Theo of Golden by Allen Levi Book Review

 The debut novel of Allen Levi was given the number 1 book position for 2025. With that announcement does that really mean it is fact or just a bought position by a publisher to the New York Times Best Seller’s list? The book was originally self published by Levi in 2023. It was later acquired by Atria books and released November 2025. You read that correctly…. Late release in 2025 so is it the best for the whole year?  The short answer is yes. There are many who are still giving this book praise for their book lists from celebrities to neighborhood small group book clubs.

I had been made aware of this book by several friends and really needed to read this novel, not just read it but allow it to imprint my mind, heart and soul. Wow! If Theo of Golden is that powerful, then I did need to read it.

When I first started this book, I felt it was not grabbing my attention. It was slow getting out of the gate. I was not sure where this was going to go because the Prologue, I thought, was a good introduction and timeline of the length of this story about a mysterious man named Mr. Theo. The description was just mysterious enough that it intrigued me. Unfortunately in the first few chapters, I felt Mr. Levi lacked pacing and getting to the points he was trying to make. I generally have a rule that if a book doesn’t grab me by 30 to 50 pages in, I will not read it or at least put it down and try it again later if my friends and family want my honest review of a book. So with the desire to keep giving it a chance for friends, I am happy to report that I am glad I stayed with the book and believe it will go down as one of my favorite nostalgic and southern story novels ever. There are only a few other books that I can say Theo of Golden is in company or comparison with since it is set in the south. The first is The Shack by William P. Young and another one is Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg. Why you might ask? Setting for the story in Georgia, type of characters used in The Shack is similar in Theo of Golden and finally the dry sense of humor found in all three books and definitely in Fried Green Tomatoes.

While the town of Golden is fictional, all the information seems real and even uses places that you can definitely find around the world. Mr. Levi, I realized, was writing this debut novel like you cook Gumbo or put BBQ meat on a smoker for dinner. It was slow at first but as he introduced the various main characters you realize he has made an interesting set of ingredients like a Gumbo for his story.

You see the main character, Mr. Theo, is an old 86 year old mystery man that only goes by his first name. Some of the other main characters we introduced to are Mr. Ponder, Mrs. Gidley, Asher Glissen, and Minnette. Theo of Golden is full of mystery, suspense, spider-webbed stories taking you the reader through a wide array of emotions with humor and southern charm that even had me laughing, shocked and also crying a few tears at times. Mr. Levi unveiled his layers of the Gumbo of a story that definitely didn’t have me thinking of the way the story ends in the last 40 or so pages.  

I really am glad that I read Theo of Golden and recommend it for your TBR (to be read) list. Do I think it is the #1 book for 2025? That is for each individual opinion but it has to be in the top 5 of the year for sure. I am hard pressed to think of a better fiction book like this as I write this review. My rating for the book is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I will be looking with hope for any future book by Allen Levi and have added him to my follow list on Goodreads. You can find this book on Amazon or at your local bookstore. Please leave comment or a question on what you think of my review and if you have read it.

Toy Story 5 Movie is a Must See Film Review

What can I say about the Toy Story franchise that hasn’t already been said? This is the best ever they say. The writing can’t be any better it’s said. Then the opposite that stories are getting too predictable and need to end with story five with this series. If you disagree and believe it can get better, this is not predictable and there is newness and original non cookie cutter approach in the fifth film as your answers then this movie is for you. 

When I first saw the trailers for this movie, I knew it was going to deal with technology, new toys with screens and not so much of the old fashioned characters like Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang. When the last movie came out it was a story about the new girl Bonnie who was adopted and an only child getting Andy’s toys since he outgrew them. That was a sad nostalgic move but a very touching way to end the series with Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Slinky Dog and the rest of the crew in Toy Story 4. I think people would have been fine with it ending that way. 

With Toy Story 5, the story begins with an army of Buzz Lightyears being washed up on an island after a cargo container crashes on the shore for some reason. This army of Buzz played an interesting and important part of the story all the way until the movie’s end. Toy Story 5 is the first movie in the series I believe under the co-production of Disney and not just Pixar for the very first time. There are various Easter eggs throughout the movie that give a nod to Disney with music scores and a couple visual glimpses. I don’t want to give away spoilers. See if you can figure them out and leave your guesses and comments in the Comment section below. 

