“Caught Between Worlds is a fantastic story set in Iraq in 1980 about a kidnapping—except instead of a kid, it’s his father who is taken hostage when war breaks out with Iran. Tom O’Hara’s father is taken by armed militants shortly after they move to Baghdad. Grieving the loss of his mother a year ago, Tom relies on his memories of her, an anthropology professor,… [Read More]
Denouement – noun The final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work (Merriam-Webster) The outcome of a complex sequence of events (Merriam-Webster) The end of a story, in which everything is explained, or the end result of a situation (Cambridge) “The denouement is the final outcome of the story, generally occurring after the climax of the plot. Often it’s where all the… [Read More]
In a recent article published by The Good Men Project, David Madden decodes the military jargon “battle space” as the killing fields and suggests the military rhetoric provides a pretext for delaying or cancelling the November election. “It is not enough that the Trump government bungled the pandemic and directly caused the deaths of over a hundred thousand Americans. It is not enough that the… [Read More]
After the unexpected loss of a loved one, it is difficult to know where to turn for help and what to do next, and healing can feel like something out of reach. The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: Seven Essential Practices for Healing Grief by Chelsea Hanson provides an indispensable road map to aid those who’ve experienced a life-changing loss. While you cannot control losing a… [Read More]
Looking for something new to read? Pick up Doing Time, a timely, thought-provoking tale by Wisconsin author Christopher Kunz. Sentenced to the future by the Wisconsin Experimental Prison, identity thief Mike Newhouse is dropped into Eau Claire in 2151, a city transformed by past plagues into a sustainable, zero-growth, and highly connected society. Spied on by the men who launched his 131-year leap, Mike unwittingly… [Read More]
You may think of comics as panels in a newspaper or as physical serialized issues featuring superheroes, but today, a new trend has taken hold in the form of Webtoons. While the concept of online comics is not a new thing, one comic app in particular is transforming the way readers consume this content. Launched in South Korea in 2004, LINE Webtoon features full-color comics… [Read More]
A former television producer and college professor, Dr. Jean Raffa changed directions in midlife to discover and write about her passions. Informed by over 30 years of psychological and spiritual study, her books and teachings guide others to growth and self-empowerment. To be released in October 2020, her newest book, The Soul’s Twins, is about reconciling differences between masculine and feminine, overcoming oppositional conflicts, and… [Read More]
By Ann Marie Ackermann When the director pointed out a plot hole in my movie script, I winced. We were walking through the old section of a German town, scouting possible shooting locations, and she was trying to imagine the film, scene for scene. “If you don’t put the murderer and victim together right away,” she said, “the audience won’t figure out their connection. We… [Read More]
Taking a girl’s voice is the same as taking her power. Petals of Rain: A Mother’s Memoir by Rica Keenum is a memoir about love and loss, secrets and lies. When a young girl from a broken family meets a charming man, she attempts to build a new life. But after a whirlwind marriage and the birth of two sons, their love story rips apart… [Read More]
As gift-giving season draws closer, publishers look to retailers to stock up for the holidays, but this season, one of the largest retailers, Amazon, decided to drastically cut book orders to publishers. The cuts are due to space issues in Amazon’s warehouses as they make room for “bigger-ticket items for Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” Publisher’s Weekly suggests. This choice to cut orders has a… [Read More]
