all my fellow readers.

Reviewed by Deepak Menon for Readers' Favorite

Before writing another word, I must proclaim that, in writing this biographical play, Nigel Patten has exceeded himself by writing a classic which is a “true mirror of the times”! 5 STARS!! In the play the playwright describes the events that take place in the spring of 1822 when the 32 year old poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, his 27 year old second wife, Mary, and her half-sister Claire rent a dilapidated villa off the Tuscany coast, just before Shelley's death. Shelley, the eccentric genius, is described in detail, both in the build up narrative as well as during dialogues, painstakingly quoted or derived from monumental research by the playwright. Shelley's delicate, negligent disheveled appearance, his engaging personality, intellectuality, a childish simplicity coupled with great refinement, his vehement manner and the spasms in his side and chest, reveal the paradox that was Shelley. He manifests a persecution complex at times verging on insanity, suffers anxiety symptoms, depressions, and paranoid fears. Mary, increasingly withdrawing from life because of the deaths of several children, still lives with love for Shelley untainted. She understands Shelley and is disquieted by him, a shadow of his former self. Shelley, true to his theories of free love, is sexually intimate with both Mary and Claire who love him and had vowed to share him with each other.

The play has fascinating interplay between Mary and Claire, who also had a child fathered by Lord Byron. The dialogue of the play is powerful and thought provoking. Shelley says: “I detest all society, almost all at least, and Lord Byron is the nucleus of all that is hateful and tiresome in it.” The play opens up myriad other unknown aspects of Shelley's character. Influenced by redoubtable people ranging from Plutarch to Blake, and despite being a professed atheist, he is paradoxically attracted to Jesus, whom he describes as a nonconformist. Shelley detests the monarchy and the Church, both of which he feels violate the most sacred ties of nature and society. Conversely, he exhibits many gracious attributes, by even giving praise to Byron.

Perhaps the Shelley we get to know in the play is best described by Mary herself in a dialogue after his death in a boat accident: “Percy would save anything that had life. His integrity and sweetness of disposition are unequaled by any human being that ever existed!” I recommend this play as a “Must Read” in its genre.

Reviewed by Carol Thompson for Readers' Favorite

David Koop had it all: a storied business career, beautiful son, and prospects as far as the eye could see. Then a surprise cancer diagnosis turned his life upside down. It was osteo sarcoma - a form of bone cancer - and it was growing on his spine. Doctors told him to get his affairs in order. More than three years later, Koop continues to beat the odds. This is not an ordinary book about beating cancer. It is a book of hope and enduring love. Koop engages the reader immediately and it is hard to put the book down, even for a small break. The author takes the reader on his journey through life, both with cancer and without. The book begins with life before cancer - a failed marriage, the birth of his son Christopher and his business ventures. Koop is quick to have readers identify with him and he is able to maintain the connection throughout the book, leaving the reader to feel as if they are having a living room chat with him. The second part of the book deals with the cancer and the subsequent treatments.

Throughout the book, Koop introduces the reader to his sense of humor, love for his son and love of his second wife. What really makes the book special is a chapter written by his wife, Carrie. Both David and Carrie write about how they met and both make you feel as if you went on their first date with them. This book is an excellent read and one that I highly recommend. If you are looking for the same old survivor story, you won't find it here.

Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite

"In Search of my Soul" by Lucy Pignataro is a book that has the author sharing her life story with the reader in the hope that others will be encouraged to bring forth their own gifts and wisdom. Lucy Pignataro is a counselor, life coach and a Reiki therapist who is always looking for the best in herself and in others. Using the skills she has she always looks to help others find the way they need to aspire to a better way of living. Lucy is a wife and a mother and finds that these roles are a great source of joy for her. Through her skills and stories she hopes to help others find that same happiness.

I really enjoyed this book. While it is a book that shares the author's life story, it really does offer great advice. The lessons that she gives you if you take them to heart are truly inspiring and will help you find a new path in your way of thinking. There have been several instances in my life lately that have had me thinking negatively and thanks to the lessons I learned in this book I think I can adjust my thinking on that. No one is ever going to have a stress free or always positive life, but how you deal with situations, I think, is what really shows the character in you. If you are looking for a positive uplifting book that will really give you solid advice, that can be used every day. This is a good choice for you in that respect. I think anyone can take some lessons away from this book and be happy with them.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Tami Goldstein has written "Coming Through the Fog" for readers everywhere as an informational, in-depth look at what parents of a child diagnosed with Autism should know. "Coming Through the Fog" also tells what they should do to get help for their child, and if they don't get help, where to look further for assistance. Tami's daughter Heather reached the age of twelve before anyone realized that she had Autism even though she lost weight and after school headed for a cubbyhole area in her closet where she'd rock back and forth, shake, tremble, and cry. Tami went to pediatricians for help with Heather and was told she was a bad parent and that there was nothing wrong with Heather. Tami read, telephoned, networked, searched for support groups and found finally that Heather had what's called Sensory Processing Disorder. How would Tami and Heather proceed?

"Coming Through the Fog" is an in-depth, valuable and quite serious book on how parents or caregivers should proceed, how they should network when they receive a diagnosis of any of the Autism spectrum such as Asperger's, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or ADHD. Tami Goldstein is certified in CranioSacral Therapy and specializes in the Autism Spectrum and Sensory Processing Disorders and is knowledgeable in the information and tips that she provides. The appendixes at the end are invaluable as are the books and lists of social networking resources. "Coming Through the Fog" should be available everywhere. Buy a copy and leave it behind at school, at the doctor's, anywhere someone might pick it up, read it, and change a life. As the author writes on page 95, "If you can find the right supports at the right time, you can achieve a degree of Functional Recovery."

