Reviews with TLC

Shalu, Happy Raksha Bandhan by Nick Sharma is a sweet story of family, compassion, and unity geared toward children. I quite enjoyed this picture book. It made me smile with a its message of love and acceptance. Sharma explores Raksha Bandhan, the Hindi bonding tradition of brothers and sisters in a way that reminds us we are part of the human family in this engaging story.

A Matter of Attention by Torrance Stephens grabbed my attention and held tight with its raw, unapologetic lyricism. Stephens writes a main character, Gash Love, who at once fascinates and infuriates. I read with rapt attention to the life story he told taking the character through several years of his life in this short tome. Filled with emotion, sensual energy, and intellect, a level of detachment also runs through the characters. Told from Gash's point of view, the story weaves his fantasy life and real life together in a way that felt reminiscent of the way people genuinely live with their perceptions tainting the way they see the events in their lives. A Matter of Attention made me think about the areas in my life where I'm less than attentive as well as how my perceptions taint the way I see the events surrounding me.

I saved Suspect by Robert Crais for when I needed a treat read. Crais delivered, as usual. The book opens from the point of view of Maggie, an explosive sniffing German Shepard. I knew what was coming, sort of, but I still winced as I read. Crais handles Maggie's trauma with the same sensitivity he handles Officer Scott James's trauma. Crais delivers a mystery woven into the lives of two characters, one canine, one human, who need each other as they search to find family again. The devotion Maggie and Scott show one another as they bond over their losses is inspiring. I blinked back tears several times, sometimes tears of sadness, sometimes tears of jubilation, especially when Crais examined Maggie's reactions. The chapters written from Maggie's point of view left me longing for more.   Suspect offers just the right doses of intrigue, suspense, and emotion to bring the characters to life and keep the story engaging.