Review: Unbroken: Life Outside The Lines by Adriene Caldwell

 

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“Born into a military family bound by loyalty and silence, Adriene grows up beneath the shadow of her mother's untreated schizophrenia and violent instability. Her early years in Houston are marked by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as deep poverty and neglect. Through a child's eyes, the world becomes a labyrinth of danger and yearning - a place where love and terror are indistinguishable and where survival depends on invisibility.

As her mother's delusions intensify, Adriene and her younger brother are swept into a cycle of instability: temporary relatives' homes, decrepit apartments, shelters, and the bureaucratic indifference of Child Protective Services. Her life becomes a study in adaptation. Teachers, social workers, and therapists appear as both saviors and spectators, their well-meaning interventions undercut by a system that cannot see the full truth.

Amid this chaos, Adriene discovers a sanctuary in learning. Books become her escape and her mirror, a means of constructing identity from fragments. Her intelligence and resilience earn her entry into gifted programs and, later, a transformative scholarship through the Duke University Talent Identification Program's ADVANCE Camp - a rare space of belonging and recognition. Yet even moments of promise are shadowed by trauma's lingering grasp; her mind remains both brilliant and haunted.

Foster care, meant to save her, instead subjects Adriene to new forms of cruelty. The ‘Bitch from Hell,’ her abusive foster mother, wields authority with sadism cloaked in righteousness. Still, Adriene's intellect and adaptability allow her to navigate this world - and, in small acts of defiance, reclaim pieces of her agency.

College becomes both a milestone and a reckoning. Having survived the unimaginable, Adriene graduates with honors in International Business, only to find herself unprepared for the invisible toll of trauma in adulthood. Depression, self-sabotage, and a string of hollow relationships bring her to the brink of despair once more. The memoir crescendos with a raw confrontation of suicidality - and the awakening that follows.

In one of the book's most powerful sections, Adriene revisits her own CPS case files, psychiatric evaluations, and therapy notes. Reading herself through the cold lens of institutional language, she confronts the staggering disconnect between documented ‘stability’ and lived abuse. This duality - the official record versus the inner truth - forms the heart of Unbroken. The narrative closes with a reclamation: survival not as triumph over pain, but as the deliberate act of continuing to live and love despite it.”

Author:

“While her childhood and early adult life might have been tumultuous, Adriene is now happily married to a wonderful man and living a life she could only dream of when she was young. Adriene’s daughter, currently at university, was, is, and will always be a handful and Adriene wouldn’t have it any other way. She is blessed to now live a rather bland life filled with family and friends and is a firm believer in the idea that ‘boring is underrated.’”

Appraisal:

My normal take on memoirs is that they can work two ways. Some probably have aspects of both. One is to recognize aspects of myself or my own life experience in the story. Comparing, contrasting, and sometimes seeing your comparable experiences in a different light are some of the appeal of those that fall in this category. The other way it can go is for the life being chronicled to be nothing like yours. Sometimes that is too bad (like that person becoming a millionaire which you’re still shy of making) and sometimes you’re incredibly grateful that you haven’t gone through anything close to what this person has. For me this book is solidly in that last category and hopefully that’s the case for most of you.

I think understanding the kind of situations that some kids find themselves in, the difficulty they have and the ways government entities that are supposed to help when the issue is discovered can sometimes fall short are all things that are valuable for all of us to understand.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Quoting from the book:

“Trigger Warnings: Emotional and physical abuse, the sexual assault of a child, the drowning death of a child, extreme poverty, mental illness, homelessness, abusive foster care, pedophilia, graphic sexual descriptions, violence, bulimia, incest, death, and suicide.

Please proceed with caution.”

Format/Typo Issues:

The review is based on an ARC version (advance reviewer copy) and I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Reprise Review: Pocketful of Bones by Julie Frayn

 

Genre: Psychological Suspense

Description:

“Finnegan MacGillivray, red-haired, freckle-faced social pariah, finds solace in his mother's garden while she entertains ‘dates’ in his home. When an accident takes the life of a friend, Finnegan buries the evidence amid the purple dead nettle and bougainvillea, and unearths a treasure trove of human remains. Did his house rest atop an ancient burial ground? Or was there a killer tucking him into bed at night?

