Pig Fat Soup: How I Survived My USS Pueblo Prisoner of War Journey by Steven Woelk, Robert Lofthouse

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Author's Synopsis

First-Hand Account Brings USS Pueblo Story to Life

It was one of the darkest days in United States military history, as the US Navy failed to protect the USS Pueblo in international waters off the coast of North Korea in January 1968. Pueblo was captured by the North Korean Navy shortly following the Blue House Incident and her crew was subjected to 11 months of captivity, torture and medical treatment with no anesthesia.

Steven Woelk was one of the 83 crewmen aboard Pueblo when it was captured. One sailor was killed in the capture, while the other 82 endured hardships that barely can be understood by rational people. Steven was severely injured, and this is his story.

Nearly 60 years later, Woelk has assembled his thoughts and memories into a captivating book: PIG FAT SOUP: Surviving My USS Pueblo Prisoner of War Journey. His story blends history, context and personal experience into a manuscript you won’t be able to put down.

Woelk describes the tranquility Pueblo’s crew felt in the days and weeks prior to the surprise attack by the North Koreans. Even though the US Navy did not equip Pueblo with the necessary weaponry to defend, they believed the safety of international waters would eliminate any antagonistic efforts by the enemy.

Woelk saw his best friend, Duane Hodges, die in the effort to destroy TOP-SECRET documents. Woelk was the most severely wounded of the remaining 82 crewmen. He underwent multiple surgeries in primitive conditions, without anesthesia. He then went through months of separation from the rest of the crew as he recovered. Upon his return to the rest of the captives, his fellow crewmen were suspicious that Woelk had been brainwashed by the North Koreans and placed in their midst to US Navy secrets.

Readers will be privy to the inmost thoughts of isolation, confusion, anxiety and anger that permeate the mind of a prisoner of war, during and after captivity. PTSD is common among most military veterans who have served in combat yet is unique in its manifestation to each one.

Upon its release, Pig Fat Soup earned Amazon best seller status at number 35.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 187 / 47,200

Seasons of New Mexico: A Natural High by John J. Candelaria and Wanda Jerome: Poetry; Jasmine Tritten and Rick Speed: Photography

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Author's Synopsis

A poetic picture of the many ways New Mexico calls people to love her land - the flora and fauna - the diverse cultures that make her The Land of Enchantment. This tapestry of poetry and photography captures both ancient and new places with words, colors and vistas - her glorious sunrises and blue skies - the TRUE essence of the homeplace known as New Mexico.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Poetry—Poetry Book
Pages/Word count: 141 / 16,420

George Eaton's Odd Granny (Rode a Pig Home Yesterday) by Nancy Panko

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Author's Synopsis

George Eaton and his sister, Tilly, are doing their homework after school. George is struggling with spelling. He's stuck on one word.
The kids hear the sound of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway. George and Tilly run outside to greet their granny, an odd woman with bright red pigtails that flap in the wind when she rides her cycle. Granny tells George she can help with his problem.
Read about Granny’s crazy caper that makes headlines in the daily paper, and helps George with his spelling.
Award-winning author Nancy Panko has written another delightfully illustrated story that makes learning fun, using a tool called a mnemonic. Following the story is a list of commonly used mnemonics for school-aged children, as well as an activity to do in the kitchen with a grown-up.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Pages/Word count: 34 / ~1200

Veteran Adventure Stories: Charlie Plumb by Stephanie Hennessy

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Author's Synopsis

Told from the perspective of the veteran, this powerful illustrated book shares the true story of Navy pilot Charlie Plumb—shot down during the Vietnam War and held as a prisoner for nearly six years. The story unfolds with honesty, warmth, and courage, connecting young readers to Charlie's life before and after his POW experience. The story invites young readers into a journey of survival, strength, and resilience.

