Books In For Review

Check out the latest books to arrived at Feathered Quill for review.  Then stop by in a few weeks to read the reviews!

Listening to Africa by Diana M. Raab Poet Diana M. Raab travels to the heart of Africa with her family to experience the beauty and fascination of another world. During her safari, she observes the distress, the delight, and the dignity of the humans and animals who live there and parallels them with her own quest for health.

Writers on the Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Dependency by Diana M. Raab and James Brown, editors Writers On The Edge offers a range of essays, memoirs and poetry written by major contemporary authors who bring fresh insight into the dark world of addiction, from drugs and alcohol, to sex, gambling and food. Editors Diana M. Raab and James Brown have assembled an array of talented and courageous writers who share their stories with heartbreaking honesty as they share their obsessions as well as the awe-inspiring power of hope and redemption.

Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty by Sam Forman The definitive biography of the Revolutionary War doctor and hero. An American doctor, Bostonian, and patriot, Joseph Warren played a central role in the events leading to the American Revolution. This detailed biography of Warren rescues the figure from obscurity and reveals a remarkable revolutionary who dispatched Paul Revere on his famous ride and was the hero of the battle of Bunker Hill, where he was killed in action. Physician to the history makers of early America, political virtuoso, and military luminary, Warren comes to life in this comprehensive biography meticulously grounded in original scholarship.

 The Golf Swing: It's All in the Hands by James Lythgoe This book is written from the perspective that correct hand action is crucial to developing a well coordinated fault-free golf swing. The author's opinion is that proper hand action is missing from most golf swings. The solution offered begins with chapter three with a description of correct hand action. Detailed step-by-step instructions follow on how to implement correct hand action into the golf swing. In fact, all chapters are written using detailed step-by-step instructions accompanied by colour photographs illustrating the steps. Chapter four addresses how you should use your shoulders during the golf swing. Instruction is provided on how to modify Paul Runyan's chipping method to hit full shots. Using this technique your shoulder turn can easily be monitored and coordinated with your hand action. How to grip a golf club and address a golf ball are discussed fully in chapters one and two.

NaLee by Erin Sankey

Anthology by Scott Martin

Interview with Author Annabelle R. Charbit

Today we're talking with Dr. Annabelle R. Charbit, author of A Life Lived Ridiculously


FQ: Considering the subject matter that you are speaking about and how you present it, do you believe that the old adage "laughter is the best medicine" may be true?


Yes I do, 100%. I use laughter to get through the toughest situations. Unless I’m too busy bawling my eyes out. But then I’ll laugh about it later...

FQ: I know you are a doctor, can you tell readers what you specialize in? Also, I'm aware that you are currently in the States researching migraine headaches, can you expand on that at all?


I did my PhD in London, UK, specializing in head pain. I then moved with my entire laboratory to UCSF in San Francisco to continue our research. It has been an amazing journey trying to understand a condition like migraine that is so common yet can be hard to treat and robs many people of their quality of life.

FQ: As the mom of a daughter who has had to watch the heartbreak, I have turned into Xena the Warrior Princess many times and wanted desperately to just take the boys out. I know that’s wrong, but public hangings are gone now so you really have no choice. Do you have a daughter, or a friend, who you have seen go through this heartache? And how do you suggest solving such an issue?


If I ever suspected a friend was involved with a sociopath, I'd tell them straight away. It is important to note that there is a huge difference between a sociopath and a guy you think might be a bit of a jerk. As a mother, I can imagine you'd want to protect your daughter from both, but the reality is that the sociopath is a lot more harmful and always has a malicious hidden agenda. So if you have to fight your daughter, go after the sociopaths and let her figure the jerks out for herself.

FQ: I have to know if this is slightly autobiographical. Are the characters of the grandmothers real? Aunt Muriel? etc.?


A Life Lived Ridiculously is somewhat inspired by personal experiences, in adherence with the technique of 'write what you know.' For instance, some of the characters, such as the grandmothers and Maxine's best friend Tina are based on real people. Most of the characters though come from a collection of people. Maxine's mum and dad, for example are constructed out of the voices of many frustrating people, all knitted together to form the two most annoying parents imaginable.

FQ: OCD is a very real issue. Can you discuss what your feelings are on this matter? Is this something you’ve studied in your work or research?


