Ivory Bones (The Lewis Chessman Murders) by Sara Winokur
“The leather-bound book was tucked beneath a jumble of bones with no explanatory note as to what Bryna Palsdottir should make of it. Unusual, yes, but she had seen stranger things as chief of forensics at Legacy Genetics. The sturdy box had arrived at her office unmarked; the only clue to its origin was an old street map of New Amsterdam buried inside.”
Sara Winokour is a geneticist, researcher, and author of the award-winning novel called Double Blind: the Icelandic manuscript murders. Her thrillers combine forensic science with history and cultural intrigue. Sara lives in southern California and has visited dozens of countries around the world.
But what about this book? It is all about ancient chess pieces, a centuries-old diary, and a modern killer closing in. Oh, and Iceland.
So, what are the Lewis Chessmen, as referenced in the title? They are real. The chess pieces are from the 12th century and are mostly carved from walrus ivory. Her books are available from Briarstone Press, or contact the author through .
Charity Trickett Is Not So Glamourous by Christine Stringer
“That's a wrap, everybody, announces the first assistant director. I grab a call sheet from him, eager to see if my little plan will work. Call time: 11.00 a.m. Perfect. I have a solid twelve hours before I need to be at work again. A tingle rushes through my spine – I am that excited. I shove the call sheet and my walkie-talkie into my JanSport backpack and bolt from set. If I hurry, I can make it to Duke's place in the city and back in time for work tomorrow. It will be a lot of driving for a short visit, but it will be worth it.”
Guess what – the plan doesn't work.
And this is how we meet up with Charity Trickett. It is 1997. She has moved to Hollywood to work on a giant movie project. Her dreams of making it big in the motion picture industry are starry-eyed and glittery. But things don't go as planned. Do they ever? Soon, Charity is threatened by mean co-workers, a back account that is shrinking by the day, love gone wrong ( as usual) and an FBI investigation that could land our dear Charity in the big house.
Christine Stringer has a BFA from the University of Victoria, and she likes to write stories based on her film career, love life, and general mishaps. She lives in Vancouver, B.C., with her husband and two children. They have all banned her from singing in the car.
Our copy of this delightful novel reached our desk wrapped in a lovely pink ribbon and bow. Even I, your gritty, backwoods book reviewer, was smitten.
Charity Trickett Is Not So Glamourous by Christine Stringer is from She Writes Press, in association with Spark Press, which can be reached by clicking on . You can contact the author at : [email protected] .
What To Feel How To Feel by Shane Neilson
“Rub my father's burnt particulates between thumb and forefinger, or let go? With the bluest sky staring down onto a grass-green bridge overhanging the wide Wolastog, I resolved to live the rest of my life extending compassion to those oppressed by stigma. Then the ashes were taken by the wind – I do not know if they landed where my father wanted, the river he claimed to love. All my life, I could never be sure he loved a single thing, even himself.”
Shane Neilson has presented to us a book in lyric/essay form, that wants us to take a look at neurodivergence and neurofatherhood. The author uses this book to investigate his supposed difference of self while also holding to account society's construction of that difference. Neilson calls himself a mad and autistic poet-physician who practices family medicine in Guelph, Ontario, and who teaches health humanities at the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster University. This is a book about being different – how we appear to those who think of us as different, and how we should approach our thinking to those we feel are different from us. Read the book to learn more.
What to Feel How to Feel is by Shane Neilson. Get all the details from [email protected].
