Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies: Cowpies and Liesby D. R. CameronPublished by Cameron NarrativesReview by Toby A. Welch  $24.99 ISBN 9781738687725 Last year I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies: Scarecrows and Stupidity. So when I received a copy of its sequel, Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies: Cowpies and Lies, I couldn’t wait to dig in.  Like its predecessor, Cowpies and Lies is a humorous satire poking at regulatory bodies. Three self-regulatory bodies are given character designations and a story plays out that involves a Tea Party, a subsequent inquisition, and shifting bylaws. Cowpies and Lies picks up where the first book concluded. BruceG is a main character in this book, just as he was in Scarecrows and Stupidity, and he still resides in the imaginary Kingdom of Aspen. He gets drawn into changes being made as to how the environment ministry (Ministry of GoodforAll) handles projects. BruceG must deal with the ensuing bureaucracy and drama in the environmental realm.  BruceG is still a fascinating character. He grew up a farm boy with a traditional rural upbringing. He went to university and became an expert in soil, crops, and hydrology with a PhD in Watershed Science. He continued farming as an adult with a family of his own. He started an environmental consulting firm…

Storms and Scarabsby H. R. HobbsPublished by H. R. Hobbs BooksReview by Toby A. Welch  $15.00 ISBN 9780995344860 My first question when coming across Storms and Scarabs was: what the heck is a scarab? For those like me who were clueless, a scarab is an ancient Egyptian gem, one that was typically in the shape of a scarab beetle. As foreshadowed by the word in the title, scarabs play a vital role in this interesting fiction read.  Storms and Scarabs revolves around sixth-grade best friends, Mitch and Brock, who are thrown back in time thousands of years. They arrive in ancient Egypt via a portal to the past. Luckily they come across a man who has encountered people like them before, people who’ve “visited from the Great Beyond.” What comes next is a gripping journey involving an embalming shop, an amulet, a sarcophagus (a big stone container that holds a coffin), a Pharaoh and his family, and numerous other historical aspects. A spyglass plays a key role, almost becoming a character itself. The boys struggle to get back to modern times but I won’t ruin the ending by telling you if they make it or not – you’re welcome! I would wager that this book is…