Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

Release Date - June 2013 Deborah A. Forrest Ph.D Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth Throughout the world, rates of older adults developing dementia are increasing. Per statistics from the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, an estimated 5.1 million Americans could be in one of the stages of Alzheimer's, and 25 percent of those with Alzheimer's are taken care of by a family member. You never know when dementia could impact your life, so education is vital. Dr. Deborah A. Forrest's book, Touch the Spirit , offers guidance into the very difficult journey. There are aspects with Touch the Spirit that made the book really stand out for me. First, this isn't just a book about Alzheimer's, though that an age-related dementia that often comes to mind when you think of dementia. The book also covers chemotherapy-related dementia, dementia related to open-heart surgery, HIV/AIDS-related dementia, Fronto-temporal Lobe dementia, Huntington's disease, Lewy Bodies

Release Date - August 2013 Beth Albright Harlequin Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth I am so sad I missed the first book in the Sassy Belles series. It's on my list of books to find and read ASAP. Wedding Belles is part contemporary romance and part cozy mystery. That blend created a story that I was eager to get through in one sitting, even when life got in the way of my plans! Vivi Ann McFadden is far enough into her pregnancy that size and Alabama's heat are getting to her. Her wedding to Lewis Heart is nearing quickly, and Vivi and her best friend Blake O'Hara Heart are in the midst of shower and wedding plans. Vivi's world starts to crash down when she learns Blake married another woman during a drunk night of dares back in college. They need to find this woman and get her to sign the annulment papers before Vivi and Lewis can get their own marriage license. As an attorney, it's up to Blake to find this woman. But, Blake also has her hands full tryi

Release Date - December 2012 M.S. Lily Stargazer Mill City Press Here's an excerpt from Lily Stargazer's memoir on her life with a professional NBA player.   About the Author Lily Stargazer was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in NY. Lily grew up middle class, attending private catholic schools first through twelfth grades. She earned good grades and was involved in many activities.  After graduating from high school, Lily attended a State University in NY where she studied economics. While a freshman, Lily found herself working as a teacher’s aide at a home for troubled girls. She found her contributions personally satisfying and this would be the first of many times throughout her life that she worked with young girls in a mentoring setting. This included volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club, Big Bros, Big Sis, Junior Achievement and she even created and led a program for preteen girls encouraging personal development.   After

Release Date - April 2009 Lisa Scottoline St. Martin's Press Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth "Have you seen this child?" One simple postcard throws Ellen Gleeson's life into chaos. After receiving the postcard in her mail, Ellen is shocked to see the face of her toddler son staring back at her. She adopted her son legally, so why he'd be on a missing child notice baffles her. Her reporter instincts kick in, and she starts to investigate. All while knowing that once the truth is revealed, she could lose custody of her son. It's been a while since I've read one of Lisa Scottoline's novels, and I'm so glad I heard about Look Again . It's a powerful story, especially knowing the powerful bond between mother and child. I couldn't survive if someone took my children away. Now there is one thing niggling at me, but I don't have a legal background and am not sure how things would really have worked out. Despite that, the ending fit

Release Date - June 19, 2013 William Louis Harvey CreateSpace Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth Before you even get to the meat of the story in Malpractice! The Novel , the author fills readers in regarding the history behind the novel, a period he calls the "medical malpractice insurance crisis." I know every reader is different, but I disliked having the author tell me things that I'd prefer to figure out by being "shown" while reading the book. Given that, I ended up skipping much of the acknowledgements and introduction and simply started reading the story. The story does open with quite a hook. An innocent one at that, a young girl playing on a swingset falls and hits her head. The story then starts introducing Paul Butler, one of the key players in the story. Kathy Miller, now 13, is that young girl. Her malpractice trial is just getting started with Paul Butler serving as her lawyer. Much of the story details the case, as it plays out to the ve

Release Date - September 24, 2013 K.A. Tucker Atria Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth Ten Tiny Breaths . Those words become the mantra for Kacey Cleary. They're words her mother repeated time and time again, the only thing Kacey has left of her mother's. At the age of 16, Kacey, her boyfriend, her best friend, and her parents were all on the way home when a drunk driver plowed into them. Kacey, battered and broken both physically and emotionally, was the only survivor in her parents' car. Four years later, Kacey grabs her younger sister and flees their aunt and uncle's home after he attempts to molest Livie. The pair have no money, but Kacey did secure rent on a dumpy apartment in Miami, so they have that as a start. Kacey wants to keep the world away, but soon she befriends a neighbor (Storm) and Storm's young daughter. As a single mom, Storm's worked her way into a high-paying job and is able to get Kacey a position, too. Things start to look up. Me

Release Date - September 2013 HarperCollins Book Review by Bob Walch A young woman is raped in a Tel Aviv neighborhood. The police draw a blank when it comes to finding the rapist, so the victim’s father sets out to find the man. When the distraught father delivers the individual he is convinced assaulted his daughter, the police are glad to make an arrest and send the man before a magistrate. Then things begin to come unraveled. The accused rapist, who works for the mafia, doesn’t try to explain why he was seen around the rape victim’s apartment nor does he attempt to defend himself in any manner. But when the case is thrown out on a technicality, the man walks free and the detective assigned to the case is fired. Suddenly the freed man is on the run. His mob connections have soured and his boss is after him, plus another rape has occurred and the police are convinced he is the person responsible. Only by forming an alliance with the disgraced detectiv