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I'm a reader who enjoys posting comments and recommendations about the books I read. You will not find a synopsis with my recommendations because you can just click on the book title for a link to www.goodreads.com for a synopsis and reviews by other readers. I prefer the 3 Reason format: the reason I chose to read it; the reason I liked (or disliked) the book; and the reason I recommend it.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Rush Run area in Preble County


We visited Rush Run wildlife area before squirrel season starts on September 1. We enjoyed a short hike through an open field and in wooded area, and another hike near the lake.
Click Rush Run area in Preble County to see more photos.
Click map and description

Monday, August 29, 2011

Secret Corners of the World (Special Publications Series 17, No. 1)Secret Corners of the World by National Geographic Society

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Even 29 years after publication, this book brings enthusiasm for exploration to its readers with the text of Mary Ann Harrell, Victor Englebert, James R. McCauley, Leslie Allen, James Billipp, Tor Eigeland, and Noel Grove and photographs by Victor Englebert, Roland Michaud, Sabrina Michaud, Sam Abell, James Billipp, Tor Eigeland, and James A. Sugar. The text and photographs bring the reader a sense of this is what it was like at this moment. The secret corners are The Marquesas, Northern Afghanistan, Tierra del Fuego, The Santa Martas, The Alpujarras, and The Ruwenzori. I wonder how much about these places have changed. The text about Northern Afghanistan is a second-person account for the area was at war with USSR when this was written. I'm sure there have been changes since that war and now our war.



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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Second Son (Short Story): A Reacher StorySecond Son (Short Story): A Reacher Story by Lee Child

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What was Reacher like when he was thirteen? Observant, logical, ready to finish any fight, and a force to be reckoned with. The story is an entertaining read, even if you must suspend some belief about what thirteen-year old boys are like.

There is a bonus chapter of the next book, The Affair, and I'm 15th in the request line at my library.



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Frommer's France 2011Frommer's France 2011 by Danforth Prince

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This will be an excellent resource for my travels in France.



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Something Rotten (Thursday Next, #4)Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Something Rotten is the fourth book of a series I enjoy for its creativity and playfulness. This is not the book to start reading if you are new to the series.



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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Aug 18-21 Attactions on the Road Trip on Rt 52



Click on Aug 18-21 Attactions on the Road Trip on Rt 52 for more pictures.
1936... On the Continent1936... On the Continent by Eugene Fodor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Free Friday 5-6-2011 to celebrate its 75th anniversary



I will keep this for a reference book about places to where I plan to travel in 2012. The section about France did not have information about the area to which I will travel this year.



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Friday, August 19, 2011

Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the AgesStupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages by Leland Gregory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Free Friday selection for Nook, June 10, 2011.



This was a fun read for a road trip: read it instead of criticizing how close the driver follows other cars; the topics are short enough you can look around frequently to see the scenery; and you can share the information to keep some conversation flowing.



There is no bibliography or no sources for the information.



This ebook needed a better copy editor for I too frequently found misspelled words, wrong words and words mistranslated from another font.



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Breakthrough!Breakthrough! by Jon Queijo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Free Friday from B&N 3-4-11

I like the topic of 10 medical breakthroughs, and this book may help some student with enough information for a report for a class in health or science.
I give it only two stars for I did not enjoy the writing style of the author for it was too repetitive. I think this book could have benefitted from a better editor for his epilogue copied too much from the introduction and body of the book, and this ebook could have benefitted from a better copy editor for I noticed some misspelled homonyms or a word mistranslated from a different font.



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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Smokin' SeventeenSmokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I liked this better than #14 and #15 in the series. It seemed to have a good story along with the right amounts of Lula and Grandma.



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RetirementologyRetirementology by Gregory Salsbury

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I gave it two stars because I don't like non-fiction authors who make up words to get their point across. He does have a glossary for those words; but using those words would only hamper your communication with financial planners and family members who have not read the book.

He introduces some information from the new area of study known as behavioral finance to tell us why we are often our own worst enemy. Procrastination is the most common problem. Start saving early and save as much as you can for we will need a lot more money than we think we will. Taxes and healthcare costs will become bigger parts of your retirement, big enough to cause number numbness.

If you have not read any books about saving for retirement, this may be a good place to start. If you have read others, this is not the place to find suggestions for how to get that 5% return on bonds and 12% return on equities in order to withdraw 4% of your portfolio which is a template so many planners used for calculations.





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Sunday, August 07, 2011

Monday, August 01, 2011

Your Digital Afterlife: When Facebook, Flickr and Twitter Are Your Estate, What's Your Legacy?Your Digital Afterlife: When Facebook, Flickr and Twitter Are Your Estate, What's Your Legacy? by Evan Carroll

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book gets 5 stars for encouraging consideration to topics I never thought about before. Just how many more devices do I have with passwords, and how much more do I now store on the internet when I previously made my will and directed my legacy. I never gave any thought how much online banking has changed what information an executor might need to access the accounts, and how to pass on that information without it becoming part of the public record.

How much has changed about the artifacts that we might hope to become heirlooms? Will my survivors be comforted by archives of emails when there are no longer bundles of saved letters? Who would make such an archive? Who gets the digital pictures?

I never gave a thought that I might need a digital executor named in a legal document as a co-executor who might need access to subscription sites which makes withdrawals for payments. I had given some thought to whom I granted administrator access for a family blog site but never specified who pays the bill to maintain the site when I can't. I still have some questions that I will have to research for the answers. Who can inherit the ebooks I have been collecting? Will they have to read it on my devices that might still be linked to an account I set up?

The website for this book has a link for a spreadsheet for you to start making an inventory. You can order the eBook there too. www.yourdigitalafterlife.com/resources



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