THE MIDA by Lyle Ernst and Kimberly Sigafus

The Mida by Lyle Ernst and Kimberly Sigafus, according the the back-of-book blurb, takes place in 1952. However, it's not historical per se. Other than the subtle absence of cell phones and computers, the story would fit into most any time period.

The book tells the story of a time-traveling circus headed up by an Ojibwa woman and the trouble it faces in the current, as-of-the-story, time and through time itself. There are numerous characters and the story is written in the third person omniscient point-of-view. The main characters seem to be Mesa, the carnival owner, and Tony. But it's hard to tell if that was the authors' intent as many of the characters are central to the story.

It took me awhile to catch on to who-was-who, but I was able to do so as the tangled mysteries unfolded. (To help, the authors might consider a free character guide download.) These mysteries involve murder, the carnival's existence, romance, and family ties. It has something for just about everyone: twists, betrayal, loss, violence, superheroes, and witches. I can't pigeon-hole it into just one genre - it's part fantasy, part murder-mystery, part romance. But once I was able to get over the hump of learning the characters, I found myself hooked in the story and wondering how it would turn out. I can't say the ending was a complete surprise - but only because I had no suspicions about "who done it." There's really no more I can say without the risk of giving away spoilers...

I enjoyed Lyle's and Kimberly's writing. The book contained lots of good dialogue, interesting phrases, subtle humor, and fresh ways of describing scenes.

The Mida is a good read. On a can't-put-it-down-scale of one for I couldn't even finish it to ten for I was up until the we hours, I give it a seven and a half.

(P.S. I've received insider information that a sequel is in the works and I'm looking forward to seeing what trouble these characters get themselves into next.)

Source: Ernst, Lyle & Sigafus, Kimberly. (2014). The Mida. McIver Publishing: Freeport, Illinois.

THE TIME TRAVEL TRAILER by Karen Musser Nortman

Karen Musser Nortman is a fellow Iowa Author I met while at a publishing event in West Liberty, Iowa, in November, 2014. Because there were so many books I wanted to buy written by several talented authors, I could only purchase one of Karen's. The Time Travel Trailer sounded the most intriguing to my historical-fiction tastes. I finally got a chance to read it at my in-laws over the Christmas holiday, after I'd finished my MBA.

The Time Travel Trailer provides a glimpse of life during several different time periods. The first thing I noticed was the realness of the writing. Life with the teen daughter, especially during the earlier part, is totally accurate. There is also plenty of humor with distinctive character voices. I especially enjoyed the mother's, Lynne's, slightly sarcastic voice.

Nortman's historical facts are weaved beautifully throughout the story and ground it in time - we get information about happenings, court cases, and events we've likely heard about before. The story is told through short, easily digestible chapters; you can pick it up, read a few chapters, quickly do what you have to do, and jump right back in without having to thumb through to see how many pages the next chapter has so you can decide if you have time to start reading. As I read, I was continuously curious about what Lynne and Dinah would find and in what year they would find themselves placed.

The story is told through Lynne's and Dinah's point of view (Lynne's in first person and Dinah's in third) in no-particular-order alternating chapters or chapter groups. After the first few chapters from Dinah's point of view, I wasn't sure of the purpose of the alternating viewpoints and wondered if it would add to the story. As the story unfolded, however, I learned how Dinah's unique perspective fit in and I can't think of a way the author could've handled it differently.

The Time Travel Trailer, in addition to providing an interesting history lesson, develops into a double mystery - what happens along the way and what happened with the trailer's original owner. As mentioned above, during the first approximate one-third of the book, I wondered where the story was going, but then the suspense picked up, keeping me turning the pages and reading "just one more chapter" before putting it down for the night. Nortman doesn't disappoint in her mystery writing ability, either; the end provides a satisfying conclusion.

The Time Travel Trailer was a great read. It had good suspense that pulled me through the story, so on a can't-put-it-down-scale of one for I couldn't even finish it to ten for I was up until the wee morning hours, I give it an eight and a half.

This book would be great for those who
enjoy camping, time-travel stories, mysteries, or history. It's enjoyable on many levels.

Source: Nortman, Karen Musser. 2014. The Time Travel Trailer.