Book Reviews: Silent Meridian and A Pocketful of Lodestones by Elizabeth Crowens

If you enjoy novels that defy categorization, Silent Meridian, the first book in The Time Traveler Professor series by Elizabeth Crowens, might be worth investigating.

John Patrick Scott is a naïve but ambitious student studying music at the University of Edinburgh when he first meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The latter's obsession with a legendary red book and the transmigration of souls brings these two men together. While most know Scott as a concert pianist, he is also a paranormal investigator and time travel professor.

Together, these men will travel through time as detailed in Scott's diaries which fill this novel.

What drew me to Silent Meridian is its time travel aspect and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Readers have called it steampunk or alternate history, and the book's press release adds fictional memoir to the list. This may have presented a formula reader such as myself with challenges in fully appreciating the novel. Crowens wove together a unique story that introduced alternate histories for several well-known characters, like Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, Houdini, Jung and others, which I found rather fascinating. Scott's dreams and his initiation in to a secret society that led him to come into possession of the red book were also elements I enjoyed. I just felt confused a good part of the time. That said, I gave the second book in the series a shot, because Silent Meridian is well written, and a reader appreciates that.

Series: The Time Traveler Professor (Book 1)
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Atomic Alchemist Productions LLC; 2nd ed. edition (June 12, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1950384047
ISBN-13: 978-1950384044

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The second book in the series, A Pocketful of Lodestones, opens with John Patrick Scott enlisting to serve in World War I in August 1914. During basic training, he is plagued by a series of strange dreams and the odd souvenirs left behind as proof he had not simply imagined his travel. Scott is also tormented by the horrors of war and a platoon sergeant who has it in for him.

In the next book of The Time Traveler Professor series, World War I takes center stage. So, in this respect, history lovers or readers who enjoy alternative history may be more drawn to A Pocketful of Lodestones than the first book. I feel, however, that reading Silent Meridian first will help readers understand the characters and concepts better than if they pick up the second book as a stand alone.

While my confusion remained a bit of an issue with this novel, I felt disappointed with the cliff hanger ending. I'm just not a fan. Crowens creates the perfect set up for a third book, but I never like being cajoled into buying another book just to continue a character's adventures that begin in the book before it; blame television in the 70's and 80's where every issue was resolved in 30 to 60 minutes.

Still, I admire Crowens' imagination and ability to create an engaging cast of characters and explore alternate histories for well known figures. This would be a fascinating movie or television series.

Series: The Time Traveler Professor (Book 2)
Paperback: 328 pages
Publisher: Atomic Alchemist Productions LLC (August 1, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1950384055
ISBN-13: 978-1950384051

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

I received a free paperback copy of both books from the author. These reviews contain my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Steam and Stratagem by Christopher Hoare

Roberta Stephenson is the daughter of the "Father of Railways." Practically raised in the engine works and educated at a private academy, she makes a fine candidate to become manager and designer at her father's steamship yard on the Clyde. Britain will depend on Roberta's expertise to help them thwart Napoleon's latest invasion plan.

Steam and Stratagem by Christopher Hoare blends steampunk and romance in one fascinating story. Hoare's trademark for crafting strong heroines serves him well in this story set in 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars.

A chance encounter between Roberta Stephenson and Lord Bond leads to the Stephenson Engine Works being considered to build steam powered rams for the Admiralty. Roberta is soon drawn into the world of intrigue, while her personal life gets more complicated by the attention of three suitors.

Having never read steampunk fiction before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. In some ways, Steam and Stratagem is a Victorian era Tom Clancy book. It's filled with details of ships, cannons, iron plates, and more. The romance aspect of the novel takes a back seat to the intrigue and ship engineering. This might shift a bit in future novels of the series, but in this first book, I was seventy percent into the novel before Roberta began considering these potential suitors. There are hints of the romance prior to that, but not much.

While I don't think steampunk fiction will ever be a favorite of mine, Hoare's writing--which I've enjoyed in the past--remains solid and his female characters sharp. I can't say I cared for Lord Bond, much, but perhaps there are some surprises coming in future installments. Holmes and Worthington were entertaining, and I would like to see more of them.