I’m interested in OCD because it seems like such a willful condition yet the sufferer is completely at the mercy of the intrusive thoughts and cannot help performing the compulsions. Imagine having a song in your head (we've all experienced that), but it will not go away, ever. Not only that but the song is accompanied by the most terrifying sinking feeling of fear and dread that you've ever experienced. Then another thought pops into your head that if you just clean your house, check the oven or put everything in a certain order, the song and accompanying fear will vanish. People with OCD are neither weak nor stubborn. Their minds are literally hijacked by thoughts that they have no desire to entertain. Sufferers of OCD are as busy and determined to get on with their days as the rest of us, but they are constantly interrupted by barrages of thoughts that they cannot control and do not invite.

FQ: Your play, Sound Advice, was performed in London. Is that plot along the same lines as this book?


Sound Advice was pure comedy, and very light too. It was a about a bunch of students and all sorts of silly antics that they get into. Kind of like Friends but with British humor. I used my own crazy student days as inspiration for that one. A Life Lived Ridiculously on the other hand uses humor to deal with the serious, real life issues of dating a sociopath and suffering from mental illness.

FQ: Do you have plans to continue writing novels, plays, etc. in the future?


I do have another novel up my sleeve. I won’t say too much, but I am currently doing some reading on personality disorders, as I'd like my main character to be afflicted with one of those, though I haven't decided with personality disorder to write about yet. They are all so very interesting…

To learn more about A Life Lived Ridiculously please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Book Review - A Life Lived Ridiculously

A Life Lived Ridiculously

By: Dr. Annabelle R. Charbit
Publisher: FireFly Publishing & Entertainment
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9846428-6-1
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: April 12, 2012

From the very beginning of this novel readers will smile; they will then reach ‘all out laughter’ by the second page. The amazing thing about this story, however, is that laughter turns frightening when the author offers up a twist that readers will not see coming.

Maxine is a twenty-eight-year-old Jewish girl living in London. This is a brilliant woman who is studying to be a scientist and taking classes at the University. Her reasoning for becoming a scientist (as she tells one of her professors) is that she can’t stand not knowing how things work. At times, Maxi thinks she’s losing IQ points when she misplaces her car, and acts a bit scattered now and then, but it’s not true. What she’s experiencing when her mind whirls and she thinks about numbers, becomes paranoid by clutter, rearranges the furniture in her apartment forty-five times in an hour, or when she keeps burning her fingers on hot light bulbs because she cannot find a lampshade that provides soothing illumination to her bedroom, has nothing to do with her IQ - it is a case of a person dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder. Of course, it is a bit difficult to achieve that diagnosis when you are surrounded by the people who surround Maxi.

Maxi comes from a wealthy family. Her mother is more than a bit overbearing and a real pain in the butt. All she seems to care about is entertaining, traveling, and constantly yelling at Maxi about how she’s not dressing properly or combing her hair suitably in order to catch a nice young man. As far as Mom is concerned, give up the science and hit the streets until you get a husband. (This is not the woman you call when you want to be talked off a window ledge!) Dad is a bit nicer about it, admiring his daughter for her achievements but he, too, wants her to walk down that aisle. When readers first meet this group of ‘marriage-mongers’ the laughs commence, especially when the two grandmothers try to ‘one up each other’ by having a contest to see which one has to take more painkillers in order to reign as ‘Queen of the Pity Party.”

At this particular party, it is Aunt Muriel who appears with another young man for Maxi to marry. Sam is hunched over like a toad, has no earlobes, and once he speaks, he lets everyone know that all of his family and girlfriend have died from various causes. This is not the guy to have around for ‘light and airy’ conversation. Maxi most definitely is not attracted to him, once again spoiling the family’s hopes that she will don a wedding dress.

As the story goes on, the author does a wonderful job of combining humor with some pretty harsh events. Maxi ends up liking Sam, and her obsessive compulsive personality comes to light. All of a sudden she’s not the one running away, she’s the one trying to figure out what his problems are and why he acts so strangely all the time. Sam eventually goes from a nice ‘nerd’ with serious problems to more than a bit creepy. Maxi soon finds herself in a desperate situation where facing a broken heart becomes far less important than surviving a sociopath.

Maxi is one of those women we can all identify with. The outlandish humor mixed with the fantastic dialogue makes Maxi a character you want to stand up for, be best friends with, and even help ‘take out’ the people who make her feel sad or miserable. An unforgettable character all the way around who makes a solid point and attempts to stay balanced in a world that is out of control.

Quill Says: Laugh, cry, laugh, believe, laugh, be shocked and, above all - laugh! An author who brings humor to every page she writes.