His fascination with bones grows as fast as his obsession with his mother. She rejects his advances, and he escapes to the other side of the country. Years later, he returns to his childhood home, to the secrets and the guilt and the bones -- and to fulfill his destiny.”

Author:

“Julie Frayn is a multi-award-winning Canadian author of novels and short stories that pack a punch. And a few stabs. She is fluent in three languages — English, sarcasm, and profanity. Although she didn't invent swearing, Julie wields it like the visionary vulgarian who threw the first f#(k out into a crowd. She writes psychological suspense filled with a lot of death, a bit of sex, and sprinkled with the F-word (sometimes… not so sprinkled). Her favourite pastime is murder night (translation: watching crime drama and drinking beer with her daughter). Her least favourite pastime is writing author bios (translation: author bios — yuck).”

Appraisal:

They say there are only so many stories and, at a high level, I understand they’re right (whoever they are). But it’s the added detail that makes or breaks a story and gives it its unique flavor. In the case of Pocketful of Bones, I’m sure it fits one of those high-level templates, but it has so much in the details that isn’t like anything I can remember reading before that I can’t imagine what pattern it might fit. It’s a strange story that has me liking and pulling for characters that I could easily find repulsive, yet don’t, even when they do things that are … we’ll call them “not good.” Bad is going too far. (Okay, maybe I’m trying to cover for them here.) But I understand why they do what they do. I’m sure you would too.

In case it isn’t apparent, I liked this book, both the characters and the strange, out-of-left-field life that they lead. If you like slightly offbeat stories and psychological suspense, you should too.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Did you read the author’s bio? Obviously if a swear word or 50 are going to be an issue for you, this isn’t your kind of book.

Canadian spelling. You can deal with an extra ‘u’ heure aund there, riught?

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low by Rob Miller

 

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“Rob Miller arrived in Chicago wanting to escape the music industry. In short order, he co-founded a trailblazing record label revered for its artist-first approach and punk take on country, roots, and so much else. Miller’s gonzo memoir follows a music fan’s odyssey through a singular account of Bloodshot Records, the Chicago scene, and thirty years as part of a community sustaining independent artists and businesses. Hilarious and hundred-proof, The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low delivers a warm-hearted yet clear-eyed account of loving and living music on the edge, in the trenches, and without apologies.”

Author:

Born and raised in the Detroit metro, Rob Miller eventually fled to Chicago, he thought to escape the music business he was involved with in Michigan. That didn’t exactly work out as he landed in Chicago and eventually got convinced to partner with a couple others to form Bloodshot Records, an independent record label.

Appraisal:

If you’re into music and the music business in any way, you’re likely to enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of Americana music (or if you prefer to call it “alternative country” or “insurgent country” as Bloodshot Records, the label cofounded by the author of this book, called it) that’s even more likely. I enjoyed this not only for the insight it gave me into the music business done with a love of music rather than a love of money being the primary motivation, but the author’s sense of humor kept me engaged even more. A great read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Fighting Words: Notes for a Future We Won't Have by Peg Tittle

 

Genre: Short Story Collection/Speculative Fiction

Description:

“Fact-driven speculative fiction.

What could've been. What should've been.

A collection of 18 stand-alone, but related, pieces”

Author:

Peg Tittle is the author of several novels, a few screenplays, and multiple non-fiction books as well as writing in other venues including a couple blogs and various publications.