If you're a steampunk fiction fan, you'll want to check out Steam and Stratagem.

Paperback: 326 pages
Publisher: Tyche Books Ltd. (November 27, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0991836979
ISBN-13: 978-0991836970
ASIN: B00GXHPMOS


The publisher sent me a digital copy of this book for review. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

I have read this book for the following challenges.

W...W...W...Wednesdays - April 2

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Feeling like a broken record because I'm still on the same book. I have to admit to reading some shorter books in between, though, so at least it's not because I'm lazy.

I'm at 56% on my Kindle right now for Steam & Strategem by Christopher Hoare.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Do's and Don'ts is a whimsical lesson book aimed at teaching young readers the difference between good and bad behavior/etiquette. In the book Zack and Chloe go from being manner monsters to well-behaved children as they provide samples of typical scenarios that not only young children encounter but can relate to. For example, Zack becomes a Manner Monster when he loses a game, kicking and pouting like a poor sport. In contract, good behavior is then modeled depicting Zack congratulating the winning team. Unlike other etiquette books for children that tell a story or just communicate positive behavior, The Do's and Don'ts compares and contrasts between good and bad behavior. Simply, yet colorfully displayed, are examples of inappropriate behavior and decisions young children may display followed by behavior and decisions that are more socially accepted. Each compare and contrast anecdote is set in the same scene so that young readers can instantly see the differences between good and poor behavior.

I'm reviewing this one over at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection on the 15th.

At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mother’s death and placed in a boy’s boarding school in Maine. There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains.

Newcomer Jack feels lost yet can’t help being drawn to Early, who won’t believe what everyone accepts to be the truth about the Great Appalachian Bear, Timber Rattlesnakes, and the legendary school hero known as The Fish, who never returned from the war. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.

But what they are searching for is sometimes different from what they find. They will meet truly strange characters, each of whom figures into the pi story Early weaves as they travel, while discovering things they never realized about themselves and others in their lives.

I read Navigating Early for research purposes. Not only am I looking for agents who might represent the middle grade novel I'm writing; but my main character attends a boarding school, so I've been reading--or in this case listening to--books where boarding schools are part of the setting.

This is a fabulous book. I highly recommend it.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Murder in the Worst Degree is definitely next on my review list.

The body that washes up on the beach leads Detectives Milligan and Zachary on a murder investigation that includes the victim’s family members, his housekeeper, three long-time friends, and a mystery woman.

After that it will be A Comedy of Erinn.

Erinn Wolf needs to reinvent herself. A once celebrated playwright turned photographer, she's almost broke, a little lonely, and tired of her sister's constant worry. When a job on a reality TV show falls into her lap, she's thrilled to be making a paycheck--and when a hot Italian actor named Massimo rents her guesthouse, she's certain her life is getting a romantic subplot. But with the director, brash, gorgeous young Jude, dogging her every step, she can't help but look at herself through his lens--and wonder if she's been reading the wrong script all along. . .


What are you reading right now?

W...W...W...Wednesdays

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Welcome to the Steampunk World of Regency…

…where the power of steam has already passed from the age of unsatisfactory experiments to the first country-spanning railways and ships that no longer sail at the whims of weather. Roberta Stephenson is the daughter of the ‘Father of Railways’…a girl almost raised in the engine works and through her experience, and education in the most advanced halls of Miss Mather’s Academy for Girls, is fit to become manager and designer at her father’s steamship yard on the Clyde.

And Britain needs Roberta’s expertise, for fate in this world has dealt more kindly with Napoleon, allowing him to extricate most of his army from Moscow in 1812, and granting him at least a draw at Leipzig in 1813. With developments of the steamships begun in France in 1783 he is ready to take one more gamble to rid himself of the interference of Perfidious Albion, and the island’s safety may depend on the steam powered rams Roberta is offering to their lordships of the Admiralty.

Complicating Roberta’s professional life are her romantic suitors: Lord Julian Bond, man about town and Admiralty spy; the enigmatic Symington Holmes; and Engineer Lieutenant Alfred Worthington RN. It seems that Roberta is destined to choose one of these gentlemen, but will she choose wisely?

