Reviewed by Heather Osborne for Readers' Favorite

Lunch with Charlotte by Leon Berger is the biographical memoir of Charlotte Urban, born Liselotte Goldberger. Miss Goldberger was born in Vienna at the end of World War One to parents Jakob and Franzi Goldberger. Jakob had met Franzi when she was only fifteen and fell completely in love with the auburn-haired beauty. They married when she was only eighteen, Franzi finding herself pregnant with Charlotte shortly thereafter. Struggling in post-war Austria, Jakob traveled for a living, selling various goods. Franzi very often was left alone with Charlotte. After the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria by Germany, Jakob finds himself trapped outside the country as the borders close. Desperate to get his family out, Jakob flees Europe for England and his brother’s home. In the end, he is only able to get Charlotte out via the kindertransport, lying about his daughter’s age. Charlotte finds herself uprooted to a strange country, struggling with the customs and coping with the war-torn world.

Mr. Berger transcribes a very emotional interpretation of the events of Mrs. Urban’s life. Unlike most memoirs of the time, Berger gives us the view of the rest of the world looking in on Nazi Germany. I was moved by Mrs. Urban’s ability to adapt to every situation thrown her way. Her life was not easy and continued to be a challenge. I shed tears at the end, my heart going out to the woman who merely wanted to find a place of belonging. With so much taken from her, Charlotte persevered. Lunch with Charlotte is an inspiring tale and very well worth a read for anyone interested in memoirs from the World War Two time period.

Reviewed by Michelle Randall for Readers' Favorite

Over a kitchen table in 1969, in a small apartment in Los Angeles, two best friends were talking of forming their own gang. One that would become one of the most widely known and feared gangs of the modern era, the Crips. Only the three men in that room, the two founders, both now dead, and the youngest brother of one of them would ever know the true story of the name and the man, until now. I Am Raymond Washington by Zach Fortier and Derard Barton is the story of growing up in the streets of Los Angeles, where it was common to get up every morning and walk a couple blocks to the corner where the local Black Panthers were giving out free breakfast to the kids. Raymond turned twelve the week of the Watts Riots, and was able to watch them from his apartment, although he is said to have been out in the violence. He would grow up seeing things that would be unbelievable to someone growing up in a different type of neighborhood, and it all influenced the formation of the Crips. Zach Fortier, with the help of Derard Barton, Raymond's younger brother, tells the story of Raymond's life in a non-judgmental way so as to give you a glimpse into the why and how, and let you, the reader, decide what is right, wrong and just somewhere in between.

I Am Raymond Washington should be read by everyone, no matter what you know or feel about the Crips or gangs. I found historical incidents that occurred that would influence Raymond's views of the police, and that of all the residents of the Watts, Compton and South LA area that I had never even heard of before. Zach Fortier, as a former police officer involved in gang crime, admits in the writing that even he was shocked to learn of some of the behavior and incidents that occurred that would shape Raymond's views of the world. Derard Barton, Raymond's brother helping with the telling of this biography, lends a human side to Raymond, not just the tough, ruthless, powerful street thug leader of the notorious Crips. Even if this is something you never think you would read, pick it up, give it a chance; it might just enlighten you in a way you never imagined.

Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

Christopher Madsen did not imagine that he would write a book but circumstances find him as the new owner of a sailboat that has seen glorious days and this will change his life in a way that he never imagined. Rowdy is the story of a sailboat juxtaposed with that of its original owner, Colonel Holland Sackett Duell, who fought in World War I as a major with the 306th Field Artillery, 77th Division, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Croix de Guerre, and the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in combat.

A distinguished personality, Colonel Holland Sackett Duell married Mabel Halliwell, daughter to one of the richest men in New York. The opulent lifestyle they enjoyed in their 20,000 square foot mansion Ardenwold exploded in 1924 when it was revealed that for the past six years a secret love affair had been thriving between Holland and Mabel’s first cousin Emilie Brown. A week after his divorce Holland and Emilie married, and remained deeply in love until his death in 1942. A distinguished sailor, Holland Sackett Duell owned Rowdy for more than two decades. This is their story.

Rowdy by Christopher Madsen is a creative non-fiction story that started with the author acquiring a sailboat of the same name, originally owned by American lawyer, US Army officer and New York politician Holland Sackett Duell. This acquisition ignited a quest to find out everything about the 1916 NYYC yacht Rowdy and its previous owner. Well researched and very informative, this book is a work that spanned many years and it shows in the final product. Both subjects certainly have compelling stories to tell and it is interesting to note that in the author's process of rehabilitating Rowdy, Holland Sackett Duell seems to come back to life through this book as well. Thanks go to the author and the cooperation of Duell’s numerous relatives, especially his 93-year-old daughter Hanny, who, at the time of the book’s writing, was his only surviving child. This is a gem of a book!

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

More than 100 years after their births, the road to Happy Trails still begins with Dale Evans, The Queen of the West, and Roy Rogers, The King of the Cowboys. What a tribute to this legendary couple of all times. “Spending summers working at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans museum brought an unexpected pleasure,” says Dustin Rogers, grandson of Roy and Dale. Dustin goes on to say, “I got to personally hear the fans talk about how their lives were impacted by the two people I called Grandpa and Grandma.” In Volume II, The Touch of Roy and Dale, Tricia Spencer recalls the impact Roy and Dale had on the lives of their fans. Their fans were more like an extended family of millions.

I didn’t think Ms. Spencer could top Volume One of The Touch of Roy and Dale, but Volume II is even more special because it tells more of the influence this very special couple had on the lives of their many fans. As I read the letters of fans in this book, I was touched by the heartwarming relationship Roy and Dale had with these fans. Their extended love clearly shows in what the fans say, as well as what members of their family have witnessed. This book is full of even more pictures, loads of information about Roy and Dale, film billboards, and so, so much more. You will just have to purchase a copy of this book for yourself to see what is included. I highly recommend The Touch of Roy and Dale Volume Two, and you can’t have this book unless you have The Touch of Roy and Dale Volume One. These are truly the best two books I have ever read about real-life people!!

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

The Touch of Roy and Dale is the story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Tricia Spencer recalls the impact and influence of Roy and Dale as only their fans and family could tell it. Included in this wonderful book are never before seen photos, art, poetry and songs, along with letters of fan mail, and a wealth of information about this awesome couple. There is so much more in this book that you just need to check it out for yourself!

One sentence I read in this book says that Roy Rogers and Dale Evans touched lives, and their legacy lives on, and this is so true for those of us who remember them. I wanted to read The Touch of Roy and Dale to remember those early years of my life and the excitement as my parents talked about them, and always listened and watched as they were on television and radio. They were a household name that I will never forget. This book is so very interesting. Ms. Spencer goes into details about their lives, and the mountains of fan mail they received. And back in the day it was snail mail, not email, so you can imagine! I especially enjoyed hearing their children remembering their mom and dad, and the life they lived while growing up in their home. If you are fans of this Happy Trails couple, I really want to encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. There are just not enough words to tell you the wonders of this precious book!

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.