Pocket Poems by Randal Fosdick Moore

Here's the thing - I am a poet.  And I am also an editor.  These pieces of information will weigh heavily on mind as I share my thoughts - poetic and editorial - on Pocket Poems by Randal Fosdick Moore.

There were poems here I absolutely loved...  But there were also pieces here that made me peevish and annoyed.  There were poems that I would love to sit with Mr. Moore and hash out - remove a line here, change the "you" to "I", or rearrange stanzas of an entire poem in a completely different order.  And there were poems so good I read and just sat back and felt them - felt the trail of sensation they left behind.

I disagree with the description on the back of the copy in my possession calling this slim volume a collection of "simple, polaroid, paranoid poems of human observations..."  Sure, this is a collection of simple pieces... and even Polaroid in its sudden, snapshotting look at experiences... But no way is this book "paranoid"!  And it isn't just a book of poems observing humans, it is also the poetry of being human and seeing, thinking, feeling.

And in these poems, I don't find "a shag carpet ride"...  No!  I find something else - something timeless, honest, vulnerable.  I am excited to tell people about Mr. Moore's poetry.  It is so true and real that it reminds me of Andrew Wyeth's paintings - unashamed and... like a Polaroid.  

With the lack of punctuation and capitalization found in ee cummings' works, I can sense Mr. Moore has lived through many artistic movements in painting, music, poetry, literature, and even politics.  And the poems are brief, sincere, and exact.  There is no drama and no made-up hysterics.

My real issue here is that some of the pieces remind me of ones I, myself, have written that are not amazing, not really to share, but just poems I wrote because they needed to come out and onto paper, thereby making room for the better lines and stanzas that would ultimately follow.  So I winced a bit when I came upon those.  But then I would read a piece like "never made":

shadow touching shadow
feeling with no fate
the eternal eerie echo
of love   
    that comes too late

cold damp cave of fever
dagger
with no blade
forlorn they left life undisturbed
by love
     they never made

Or "breaker":

i followed you in
to the shoreline
to touch you
when suddenly i felt you
slip from under me
on your way back to the sea

Poetry to me is a visual image of the senses conveyed in words.  Mr. Moore has captured in some of his works what I love in Jane Kenyon, Emily Dickinson, William Stafford, and Harry Chapin, Paul McCartney, Dan Fogelberg, and Andrew Wyeth, Vermeer, and Van Gogh - truth honestly seen and felt, then shared, quite simply.

For more information on Randal Fosdick Moore: http://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/texas-man-writes-about-rusk-landmark/article_9ae2b202-c83c-58e7-b680-0ffca3a4509f.html

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I received the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Carrie Welton by Charles Monagan

Charles Monagan is an award-winning journalist, writer, editor, and lyricist. Carrie Welton may just be one of the best indie-published historical novels I have read in a while.  It has its flaws, but here, finally is a complete and well-told tale... that also happens to be true!

Carrie Welton is the story of a young woman who is determined to remain untamed by an abusive father and acquiescent mother.  Hemmed in only a bit by propriety and social expectations, Carrie's life takes her from a wealthy youth in Connecticut, to the artistic communities of New York, and finally to the Rocky Mountains.  Readers can follow her childhood closeness with her horse and sympathetic companion, Knight, to her financial involvement in the beginnings of the ASPCA.  Twined with the changing politics and social temperature of the mid to late 1800s, Carrie's life is a perfect backdrop for the history that carved a new nation into a country that would not be divided.

Readers are introduced to Carrie in a prologue offered by neighbor and confidante, Frederick, who also narrates Parts 1 and 3.  It was thrilling to read the voice of a 19th century narrator written in the 21st century.  Part 2 is third-person limited, focusing on Carrie's experiences away from Rose Hill, the home in which she had met abuse and tyranny.  And here, I must admit, I missed Frederick's voice.  It was much more appealing to come through his perspective than merely watching Carrie as we do in Part 2.

Mr. Monagan's skill as writer and researcher is clear in this work.  Obvious, also, is his knack for stories that interest.  His abilities in perception and perspective carry the plot where there is little historical information available.  This made the rare moments of too-much-historical-detail forgivable.  The sense of reportage Mr. Monagan has is spot-on in his description of the effects of the coming Civil War on the communities of Connecticut.

