Book Corner News & Reviews

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Self Help Spotlight: A Fragile Utopia by Nick Hanson

Today, I have a self help book in our book blitz feature spot! Learn about A Fragile Utopia: Escaping the Elaborate Facade of Alcoholic Bliss and author Nick Hanson!

Escaping the Elaborate Facade of Alcoholic Bliss

Self-Help

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about the book

For most of Nick's life, drinking was an integral part of family, friendships, and even professional success. Alcohol was celebrated among his elder millennial peers. Abstinence was not. However, there were breadcrumbs scattered across several decades that a lifestyle in alcoholic bliss was not sustainable. Reckless behavior, relationship woes, declining health, personal tragedy, and dreams unrealized began to fester. Eventually, a life in sobriety became the only option if Nick was to live a life full of meaning and love.

A Fragile Utopia is a turbulent and honest journey into the depths of alcoholism and the path to finding hope and purpose in recovery. The good news is, when we look inward, there is light. If we own our flaws, there can be redemption.

This memoir is a playbook for navigating early sobriety: how it will feel, obstacles encountered, how loved ones will react, insight into treatment, how AA and other fellowship recovery programs work, and examples of how most people fail in early attempts at sobriety.

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about the author

Nick Hanson is a passionate recovery enthusiast and advocate for people who are suffering from substance abuse and addiction. He lives in Minnesota with his wife and three children. He enjoys the outdoors, pop culture, reading, music, sports, fitness, cooking and is always up for learning something new.

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Thursday, May 7, 2026

Angela Thompson 9:36 AM 0

True Crime Review: Delaware Behaving Badly by Dave Tabler

I enjoy history and true crime, so the latest book from author Dave Tabler was perfect for my reading list! Learn about Delaware Behaving Badly, read my thoughts on the book and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book Title: Delaware Behaving Badly / First State, True Crimes by Dave Tabler

Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 286 pages

Genre: True Crime

Publisher: Dave Tabler

Publication Date: Jan 1, 2026

Content Rating: PG +M: crime is messy. this book has murder, rape, kidnapping, etc.

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about the book

Delaware Behaving Badly is a gripping, true-crime-inflected history of the First State's darker moments-scandals, betrayals, and criminal exploits that once made headlines but have since faded from public memory. Drawing on newspaper accounts, court records, and archival materials, author Dave Tabler uncovers stories that range from oyster pirate skirmishes and Prohibition-era rumrunning to political corruption, violent revenge, and fraudulent wartime schemes.

The book brings to life the eccentric figures and forgotten corners of Delaware's past with scene-driven storytelling and deep research. Among the cases covered: a 19th-century embezzler who vanished with bank funds and turned up in Havana; a Prohibition enforcer accused of moonlighting as a bootlegger; a serial predator released on furlough who assaulted again; and a bookie war that upended Wilmington's underworld. Each chapter presents a standalone narrative, but together they form a mosaic of lawlessness, defiance, and the uneasy intersection between crime and power.

Avoiding myth and conjecture, Tabler grounds his accounts in documented fact, often quoting directly from contemporary sources to preserve the raw tone and urgency of the times. Though the crimes differ in scope and era, they all reveal something essential about Delaware's legal system, social tensions, and the limits of justice.

Meticulously curated and written in a crisp, journalistic style, Delaware Behaving Badly does not seek moral closure or tidy resolutions. Instead, it invites readers to confront the discomforting truth that bad behavior-official and unofficial-has always found its place even in the quietest corners of America. This is Delaware history stripped of its polish and presented with an unflinching eye.

my review

Expect to settle easily into the book's format & the author's writing style. Dave Tabler’s book is written in a clear, easy-to-follow style that makes the history engaging rather than monotonous. The book is broken into individual crime stories, so each chapter reads quickly--but, still gives plenty of detail. Tabler blends historical facts with storytelling, keeping the book moving at a steady pace. Newspaper clippings, court records, and background information help bring the cases to life without making the book feel too heavy or academic. The shorter chapter format also makes it easy to pick up and read a few stories at a time.