I'm enjoying this novel, it's just slow going because I was studying last week and my daughter has been sick.

 What did you recently finish reading?

As a straight-A student with a budding romance and loyal best friend, M.T.’s life seems as apple-pie American as her blondish hair and pale skin. But M.T. hides two facts to the contrary: her full name of Monserrat Thalia and her status as an undocumented immigrant.

But it’s harder to hide now that M.T.’s a senior. Her school’s National Honor Society wants her to plan their trip abroad, her best friend won’t stop bugging her to get her driver’s license, and all everyone talks about is where they want to go to college. M.T. is pretty sure she can’t go to college, and with high school ending and her family life unraveling, she’s staring down a future that just seems empty. In the end, M.T. will need to trust herself and others to stake a claim in the life that she wants.

Author Maria E. Andreu draws from her personal experience as a (formerly) undocumented immigrant to explore an issue that affects over one million children in the U.S. But while the subject matter is timely, it is M.T.’s sharp, darkly funny voice and longing for a future that makes this story universally poignant.

You can read my review of this novel at TC&TBC. I highly recommend this book.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The body that washes up on the beach leads Detectives Milligan and Zachary on a murder investigation that includes the victim’s family members, his housekeeper, three long-time friends, and a mystery woman.

This is the latest Rocky Bluff P.D. novel.

I'm due to review this one at the end of next month, so this is definitely my next read. 

W...W...W...Wednesdays - March 12

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I'm starting this one tonight.

Welcome to the Steampunk World of Regency…

…where the power of steam has already passed from the age of unsatisfactory experiments to the first country-spanning railways and ships that no longer sail at the whims of weather. Roberta Stephenson is the daughter of the ‘Father of Railways’…a girl almost raised in the engine works and through her experience, and education in the most advanced halls of Miss Mather’s Academy for Girls, is fit to become manager and designer at her father’s steamship yard on the Clyde.

And Britain needs Roberta’s expertise, for fate in this world has dealt more kindly with Napoleon, allowing him to extricate most of his army from Moscow in 1812, and granting him at least a draw at Leipzig in 1813. With developments of the steamships begun in France in 1783 he is ready to take one more gamble to rid himself of the interference of Perfidious Albion, and the island’s safety may depend on the steam powered rams Roberta is offering to their lordships of the Admiralty.

Complicating Roberta’s professional life are her romantic suitors: Lord Julian Bond, man about town and Admiralty spy; the enigmatic Symington Holmes; and Engineer Lieutenant Alfred Worthington RN. It seems that Roberta is destined to choose one of these gentlemen, but will she choose wisely?

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished this book two nights ago. I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. even though I knew the alarm would be ringing at 6:30 because I could not put it down. I highly recommend this emotional and superbly written novel. My review will appear at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection on the 25th.

What's it like to be undocumented? High school senior M.T. knows all too well. With graduation and an uncertain future looming, she must figure out how to grow up in the only country she's ever called home... a country in which she's "illegal."

M.T. was born in Argentina and brought to America as a baby without any official papers. And as questions of college, work, and the future arise, M.T. will have to decide what exactly she wants for herself, knowing someone she loves will unavoidably pay the price for it. On the way, M.T. must navigate first love, letting go of her childhood friends as they begin a life she can't share, a difficult relationship with a father who grew up a world away and a mother struggling to find her way in America. What is it like when the only country you've ever known says you don't belong? The Secret Side of Empty offers an intimate, often surprising glimpse into a story you often hear on the news but have never heard told this way before.


Author Maria E. Andreu draws from her personal experience as a former undocumented immigrant to explore issues of belonging, keeping secrets and what it's like to be undocumented. More than that, The Secret Side of Empty is a story that will touch anyone who has ever felt excluded or unsure about the future or has kept a secret she felt was too big too share.

I also finally finished these two research books on Mount Holyoke College that I needed for a writing project.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm honestly not sure because it depends on how long it takes me to read Steam and Strategem. My next book for review that is due next month is the latest installment in F.M. Meredith's Rocky Bluff P.D. series, Murder in the Worst Degree, so it might be that.

