Divorce can be one of the most devastating life experiences. If you have gone through it, or know someone who has, you know how it can affect us in so many ways: professionally, personally, our health, our family relationships, our sanity.

Books written by journalists and news people tend to be some of the most interesting. These people are often on the front lines experiencing the stories you read in the paper and see on the news, as part of their real life. They can get close to the action, get to know the players intimately, and uncover aspects to stories like no one else. They can even come face-to-face with a serial killer and live to tell about it.

Children’s books imprint upon us at an early age. Think of the books you read as a child, I bet you still fondly recall Little Golden Books, Dr. Seuss, and others. The lessons learned in these books stay with us throughout our lifetime—so isn’t it important for our children to read books with positive messages, that celebrate diversity and spark imaginations?

In the grand tradition of novels likethe Handmaid’s Taleand 1984, Last Call - America: Last Call Before Darknesscompels the reader to envision a world not so different from our own, but with a dark twist.  So go the very best dystopian novels of past generations. We delight in the chilling suspense of what might befall us if we’re not careful… and even if we are.

Los Angeles is brimming with creative souls who dream of being screenwriters, directors, actors, models, animators, designers, celebrities, thespians and more. People from around the world are drawn here, making it a special place. There is a creative energy in Los Angeles that can't be found in any other city.

Dark fiction. Horror, thrillers, dark fantasy, mysteries, science fiction and more. What makes fiction dark? Why do we enjoy curling up with something that scares us?  

Better yet, do you like listening to books, or listening to scary stories? It is honestly one of my favorite things. I love listening to author readings where they share excerpts from their booksand I can get lost in their writing through their words.

We’re talking about Books That Make You see America through the eyes of an Immigrant. 

Most Americans today can trace their ancestry back to immigrants who came here from another country. Some of those journeys happened more distantly in the past, and some more recently. The commonality we share is that as American’s we are uniquely united together in this nation.

A memoir is a personal account of one’s life. It can be a portion of his or her life, or span many years. Memoirs are a wonderful way for us to understand someone else’s story. They give us a slice of history and can help us empathize and relate to people who might be celebrities, athletes, journalists, players in historical events or even every-day people with extraordinary stories. Lessons learned and the moments that shaped one’s life are often the goal in writing a memoir.

It’s probably the biggest wish that we all have for our fellow humans. Peace on Earth. As a matter of fact, if you asked a random sampling of people what they’d want if granted one wish, that’s an answer you’d get a lot. Why then, if so many people want world peace, is it so hard to obtain?

Books give us the ability to explore hot-button topics and realize injustices. Think of how gripping To Kill a Mockingbird was. How books like The Help, The Color Purple, Beloved, THUG (the Hate You Give), The Book Thief and so many others explore themes of racism and discrimination.