Fowl Summer Nights by Diane Lynn McGyver

See what happens when empty nest syndrome and retirement are taken to their “Nth degree.” The exchanges between the main character and her neighbors make this work into a light-hearted romp. Diane spins a great humorous tale filled with comic believability laced with a healthy dose of outlandish circumstances.

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Despite the humorous, I think McGyver is also giving us a lesson about aging, family, and society in general without a heavy hand. These more serious matters are delivered via subtext.

McGyver’s professional prose style makes for an easy and enjoyable read. Especially when she uses her language skills to deliver clever wordplay quips. The novella is free of typographical and formatting errors, and is well edited, which is quite a relief in today’s indie market.

A perfect quick read! I’m giving this one five stars *****

Padre Pio: Man of Hope, by Renzo Allegri

I was already convinced of Padre Pio’s blessedness before I read this book. Although if I were not convinced, I think it would’ve made me think otherwise.

I liked Renzo Allegri’s journalistic approach. His writing is clean, crisp, and clear, no nonsense and all business.  It is not a book that has a religious axe to grind, in the sense that it’s an attempt to proselytize and convert people. The book reads like a true piece of investigative journalism.

Allegri draws upon personal and professional statements from doctors, clergy, and Vatican records. I can see some skeptics claiming that this book is an attempt to proselytize #Catholicism because of the conclusions it draws. However, Renzo’s final analyses are the results of logic and fact-finding that inevitably lead to supernatural conclusions, and bring total vindication to the status of Padre Pio’s sainthood.

If you wish to be inspired by the life of the last stigmatist who was examined by twentieth century medicine, then this is a must-read. Molto bene Signor Allegri.