Tabler gives readers a lot of information in short chapters. One of the strongest parts of the book is how the author looks beyond just the crimes themselves. Instead of focusing solely on shocking moments, Tabler also discusses the social issues associated with each case, including politics, corruption, prejudice, and problems within the justice system. Each crime tells readers something different about Delaware’s history and how society responded at the time. The author keeps a balanced tone throughout the book and does a good job explaining why these cases mattered, both then and now. That extra discussion gives the stories more depth and makes the book feel more meaningful than a simple collection of crime stories.

Would I recommend Delaware Behaving Badly by Dave Tabler? I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy true crime, history, or nonfiction focused on real events. Even if you do not know much about Delaware history, the cases are interesting enough to keep your attention from start to finish. The combination of strong research, easy-to-read writing, and a wide variety of cases makes this a very enjoyable read overall. Some stories stand out more than others, but the book stays consistently engaging throughout, making it a solid read for fans of historical true crime.

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meet the author

Ten year old Dave Tabler decided he was going to read the ‘R’ volume from the family’s World Book Encyclopedia set over summer vacation. He never made it from beginning to end. He did, however, become interested in Norman Rockwell, rare-earth elements, and Run for the Roses.

Tabler’s father encouraged him to try his hand at taking pictures with the family camera. With visions of Rockwell dancing in his head, Tabler press-ganged his younger brother into wearing a straw hat and sitting next to a stream barefoot with a homemade fishing pole in his hand. The resulting image was terrible.

Dave Tabler went on to earn degrees in art history and photojournalism despite being told he needed a ‘Plan B.'

Fresh out of college, Tabler contributed the photography for “The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics,” which taught him how to work with museum curators, collectors, and white cotton gloves. He met a man in the Shenandoah Valley who played the musical saw, a Knoxville fellow who specialized in collecting barbed wire, and Tom Dickey, brother of the man who wrote ‘Deliverance.’

In 2006 Tabler circled back to these earlier encounters with Appalachian culture as an idea for a blog. AppalachianHistory.net today reaches 375,000 readers a year.

Dave Tabler moved to Delaware in 2010 and became smitten with its rich past. He no longer copies Norman Rockwell, but his experience working with curators and collectors came in handy when he got the urge to photograph a love letter to Delaware’s early heritage. This may be the start of something.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Angela Thompson 10:27 AM 0

Memoir Reviews: Life and How to Live It Volume I and Volume II by Chaz Holesworth

I love life stories--and memoirs that lead me into another person's world and experiences. This weekend, I read memoirs from author Chaz Holesworth and wanted to share my thoughts on these books today!

Book Title:  Life and How to Live It: Begin the Begin by Chaz Holesworth
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 296 pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Chaz Holesworth
Release date:  May 2024
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: My book involves trauma, mental health issues and suicidal thoughts and cursing

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about the book

Philadelphia in the 1980s was no place for the soft-hearted. For Chaz Holesworth, childhood meant dodging gangs, addiction, and silence after slammed doors. His father’s world ran on heroin, his mother’s on holy fear.

Caught between two extremes, sin and salvation, Chaz learned early on how to disappear: keep your head down, don’t ask questions, and pray someone notices you anyway.

But everything changed the day he discovered music. In R.E.M., Tori Amos, and The Replacements, he hears something no sermon ever offered: truth, raw and imperfect. As his home life spiraled and his faith fractured, those lyrics became lifelines, every note pulling him closer to the one thing he never had: his own identity.

What happens when the noise outside becomes louder than the voice inside?
Or when loyalty to broken people starts to break you too?

Unflinching and darkly funny, Life and How to Live It: Volume One is more than a coming-of-age memoir: It’s a portrait of grit, grief, poverty, and the fragile beauty of hope born from chaos. Chaz Holesworth’s story captures the pulse of Philadelphia’s rough-edged streets and the soundtrack that kept him alive as he battled lost faith, family dysfunction, and his father’s addiction.