Book Review - Gods, Gangsters and Honor: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Odyssey

Gods, Gangsters and Honor: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Odyssey

By: Steven Machat
Publisher: Beautiful Books Limited
Publication Date: May 2011
ISBN: 978-1-905-63683-9
Reviewed By: Cory Bickel
Reviewed On: April 11, 2012

In his years working in the music biz, lawyer and producer Steve Machat has seen it all. Struggling to maintain integrity in a world full of drugs, greed, sex, and danger, where the only thing that matters is the bottom line, he has negotiated deals with some of the toughest men in the business, learning some hard lessons along the way. In Gods, Gangsters and Honor, Machat recounts these lessons and the circumstances which brought them, as well as exposing a lot of dirt on the artists and companies he’s worked with. He’s also not afraid to take the blame when it is due or recount some hilarious and embarrassing secrets of his own in this collection of memoirs that rubs some of the glitter off the image of rock ‘n’ roll.

These stories span his life, beginning with his teenage days when he gets advice on choosing a college from Frank Sinatra- “If I was you, kid, I’d go to Miami – you’ll have a field day with all the chicks” (pg. 2). They follow his career from law school, through his work in his father’s law office representing musicians to his ventures into music production and politics. The incidents he describe range from outrageous – Ozzie Osbourne biting the head off a canary and spitting it into an executive’s lap, being awakened at 4 AM by a naked, screaming Nicolette Sheridan, an entire gram of cocaine delivered to his wife for her birthday – to moving – his daughter’s struggles with drug addiction, the death of his father, and his own diagnosis of diabetes and the realization that his high-flying lifestyle was killing him. Some stories are told simply for humor’s sake – asking directions to a gym with Donny Osmond and being sent to a gay club by mistake - while others tackle serious issues like racism as he describes his attempts to “mix black and white to make greenbacks,” (pg. 274) and the difficulties faced by Jews in the field of law. He also discussed his troubles trying to promote music for the sake of art in an industry only interested in making money, “My mandate at Sony is to make money. F- the art,” (pg. 288). Machat’s experiences of deals gone bad, betrayals of trust, and corporate greed are enough to turn most people into cynics, yet he ends the book with a chapter that reveals a beautiful outlook on life, having transcended these obstacles to attain a philosophy of peace, love, and acceptance.

Machat’s world is a fascinating place to visit, where one can vicariously deal with gangsters and party like a rock star without fear of hangover or assault. The celebrities he’s worked with come from all genres, and any music fan, regardless of their taste, will likely find an icon they admire within these pages. Machat does not hold back any gritty details, so this book is strictly for those who enjoy R-rated reading. Some of the contract deals that he describes are incredibly complicated and may make for slow reading for the non-business minded, but they are worth following to get to the juicy tidbits that are revealed along the way. These stories are especially relevant in light of current anti-piracy debates, and Machat makes it difficult to have sympathy for the record companies as he depicts them ripping off artists, bootlegging their own albums, and blowing the profits on women and drugs. Altogether a great read, Gods, Gangsters, and Honor will have you laughing out loud, seething with disgust, and in the end, warmed at heart.

Quill Says: Dig through a pile of the rock gods’ sweat-stained, coke-powdered, dirty spandex tights in this must-read for any music lover that is alternately outrageous, hilarious, cynical, and hopeful.

Book Review - Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome (USA Today Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders)

By: Marlene Targ Brill
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
Publication Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-0761381440
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

Caroline often got upset when her Tourette Syndrome tics were noticeable because she felt “like the odd person, different from everybody.” Tourette Syndrome, which is commonly called Tourette’s Syndrome or TS, has been a challenge for her, especially in the school setting. Caroline’s odd clicking noises, head jerking, and quirky mouth movements were something she couldn’t hide, but eventually she learned to deal with them. People like Caroline who are afflicted with this neurological disorder “make movements and sounds, called tics, that are beyond their control.”

Tics in school children are not uncommon and it has been estimated that “almost 25 percent of school-aged children display” them. For most children the tics they have are not problematic, but for those like Caroline who have TS they are. When these tics occur, “the brain tells one or more muscles to contract, causing unwanted sounds or movement,” sometimes without any warning.” There are two kinds of motor tics, simple and complex. In this book you’ll learn the difference between them and will learn about the severity, the frequency of occurrence, and common types of tics.

