Chapelwaite premiered on Epix on Sunday August 22, 2021. Photo: google
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, “Mr. Mercedes,” won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both “Mr. Mercedes” and “End of Watch” received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016, respectively. King co-wrote the bestselling novel “Sleeping Beauties” with his son Owen King. Several of his books have been adapted into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald’s Game and It. His short story Jerusalem’s Lot has been adapted into the television series Chapelwaite that premiered on Epix on Sunday August 22 and stars Adrien Brody as Captain Charles Boone. (amazon, 2021)
Jerusalem’s Lot is a short story published in Stephen King’s 1978 collection ‘Night Shift.’ It is an epistolary short story set in the fictional town of Preacher’s Corners, Cumberland County, Maine, in 1850. It is told through a series of letters and diary entries, mainly those of its main character, aristocrat Charles Boone, although his manservant, Calvin McCann occasionally narrates.
Chapelwaite – following his wife’s tragic death at sea, Captain Charles Boone and his children return to the small town of Preacher’s Corners, Maine, where a dark family history haunts them. He is soon forced to confront the darkness that has plagued his family and their ancestral home for centuries.
Jerusalem’s Lot is a short story published in ‘Night Shift.’ Photo: amazon
‘One Last Stop’ is the new novel by Casey McQuiston. Photo: amazon
Casey McQuiston is The New York Times bestselling author of “Red, White & Royal Blue,” as well as a pie enthusiast. She writes books about smart people with bad manners falling in love. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, she now lives in New York City with her poodle mix and personal assistant, Pepper. Her new book “One Last Stop” is a romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks. (amazon, 2021)
“One Last Stop” – For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories do not exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She cannot imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there is certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there is this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there is one big problem: Jane does not just look like an old school punk rocker. She is literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it is time to start believing in some things, after all.
‘Our African Unconscious’ by Edward Bruce Bynum. Photo: amazon
Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., ABPP, is a clinical psychologist and former director of the behavioral medicine program at the University of Massachusetts Health Services. The 2005 recipient of the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the American Psychological Association and the author of several books, including Dark Light Consciousness, he is currently in private practice in Hadley, Massachusetts. In his new book “Our African Unconscious: The Black Origins of Mysticism and Psychology,” he reveals how spirituality and the collective unconscious of all humanity originated in Africa. It will be released on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. (Black Château, 2021)
The fossil record confirms that humanity originated in Africa. Yet somehow, we have overlooked that Africa is also at the root of all that makes us human—our spirituality, civilization, arts, sciences, philosophy, and our conscious and unconscious minds.
In this extensive look at the unfolding of human history and culture, Edward Bruce Bynum reveals how our collective unconscious is African. Drawing on archaeology, DNA research, history, depth psychology, and the biological and spiritual roots of religion and science, he demonstrates how all modern human beings, regardless of ethnic or racial categorizations, share a common deeper identity, both psychically and genetically, connected with a primordial African unconscious.
Exploring the beginning of early religions, spirituality, and mysticism in Africa, along with philosophy, art, and science, the author looks at the Egyptian Nubian role in the rise of civilization and the emergence of Kemetic Egypt, revealing how and why ancient Egypt was separated from the rest of Africa in the Western mind—despite it being the most sophisticated expression of the Mother Continent. He examines the Oldawan, the Ancient Soul, and its correlation with what modern psychologists have defined as the collective unconscious. Revealing the spiritual and psychological ramifications of our shared African ancestry, the author examines its reflections in the present confrontation in the Americas, in the work of the Founding Fathers, and in modern Black spirituality, which arose from African diaspora religion and philosophy.
By recognizing our shared African unconscious, the matrix that forms the deepest luminous core of human identity, we can learn to see and feel that the differences between one person and another are merely superficial and ultimately there is no real separation between the material and the spiritual.