Perfect for ages 6-9, this book gently introduces themes of perseverance, family, and hope in the face of loss. Includes author's note, updates of Captain Plumb's life now, and four educational pages.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Children —Picture Book
Pages/Word count: 32 / 1,239

Guard in the Garden by Z.S. Diamanti

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Author's Synopsis

From dragon fire to garden flowers …

Felton Holdum spent his entire life training to become one of Galium’s elite dwarven warriors. When a bloody battle leaves him injured, he has no choice but to move into his eccentric twin aunts’ quaint home in the town’s quiet Garome District.

With his life of military service seemingly over, the captain of the city guard gives Felton his only chance at a fresh start in the new life he never wanted.

But when a human woman barges through his front door, the grumpy dwarf starts to wonder if there is more to life than war. The sunshine woman invites him to visit her garden, where Felton gains a new nemesis and a new purpose in life.

Embark on a wholesome journey of healing and self-discovery. A cozy fantasy tale of forging new friendships and overcoming fears. A quiet quest of family bonds and budding romance.

Take a walk through the garden and see what magic awaits.

“Virgin River meets The Hobbit” in this heartwarming, feel-good fantasy.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Pages/Word count: 267 / 67,000

Hatfield 1677 by Laura C. Rader

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Author's Synopsis

Inspired by a true story of love, courage, and survival in seventeenth-century New England.

Benjamin Waite, devoted husband and father, is the volunteer military scout for the colonial Massachusetts town of Hatfield during King Philip’s War. He protests a planned attack against a Native American camp but reluctantly guides the army on their ill-advised mission.

The Algonquian sachem Ashpelon and his tribe retaliate, laying waste to Hatfield and taking seventeen colonists captive, including Benjamin’s wife Martha and their three young daughters. Then, Ashpelon heads north to Canada with his hostages in a desperate bid for freedom.

While Martha courageously strives to endure captivity and protect her children, Ben and his friend Stephen Jennings defy bureaucracy and brave the wilderness to find and rescue their loved ones.

Based on the lives of the author’s ninth great-grandparents, this riveting novel of love and war in colonial America, told through three different perspectives, is one you will not forget.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 396 / 99,000

Fugitive Son by Aramis Calderon

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Author's Synopsis

Aramís Calderón was eleven in 1992 when federal marshals conducted a nighttime raid at the Baton Rouge apartment where he lived with his mother and four siblings. They were searching for Aramís’s father, who had escaped from a nearby federal prison. Once satisfied with the answers from Aramís’s mother, the marshals departed. At daybreak, so did Aramís’s family—and drove toward a rendezvous with his father, who had fled to South Florida. Thus began an eight-month ordeal of constant moves, family aliases, and drug deals.

As Calderón shares, Fugitive Son is not a love letter to his father, whom he sees even after his death as an unethical, toxic, and incredibly complex man. Rather, Calderón’s memoir explores how his father’s undeniable love for his family despite drug addiction, lawlessness, and toxic masculinity informed Aramís’s rebellious decision to join the Marines, and how all this shaped his determination to become the father he wished his own had been.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 214 / 64,000

The Big Bad by Brad Huestis

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Author's Synopsis

The Big Bad by Brad Huestis
When Jessica Gilbert, a US Army JAG Corps major, deploys to Iraq in early 2006, she is excited to help rebuild the rule of law. But soon the disturbing allegation that an infamous Army colonel cut the ears from dead Iraqi fighters as bloody war trophies captures her focus. Her investigation quickly morphs into a murder inquiry when she uncovers gruesome photographs revealing that the fighters were brutally executed on the battlefield. In her quest to uncover the truth of what happened and why, she wrestles with the disparity in treatment of decision-makers versus trigger-pullers. Besides figuring out who committed this atrocity and their motives, she must fight to make sure everyone involved-from the top down-is held responsible.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 240 / 66,679

The Long Game by Mark Fleisher

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Author's Synopsis

In The Long Game Mark Fleisher serves up a quartet of stories involving murder, mayhem, courtroom drama, and old-fashioned detective work. His locations are diverse: Kentucky, New York City, Boston, and western Massachusetts. All are places he describes with pinpoint accuracy and replete with local flavor and local characters. His moments of serious dialogue crackle and sizzle. Yet Fleisher writes tenderly of relationships and sprinkles humor throughout the stories. The final paragraphs of each tale will keep the reader guessing where the main characters will next journey.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 175 / 46,000

Helm & Horizon: Daily Leadership Principles for the Motivated Sailor by Steven-Paul Lapid, USN (Ret.)