The body that washes up on the beach leads Detectives Milligan and Zachary on a murder investigation that includes the victim’s family members, his housekeeper, three long-time friends, and a mystery woman.

W...W...W...Wednesdays - February 19

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?



I decided to go with this one since it needs to be reviewed during early March. It's not a very long book, so I'm guessing I'll be done with it quickly.

Planning on self-publishing a book? Uploading files to a packager isn't the entire scope of work. That's actually the easiest task, but there are many more necessary tasks to be done.. This book explains the entire self-publishing process. It breaks up the publishing process into four timeframes starting four months before the availability date. This spreads the workload into easy-to-manage chunks.

The book describes the complete process necessary to self-published a book. Unlike those who maintain that self-publishing a book consists of simply uploading the cover and manuscript files, this book details all of the necessary preliminary tasks that have to be finished before uploading the files.

It’s a complete roadmap to get a book self-published. It’s organized by timeframes to break up the workload into manageable chunks.

What did you recently finish reading?

You can read my review of I Am Abraham by clicking here. There's also a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway that is part of this tour.

What do you think you’ll read next?


I'm going to sneak this one in before I tackle another adult book.

The anticipation of summer vacation can put anyone in a great mood with the excitement of adventures to be had--especially at the beach. But what is a group of friends to do when they discover mysterious men poaching whale teeth at the beach?

This is probably the next book for adults I'll read.

Welcome to the Steampunk World of Regency…

…where the power of steam has already passed from the age of unsatisfactory experiments to the first country-spanning railways and ships that no longer sail at the whims of weather. Roberta Stephenson is the daughter of the ‘Father of Railways’…a girl almost raised in the engine works and through her experience, and education in the most advanced halls of Miss Mather’s Academy for Girls, is fit to become manager and designer at her father’s steamship yard on the Clyde.

And Britain needs Roberta’s expertise, for fate in this world has dealt more kindly with Napoleon, allowing him to extricate most of his army from Moscow in 1812, and granting him at least a draw at Leipzig in 1813. With developments of the steamships begun in France in 1783 he is ready to take one more gamble to rid himself of the interference of Perfidious Albion, and the island’s safety may depend on the steam powered rams Roberta is offering to their lordships of the Admiralty.

Complicating Roberta’s professional life are her romantic suitors: Lord Julian Bond, man about town and Admiralty spy; the enigmatic Symington Holmes; and Engineer Lieutenant Alfred Worthington RN. It seems that Roberta is destined to choose one of these gentlemen, but will she choose wisely?

I'm scheduled to review The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu at the end of March, but I haven't received my copy yet.

What are you reading this week?

W...W...W...Wednesdays - February 12

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Still making my way through this one. I simply haven't had as much reading time as usual because I'm performing research for a book I'm working on.

Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln's life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley—the former slave, who became the First Lady's dressmaker and confidante—and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores.

We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man's-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln’s own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America’s bloodiest war.

Using biblically cadenced prose, cornpone nineteenth-century humor, and Lincoln’s own letters and speeches, Charyn concocts a profoundly moral but troubled commander in chief, whose relationship with his Ophelia-like wife and sons—Robert, Willie, and Tad—is explored with penetrating psychological insight and the utmost compassion. Seized by melancholy and imbued with an unfaltering sense of human worth, Charyn’s President Lincoln comes to vibrant, three-dimensional life in a haunting portrait we have rarely seen in historical fiction.

What did you recently finish reading?

Read this children's picture book for my Christian book blog.

Every child wonders where belly buttons come from and why they exist. Discover the nonhistorical truth in a delightful, fun, and affirming way. Children will discover that belly buttons mean you are special and you are loved. After reading Where Do Belly Buttons Come From? you may never look at your belly button the same!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Thinking it will be this one, but it could be something else.