Appraisal:

Each of the stories in this collection have something in common, whether showing how bad things could end up if we (as in the world in general, although focused on the US and Canada) continue with some of the current social and political trends that are engrained in our cultures. Think a dystopian world due to things like climate change that remains relatively unchecked and misogyny (yeah, I know “tough guy”, you don’t think it’s real, but people like you are a big part of the problem). Or wait, maybe if we make some big changes things could turn out okay. It depends on which story you read, but those changes are far from trivial. If you read this and it doesn’t get you thinking, pondering the issues that it illustrates, and recognizing some of the problems it is illuminating, then I don’t want to say you might be a big part of the problem, but …

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

A special note that while you’ll want to go to Amazon to get a paper version of the book, if you want an ebook version you can get that that for free from a link on this page on the author’s website: https://pegtittle.com/books/fighting-words

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Throwing the Hammer by Gary J. Kirchner

 

Genre: Literary Fiction/Humor

Description:

“Paranoid administrators, interdepartmental feuds, quirky staff members, and an eccentric headmaster: welcome to Winston Grant High School.

Mark Patterson has a master’s degree in physics, wants to do nothing more than surf and ski, and believes that high school teaching will be the cushy job of his dreams. He receives a rude awakening when he becomes a physics teacher at Winston Grant, a begrudging little brother amidst rival private school heavyweights.

From the outset, Mark must tiptoe through a virtual minefield of Procrustean rules, coddling parents, scheming colleagues, and, of course, teen-aged students.

Things don’t go well, inside or outside the classroom. His students call him Mr. Goofegg. His football team is pathetic. His lunch-table kids behave like Neanderthals. His teaching supervisor, aka the ‘education implementation strategist,’ criticizes him for using equations. His colleagues have even organized a betting pool for when he will get fired.

And when Mark discovers that a weak student in his class is a physics genius, he finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict between father and son, a conflict which could destroy the young man’s potential. Or help Mark find his.”

Author:

“Gary J. Kirchner studied physics at McGill University and did his Master’s work in sports biomechanics. He also played football with the McGill Redmen and continued as a coach with the team for many years after he graduated. In 1993 he was a recipient of Football Canada’s Gino Fracas Award.

Kirchner taught physics at several Montreal area high schools as well as at John Abbott College. In 2014 he was awarded La Mention d’honneur de l’Association québécoise de pédagogie collégiale for teaching excellence.

He is also a flute-player, amateur astronomer, and keeps physically active as an avid cross-country skier, curler, and triathlon participant.

Kirchner lives in Dorval, Quebec, with his Estonian wife Hille. He is the author of five novels.”

Appraisal:

This book is an interesting read. It’s funny at times, frustrating at others if you’re imagining yourself in the place of or at least feeling a minimal amount of empathy for the protagonist, and thought provoking as you consider the complications that our protagonist Mark has to work through. For various reasons Mark finds himself using his education to get a job as a physics teacher because someone has to support his wife and the baby on the way. If he had his way he’d be in Vancouver surfing in the summer and hitting the slopes in the winter. The frustrations, battles, and learning he experiences are humorous at times, but the messed up priorities of a private school, sometimes more concerned with keeping the tuition paying parents happy than actually helping the kids being taught, the internal battles between different cliques (talking other teachers here, not just the students), and all the other complications keep this interesting and engaging to the end. What that end was going to be, I was not sure what it was going to be until we got there, but I had to find out and I eventually did. (You’ll have to read it yourself if you want to know too.)

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses Canadian spelling conventions.

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Gates of Polished Horn by Mark A Rayner

 

Genre: Speculative fiction

Description:

This sort of fiction skips between science fiction and literary. The subjects are usually those that engage people who enjoy reading about real people in the real world, but there is a twist. Not as in crime fiction where (shock, horror!) the butler did not do it, but something … weird. In Britain TTA Press, run by Andy Cox, was the prime exponent of the genre in short form. That, sadly, ceased publication in the Noughties. But here is a whole collection of speculative stories. Yum yum.

Author:

Mark A. Rayner is a Canadian author of science fiction, satire and humour, from London, Ontario. His most recent books are The Gates of Polished Horn (Donovan Street Press, 2025.), Alpha Max (Monkeyjoy Press, 2021) and The Fatness (Monkeyjoy Press, 2017). The latter won and IndieReader Discovery award for humor and an Independent Book Publisher Association (IBPA) award for humor (silver). He has been nominated for the Prix Aurora Award (for short fiction) three times.