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Author's Synopsis

Lead with purpose... even when time is short.

Every day is an opportunity to lead. Helm & Horizon: Daily Leadership Principles for the Motivated Sailor is a 365-day leadership guide built for busy leaders who still take growth seriously, delivering practical wisdom drawn from classic leadership works, naval history, and real-world experience. Each concise, focused entry is crafted for leaders whose time is limited but whose commitment to growth is not.

Helm & Horizon integrates leadership wisdom from best-selling authors like Jocko Willink (Extreme Ownership), Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), Ryan Holiday (The Obstacle Is the Way), L. David Marquet (Turn the Ship Around!), and Sun Tzu (The Art of War), alongside real-world naval case studies from iconic figures like Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, and Medal of Honor recipients like Chief Boatswain's Mate James E. Williams. From Viktor Frankl's exploration of finding meaning in suffering (Man’s Search for Meaning) to Angela Duckworth’s emphasis on grit (Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance), the book connects deeply personal growth lessons to universal leadership challenges.

Each of the 365 daily entries is designed to teach a leadership principle in a clear, concise manner, offering practical insights that can be immediately applied to everyday life. Read one page a day. Reflect on the principle. Take one concrete action. Over time, you’ll build the habits, character, and perspective of a leader people trust when it matters most. Helm & Horizon is a guide for anyone who wants to lead with purpose, vision, and discipline.

The leadership journey starts with you.

Lead with Purpose. Take the Helm. Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business
Pages/Word count: 403 / 111,453

The Scout by Michael C. Dixon

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Author's Synopsis

Staff Sergeant Elijah Kane has spent his career operating in the shadows of modern warfare, where missions are classified, failures are buried, and the truth is often the first casualty. When a covert operation in Eastern Europe goes catastrophically wrong, one of his men disappears—officially listed as killed in action, unofficially erased.

Years later, fragments of that mission begin to surface. Conflicting intelligence, altered records, and quiet warnings suggest that the truth surrounding the operation was deliberately obscured. As Kane is drawn back into the orbit of black-budget programs and deniable task forces, he is forced to confront the possibility that loyalty and obedience may have been weaponized against him.

The Scout follows Kane as he navigates a world where accountability no longer exists, alliances are provisional, and survival often depends on knowing when not to ask questions. The novel explores the psychological toll of command, the cost of moral compromise, and the enduring bonds between soldiers long after the fighting ends.

Grounded in realism and restraint, The Scout is a military thriller focused less on spectacle and more on consequence—examining what happens when duty collides with conscience, and when the truth refuses to stay buried.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 319 / 55,387

Bulls Amongst Men by C.S. Quinn

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Author's Synopsis

Bulls Amongst Men is a literary novel that explores the quiet battles fought after war, following Michael, a former U.S. Army soldier struggling to adapt to civilian life after leaving the military. Though he survived combat, Michael finds himself overwhelmed by survivor’s guilt, fractured family relationships, and the persistent weight of memories he cannot escape.

When Michael learns that a fellow soldier from his unit has taken his own life, he reunites with his former brothers at the funeral. Bound by shared loss and unspoken pain, the men make a reckless decision to honor their fallen friend by traveling to Pamplona, Spain, to participate in the running of the bulls—an event as dangerous as it is symbolic. What begins as a tribute soon reveals itself as something more complex: a test of courage, masculinity, and the limits of endurance.