I love how this movie picks up in the future with Bonnie and her playing with all the nostalgic toys led my Jessie, her horse Bullseye and her vivid imagination dreaming a sci fi story. This is before she starts feeling lonely and sad. When her parents recognize this they decide to buy a LilyPad gaming toy for educational fun. Instead she played with her friends from school online. 

The theme of this adventure movie is how kids are being affected by the new age of digital technology and its impact on them. Jessie realizes it is not a good idea and tries to get Bonnie to not interact with the device and be a playful kid. When Jessie, Bullseye and the gang are discarded by Bonnie since she is 100% involved and devoted to the LilyPad, she tries to rescue her when things go wrong with her so called friends. 

I was surprised how little Woody makes an appearance in this story but was a big help with the whole gang. There were emotional moments and one big surprise toward the end. Now I know some people might take a negative shot at how Pixar handled the Digital technology stuff but I think it is very well done and not preachy but a touching believable set of situations and conclusions. 

In conclusion, I can see this might be some people’s favorite sequel of the Toy Story series. I am a sucker for the original and think it’s still the best. Second is Part 2 and then this one is my third favorite. I give this movie a 5 out of 5 stars. It was well done. Everyone should go see it at the theater with the family and then again at home when it gets on streaming so you can find those Easter Eggs and things you missed.

My Review for Celebrity Pastor by Creston Mapes

 Celebrity Pastor deals with issues that seems to be right out of the newspaper but somehow I thought I would never be interested in reading the subject matters in this novel. The way author Creston Mapes has an easy to follow set of stories from varied cast of characters in the overall story, Celebrity Pastor, kept me captivated all the way until the end. What happens when you are the Pastor of a Mega Church, in this case of fictitious Vine & Branches Church lead by Pastor Neil Gentry, can you handle the Celebrity power status? If unholy behaviors / sins surface what do you do when those sins are brought to light? How do you deal with them? Do you address them or let others help keep them buried? This book is slow developing and somehow really picks up a faster pace as the events unfold. I really like the scenery descriptions of various places in the Metro Atlanta area. I might be biased since I live in Georgia and around the Atlanta area my whole life. Makes me think I am right beside them in each chapter. This is another great captivating novel by Creston that is a stand alone novel in my opinion. If you are looking for a book that is fiction but seems to be a true story, then this is the book for you. I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars. I will be reading another one of his books or series in the future. He has become one of my top favorite authors to go to even when I have many books to read which is always. His next book that is out now is Sapphire Island. Stay tuned I will be doing a review for that one in the future.


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Young Washington is a Historic movie Must Watch

I saw this movie on July 4th. Felt it was necessary for me to see this since George Washington having been our first president and needed to be included on the 250th anniversary of the founding of America. I went in with the hope that it was historically accurate even if it was 99%. Because we all know that most Blockbuster history moments made into movies have creative liberties and licenses. I felt this movie did not disappoint at all. It seemed to me to be portrayed accurately based on documented accounts about young George Washington. Whether from his personal diary entries or the truthful mistakes and redemptions he made from the battlefield to winning important battles found in other history books. William Franklyn Miller is a great lead actor who played George Washington. We will hear about him again in other major roles in my opinion in the future. I was left with wanting to see more after watching this. I hope there are sequels depicting from this movie's end all the way to his election as the first President. Young Washington is a movie that needs to be shown in school in American history classes. This is a must see movie! I give this movie a 10 out of 10 stars.

My Review on Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben

I have read Harlan Coben books in the past. I have liked most of them. However, this book was different because I could notice when the story was in Reese Witherspoon's voice as it unfolded and when Coben's voice was made known. Knowing that Ms. Witherspoon has written scripts for movies in the past I felt she was trying to write in that mindset as the book began. As the novel progressed it seemed to change in an author's novel voice and more of a book form until the conclusion. Gone Before Goodbye, being the first novel for Ms. Witherspoon, was slow in development in the first half of the novel. This is where I felt Coben came in and he probably was writing the male characters, while she was the voice on Maggie McCabe the main character / narrator and maybe the other female characters. This is where the story seemed to really take off. It seemed more interesting from the beginning of the second half to the final parts of the story as Maggie deals with many points introduced from the story's early layout. She had to come to terms with her past, the attention using her acquired skills as a plastic surgeon and her relationship with Mark her husband, Pork Chop her father in law and other characters introduced throughout. This pacing seemed to increase faster as the story was progressing to its conclusion as Maggie deals with her grief losing her husband and having to deal with Russian interests. A conclusion which I did not see coming. I decided to not read this printed book but instead listen to the audio book because I heard there was going to be something different for me in the recording. The introduction of an ensembled voice cast of actors. Some were screen actors like Reese as the narrator and the voice of Maggie. Another screen / voice actors were Chris Pine as Mark for another example. I liked this audio book. This might be better than the written page because of the performances of the cast of voices helping the story flow better in my head for the plot, setting and character structure with voice separations. This is a well done book and worth the attention if you are looking for a suspense thriller and you have been or are a Harlan Coben fan.

