Review of Shaman Healer Heretic by M. Terry Green

Shaman, Healer, Heretic ISBN number 9780983292500 is a fantasy novel about a group of people who have mutated and have psychic powers. The mutants aren’t that welcome to the world, in fact they are locked up if they are detected, but some of them have learned to pass as normal. In this world of the future, if someone begins to shows signs of being psychic early in life they are taken to work centers where their powers are harnessed and used. Most normal people in the future are fearful and avoid shamans, but many hire them to intervene with the spirits in the upper and lower worlds.

The heroine of the book is a techno-shaman. She has special goggles that allow her to journey to other worlds. The story is the classic struggle between good and evil. Someone has opened Pandora’s box letting out evils spirits and our heroine, Olivia, must put them back in the box. It’s also a coming of age novel because Olivia is just discovering all her powers and how to use them.

The story begins with a giant Kachina doll entering Olivia’s apartment to warn her about the evil that has been unleased. I thought the author did a good job of communicating the essence of the future world as well as the upper, middle and lower worlds of the spirits.

Inkings: Very Short Stories and Other Babies Born of Ink by Aparna Warrier

Aparna Warrier's first book, Inklings: Very Short Stories and Other Babies Born of Ink, is a short anthology of twelve stories, covering several different topics, such as youth, young love, politics, heartbreak, some of which are humorous. Most are brief glimpses into ordinary situations, fleeting moments that might contain the flicker of a revelation or an emotion. Warrier captures the minute feelings, which are many times lost on us with the possible exception of pain.

There is no common thread between the stories, except for its reoccuring themes. The book is simply a compilation of vignettes. Due to its length, it felt more like a sampling, but is an enjoyable book, nonetheless. Warrier's style is simple, light-hearted in her humor and heartfelt when necessary; however, there is room to grow. I'm curious to see how this anthology is followed up and see what Warrier is capable of.

Inklings is available from Smashwords.com.

Get the Best Medical Care – You Can Navigate the Medical Maze by Donna Maldonado-Schullo

When you are in pain and not feeling well you aren’t being your most resourceful self. Get the Best Medical Care – You Can Navigate the Medical Maze by Donna Maldonado-Schullo is a very good guide which outlines a logical and practical way to approach your health care providers. I highly recommend that a patient keep the book handy so they can remember where to go and what to do.

One of the points made by the author early on in the book was how the American Health Care system seems designed for frustration and expense. Americans are pretty isolated from the rest of the world so they do not realize that there are medical systems that work much better and cost much less. She points out that many European nations have universal health care and their taxes are no higher than ours, in fact the systems work to eliminate many of the costly problems with the American system. That said she goes on to explain how to work our system to your best advantage.
For example the author recommends that sick people have a patient advocate; preferably an adult who is educated, tactful, feisty, and unemployed. It’s hard for a patient to be his or her own advocate because it’s hard to be tactful and feisty when you’re sick. It may also be difficult to spend the time required to educate yourself if you are sick, or have a full-time job. She points out that patient safety is related to how well that advocate understands the health care system and procedures.
The book lists out patient responsibilities and rights and lets you know where to go to find out more, or place complaints. This is the best thing about this book. It is loaded with references, email addresses and names of agencies you might need. The author includes long lists of questions to ask doctors about themselves and about procedures. It would be worth buying this book for the lists of questions.
The book is available on Amazon.com.