Why am I passionate about this?

My illiterate grandparents taught me to love learning. A librarian who shared books and food with a ragged, hungry kid cemented my love of books. My fifth-grade teacher in a ghetto school took unpaid time to encourage my writing. My mother taught me to never give up my dreams. Dogs taught me the meaning of unconditional affection and loyalty. And nowadays, when I lose faith in myself, it is my wifeā€™s love and belief in me that keeps me going. Love, in its many forms, has shaped my life. 


I wrote

Run or Die

By Aya Walksfar,

Book cover of Run or Die

What is my book about?

Two womenā€”Aretha Hopewell, a bitter black woman who doesnā€™t like whites in general and isnā€™t pleased that she let herā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Written in Red

Aya Walksfar Why did I love this book?

This book hooked me with the first sentence: ā€œHalf blinded by the storm, she stumbled into the open area between buildings.ā€ Anne Bishop created a world with infinite care and remained consistent throughout this series. Although this is the first book, it can be read as a standalone. I felt immediately comfortable in Anneā€™s world and was able to slip right into the story.

Conflicts occurred, followed by dire consequences, yet detailed sex and violence were not used to carry the plot forward. Throughout this book, I felt as if her characters lived in my neighborhood; many of whom I wouldā€™ve wanted as friends. I became invested in them and wanted them to succeed. Dialogue was believable and flowed smoothly.

Normally, I catch errors in spelling and word usage in books I read, which slows the story way down. However, either I was too immersed in the story, or there were no errors because I failed to catch even one. From start to finish, the book never bogged down. I loved how Anne wove the climax and then ended the book.

This is not a cliffhanger but an entire story in itself. This was a satisfying read (Iā€™ve re-read this book three times!) and I highly recommend it to those who love well-developed paranormal novels.

By Anne Bishop,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Written in Red as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Enter the world of the Others in the first novel in New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishopā€™s thrilling fantasy series: a place where unearthly entitiesā€”vampires and shape-shifters among themā€”rule the Earth and prey on the human race.

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cutā€”a gift that feels more like a curse. Megā€™s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyardā€”a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifterā€¦


Book cover of Murder at the Nightwood Bar

Aya Walksfar Why did I love this book?

I liked the protagonist, Kate Delafield, immediately for her straightforward manner. Within very few pages, Katherine painted a picture of the neighborhood and the bar where a murder occurred in its back parking lot, yet she never caused the story to drag. Katherine pulled me in with her succinct description of the murder scene. It was as if I stood beside Kate Delafield.

As the detectives entered the bar, I felt lesbian history reverberating down through the years. As a lesbian, I identified with Kate Delafield and with the milieu within which she had to live and do her job as a police detective. I also understood the hostility of the bar patronsā€”all lesbiansā€”toward the police. Without preaching, Katherine described the larger conflict inherent in the situation.

This book was so well-written that I ā€œfeltā€ the emotions of the characters; the sadness that a young life had been destroyed way before she was murdered. Throughout the book, I watched the transformation that took place within Kate Delafield. I ā€œfeltā€ her struggles between being closeted and being out. It all felt very real, as if I was one of the barā€™s patrons while I was also Kate Delafield. I strongly recommend this great mystery that is interwoven with accurate history.    

By Katherine V. Forrest,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Murder at the Nightwood Bar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dory Quillin, nineteen-years old, her white-blonde hair ruffled by the gentle breezes of a June evening, lies dead in the parking lot of a lesbian bar. Her bewildered silver-blue eyes stare beseechingly into the mind and soul of the woman who kneels beside her: LAPD homicide detective Kate Delafield.

The investigation is far from a simple matter. Kate uncovers shocking facts about the brief life of the murdered young lesbian. She finds her road to the killer obstructed by Doryā€™s uncooperative, judgmental parents, the waning interest of her own partner, and most frustrating of all, the open hostility of womenā€¦


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Book cover of Conditions are Different After Dark

Conditions are Different After Dark by Owen W. Knight,

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Fourā€¦

Book cover of Waiting for Shadow: Tracking Jane

Aya Walksfar Why did I love this book?

Major Jane McMurty is a complex character trying to work through PTSD acquired under fire in Afghanistan while integrating back into civilian society. Her ā€œsidekickā€ is a dog named Shady who epitomizes the independence and intelligence of a working dog. As a past breeder of working GSDs, the interactions between woman and dog are quite realistic, and quickly pull me into the story.