The Breadwinner a Winner or Loser?

 The Breadwinner is a family movie starring Nate Bargatze from TriStar Pictures, Wonder Project and Nateland Productions. Bargatze plays Nate Wilcox the Top Selling Toyota salesman based in Nashville Tennessee. This is not surprising since Nate Bargatze is really from the Nashville area in real life and the setting for this movie. Nate’s wife is Kate Wilcox played by Mandy Moore. The movie deals with what if your wife gets an opportunity to start a business and be a very successful entrepreneur after she goes on the show TV hit show Shark Tank with her product for organizing your life. That product is called Star Minder. After Kate gets chosen by Lori Greiner on the show, she gets thrust into this new chapter in business building it away from her family temporarily. What is Nate Wilcox going to do? He becomes the new modern Mr. Mom on steroids with funny chaos ensuing. Nate stays home while Kate develops her business. The Breadwinner is a funny family movie with a believable story that kind of gives me RV movie vibes with Robin Williams crossing with the blueprint approach that Adam Sandler has in his movies. Adam has used his same fellow comedic friends and actors through all his movies. Bargatze has done that in this movie as well. I heard someone comment it is a clean SNL type movie. Why is that you say? Because Sandler used to be on SNL years ago. Nate Bargatze is a clean comedian and surprisingly very good actor and lead actor to boot. The supporting cast of this movie is believable, endearing and made me want to see Nate win and show how he can pull it together as the stories unfold. Can he be everywhere all at once? Of course not. But through out Nate Wilcox’s journey I saw a man who will try to be a good father, a grateful father and saw lessons learned by multiple cast members including him that made me feel it was definitely a movie worth watching and had good clean fun that a whole family can watch together. There is no cursing, no violence and I felt happy when I walked away from the Breadwinner. So who is the Breadwinner? We all can be the Breadwinners with the right teamwork. Was The Breadwinner movie a winner at the Movie Theater? Definite Yes! It is a must watch movie even if only once even if you wait for your home streaming services. I give this movie an 8 out of 10 popcorn bucks.

The Revival and Reunion for Me for Fearless Fighter Blogs

When you revive something you thought was over, what goes through your mind? Is it a reunion with the past? Is it uncovering the memories in hopes that what you did back then is more than just scratching the itch and a serious new adventure that you hope will last this time. When creativity is bugging you and you ignore it and now it is unrelentingly screaming in your head to not do anything else, but only that one thing do you listen? With other things that are in that same realm of fun and adventure like sports or music, do you put them off or just lean into that need for fun and watch that game or play that song? Creativity has been after me for many years now.  So where have I have been for that last decade plus? I have been inventive and creative in organizing and setting up events, concerts and many entertainment, conventions and corporate events. But this creative writing, reviews, blogs and stories that I have done here in the past on this blog and other platforms I thought had been filed away and buried forever. So surprise I am back fearlessly restarting this revival of Fearless Fighter blog. I felt a change was necessary and add the Subtitle Pit Stops and Checkered Flags.

So what will you expect with this blog going forward.  I will be posting my reviews on books, movies and my life observations in a journal form as I did in the past with slight modifications. If I decide to branch out the journal style in the future then I will post how or when that is later. 

For now, please follow, comment and bookmark this page for my posts. Hopefully you will want to read the book I review, movies I discuss and find something to inspire you through my life’s observations. Thank you for reading this blog and let the adventures begin again.


P.S. I plan on posting at least 1 to 2 days a week as this blog page restarts. Will be posting every Wednesday and possibly Friday as well. I want to see myself doing more posts as time allows. Also if I can add videos to this page later discussing these topics it might happen. This however may have to appear on another platform.