The Gates of Polished Horn was selected by the Toronto Star as one of its 20 favourite fiction books of 2025. ^[1]

Rayner teaches in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at The University of Western Ontario. He is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and is a founding member of The Emily Chesley Reading Circle. He is also the co-host of the Re-Creative podcast. And he has cats.

He has a Wikipedia page here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_A._Rayner#References where you can discover his other published works.

Appraisal:

The first thing to say is that this short story collection is first class. Even if you don’t usually read short fiction, you should really give this a try.

The title is found in a quotation from Homer’s Odyssey (book XIX):

“The dreams that pass through the gates of polished horn are fraught with truth, for the dreamer who can see them.” Are you that dreamer? I bet you are.

There are 20 stories in this collection. Some tiny, some much meatier. Here are a few thumb nails to whet your appetite: Socrates and time travel: worms and Adidas: a mind meld with a deer: celebrity cooking (a far cry from Master Chef): in the theatre, the essence of character vis à vis the height of your leading lady.

Each story has a dichotomy at its heart. Some of them simply investigate the human condition, with a penetrating eye. Others bring in outré elements.

I recommend this to you.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A very few missed proofing errors.

There is an odd tic throughout the book which is an underscore where one would usually expect a hyphen. Is it a badge of slipstream-ery? Or a trick of the file? Having just finished this book I am inclined to say that it means you shouldn’t try to explain _everything_.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Reprise Review: Dangerous Memories by Donna Fasano

 

Genre: Romance/Suspense/Psychological Thriller

Description:

“What kind of woman am I?

The question haunts Keira Rhodes when she awakens in the hospital with amnesia and learns that two men claim to be her baby’s father.

Logan claims he is her loving husband. Although Keira feels drawn to this quiet man, she senses that their marriage has been far from perfect. For Logan’s own brother, Kyle, staunchly maintains that Keira’s baby and her heart are his…

The truth lay hidden in Keira’s lost memory—and in the tender touch of one special man…”

Author:

“USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog.

Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #1...”

To learn more about Ms. Fasano, check out her website or stalk her on Facebook. “She loves to hear from readers.”

Appraisal:

I was enthralled with Keira Rhodes predicament. She awakens in the hospital with no memory of her life before her fall from Simon’s Point in this psychological thriller. The story is mainly told through Keira’s eyes with the exception of getting enough of Logan’s thoughts to complicate and intrigue the reader. Right along with Logan’s younger brother Kyle, who both claim to be her baby’s father. 

I found the dialog realistic as Keira tries to put the pieces of her life back together. Logan is soft spoken as he tries to help Keira by giving her space and time to remember her past with him. Where Kyle is more insistent that she and the baby are his. Keira is not sure who to trust, to make matters worse, they all live in the same large house.  All she can do is trust her own feelings while searching for something familiar that may jog a memory.

The plot has a nice pace. The tension rises as Logan and Kyle both share pieces of their past with Keira. Ms. Fasano’s descriptive prose puts the reader right in the middle of each scene to share the experience along with Keira as pieces of her life are revealed from each brother. I was sure the story was going to take a turn for the worse, which kept me reading late into the night.

I like character studies like this. They give me a lot to think about and the suspense gets my heartrate up. I enjoyed this story, it’s different from the other books I have read by Donna Fasano. “If you enjoy the Hallmark Mystery movies, you will love Dangerous Memories.”

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This is a clean romantic suspense with just the right amount of sexual heat.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: Tripping Over Your Cane by Jass Richards

 Genre: Humor

Description:

A humorous looks at the issues with aging.

Author:

“Jass Richards has, surprisingly enough (or not), a Master’s degree in Philosophy and for a (very) brief time was a stand-up comic (now she’s more of a sprawled-on-the-couch comic). Despite these attributes, she has received four Ontario Arts Council grants.”

She has several books written under this name as well as under a couple pen names.