“Our African Unconscious” by Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., ABPP is available on Amazon
ISBN: 9781644113967 Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear & Company September 2021 Paperback: $22.99 480 pages
Reader’s Digest’s ‘Great American Road Trips: Scenic Drives.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Now that summer is here, most people will be taking vacations, including road trips. Reader’s Digest has put together a new book, the first in the Great American Road Trips series, that covers Scenic Drives. Hoping to inspire readers to travel and explore the wide-opens spaces and breathtaking views of our country, “Great American Road Trips – Scenic Drives: Discover Insider Tips, Must-See Stops, Nearby Attractions and More” is a complete guide to making road trips easier.
Growing up in Arizona, I loved the biodiversity of the state. Minutes from my home, I could hike the best trails in the Sonoran Desert, and after a few hours of driving, I could breathe fresh alpine air and marvel at fall foliage. And there’s one scenic drive in Arizona that has it all: Oak Creek Canyon.
This 15-mile state-designated scenic road along Route 89A begins in Sedona (if you’re coming from Phoenix) and winds its way north to Flagstaff. It curves up the Colorado Plateau from the high desert to a landscape of ponderosa pines.
Getting to the start of the drive is a treat for the senses. Route 89A rolls through Oak Creek Village, passing iconic red rocks that are named for their shapes. The landscape has an unearthly feel, and its singular beauty is unforgettable. Bell Rock, which is just off the road, is a popular spot to pull over for pictures or go on a hike along the lower, easier trail.
My family and I took this drive in the summer to escape the dry desert heat and in the fall to see the foliage, which begins to turn in November. After crossing the Midgley Bridge, our first stop was Slide Rock State Park, a 43-acre historic apple farm that was at one time the Pendley homestead. Growing apples in the high desert sounds far-fetched, but Frank Pendley mastered an innovative irrigation technique in 1912 that allowed his orchards to thrive. In fact, today park officials still use the same technique to water the remaining heirloom trees.
Though the apple orchard is amazing, the main attraction is the park’s namesake natural slide, which is a slippery chute of worn sandstone about 80 feet long and up to 4 feet wide. The waters of Oak Creek, which carved this canyon, are icy cold and refreshing. Children and adults alike squeal in delight as the water carries them down the slide into a pool.
Algae makes the rocks especially slippery, so it’s important to wear water shoes. It’s also important to look up and appreciate the canyon walls and cliffs that surround the park. I’ve never been disappointed by that view.
Back on the highway, you could easily stay in your car to take in the sights, but along the road, a few picnic sites, campgrounds and overlooks, such as Banjo Bill and Halfway, are well worth exploring.
The farther you drive, the higher you climb. The air cools, and by the time you reach the West Fork Trail, ponderosa pines appear alongside oaks and junipers. The trail, one of the most popular in the area, follows the west fork of Oak Creek.
In fall, the trees are ablaze with reds, oranges and yellows. The canyon walls soar, and the sound of the moving water soothes. You’ll step onto a paved trail that leads to a footbridge over the creek and Mayhew’s Lodge, the ruins of an old guesthouse that burned down in 1980. At that point, your West Fork Trail adventure begins. The in-and-out hike is about 6 miles round trip.
The thrilling part of the drive begins at Pumphouse Wash. For the following 2 miles, the road curves into a series of switchbacks, each steeper than the last.
If you’re lucky enough to be the passenger, you’ll see some gorgeous views of the canyon. (My mother always kept her head down during this part of the drive.) If you’re the driver, well, you’re probably looking at your knuckles and the road ahead.
Years ago, my husband-to-be and I went on this curvy drive. Though I knew where we were going, he insisted on using GPS. As the GPS attempted to chart the switchbacks, the fine pink line of the road turned into a blob.
It’s a slow drive to the top, but when you get there, be sure to stop at the Oak Creek Vista. Take a look back at where you’ve been, and marvel at the wonder of it all. The elevation changes and the diverse ecosystems of the drive are laid out before you. It’s a popular stop with visitors. The overlook is also home to a market offering Native American arts and crafts.
At this point, you’re on the Colorado Plateau’s southwestern edge. This is commonly referred to as the Mogollon Rim. The air up here is cooler and the forest is thick with pine trees.