For anyone who’s ever grown up in the wreckage of someone else’s choices, Chaz’s story is proof that you can still build something beautiful from the debris.

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my review

Readers Can Expect a Conversational, Honest Story. Begin the Begin reads like you are sitting down with someone who’s just ready to tell the truth about their life—no filters, no trying to make it sound perfect. A lot of it centers on generational trauma and how family history can stick with you in ways you don’t always notice at first. The author shares personal experiences in a very straightforward way, which makes it easy to connect with, especially if you like memoirs that feel honest rather than overly polished.

Memories and Reflections Aren't Always Neatly Packaged. The memoir is not the smoothest read at times. There are repetitive passages where the ideas repeat a bit and times when the structure feels a little scattered, but honestly, that didn’t bother me much. It adds to that feeling of someone working through their thoughts in real time. If you enjoy real-life reflections that feel raw and personal, there’s a lot here to appreciate.

Book Title:  Life and How to Live it: Near Wild Heaven by Chaz Holesworth
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 219 pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Chaz Holesworth
Release date:  January 2026
Formats Available for Review: print (print - softback / USA), ebook (GIFTED KINDLE, EPUB, PDF)
Tour dates: April 20 to May 8, 2026
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: My book has traumatic experiences with suicidal thoughts and cursing in it.

about the book

In this haunting and deeply human continuation of his memoir, Chaz Holesworth leaves the wreckage of his Philadelphia childhood behind only to face a new kind of war: unraveling the aftermath of a world where faith meant fear, and obedience meant survival.

As a teenager, he’s told that emotions are weakness and questions are sin. But when first love cracks open the cage, it ignites a longing that no sermon can silence.

Amid passion, heartbreak, and the lingering echoes of trauma, Chaz is thrust into freefall. Movement becomes his only escape. Music becomes his only prayer. And with every mile, every lyric, he begins piecing together a voice he thought was lost forever.

For years, he followed every rule. Years later, heartbreak taught him what obedience never could: how to feel alive.

A raw, lyrical journey through faith, fear, and first love, Life and How to Live It: Volume 2 is a powerful coming-of-age memoir about reclaiming identity, breaking indoctrination, and finding truth in the echoes of your own voice. With unfettered honesty and poetic insight, Chaz Holesworth explores the daunting process of unlearning shame, questioning belief, and learning to live authentically after years of enforced silence. A heart-rending tale of resilience and a time capsule for pop culture in the mid-90s, this memoir is a reminder that the path to freedom begins when we stop simply surviving and start choosing to live.

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my review

Near Wild Heaven Continues the Author's Story. This second book feels like the author picking up where they left off, but with a little more perspective. The focus is still on generational trauma, but it leans more into what healing looks like day-to-day and how those past experiences continue to shape your mindset and choices.

What I liked most is that the honesty is still there. The author doesn’t suddenly switch to sounding polished or distant—it still feels very personal and real. That said, some of the same issues show up again, like pacing that can feel uneven or ideas that could’ve been tightened up. But if you’re here for the emotional truth of someone’s lived experience, those things are easy to overlook.

would I recommend this series?

If you like memoirs that are personal, reflective, and pretty unfiltered, I’d say these are worth checking out. They’re not perfectly written, but they don’t try to be—and that’s kind of the point. That's what brings the author's voice and story to life in these two books.

The focus on generational trauma, faith, and honest emotional experiences makes these novels relatable in a way that only real-life memoirs can. I enjoy life stories--and these memoirs bring the author's life to the life on the pages. I would recommend them to readers who value real stories and don’t mind a bit of roughness in the writing if the heart of the story is there.

meet the author
Chaz Holesworth
Connect with the Author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

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Angela Thompson 9:54 AM 0

Historical Fiction Audiobook Spotlight: The Brothers Brown - for the sake of a brother

Today, I am sharing a historical fiction novel in our audiobook spotlight! Learn about For the sake of a brother, part 1 of The Brothers Brown saga and author R,G, Stanford. Be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the giveaway at the end of this post.