Life doesn't have the same arc that fiction does, but Mr. Monagan gives it a hearty go in this fascinating book.  There are moments of beautiful imagery and even a few absolutely perfect sentences here.  And while I agreed to review this book because I have found myself in the same locations as Carrie (a New England childhood and adulthood in the Rocky Mountains), it is not a book that will just interest readers of local history.  It is a solid story of an intriguing personality that will haunt. 

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I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unstoppable Success: How to FINALLY Create the Body, Business, and Lifestyle YOU WANT by TaVona Denise

TaVona Denise has put together a book utterly filled with nuggets of wisdom and encouragement, as well as out right boulders - action steps, goal setting, and mindful coaching.  

Taking us by the hand, TaVona tells her story of trying to achieve the body, business, and lifestyle she desired, but failing.  She confides in us, yet we notice that all the things she tried to achieve success are the exact same things we've tried, with the same results - despair and frustration.  

In this book, TaVona promises to show readers how she created "unstoppable success", introducing the habits and skills that make success possible, and even a natural by-product.

There is a lot of information here:

• managing thoughts and emotions and their role in success
• goal setting strategies and working with obstacles
• making lasting changes
• dealing with fear and overwhelm
• continuing motivation throughout the process of change
• and the differences and benefits of masterminds, mentors and coaches.

 When I met TaVona, I found her energy and resilience to be infectious, refreshing and quite savvy.  In this book, you will pick up on the energy and find that anyone can be "unstoppable".

I've seen this book in its many drafts and forms, and while obviously her first book, the content is above and beyond what can be found in any other small volume.  Knowledge gleaned from personal experience and amazing resources complete this work, keeping the reader engaged and encouraged.  

You can find more about TaVona Denise at TaVonaDenise.com.

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I know and am friends with the author.  I also edited an earlier version of this work.  I am offering my fair and honest review.

If At Birth You Don't Succeed by Zach Anner

This review can also be seen in the Canon City Daily Record.


"If at birth you don't succeed," try, try anyway. That's Zach Anner's adage. Well, that and "You go to Olive Garden to live life." 

Our "greatest failures can be catalysts for triumph." Here, in this hilarious and charming memoir, we are convinced from the introduction that one can find purpose and humor in every misstep. We endure the falling down because we know what awaits when we finally pick ourselves back up.

Zach Anner says his first failure was birth - he arrived early and outfitted with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that affects body movement, coordination and balance, and just happens to be "the sexiest of the palsies." So while he flails at random, cannot convince his eyes to track a line in a book, needs to be in a wheelchair, and his words don't always have dulcet tones, he is not to be stopped. Zach made films at the University of Texas long before he became a YouTube sensation, and won a reality TV show competition on Oprah's network. He has created countless comedy routines, an exercise series, a travel show, and programming investigating religions of the world. He has grown from his ten year old infatuation with Cindy Crawford, to speed dating, and on to falling in love. The little boy moved from adaptive PE classes to writing his own music as an adult. "If At Birth You Don't Succeed" is the "unlikely - though not unlucky - story" of a child growing up - and all of the uncomfortable faux pas and bloopers along the way.

Comedy is universal, and with this book, nothing is off-limits. While Zach accepts the realities of his life, he also shares intimate details with familiarity and connection. In a wheelchair or not, we can laugh with recognition. We've all experienced shame, fear, and nervousness. We've all had to move beyond immaturity, and take a stand. While reading, you often just shake your head, taking a moment to chuckle at the ridiculousness inherent in being human.

At moments gentle and quiet, this memoir is also irreverent and fierce. Humble and modest, yet infectious and laugh-out-loud, Zach's humor is not just for humor's sake. It has a driving purpose - to encourage us all to laugh at our own inadequacies. We become his friend, and he, ours throughout these pages. Zach's honest observations about human response in various situations is astute, quite instinctual actually, and his timing for delivery of each joke is spot on. He often reminds us that "sometimes the only difference between mistakes and miracles is what you choose to call them."