The old lumber town of Flagstaff (home to the San Francisco Peaks, Northern Arizona University and Route 66) lies ahead. But that’s a scenic drive for another day.
POINTS OF INTEREST Length 15 miles
Fun Fact The dramatic reds and oranges in the rocks of Sedona come from iron oxide, left from a post-glacial ocean that filled the Verde Valley.
Words to the Wise A Red Rock Pass is required if you want to stop and park your car along the drive.
Side Trip Thousands of years before Hollywood discovered the red rocks of Sedona and the beauty of Oak Creek Canyon, the Sinagua called this place home. Though they moved on centuries ago, they left behind the Palatki and Honanki cliff dwellings. The sites are open to the public and overseen by Coconino National Forest staff. Call 928-282-3854 to reserve a tour spot.
Nearby Attractions Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff; Tlaquepaque district, Sedona; Fort Verde State Historic Park, Camp Verde; Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott; Smoki Museum, Prescott
Slide Rock State Park’s natural slide is an oasis of fun. Photo: Pat Canova/Alamy Stock Photo
The television adaptation of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ is available now on Hulu. Photo: google
Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of eight internationally best-selling novels: “Three Wishes,” “The Last Anniversary,” “What Alice Forgot,” “The Hypnotist’s Love Story,” “Nine Perfect Strangers,” and the number one The New York Times bestsellers: “The Husband’s Secret,” “Big Little Lies,” and “Truly Madly Guilty.” Her books have been translated into over forty languages and sold more than twenty million copies. “Big Little Lies” and “Truly Madly Guilty” both debuted at number one on The New York Times bestseller list – the first time ever by an Australian author. “Big Little Lies” was adapted into a multiple award-winning HBO series with a star-studded cast including Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Hulu adapted “Nine Perfect Strangers” into a limited series starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy and is available as of August 18, 2021. (amazon, 2021)
“Nine Perfect Strangers” – Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they cannot even admit to themselves. Amidst all the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be. Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She is immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them do not look like they need a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances did not even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can? It is not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking the same question.
‘The Tree of Knowledge’ is book one in The Tree of Knowledge series. Photo: amazon
Daniel G Miller is a writer and entrepreneur. He currently lives in Dallas with his wife Lexi. “The Tree of Knowledge: A Mystery Thriller” is his debut novel, the first in The Tree of Knowledge series. The second is “Of Good and Evil: A Thriller.” (amazon, 2021)
“The Tree of Knowledge: A Mystery Thriller” – Albert can see the future, he just does not know it yet. It is said that the greatest chess masters can envision a match’s outcome ten moves before it occurs. Imagine a person who can visualize ten steps ahead, not simply in the game of chess, but in every human interaction. Imagine a person who could anticipate what you would say before you said it, who could see a punch before it was thrown. Imagine a person who could see the chess game of politics, economics, and power itself unfold long before it happens. Imagine a secret that could make all of this possible.
Mathematics professor Albert Puddles is such a person, and as he is thrust into a murder and burglary investigation on the Princeton campus, he finds that there is such a secret buried in an obscure cipher. The discovery leads Albert to team up with an aging mentor, a curious graduate assistant, and an unusual “book club” on a frantic chase across the country to recover the secret and clear his name. Through this adventure, Albert rediscovers a woman from his past and is forced to confront his own understanding of love, rationality, power, and the limits of the human mind.
Albert has seen the future…does he have the power to change it? An unstoppable force is sweeping the United States. Powered by a secret ability to predict and manipulate events, Christina Culebra and her Red Army relentlessly accumulate followers with one goal in mind: Absolute Power.
While Christina and her movement captivate the country, the one man who knows their next move– who knows their every move–Mathematics Professor Albert Puddles, hides, grief-stricken from the loss of his one and only mentor. Hoping that Albert holds the key to solving the secrets of the Red Army, his comrades in arms, known as the “Book Club,” recruit friends and foes alike to bring him back from exile. But they may be too late, for a new enemy has risen to challenge Christina and disrupt the Book Club’s plans, a mysterious terrorist known only as “The Cipher.” Faced with twin threats to everything he holds dear, Albert is forced to use his singular power to decode the riddles of a dead man while reckoning with the ghosts of his past.