Historical Fiction

Date Published: 03/31/2026

Narrator: Maria McCann

Run Time: 10.5 Hours

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about the book

From a stagecoach town in Tennessee to the first railroad towns of the Indian Territory, we delve into the lives of the charismatic and flawed brothers, Matt and Robert. Their sibling dynamic shapes the lives of the entire Brown family, steering them down a road of familial struggles and cultural clashes.

Matt always idolized his oldest brother, Robert – a smooth-talking charmer who taught him at a young age to live hard and win big. Following in Robert’s footsteps, Matt is drawn into a life of high-stakes games and deception. Then he meets Milla. Sharp-eyed, brave, and unafraid to speak the truth, Milla is a woman rooted in her Choctaw heritage, carrying both strength and sorrow in equal measure. For the first time, Matt imagines a different future. But the past doesn’t let go easily and buried secrets never stay buried for long, clawing their way back to the surface when you least expect it. Now, Matt must choose between what consumes him and the life he wants to build.

Set against the raw beauty of the Choctaw Nation, this is a powerful story of blood ties and hard choices, of the people we love and the ones we betray. Gritty, tender, and unforgettable—this is where redemption begins.

buy the book

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about the author

Raised on the beaches of South Texas, R.G. Stanford has always been drawn to stories that transcend time. That passion was ignited in 1976 with the discovery of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and deepened with The Feast of All Saints just a few years later. Though historical fiction wasn’t an immediate calling, a personal journey into genealogy changed everything.

With no close relatives nearby, R.G. Stanford turned to online resources in search of extended family. That search became a twenty-year journey through genealogy websites, Federal Census records, the National Archives, and old newspapers. Along the way, R.G. Stanford uncovered incredible stories about her family and the people who once lived in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory.

Compelled to record the truth of her family in the lore, sprinkled with imagination, R.G. Stanford is a history lover, a research buff, and a passionate genealogy enthusiast. She is also a mother, a grandmother, and a teller of stories, now living near Orlando.

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Friday, April 24, 2026

Angela Thompson 7:20 AM 0

Memoir Spotlight: Who Will Name the Bees by Sarah Church Vosburgh

This morning, I have a memoir to share! Take a minute to learna about Who Will Name the Bees and author Sarah Church Vosburgh--and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Memoir

Date Published: April 22nd

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

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about the book

When memory fades, what remains?

Sarah Vosburgh has often felt misunderstood by her mother, a woman who lived a quintessential suburban life. But when her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Sarah’s world unravels, and she must confront a disease that will only worsen. As roles reverse between mother and daughter, Sarah faces the guilt of making decisions she hopes are the right ones while also carrying the grief of losing her mom bit by bit everyday. She navigates a labyrinth of health services amid the heartbreaking, and at times darkly humorous, realities of caregiving.

There are the white lies and midnight phone calls, the misbuttoned blouses, and the second slice of chocolate pie that tastes just as good as it did the first time. And then there’s the quiet awe at the persistence of connection even when language falters and names are forgotten.

Told in finely wrought prose and lyrical fragments of memory, Who Will Name the Bees? is a daughter's unflinching love letter to the flawed, fierce, and unforgettable woman who raised her.

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about the author

It was never in Sarah Vosburgh’s plan to be an author or to write a memoir. As a busy mom, wife, and psychologist, she always saw her life as full (sometimes overfull). But in the dark of night, memories knocked on her brain, compelling her to commit them first to paper, then to bits and bytes.

Sarah is a member of the International Memoir Writers Association and San Diego Writers, Ink. Her work has been published in A Year in Ink and numerous volumes of Shaking the Tree: brazen. short. memoir. A native New Englander, she now lives in San Diego with her husband, her daughter, her granddog, and a most extraordinary feline.