As Michael prepares for the journey, tensions with his father resurface, exposing generational misunderstandings about service, duty, and emotional restraint. In Pamplona, immersed in the chaos of the festival and the excess that surrounds it, Michael grapples with the moral implications of the event and his own motivations for running. A brief but meaningful connection with a woman forces him to confront the parts of himself he has numbed since the war.

The run itself becomes a crucible. As the bulls thunder through the narrow streets, Michael is pushed to confront whether his pursuit of danger is an act of remembrance, self-destruction, or a desperate attempt to feel alive again. His experience mirrors the life cycle of the Spanish fighting bull—revered, tested, and ultimately sacrificed—forcing him to reckon with what it truly means to survive.

Grounded in the realities of military service and veteran reintegration, Bulls Amongst Men examines grief, brotherhood, and the psychological cost of war long after the uniform is removed. It is a story about men who have learned how to endure violence but must relearn how to live with its aftermath.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Pages/Word count: 135 / 45,000

Images of America Grand County by Penny Rafferty Hamilton, Ph.D.

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Author's Synopsis

For thousands of years, Indigenous, nomadic tribes enjoyed natural hot springs and summer hunting. Spanish explorers, French fur trappers, and Mountain Men followed. In 1858, the gold rush brought rugged prospectors, creating towns named Coulter, Gaskill, Lulu City, and Teller.
Established in 1874, before Colorado became a state, Grand County is nestled in the north-central Rocky Mountains. Named for the Grand River (renamed the Colorado River), today Grand County encompasses 1,868 square miles, larger than Rhode Island. Homesteaders, loggers, merchants, and the Moffat Railroad built Arrow, Hideaway Park, Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Parshall, Kremmling, and Radium. Today, tourists flock to Rocky Mountain National Park, Arapaho National Forest, and award-winning dude ranches and resorts, to enjoy some of the world's most beautiful lakes, mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife. Written in an easy-to-read pictorial format with over 200 curated photographs, for readers interested in true stories of Western grit and courage.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—History
Pages/Word count: 128 / 10,000

Welcome To The Jungle - A Sailor's Memoir of Service Aboard the USS Fresno (LST-1182) by H.J. Peterson II

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Author's Synopsis

A 17-year-old kid from Wyoming joins the Navy to earn money for college and ends up gaining an education he didn’t expect. Welcome To The Jungle is a no-holds-barred coming-of-age tale of how a boy became a man in the U.S. Navy. Follow the author from his decision to join the Navy through boot camp and out to the fleet aboard the USS Fresno (LST-1182) and his adventures in the Western Pacific, and finally into the Navy Reserves. Read the real-life stories of what the Navy was like for an enlisted kid in the late 80's and early 90's. This collection of stories, memories, and journal entries documents a boy's transition into manhood and beyond. If you've ever wondered what being in the Navy was REALLY like, this book holds the answers.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 600 / 284,230

Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran's Iliad by Josh Cannon

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Author's Synopsis

In the tradition of Jonathan Shay’s 'Achilles in Vietnam' (1994), Josh Cannon’s 'Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad' brings to the audience a discussion of Homer’s Iliad that allows the ancient text to teach us about modern war. Cannon’s work differentiates itself from Shay’s by discussing the Iliad holistically. His book seeks to demystify the Iliad through connecting it to his military service via a presentation of his personal stories.