‘Of Good and Evil: A Thriller’ is book two of The Tree of Knowledge series. Photo: amazon
‘Dovetails in Tall Grass’ is a historical fiction novel by Samantha Specks. Photo: amazon
Samantha Specks is a clinical social worker who has worked on a child/adolescent psychiatric unit, as a Dialectical Behavioral group therapist with adults and adolescents, and as an outpatient psychotherapist. She currently lives in Texas, but her heart and mind resided in Minnesota, her home state, while working on “Dovetails in Tall Grass: A Novel,” which is her debut novel. It is inspired by the true story of the thirty-eight Dakota-Sioux men hanged in Minnesota in 1862 – the largest mass execution in US history. “Dovetails in Tall Grass” is a powerful tale of two young women connected by the fate of one man. It will be released Tuesday August 24, 2021.
This being a historical fiction novel, it begins with three notes from the author about the subject matter, one being that she authored this book “because I was seeking a greater understanding of a complex and difficult past.” She goes on to encourage readers to further educate themselves on the subject and how it influences our current system. The Prologue takes place on December 26, 1862, after Emma and Oeninika, both teenagers, live through the execution of the Dakota men and describes how they were each affected. The story then goes back to May 5, 1861, leading up to the mass execution; first Oeninika’s story, then Emma Heard’s story and from there the stories alternate. Oeninika is desperately trying to hold on to her calling as a healer and follow the orders of her father, Chief Little Crow. Her people’s way of life is changing because the government is forcing them to live as farmers instead of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle that comes natural to them. Emma Heard longs to become a teacher but her family needs her help around the farm. Even though she did not have a normal education, Emma goes to work for her father, who is a lawyer. Later, she becomes the court transcriber during the Dakota’s trials.
Fueled in part by anger at the U.S. government’s delay of the Dakota’s annuity cash payments, which is causing them to be near starvation, they attack the town and eventually the Heard farm. One of the Dakota assaults Ida, Emma’s sister, but Tashunke, Oeninika’s new husband, intervenes and saves her life. Emma witnesses this and when the law arrests the Dakota, including Tashunke, who did not participate in the raids, she testifies on his behalf, saving him from execution. In the end, Oeninika and Tashunke reunite and Emma Heard leaves the family farm to attend university.
It is not easy to write about war and conflicts, especially between the government and a specific group of people. Samantha Specks does a commendable job of presenting both sides of the U.S.-Dakota War in “Dovetails in Tall Grass,” as experienced by two young females already struggling with their own growing pains. It is a fusion of a historical and a coming-of-age novel told in the first-person point of view of Emma Heard, who comes from a settler family, and Oeninika, a Dakota. The narration is well-balanced as it describes the grief, pain, and heartbreak they each experienced during this challenging time in history. Emma feels conflicted: “They weren’t as purely evil as my recollection wanted me to believe. That warrior had protected us. My urge to destroy shifted to an angry confusion” and so does Oeninika “Little Rapids had abandoned her and the children, disappearing with Brown Wing and others to continue raiding. Pointless raiding that didn’t serve the war mission or their families.” The action flows effortlessly from page to page and the chapters are short and to the point. With poetic language, “the cup steamed in the damp chill of the morning rain. Puddles rippled as raindrops splashed down in a steady stream,” the author brings beauty into an environment that sometimes seems depressing and hopeless. The characters are well-developed so when the inevitable happens, readers can empathize with both. “Dovetails in Tall Grass” is a hauntingly beautiful historical novel that reminds us that there are always two sides to each story and that actions have consequences. It is recommended for fans of the genre who appreciate reading about the human side of war.