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Thursday, April 23, 2026

Angela Thompson 8:52 AM 0

Romance Spotlight: Home is Where our Story Begins by Dr. Omomaro Okekaro, PhD

This morning, we are joining the book tour to share romance novel Home is Where Our Story Begins! Check out the novel, learn about author Dr. Omomaro Okekaro, PhD, and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in tbhe book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Book Title:  HOME IS WHERE OUR STORY BEGINS by Dr. Omomaro Okekaro, PhD
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 436 pages
Genre:  Romance Fiction
Publisher:  WILLIAMS AND KING PUBLISHERS
Release date:   Nov 2025
Tour dates: Apr 20 to May 8, 2026
Content Rating:  PG + M. NO LANGUAGE, NO SEX SCENES. BUT THEME IS MATURE INVOLVING SECRET FAMILY AND ROMANTIC AFFAIR

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about the book

When Eliza Thornton returns to the quiet English countryside after her mother’s death, she finds the Old Manor—her childhood home—standing as both a relic of her past and a mirror to her own fractured heart. What begins as a simple visit to settle her mother’s affairs turns into a haunting journey of rediscovery, as buried letters and unspoken truths draw her into the labyrinth of her family’s untold story.

Through the voices of memory and regret, Home Is Where Our Story Begins explores the delicate threads that bind mothers and daughters, love and loss, silence and forgiveness.
As Eliza unravels the secrets her mother kept, she comes face-to-face with the echoes of generations—each one yearning to be understood, to be seen, to be free.

In the end, the Old Manor becomes more than a house; it becomes a place of reckoning, healing, and rebirth—a reminder that home isn’t just where we come from, but where we finally make peace with who we are.

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meet the author

Omomaro Okekaro, PhD, is a distinguished writer, scholar, and storyteller exploring the depths of human nature, justice, and hidden truths. With a background in mental health counseling and spirituality, he crafts narratives that blend mystery, suspense, and introspection, offering readers a profound journey through the human experience.

Born in Igbuku, Midwestern Nigeria, Dr. Okekaro’s love for literature began early, nurtured by a family that valued education. Beyond writing, he is a mental health therapist and spiritual counselor dedicated to faith, resilience, and self-discovery themes.

His works include A Spirituality of Awareness, Lord, I Am in Trouble, The Last Journey, The Shadows in My Rain, Monroe’s Dark Business, The Story of Me, Home Is Where Our Story Begins, and several unpublished manuscripts. When not writing, he enjoys family time and online Scrabble.

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Angela Thompson 8:30 AM 0

Young Adult Thriller Spotlight: To Die For by Audrey Steidl

Today, I have a young adult book to share in our book spotlight! Take a few minutes and learn about To Die For and author Audrey Steidl--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Young Adult

Date Published: April 10th 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

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about the book

To Die For is a harrowing look into the life of a narcissist who refuses to take accountability for the damage she inflicts.

High school senior Dei Fields appears completely harmless, but she has a keen instinct for manipulation. When she first sets eyes on hot star athlete Mika St. John, she’s determined to have him … and Dei always gets what she wants. There are only three obstacles: Mika’s friends, his family, and his girlfriend. But Dei isn’t afraid to destroy relationships to satisfy her fantasies.

In a matter of weeks, she love-bombs Mika into thinking he has found his soulmate, but when Dei’s plans go awry, everything changes—including her identity. Will Dei get what she wants this time? Or will she finally get what she deserves?

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about the author

Audrey Steidl is the award-winning author of the romantic thriller The Fallen. Her passion for storytelling began at an early age when she wrote scripts and performed them with her neighborhood friends in full costume and makeup. This love blossomed into a career as an actress and as a producer for cable television.

Now, when she’s not writing page-turners, Audrey is a hotel travel executive, a pilates fiend, and a lover of travel and art. A long-time San Diego resident, she shares her home with her husband Jamie and their mischievous Pomeranian Loki. Her latest novel, To Die For, is inspired by those who have the courage to walk away from narcissists and emotionally abusive relationships.

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