Category: General Interest

Start the new year with a refreshed reading list. Add these books and refresh the smile on the faces of the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Meinhardt’s own doctor had submitted his name for sterilization under the Nazis’ racial hygiene program.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Today is for talking to God, not to relatives and friends.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Her parents were so proud when she was promoted from hems to sleeves, how can she disappoint them?” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Ready to start the new year with a slate of new books? Add these novels to your reading list and swear to support the independent presses that publish them:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Ayal’s absence today means she will be spared his urging to take care of the problem growing inside her.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Producers are the real wizards. They make the magic of movies happen.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Joining the Navy was a way to trade the petty squabbles at home for the real war overseas.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

If you’ve resolved to read more books this year, put these novels on your TO READ list. You’ll also be doing the independent presses that publish them a favor.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “They stop counting at the sixth floor. The ladder does not reach higher.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Farm work made her torso as sturdy as a tree trunk. He started at the bottom and climbed to the top.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “An hour ago, he’d have welcomed the hot soup. Now, the argument with Avram inflamed his desire to leave.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

If you promised yourself to read more this year, add these books to your reading list and resolve to support the independent presses that publish them:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “You smart kids think you’re invulnerable. Ignorant ones have the good sense to be afraid of dying.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “I was skeptical about whether Tazia could do the work, but she was as strong as any man.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Just wait until this war is over and you ladies is back in the kitchen.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Looking to expand your reading list for 2021? Look at these books, and check out the libraries of the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Something we take on as an obligation can become an act of love.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “She was much wider than when they’d stood under the wedding canopy twenty years ago, proof he’d become a good provider in America.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Workers gather at the window on the ninth floor. No one was able to warn them.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

If reading more fiction is on your list of new year’s resolutions, resolve to visit safely but closely with these:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Eighteen, ‘chai’ in Hebrew, meant ‘life.’ He wanted to prove he was ready to give his.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Firemen bang with crowbars outside the locked doors.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “He saw a colorful board game and stepped closer to see the title: Juden Raus, Jews Out! It was like a sinister version of Monopoly.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Missed major holiday dates? No problem. Books make great gifts anytime. Consider these and give a major boost to the independent presses that publish them:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Your mother never backed away from a fight, but ultimately she desired peace.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Maybe tall people were at a disadvantage after all. When they fell, they had farther to go.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Animal tails and human hands flicked away swarms of flies as numerous and agitated as the bustling throngs.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Books for the holiday, books for the new year, books for every day thereafter. Looking for lasting literary finds? Consider these and the independent presses that publish them will find a reason to celebrate too:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “He didn’t know if he believed the words, but for the sake of those he comforted, he spoke with conviction.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Children don’t judge the way adults do.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “A lifetime of small wounds could leave a mark deeper and more permanent than a single big assault.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Looking for a last-minute holiday gift or winter warmer? Shine a light on one of these novels, and brighten the day for the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Friends are like balloons. Once you let them go, you rarely get them back.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “I lifted the lid of the trash bin, eager to throw my bundle inside and flee back upstairs.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “The deeper the faith, the more probing the questions.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Holidays come and go. Books endure. Enjoy one of these novels and help the independent presses that publish them endure too.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “He could help Jewish boys live in a world more complex than the shtetl where their parents had grown up.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Love is more enduring than fame, and you don’t have to dress up for it.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Just like the Mafia; it pays to keep your mouth shut.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.