“I questioned if I could continue working in a law office, after seeing the truth of how powerful men manipulated the implementation of the law. It seemed to me the Dakota had been willing to abide by a treaty; it was our own government’s failure to honor the treaty that was the impetus for this disaster.” – Emma Heard
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
‘Into the Dread Void’ is the first in The Dread Void series by Abe Moss. Photo: google
Abe Moss has been writing horror stories for as long as he can remember and hopes to never stop. He loves creature-features, psychological horror, supernatural horror, cosmic horror, you name it. With each book he writes, he hopes to try something a little different. The possibilities are endless and that is what he really loves about storytelling. He hopes you will enjoy his stories too. The Dread Void is a chilling new series by Abe Moss with the first two books released in May and July and the third in October. They are meant to be read in numerical order. (amazon, 2021)
“Into the Dread Void” (The Dread Void Book 1) The first in a chilling new series by horror author Abe Moss, “Into the Dread Void” begins the story of an unlikely duo—Nell, a foul-mouthed orphan with an unusual gift, and Hux, an otherworldly man with a knack for destroying otherworldly things—and their union against a universe teeming with horrors the likes of which our world has never fathomed. After years of life in foster care, fourteen-year-old Nell Parrish can hardly believe her luck when she meets her newest foster family. Kind and accepting, the Palmers are everything for which she has ever hoped. However, during a weekend trip to the Palmers’ summer cabin, a dark storm rolls in, along with something else lurking in the downpour. Hux is no stranger to the horrors of our universe. It is his job to stop them when they breach the Void—the glue which binds and separates our universe’s dimensions. So, when he must track down yet another trespassing entity, it is business as usual. That is, until the trail leads him to her—a teenage girl whose peculiar nature seems to have earned her the entity’s fixation, much to the peril of those around her.
“Amid the Sinking Dark” (The Dread Void Book 2) Robbed of her only chance at a normal life, Nell Parrish now finds herself in a strange new home where darkness and mysteries abound. Plagued with dreams of the night which brought her here, she is desperate for any distraction, anything to forget those unimaginable horrors…even if it means braving another altogether. Marilyn Powell and her little daughter Emmie are running toward a new life, escaping the overbearing judgement of Marilyn’s parents who want nothing more than to separate them. But when their road-trip getaway brings them to the dark and stormy seaside town of Brightport, plans change. A monstrous thing resides in Brightport. Something with an appetite as dark as the storm overhead. What was meant to be a one-night stay soon becomes a nightmare, as Marilyn and Emmie become the town’s latest target.
‘Unthinkable’ is the new thriller by Brad Parks. Photo: amazon
International bestselling author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been published in fifteen languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major prepublication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with the Washington Post and the Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey). He is now a full-time novelist living in Virginia with his wife and two school-age children. His new novel, “Unthinkable,” is a thriller about an ordinary man who may be able to save the world as we know it but to do so, he must make an impossible choice. (amazon, 2021)
“Unthinkable” – Nate Lovejoy is a self-proclaimed nobody, a stay-at-home dad who does not believe he is important to anyone but his wife and their two daughters. So, it is a shock when members of a powerful secret society kidnap and spirit Nate away to a mansion at the behest of their leader, Vanslow DeGange, who claims to know the future. He has foreseen that a billion people could die―unless Nate acts. It seems improbable, especially given what DeGange says will set this mass casualty incident in motion: Nate’s wife Jenny will sue the biggest power company in Virginia. Nate quickly senses that the power company is perpetrating a fraud. But at every turn, it becomes apparent there is more to DeGange’s gift than Nate wants to acknowledge. A billion people really could die, and Nate might be the only one who can save them. All he must do is the unthinkable.
‘Billy Summers’ is the new novel by Stephen King. Photo: amazon
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, “Mr. Mercedes,” won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both “Mr. Mercedes” and “End of Watch” received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016, respectively. King co-wrote the bestselling novel “Sleeping Beauties” with his son Owen King. Several of his books have been adapted into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald’s Game and It. King was the recipient of America’s prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. His new book “Billy Summers” is out now and is the story about a good guy in a bad job. (amazon, 2021)
“Billy Summers” – Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He is a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he will do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong? How about everything. This spectacular novel is part war story, part love letter to small town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It is about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption.
SA Examiner 