Appraisal:

I’ve been known to say that “getting old sucks, the only thing worse is the alternative.” I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Jass Richards saying the same, not only because this book looks at aging and the pain in the … well, lots of body parts this causes, but does so in a humorous way that you old people out there could relate to (yeah, I’m looking at you, the balding grey-haired person reading this). This is a quick, fun read for you old people who can relate. You kids (yeah, the 48 year old, I’m talking to you), might still be amused, even though you won’t get some of it quite as well as those of us with more life experience.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Old people like me will be saying “language young lady, language” to the author as they’re reading. (Yes, I use those fucking words too, don’t tell on me.)

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Review: The Crushed Can by F.E. Beyer

 Genre: Literary Fiction

Description:

“Kurt and Reece don't fight the reputation foreign teachers have in China in 2002—they embrace it. Opium, brothels, and booze help them forget unsuccessful classes and long commutes.

When Reece abruptly leaves the country, Kurt takes over his apartment and inherits Ronghua—Reece’s ex-girlfriend.

Originally from Anhui Province, Ronghua once sold cigarettes on a Shanghai street and is now an unlucky gambler. As her problems spiral, Kurt senses a chance to redeem his own failures through helping her. Or should he jettison her to avoid sinking?”

Author:

” F.E. Beyer writes about dead-end jobs, travel, history, and crime. He is the author of three novels. His articles and reviews have appeared in the South China Morning Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Inside Indonesia, and Travelogues Magazine.”

Appraisal:

The premise of this book, a teacher from Australia is living in China and teaching English there is an interesting one. How realistic the culture and things he goes through are, I have no idea. It may be very accurate and it may have no relationship to the reality someone in this situation would experience. But either way it’s an interesting thought exercise as Kurt works his way through the things he encounters and tries to figure things out in a culture that he’s trying to figure out on the fly. If you’ve ever spent time in a foreign country, especially if that involved trying to communicate in a language you aren’t experienced in or depending on others to understand your foreign (to them) language, you’ll probably flash back on that a time or two. All in all an interesting read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and some relatively minor references to adult subjects.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Review: Shot For Justice by J.R. Wheeless

 

Genre: Suspense/Mystery

Description:

“After rival gangs kill his sister during a gun battle, an Army sniper returns home for revenge.

Travel with him as he makes his way across the nation to visit a wife of a fallen comrade before settling into his hometown of Modesto, CA. Along the way, his journey forces him to examine his own life and the past he thought he’d left behind.

Before he can get settled in, he meets Henry Clay Jackson, a retired lawman with ideas of his own. Then there’s the young lady and her son, who have an influence on his life. The only thing standing between him and happiness is a husband with a violent personality.

From the beginning, Detectives Peterson and Dempsey become a concern for our hero, a man determined to make someone pay for his sister’s death. As the bodies pile up, additional problems arise to slow him down. And his old partner from his army days arrives with issues of his own.

Will the man who is out for justice succeed in his quest? Can he deliver retribution?

Does he ever quench the anger that pierces his soul? Can he stay a step ahead of the detectives who are intent on putting him behind bars, all the while carrying out the plan he has laid out for himself?

And how does he handle the situation with the woman who comes into his life without getting her tangled up in his problems?

Dealing with his past and the obstacles determined to thwart his plans, our army veteran attempts to establish a new life for himself, only to face adversity at every turn.”

Author:

A writer all his life, J.R. Wheeless was writing a weekly column for his local newspaper as a high school senior. His writing was more personal for a lot of years, journals he kept for himself and such, but in 2015 he published his first book and he has had several since then, some fiction, some non-fiction, some novels, some short story collections.

Appraisal:

As I was pondering this book one thing that struck me is how in a story like this it is possible for the reader to get behind and be pulling for a protagonist who could accurately be described as a mass murderer. As law enforcement is looking for him, trying to figure out who is doing this to arrest them, he’s doing his best to prevent that from happening and figure out who killed his sister, his ultimate target. As a reader, we’re pulling for him to meet his goal. Sometimes a “bad guy” by most definitions can still be a good guy. What the ultimate conclusion is, I’m not saying, other than to wonder if he’s done now or if there is more to come.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words