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I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Difference between a duck by R. L. Palmer

There are wonderful things that happen with self-publishing, yet more often than not I find books in need of thorough editing.  Grammar, arrangement, and hubris can become overwhelming to a reader of a self-published volume and an editor calms those stormy seas before such works reach distribution.

I loved the title of Mr. Palmer's book:  The Difference between a duck.  In fact, it is a joke my family used to say all the time as a segue or as a way to ameliorate an awkward situation.  What is the difference between a duck?  One of his hind legs is both the same. But beyond the title, I was left feeling like this was written by a  gentleman who thinks he is clever and wants to show others just how clever he is.  I missed the humility in the art - the celebration of the art itself.  

Beginning with an introduction fraught with lengthy sentences, rather than introducing the work ahead, Mr. Palmer seems to excuse all of the difficulties that may lie ahead for the reader.  

This book is indeed a hodge-podge of writings produced over many years, and as such is the case, it requires careful organization.  Instead, the pieces are arranged in alphabetical order.  Sentences are too long and heavy in the prose - as well as the poetry - and the free-verse poems seem to lack a rhythm, a flow, other than occasional word play.

I found it hard to "get into" this book.  I even found it hard to want to pick up the book more than once.

To be fair, I did find myself chuckling at "dior death", and I enjoyed the imagery of "dinner at nate's".  Both were written in November of 1998.

As a fellow writer, I wish Mr. Palmer luck and I highly recommend this book be kept and admired by those that know and love him.  I also suggest that more time be spent in the presence of humble poets who by virtue of their love of the art, jostle other writers into a place of accessibility and creativity.

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I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Post Hole Digger by James Pope

I am a sucker for a farm-boy story.  In fact, my favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder book is Farmer Boy.  Something about the tale of a boy growing up the hard way, facing hard facts, and doing hard work is intriguing to this softie of a girl.

Post Hole Digger arrived, signed by the author, looking crisp and fun.  Then I read the blurb on the back.  "This is the true story of one Iowa farm boy and how he was called upon to fulfill responsibilities for things years beyond his age." Okay.  Could use some tightening up.  Moving on.  "These responsibilities are taking place every day on farms across the United States,  and being called upon at an early age, childhood has pass them by." A lot more problems with that sentence.  And then it closed with "The children do not have the luxury of playful activities as they must shoulder the responsibility of fulfilling their family needs."  This is the blurb that is supposed to excite and entince me to read this memoir?

I struggled with the content inside the covers, as well.  The final sentence of the book is not only abrupt, but seems to be missing words.  It is then followed by a list.  It's awkward and unprofessional.

Post Hole Digger is a memoir - written in third person, using past tense, then randomly shifting into a passive voice.  Dialogue is akin to watching "Father Knows Best" or "Leave it to Beaver".  While the adventures and efforts of young Jim on the farm are intriguing, and many are important to share, the telling of them in this manner is frustrating.  The rough and awkward narrative suddenly becomes a Harlequin romance when Jim "becomes a man".  Consistency in voice and tone is hard to find here.

With some professional editing, this book has promise.  Maybe not as a great piece of literary work, but as a respectable, and readable, memoir about an Iowa farm boy.  

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I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Lost Hero of Cape Cod by Vincent Miles

There are times in every book reviewer's life where one does not meet a book on the terms needed for intimacy and fidelity.

The Lost Hero of Cape Cod: Captain Asa Eldridge and the Maritime Trade that Shaped America is perfect for fans of maritime history and those that love well researched and well-documented local history.  Inset illustrations and photographs pepper the work, keeping the pace lively and entertaining. 

And while there are some clumsy moments trying to keeping the family trees of the Eldridges and Halletts straight, Vincent Miles shows his passion and interest in the Captain, his achievements, and their affects of trade over the seas.  Published by the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, it is the tale of a local hero.

I grew up on Cape Cod.  The streets and coasts journeyed by Captain Asa Eldridge were familiar to me.  The lack of connection for me as a reader was the emphasis on the economic and political moments in history - I had hoped for a deeper narrative.  No fault on the part of the writer, merely my misunderstanding as a reader.

Otherwise, I can recommend this book for those looking to venture further into maritime history.  

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I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.