Welcome to the Steampunk World of Regency…

…where the power of steam has already passed from the age of unsatisfactory experiments to the first country-spanning railways and ships that no longer sail at the whims of weather. Roberta Stephenson is the daughter of the ‘Father of Railways’…a girl almost raised in the engine works and through her experience, and education in the most advanced halls of Miss Mather’s Academy for Girls, is fit to become manager and designer at her father’s steamship yard on the Clyde.

And Britain needs Roberta’s expertise, for fate in this world has dealt more kindly with Napoleon, allowing him to extricate most of his army from Moscow in 1812, and granting him at least a draw at Leipzig in 1813. With developments of the steamships begun in France in 1783 he is ready to take one more gamble to rid himself of the interference of Perfidious Albion, and the island’s safety may depend on the steam powered rams Roberta is offering to their lordships of the Admiralty.

Complicating Roberta’s professional life are her romantic suitors: Lord Julian Bond, man about town and Admiralty spy; the enigmatic Symington Holmes; and Engineer Lieutenant Alfred Worthington RN. It seems that Roberta is destined to choose one of these gentlemen, but will she choose wisely?

I'm also due to review this one soon, so it could be either.

Planning on self-publishing a book? Uploading files to a packager isn't the entire scope of work. That's actually the easiest task, but there are many more necessary tasks to be done.. This book explains the entire self-publishing process. It breaks up the publishing process into four timeframes starting four months before the availability date. This spreads the workload into easy-to-manage chunks.

The book describes the complete process necessary to self-published a book. Unlike those who maintain that self-publishing a book consists of simply uploading the cover and manuscript files, this book details all of the necessary preliminary tasks that have to be finished before uploading the files.

It’s a complete roadmap to get a book self-published. It’s organized by timeframes to break up the workload into manageable chunks.

What are you reading this week?

W...W...W...Wednesdays - January 29th

This meme was created by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln's life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley—the former slave, who became the First Lady's dressmaker and confidante—and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores.

We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man's-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln’s own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America’s bloodiest war.

Using biblically cadenced prose, cornpone nineteenth-century humor, and Lincoln’s own letters and speeches, Charyn concocts a profoundly moral but troubled commander in chief, whose relationship with his Ophelia-like wife and sons—Robert, Willie, and Tad—is explored with penetrating psychological insight and the utmost compassion. Seized by melancholy and imbued with an unfaltering sense of human worth, Charyn’s President Lincoln comes to vibrant, three-dimensional life in a haunting portrait we have rarely seen in historical fiction.

I'm not enjoying some of the vulgarity and obscenities in this novel, but I'm keeping an open mind since I enjoy Charyn's work.

What did you recently finish reading?

Maisy Sawyer is not your average fourth grade student. She is a detective with a special skill for solving mysteries. She loves black and white mystery movies, cherry lollipops, and her dog, Reesie. When a thief known as The Black Boot steals the school’s mascots and her lollipops, Maisy sets out to solve the case. Can she help return the mice to their home in the science lab? Will she ever see her beloved lollipops again? Find out in the first book in The Maisy Files series.

I'm reviewing this one for the author's virtual book tour. You'll find my review tomorrow at http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Welcome to the Steampunk World of Regency…

…where the power of steam has already passed from the age of unsatisfactory experiments to the first country-spanning railways and ships that no longer sail at the whims of weather. Roberta Stephenson is the daughter of the ‘Father of Railways’…a girl almost raised in the engine works and through her experience, and education in the most advanced halls of Miss Mather’s Academy for Girls, is fit to become manager and designer at her father’s steamship yard on the Clyde.

And Britain needs Roberta’s expertise, for fate in this world has dealt more kindly with Napoleon, allowing him to extricate most of his army from Moscow in 1812, and granting him at least a draw at Leipzig in 1813. With developments of the steamships begun in France in 1783 he is ready to take one more gamble to rid himself of the interference of Perfidious Albion, and the island’s safety may depend on the steam powered rams Roberta is offering to their lordships of the Admiralty.

Complicating Roberta’s professional life are her romantic suitors: Lord Julian Bond, man about town and Admiralty spy; the enigmatic Symington Holmes; and Engineer Lieutenant Alfred Worthington RN. It seems that Roberta is destined to choose one of these gentlemen, but will she choose wisely?