Reviewed by Gayani Hathurusingha for Readers' Favorite

What are the dreams of a man who was once an orphan, deprived of all the good things of life? "Prickle in a Dream" by Paul Masembe adds vibrant colors to this highly emotional theme: the plight of an orphan in a very hostile social context. Set in a rural African setting, the book unfolds the dogmas, deeply etched in the conscience of the narrator's fellow men, leading to intense suffering concerning the narrator, from his childhood to adulthood. Written in the first person point of view, the plot adopts the tone of a confession: the adult narrator, reconsidering his childhood memories. The book is in the form of a bildungsroman, as it unfolds the subtle realities of the protagonist's struggle through diversified absurdities of life. A progressive but helpless mother and a stereotypically adverse father continuously impose their impact on Masembe (Mase) since the earliest memory he has about his own life.

The novel takes the reader to a world which is fit to be called primitive, because mere existence itself was a struggle there. While existence was a struggle, people had to declare war against all absurdities, to meet their basic needs. The novel explores the emotionally disturbing plight of a child, drawn into the whirlpool of life, even before he was strong enough for the battle. The biography is motivational in its approach to the situations that the writer identifies as common in certain social contexts, even in the present days. Apparently, Paul Masembe intends to educate and strengthen the next generations of Africa, against what the society has in store for them.

Reviewed by Lela Buchanan for Readers' Favorite

Mary Albanese peels back the outer layers of her life to share an incredible journey of resilience, hardship, education, and self-discovery in her wonderful memoir "Midnight Sun Arctic Moon." Albanese is no ordinary young lady. She applies for a teaching position in Alaska, but when nothing is offered she detours into the graduate Geology program instead, beginning ten years of experiences beyond most of our wildest imaginations. Besides earning her degree, working in her chosen field, meeting her lifetime companion, and suffering the emotional ups and downs of daily life, Albanese climbed mountains, lived in the most rudimentary circumstances, faced bears, earned a black belt in karate, dabbled in dog-sledding, ran for a local government position and conducted the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra one season among various other diversions!

"Midnight sun Arctic Moon" is a delightful, inspiring, well-written and fast-paced read. Although there is heartbreak in this memoir, Albanese does not let it paralyze her forever. She embraces all of her life experiences wholeheartedly. Her memoir profiles a woman of courage, stubbornness, grit, and pride. She tackles life in Alaska, with an inner determination to not only survive but also to achieve in an area and time not woman-friendly. And she does it with grace and an indomitable spirit. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read an honest life story of someone who faced life's obstacles and challenges and never gave up. I greatly enjoyed reading about her journey.

Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite

A Doctor's Journey by Fredric Mendelsohn, M.D. is a delightful read for those who crave to view medicine as a humanistic profession. Dr. Mendelsohn takes us through a brief autobiographical journey in which his musical background will eventually play a large role in the type and administration of his medical practice. He gives the reader glimpses of miraculous cures, conversion disorders, real-life medical drama and insight into the correlation of music and imagination to the practice of medicine.

The author makes a welcome and clear distinction between the physician's ability to hear his patients and to truly understand those same patients. He makes a wonderful argument for the neuroplasticy of people who adapt to situations and use their imaginations to intervene in cases which may seem hopeless.

This book has stories that appeal to most readers. There is a boy injured in a boating accident who is faced with forgiveness of a friend. There is a 10-year-old child faced with a terminal brain tumor who later has a miraculous recovery. There are stories of infidelity and indifference by medical community staff members. And then, there is an epileptic patient who defies all odds because of the belief and support of family and friends.

Being a health care professional myself, this was a refreshing and much-needed book for laypersons who feel their five minute allotted time with the primary care physician is barely enough for a respectful "hello."

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Frank Pais, whose parents were born in Spain but moved to Cuba, was the leader of the 26th of July Movement. Only twenty-two when he was killed by police on July 30, 1957, Pais and this movement were front and foremost in leading the Cuban revolutionaries of the 1950's who fought against inequality and for Cuba to be free, just and prosperous for all. Now, that movement in history books tells of Fidel Castro's leadership but it was Frank Pais, the young school teacher, who gave up teaching to lead Cuba out from under dictatorship. Frank had two younger brothers, Agustin who is still living and Josue who was killed just before Frank in 1957. The three brothers were true patriots, excellent students and loving sons to their loyal mother. Frank and his brothers saw that Cuba, an agricultural society, had a land tenure system that was unjust while Havana was a haven for Mafia controlled gambling and bordellos. Frank and his brothers, his friends and allies took to the streets of Santiago de Cuba, the capital of Cuba's most eastern province, Oriente, to fight the corruption that was Cuba back then. And the legend of Frank Pais began with those early urban guerilla tactics.

"Frank Pais: Architect of Cuba's Betrayed Revolution" is a highly well-written and descriptive narrative of Frank Pais's short but extremely effective life. With an excellent bibliography, index and table of contents, along with maps and a pictural section, author Jose Alvarez documents clearly how Frank Pais's life and influence have been overlooked, perhaps on purpose, in documenting those years when Fidel Castro overthrew Batista's dictatorship and brought communism to Cuba. Author Alvarez clearly shows how Pais followed the philosophy of Cuban great, Jose Marti, in rebelling against the inequality that existed in Cuba back then. "Frank Pais" is a book for thinkers everywhere.