This is a woman used to standing on her own two feet, but now they arenā€™t there. The love she has for the K-9 who went through the war with her, Shadow, shines through her actions, and in the way that she fights to bring Shadow home. Even though this novel highlights several very real issues faced by returning veterans and amputees, this is far from a ā€œsob story.ā€

I love the strength the main character shows and the way she treats her current dog, Shady. That alone endears her to me. This is a story of strength, addiction, and bravery in everyday life. It is thought-provoking and entertaining in the best sense of the word. As a lover of dogs and books with strong female characters, I highly recommend this satisfying read.

By Eduardo Suastegui,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Waiting for Shadow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Major Jane McMurtry is learning to walk after an IED ripped into her legs. Fitted with a new set of prosthetic legs, Jane can do more now. She can start tracking again with her new dog. She can go for long walks around her Colorado ranch. Even her back and hip pain have diminished. But that's not the sort of pain pressing down on Jane. She misses Shadow, the military K9 partner she trained and had to leave in Afghanistan. If he could come home. If she only had Shadow at her side, she'd handle things better. Unfortunately, it doesn'tā€¦


Book cover of Blindsided

Aya Walksfar Why did I love this book?

This romance combines a look into the world of working guide dogs with a story of how two people grow to love each other and cherish the very different places from which they came. The charactersā€”canine as well as humanā€”are well-developed. The bond between human and canine, essential to the story, poignantly reminded me of a very special German Shepherd with whom I shared my life for all too few years.

Much like everyday communication, the dialogue flows, stutters, and gets sidetracked. I appreciated how the issues presented throughout the book are resolved realistically, whether between humans or dogs. As the characters grow and change, an unforgettable picture of how love can change the destiny of people and dogs is painted.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a romance with depth and heart.

By Karis Walsh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Blindsided as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Guide dog trainer Lenae McIntyre left the high-speed world of television news writing behind, and now she helps other visually impaired people adjust to life with their canine companions. She teaches her students and their dogs to trust each other, but a past betrayal and the determination to be self-sufficient and independent keep her from trusting her heart to see love.

Cara Bradley compensates for her familyā€™s shallow celebrity lifestyle by devoting her life to helping others, while keeping to the background. She reluctantly commits to a year of puppy walking a four-legged whirlwind named Pickwick so she can filmā€¦


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Book cover of Fourth and Long

Fourth and Long by Britt Belle,

Fourth and Long is a novel written in the first person with dual POVs.

Ellie: When I meet Slater, an infamous quarterback trying to salvage his career, I know better than to form expectations. Our relationship starts out casual, but I canā€™t help falling for him. The problem is, thatā€¦

Book cover of Soul Unique

Aya Walksfar Why did I love this book?

Could I love someone with a permanent, life-altering disability? This question was presented early on as Greer Landon, a well-known and highly regarded art gallery owner, meets Hayden Rowe, an autistic young woman and extremely talented artist. Told in first person from Greerā€™s perspective, the subject was handled with sensitivity and insight, drawing me further into the story. An early confrontation with Haydenā€™s mother painted a stark picture of emotional abuse, and I wanted to throttle the mother for her callous disregard for Hayden. This was especially true after I ā€œmetā€ Haydenā€™s grandmother and brother.

As the relationship between Greer and Hayden developed, Greer made seemingly straightforward decisions that had unforeseen consequences and changed the milieu surrounding both Hayden and herself. I could relate to that particular situation and was immersed in the dance of conflict and discovery that permeated this novel. The characters were drawn with honest strokes of the pen (or keystrokes of the computer) that added depth and believability to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written novel and strongly recommend it.

By Gun Brooke,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Soul Unique as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Greer Landon is a successful art gallery owner. She has created an empire by discovering and developing new artists. When she agrees to visit an art school in Boston, she encounters a woman, Hayden Rowe, whose paintings take her breath away. Greer realizes Hayden is not a student, but lives in a remote wing of the school and the maddeningly frustrating headmaster is her mother.

Mesmerized by Hayden and her art, Greer learns the young woman has Asperger syndrome. Hayden awakens something in Greer she didnā€™t know she was capable of. Having suffered from a profound loneliness for most ofā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Run or Die

By Aya Walksfar,

Book cover of Run or Die

What is my book about?

Two womenā€”Aretha Hopewell, a bitter black woman who doesnā€™t like whites in general and isnā€™t pleased that she let her mother talk her into hiring Jaz Wheeler, a white lesbian running from a broken heartā€”come together on a rugged hillside farm. A small town with six men who vow that no matter what it takes, they will run the women off the land and out of town. The town turns a blind eye as the women are subjected to increasingly vicious assaults that the sheriff claims he is powerless to stop. 

Given the ultimatum to run or die, the women refuse to leave the struggling Hopewell farm. Can they prevail, or does the Hawk Hill farm hold only death for them?  

Book cover of Written in Red
Book cover of Murder at the Nightwood Bar
Book cover of Waiting for Shadow: Tracking Jane

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