Tag: Stephen Helmes

The Menopause Murders – a Review

The story of a quiet women whose life is turned upside down while experiencing menopause is a hilarious dark comedy that will have you rolling in the floor with laughter. Debbi struggles not only with hot flashes, night sweats, and panic attacks, but she also finds herself exploding in fits of unbridled rage. How can she make these symptoms stop?

Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery – a Review

Alene Baron, a vegan, owns and runs the Whipped and Sipped Café. Her cookies and confections are known all over Chicago. The coronavirus pandemic has changed things for everyone. Her business has suffered because of it and her employees are frustrated. A café once filled with customers has turned into one that mostly handles take-out orders. On top of that, there’s this homeless man who hangs around outside of her café bothering her customers who still visit for the yummy treats they can get there.

Princess Adele’s Dragon – a Review

𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝐴𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑒’𝑠 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛, a thrilling fantasy book for young readers, takes place during medieval times. The kingdom of Valdoria has been under threat from a fearsome dragon for the past six years. Princess Adele is understandably upset when her brother, King Robert, sees no other way to appease the dragon than to sacrifice a child. Risking death and not wanting an innocent child to needlessly lose his life, she sets out to save her kingdom from this terrifying creature.

Challenges I Faced as an American Living in Japan – Guest Post by Lea O’Harra

I first arrived in Japan in the spring of ’84 to take up a job I had got while completing my doctorate on 18th century English literature at Edinburgh University. I had been hired as a “Guest Professor of English” by a new university located in a fishing village in northern Shikoku. Shikoku is one of Japan’s four main islands, but it is also the smallest, the most rural and, at that time – before the construction of bridges linking it to Honshu and Kyushu – the most remote.

The Imaginary Life of Abigail Jones – a Review

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑙 𝐽𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 is a captivating read, and the things that took place in Abigail’s life made me look forward to turning each page. The author’s vivid descriptions of seemingly insignificant details brought them to vibrant life.

The Children on the Hill – a Review

Most people know something about 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑖𝑛 by Mary Shelley. They might not have read the book, but still they know at least one thing about the story: it’s about a monster made by a human, a mad scientist. But who is the real monster? Is it Frankenstein? Or is it the mad scientist?