Tourette Syndrome is not easily diagnosed because there aren’t any specific tests for it nor any “diagnostic guidelines.” Once TS is diagnosed, often there is a “greater likelihood of also having something else” such as obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleep disorders, learning disabilities, or conduct problems, all of which are discussed in this book. You’ll also read about the history of Tourette Syndrome, recent forays into research, a genetic overview, medications (including those for related disorders), alternative treatments, professional therapy, how families can help (including siblings), how to get help from outside sources, and you’ll learn many other interesting facts about TS.

TS is a disorder that is often misunderstood, one in which people tend to shy away from the afflicted. One sentence that stood out stated: “The most well-known symptom of TS is coprolalic--cursing or saying inappropriate words or phrases,” when in fact most people have mild TS. The author does not minimize the seriousness of the disorder, but helps us understand what it is all about from the simple to the scientific point of view. Once a young reader understands TS, the likelihood will be that they will also accept it. 

There are several stories of teens who discuss their journey with TS and how they’ve struggled with it.
There are numerous informative sidebars, including period USA Today articles, charts, artistic renditions, and photographs. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, a list of related organizations, source notes, a selected bibliography, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore. They include information for students, siblings, parents, educators, and adult readers. There are complementary educational resources on the publisher’s website.

Quill says: This is an excellent overview of Tourette Syndrome (TS) and how you can “help yourself, a friend, or family member live and thrive” with it.

Book Review - Alternative Medicine

Alternative Medicine (USA Today Health Reports: Diseases and Disorders)

By: Catherine G. Davis
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
Publication Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-0761381457
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

Andy, a lawyer who had a high stress job, knew there was something wrong. When he received the diagnosis of a peptic ulcer from his family doctor, he decided to look into “alternative, or integrative medicine.” Andy was interested in working with a neuropath and ultimately decided to work with a combination of therapies including acupuncture, diet, and natural supplements. Unlike conventional medicine, which is based on a disease model, alternative or integrative medicine refers to “the wide range of traditions that are available for managing health,” traditional treatments that can be as simple as herbal supplements or as complicated as biofeedback.

Not all alternative therapies have been backed up by scientific research nor approved by the FDA. In fact, some can actually be dangerous. Whether we are aware of it or not, many ancient heath practices “are still with us in the twenty-first century.” Statistics show that the majority of us have used some form of alternative medicine in our lifetimes. There are several categories of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including herbal and dietary supplements, mind-body, hands-on treatments, energy-based therapies, and whole medical systems available to us. Most have heard of the chiropractic approach to healthcare, but not many know much about Native American Ayurvedic medicine. In this book you’ll get to take a look at examples of all of these approaches.

Conventional medical practice focuses on diagnosis and treating the symptoms of those who are already ill, while alternative medicine “uses herbs, natural oils, massage, and spiritual methods” and other methods “to encourage general well-being.” Your doctor must be licensed to practice, but not all forms of alternative medicine fall under specific guidelines, regulations and licensure nor are covered by insurance. In this book you’ll learn popular herbal remedies and supplements, mind-body therapies, “false healers,” spirituality and healing, guided imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, meditation, music therapy, yoga, Tai chi, hands-on treatments (chiropractics, osteopathy, massage), energy-based therapies (acupuncture, acupressure, therapeutic touch), whole medical systems (naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong, Ayurveda), futuristic approaches to healthcare, and much more about alternative medicine. Do you know what Reiki is? Rolfing? You’ll find out when you read this book.

In years past, most people equated alternative medicine with quackery, however in recent years there has been a resurgence as interest has heightened. Young people, as they read this book, will become familiar with many different types of alternative medicine. I liked the wide-ranging discussion of therapies presented, something that prevented the book from becoming bogged down like others I’ve seen that simply discuss herbal supplements or dismiss alternative medicine as tomfoolery. There are several portraits of people who have opted for alternative medicine or supplemented their conventional medical care with it.

The reader will find charts (“Snapshots”), photographs, and numerous informative sidebars, including USA Today articles, that add to the text. For example, in one we learn about the Choose My Plate website, something that all young people should be aware of when they are “eating for good health.” In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, a list of related organizations to contact, source notes, a selected bibliography, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore. Complementary downloadable educational resources are available on the publisher’s website.

Quill says: This is an excellent, comprehensive overview of alternative, or integrative medicine.

Facebook Changes and Authors

What authors need to know about recent Facebook changes: Major Facebook Page Changes Require Strategic Planning for Book Authors