Amy's Bookshelf Reviews & Podcast

590 Legacy Authors. 3818 Titles Reviewed. All Authors 2046. Countdown to retirement: 2182 Reviews.

My Interview on Bringing Life to Characters

Run by Author R. Weir. Now it was my turned to be on the hot seat.

IMPERSONATION & SCAM ALERT

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality”

Edgar Allen Poe

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Amy's Bookshelf Reviews & Podcast

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT-AUGUST 2026

Hao C. Tran

Hao is a Viet Kieu— a Vietnamese living overseas. He left Vietnam as a young man shortly before the fall of Saigon. He has returned to look for his family and writes about his longings, regrets, and a post-war Vietnam. His short story collections “Skinny Woman in a Straw Hat” and “The Old Village Road” are about his emotional journeys home after twenty years of exile.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Hao-C.-Tran/author/B0C5ZJ17SV

FEATURED CHILDREN'S BOOK

Frederick Key- I've Got This

AUGUST 2026 RELEASES

Ron Kinscherf Elevator 8/4/2026

Lisa Towles The Weight of Cold Things 8/7/2026

JULY 2026 RELEASES

Once Upon a Dance A Tail of Learning 7/1/2026

Elliott D. Light A More Perfect Union 7/3/2026

Lisa Orban 404 Apocalypse Not Found 7/16/2026

Elliott D. Light A More Perfect Union 7/3/2026

Lisa Orban 404 Apocalypse Not Found 7/16/2026

AMY'S PICK OF THE MONTH "AUGUST 2026"

BOOK SPOTLIGHT

Neal Goldstein - Rittenhouse Square

A pandemic. A prestigious school. A killer hiding in plain sight.

Rittenhouse Square- a genteel neighborhood in America's most historic city, and home of the Curtis Institute of Music. But on the eve of the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak, a series of savage crimes send shockwaves through the school, and expose dark secrets that will change the august institution forever.

Jackson Logan, a college administrator already fighting his own demons, labors among the chaos of COVID to get to the truth, while Detectives Kathleen Brennan and Frank Benson race to identify the perpetrator and motive.

Like a Beethoven symphony, Rittenhouse's heartfelt story telling, expertly weaves together multiple threads, subverting convents of genre and structure to defy expectations and pluck the reader's emotional heartstrings. Much more than a crime novel, Rittenhouse Square is a thriller that poignantly captures a tumultuous moment in recent history when the wall between life and death, truth and lies, and beauty and brutality became perilously thin.

Kate Rigby- Family Tradition

‘The smack was passed down from mother to daughter (there having been a paucity of sons for generations) and the smack started with Elsie...Things tended to get a bit sketchy pre-Elsie who passed the smack down through Pearl to Pattie and eventually to Tanya, like a genetic defect.’

But Tanya is determined to bury this family tradition once and for all.

Alisa Jean - Brian

Sweet heat. Sharp skates. One perfect shot at forever.

Brian Anderson has always been the good guy—center for the Los Angeles Quakes, team peacemaker, and top scorer. He’s watched his teammates fall in love one by one, but he’s stayed far from the line of fire—until a fierce left winger blindsides him in a no-holds-barred charity game. Alexis Barlowe doesn’t care about NHL fame. She’s too busy raising her daughter and guarding her heart after one betrayal too many.

Brian is determined in his pursuit, and Alexis eventually lets him in. He’s everything Peter, her ex, wasn’t—kind, dependable, crazy about her and her daughter. But when a woman from Brian’s past shows up five months pregnant and claiming he’s the father, Alexis’s walls come crashing back down.

The test says the baby is his. But Brian swears it’s not true. As secrets unravel and old wounds reopen, both must decide if love is worth the risk—or if their happily ever after is just another story cut short.

Talia Haven- They Never, Ever, Take the Children

Once Upon a Dance - A Tail of Learning: Kittina Ballerina and the Not-So-PURRfect Pirouettes

Then when it is all over when the earth stops trembling you can return to your homes. Your children will be waiting because when they come, they take the adults, but they never, ever take the children.

Includes a bonus read, Human Scooping Morning.

Once Upon a Dance - A Tail of Learning: Kittina Ballerina and the Not-So-PURRfect Pirouettes

Dance-Along while Discovering the Value of Learning and the Power of Practice!

Kittina Ballerina is a beloved teacher, but even she has days when ballet feels hard. When her students catch her tripping over her own paws, Kittina embarks on her own journey to become a better dancer. By attending classes, she teacher her young students:

• Mistakes are part of the magic. Even teachers wobble!

• Honesty is brave: It’s okay to say I'm still learning.

• Practice makes progress.

In A Tail of Learning, young readers discover that mastery doesn’t come from being perfect—it comes from curiosity, patience, and heart. Kittina shows her students that learning never ends, and that every stumble is part of growing stronger.

Set in the magical world of Pirouette Pines, this interactive dance-along picture book invites children to jump, wobble, smile, and try again, reinforcing resilience, honesty, and perseverance through joyful movement.

Melina Druga - Midlife Melody

Once Upon a Dance - A Tail of Learning: Kittina Ballerina and the Not-So-PURRfect Pirouettes

A single mom. A reformed rock legend. A love too powerful to ignore.

Holly Leftwich, a single mother who’s spent her life surviving instead of thriving, has never been lucky in love. After years of sacrifice and hard work, she's a homeowner in Cincinnati, Ohio, a city she chose specifically for her vibrant daughter, Ainsley, a gifted guitarist who has landed a recording deal.

Spencer Everlong had it all: women, money and fame. After decades in the spotlight, determined to leave the chaos behind, the notorious frontman traded it all for the quiet life as a music producer. Spencer was the embodiment of every rock star stereotype imaginable and has worked tirelessly to re-invent himself. Too bad he’s painfully lonely.

Holly and Spencer’s attraction is instant, their connection undeniable, but their budding romance is threatened by the ghosts of Spencer's past and the lingering consequences of his former life. Will their love be strong enough to overcome the past? Will Holly decide redemption is enough to rebuild trust?

Steamy, heartfelt, and filled with hard-won hope, Midlife Melody is a mature contemporary romance about second chances, taking risks, and falling in love when you least expect it.