Category: General Interest

Books are timeless gifts. Consider these titles to give others and/or to treat yourself, and support the independent presses that publish them:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Elevated trains clanked and spewed foul air, but also the promise of riding out to the city’s unseen edges.” 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): “She knew where to find me, if she wanted to.” 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): “At Huntsman and Son, which specialized in sportswear, he’d been offered a job modeling knit coats for hunting dogs.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic film The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

If you’re in search of a holiday gift not limited to “Black Friday,” take a look at these books:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Stubbornness comes from a weak will and a strong won’t.” 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): “Skin colors varied from the freckled paleness of the Irish to the strong tea hue of the Italians.” 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 wish I hadn’t been so caught up in myself and paid more attention to what was going on in her life.” 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 you’re looking for the perfect book for someone, including yourself, peruse these:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Maybe you’re trying to find your daddy when you should be looking for your mama.” 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 took guts to play ugly and court hatred.” 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): “Shame made my father envious, envy made him feel guilty, guilt made him angry.” 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.

Looking for a gift whose joy will outlast the holiday? Check out these books:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Let’s have sholem bayess, peace in the house.” 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): “After being persecuted as degenerates in Germany, his peers went overboard flaunting their freedom in America.” 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): “I just wish I knew what it is about my father she’s protecting me from.” 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 books are on your holiday list, whether for others or yourself, here are three to keep anyone company on a stay-at-home winter night:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “She was a poor young woman, alone in this country, and wanted something to call her own.” 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): “I was sorry I’d told Mama about my dream to be a scientist, and hoped she hadn’t spilled the beans to Papa.” 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): “Normal-size women would automatically reject him; a short woman might take him because she couldn’t do better.” 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 gift list for others or wish list for yourself includes the joy of books, take a look at these novels:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.: “Wanting something was a worthwhile challenge, wanting someone was too big a risk.” 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: “He made men angry enough to spite him by surviving.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma: “There’s something about a first love that you never let you go of, or that never lets go of you.” 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 your holiday gift list includes books for family, friends, and/or yourself, consider these five-star novels:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.: “Just because midgets were short was no reason to treat them like children.” 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: “The rabbis taught that kindness superseded honesty.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma: “Understanding and forgiving don’t happen at the same time.” 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 you’re looking for a holiday gift for someone or a great read for yourself, add these to your list:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.: “The coroner broadcast authority when he pronounced the Witch of the East ‘not merely dead, but really most sincerely dead.’” 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: “If you thought drowning was a Navy man’s biggest fear, you’re dead wrong. Fire’s your worst enemy.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma: “Thieves don’t just steal money or possessions. They steal hearts.” 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 you’re looking for a book for someone on your gift list, including yourself, look here:

From On the Shore: “Gratitude to this country drove Shmuel’s decision. Also, a desperate need to escape his father.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma: “Let people think what they want, but don’t put the idea in their heads.” 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.: “Judy Garland told Variety that the ‘little people’ got smashed every night.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the movie classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more in NOVELS.

If you’re looking for a book for someone on your gift list, including yourself, here are three engaging novels:

From On the Shore: “There would be no way to notify his parents if he were hurt, captured, or killed. So be it.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma: “It’s worse to lie by what you say than what you don’t say.” 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.:“Meinhardt Raabe didn’t want to be one of 122 nameless Munchkins. He was after a one-of-a-kind role.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the movie classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more in NOVELS.