FriesenPress Book Reviews: Summer and Fall 2023
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Welcome to the latest edition of the FriesenPress Book Review Highlights! As we bid farewell to a summer and fall filled with stellar reviews, we're celebrating with 14 titles handpicked to showcase the incredible talent and creativity thriving within the FriesenPress author community.
In this collection, you'll dive into riveting works that span one end of the literary spectrum to the other, from the memoir of a retired Olympic alpine skier to the rich language of a mesmerizing poetry collection, and so much more. Who knows — you might just stumble upon your next literary obsession!
SHE WHO BURNS | MYRL COULTER
“Riveting family saga with themes of female empowerment creatively tied to tarot lore. In parallel narratives spanning a century, a woman and her great-grandmother grapple with generational trauma through their interpretations of a tarot deck. The theme of women empowering women makes for a timely, poignant novel with shades of Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing (2018) and Miriam Toews’ Women Talking (2018).”
Read the review | Myrl’s Website | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
ONE IN SIX | RUSSELL STAGG
“Russell Stagg’s self-help book One in Six addresses the trauma of the childhood sexual abuse of boys with bravery and compassion. Drawing on national surveys, scientific research, and a decade of clinical experience as a trauma therapist, Stagg initiates a conversation around the taboo subject of men who are victims of sexual assault.”
Read the review | Russell’s Website | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
A TOURIST FROM PETACH TIKVA | SHULAMIT KAGAN AND AUBREY KAGAN
“Kagan recalls her upbringing in the nascent State of Israel in this memoir. The author explains in his introduction that this book consists of the stories his mother, Shulamit, remembered from growing up in Palestine under British Mandate—which is today the country of Israel. An enjoyable, touchingly personal account of a turbulent time in the Middle East.”
Read the review | Aubrey’s Website | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK | BEVERLY CRERAN
“Beverly Creran’s You Are So Much More Than You Think is an insightful self-help book with wisdom, advice, and practical self-improvement techniques for people at all life stages. Though it is presented with the goal of helping women, the book contains techniques and tips that can be used by people of any gender to find passion and explore new avenues of growth.”
Read the review | Beverly’s Website | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
GO TO THE START | MICHAEL JANYK
“Retired alpine skier Janyk shares tales from the ski slope in this debut sports memoir. He offers insight into how to reach the heights of the Ski World Cup podium…and how to face one’s fears while staring down the steepest ski courses. A sleek, in-depth remembrance from a world-class skier.”
Read the review | Michael’s Website | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
THE QUIET LIMIT | TRISTA LUNDQUIST
“In Trista Lundquist’s novel The Quiet Limit, a girl in an idyllic society confronts her mortality as her time ticks down. In the wake of the near extinction of humanity, the survivors rebuilt. They outlawed any further genetic tampering but still allowed for testing a given person’s potential lifespan.”
Read the review | Trista’s Website | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
CHOSEN BY THE BLADE | S.R. SEREDA
“In this fantasy series opener, a student who seeks a scholarly life gets chosen for a dangerous mission. A fun, rousing quest tale with a compelling hero. This is a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy adventure with a gut-punch of an ending that will satisfy genre fans.”
Read the review | S.R.’s Website | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
SWEET, LOVELY, ATTENTIVE | K.W. JEPPESEN
“In the sensitive novel Sweet, Lovely, Attentive, two college students learn that considerable work goes into loving relationships, whether with partners, friends, or family members…complex narrative structure, the roommates’ blossoming love is broken into serial-style vignettes that coalesce into an expansive depiction of two gay men maturing into themselves.”
THE COMFORT OF STONE | MARIE GROUNDWATER
“A captivating collection of poetry about hearth and home. Groundwater’s vivid language leaps off the page in lines like “it seemed the savage wind / could grasp the very mosses / from their crags / and fling them to the foam.”
Read the review | Marie’s Website | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
LUCID | LANE CATHERINE CHO
“Lucid is an absorbing supernatural novel in which a teenage girl works to catch a murderer. The first installment in the Dreamwalker trilogy, the book revolves around May, a sixteen-year-old whose life changed when she was eight and she lost her parents and began to experience other people’s dreams and nightmares.”
Read the review | Lane’s Website | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
ENJOYING THE INTERVAL: MURRAY ENKIN | KERREEN M. REIGER
“Reiger presents a biography of Murray Enkin, a Canadian obstetrician who became a leading figure in the movement to reform maternity care. A remarkably comprehensive biography of a central figure in the health care debates of the 20th century.”
Read the review | Kerreen’s Website | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
SAINTS OF THE WATERS FORD | JAMES MCEACHERN
“Set against the backdrop of a war whose outcome is uncertain, Saints of the Waters Ford is a magical fantasy novel in which an isolated community is protected by a determined knight. A decades-long war between humans and the preternatural race of beings known as “the folk” has left the island of Breton isolated.”
Read the review | James’ Website | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF QUIZZLE AND PINKY PALM | TERESA MAE WATERLAND
“A lighthearted book that blends magic with earthly themes and the loftier nature of all things. Waterland presents an episodic children’s book about magical people, magical creatures, and grand life lessons…features occasional cheeky rhymes, moments of humor, and detailed characterization—even of trees in the forest.“
Read the review | Teresa’s Website | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
DEATH AT THE POINT | ANDREW DUTFIELD
“Death at the Point is a compelling mystery novel in which a vibrant former detective relishes his surroundings—and fights against those who disturb them. The couple’s sweet love propels the book forward in tandem with its mystery…reads like a love letter to Canada’s Hecla Island.“
Read the review | Follow on social media | Buy on the FriesenPress Bookstore