By sharing his story, Cannon’s book shares a new angle on an old tale. He makes the Iliad accessible to any audience and helps unearth a lesson that, despite being millennia old, still has much to teach us.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 178 / 50,000

Knowing My Father: The Collision of the OB Jennings and War Knight by Col. Joseph R. Tedeschi, US Army (Ret)

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Author's Synopsis

Knowing My Father: The Collision of the O. B. Jennings and War Knight relates Joe's methodical search to know more about his long-lost father. In that search, Joe discovers the tragic story of the fiery collision of the US tanker O. B. Jennings and the British merchant ship War Knight during World War I as their convoy evaded German U-boats in the English Channel. A US Navy armed guard defending the O. B. Jennings, gunner's mate Michael Tedeschi was heroically rescued by the British Royal Navy escorts from the burning sea. Joe satisfies his search to know his father better and, at the same time, reveals and exposes one of the unfortunate naval disasters that occur in times of war. Knowing My Father serves as a companion to Joe Tedeschi's memoir, A Rock in the Clouds.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 128 / 28,160

Another Death at Antietam by Peter Adams Young

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Author's Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 1998

Compelling echoes of the Civil War resonate to the present day.

Five days before the 136th anniversary of the bloodiest day in American history, the body of a young man is found at the center of the Antietam National Cemetery. He is wearing the uniform of a Union Army private. Annie and Mike Davis are drawn into the leisurely official investigation into the mystery of the young man’s death, eventually encountering intertwined evidence of human trafficking, illegal arms smuggling, and a self-styled constitutional militia unit.

This is the second of the series of modern-day murder mysteries by award-winning author Peter Adams Young. The first of these, "Another Death at Gettysburg", is set in and around that historic battlefield.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 434 / 119,158

Lost in History by FE Taylor

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Author's Synopsis

In the grand sweep of history, this memoir may seem as small and insignificant as an atom in a vast universe. Yet, for the combat infantryman whose story it tells, these experiences form a monumental part of his life. Unwittingly shaped into a warrior through the trials of childhood and adolescence, he is unexpectedly drafted into the Vietnam War, an event that changes his world forever.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 277 / 64,794

Soulless by Joseph Badal

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Author's Synopsis

Soulless features Eddie Parnall and Tatiana Borodvic who were introduced in Joseph Badal's novel Justice, the third book in the Curtis Chronicles series. Parnall, a retired CIA agent, and Borodvic, a former Bulgarian Special Operator, join a high-octane cast of characters who starred in previous books in the Curtis Chronicles series. Joseph Badal introduces diabolical villains whom the reader will love to hate, while cheering on the good guys as they work to bring down evildoers. At a time when human trafficking has become a $150 billion-dollar annual business and a global catastrophe, SOULLESS offers a picture of the extent of this crime against humanity and puts the reader on a roller coaster ride of tension and suspense. The story is presented via well-drawn characters and dynamic dialogue that will entertain the most demanding thriller and mystery fans. Fans of Robert Ludlum, Robert Dugoni, and Brad Thor will love this story. Badal is a master at mystifying, misleading, surprising, and entertaining the reader.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 414 / 100,293

Beneath Texas Skies by Liz Beth Rose

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Author's Synopsis

In a town filled with memories, can love heal the wounds of the past and offer a second chance at forever?

Haunted by the scars of childhood betrayal, KC Gates had learned one painful truth—crying for help meant nothing if no one cared enough to listen. When she once sought refuge in a teacher’s kindness, her plea was ignored, shattering her heart all over again. Determined to be the voice she never had, she became a teacher herself, vowing to stand as a fierce protector for victims of abuse.

Returning to her hometown in rural West Texas, KC embraced life as a traveling substitute teacher, moving from one classroom to another. But when two locals—both suspected child abusers—were murdered, the town turned its gaze on her. As evidence mounted, every step she took felt like a tightrope walk between justice and condemnation. Even the one man who had broken through her walls—the only man she dared to trust—began to doubt her.

But as the case against her began to unravel, the town’s Deputy Sheriff found himself at a crossroads: follow the case or follow his heart. Working to unmask the real killer, he saw past her defenses, past her pain, to the woman beneath the suspicion. And when the truth pointed to a long-buried secret, KC faced the hardest choice of all—let the past keep her heart closed or risk everything for love.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Romance
Pages/Word count: 206 / 58,210