Category: General Interest

At holiday time, and throughout the year, a book is a thoughtful gift. As you ponder your gift list, take a look at these novels of love and resilience. The independent presses that publish them will thank you year-round too.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “The priests never taught her that hell could precede death.” 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 On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Tomasio ripped off the mask. ‘Can I buy you a hot toddy after your shift is done?’” 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): “He both welcomed and resented going unnoticed.” 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.

Before, during, and after the holidays, books make great gifts. Consider one of these novels for someone else or yourself, and as an extra benefit, reward the independent presses that publish them:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “I thought turning the other cheek was a Christian virtue. Is this some Jewish thing too?” 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): “A man pushes a woman before jumping himself. Is it his decision, or hers?” 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): “Perhaps you just like the oddity of having sex with a midget.” 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.

Can’t travel this holiday due to the pandemic? Transport yourself and those on your gift list with these books, and give a lift to the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “I knew your short legs would take long strides to the top.” 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): “Mikovski hated Tomasio simply because he made people laugh, a power the lieutenant would never have.” 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): “More bodies sail past, people jumping off the ledge. Some cross themselves first.” 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.

Books are gifts whose pleasures outlast the day when they are given. Treat someone on your list and/or yourself to one of the following, and give a lasting gift to the independent presses that publish them.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “The horses pulling the hose cart resist, spooked by the falling bodies.” 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): “We were treated worse and paid less than Toto, the dog.” 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): “In Lemberg, people asked ‘What will make God happy?” In America, ‘What will make me happy?’” 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.

To brighten the holidays and dark days of winter, turn the light on these books, and bring a smile to the independent presses that publish them.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Success did not depend on accumulating wealth or status. Genuine success called for humility.” 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): “They’ve made a devil’s choice to leap to their death rather than be burnt alive.” 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): “It’s a tall order for a small man to stand up to prejudice.” 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.

If your holiday gift list is festooned with books, here are three shining novels to add. Your support will also cheer the independent presses that publish them.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Marriage could be a seesaw. If one side got off, the other would come crashing down.” 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): “Gershon watched her skip away in the fading light. There was more than one way to lose a child.” 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): “Most of the women are paid six dollars a week, men up to two dollars more.” 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.

Books are always open for business. Book a date with one of these novels to bring cheer to readers and help keep small independent presses open for business year-round.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “If you don’t come in [to work] on Sunday, don’t show up on Monday.” 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 On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “The hallway reeked of the spices of their new neighbors. ‘The smell of America,’ he sighed.” 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): “Hollywood was still making movies, but the rest of the country was making itself ready for war.” 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.

If you agree that an apt definition of a book is the “best gift ever,” consider adding these to your list of best gifts given or received (and bring cheer to the independent presses that publish them):

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “God only allowed Moses to take our people to the edge of the Promised Land. I’m helping them move in.” 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): “Trauma and hardship make people suspicious.” 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): “They stitch with such haste that sometimes the needle goes through their fingers.” 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.

Looking to give, or receive, books for the holidays? For year-round treasures, take a look at these novels and, at the same time, extend some cheer to the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Hollywood is a small-minded business, even for big people.” 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): “What good is faith, any faith, when it is overpowered by fear and anger? 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 On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Avram hated Gershon for marrying up into Yetta’s family, while Gershon never forgave Avram for marrying his sister out from under his nose.” 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’re looking for books to give others or to treat yourself, and you want the added “gift” of supporting independent presses, take a look at these engaging novels:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “She will never be one OF them, but she can be one WITH 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.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Believing in wizards, real or fake, opens you to getting hurt.” 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): “America was the most valuable orchid ever and it was mine. All I had to do was reach for it.” 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.