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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.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

5 Steps to Personal Power5 Steps to Personal Power by Patrick Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I trust Chet Day's recommendation and his special price for the download of this .pdf book.
There are many exercises within these five steps which are based on many techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy and neuro-linguistic programming to help break through limiting beliefsand continue new behaviors until they are habitual.
It is a good book to read and re-read.

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Deep Down (Jack Reacher, #16.5)Deep Down by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a Jack Reacher fan, and I purchased this short story for $1.99 as an Nook book.
I like that Lee Child chooses to give his fans a back story for the short story. The time is 1986 and Reacher is called from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. for an undercover assignment.
I recommend it to fans of the series, and recommend new readers start with Killing Floor.

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Footsteps in the DarkFootsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a Free Friday selection from Barnes and Noble, and it is no longer free.
This book was written in 1932 so it feels like a period piece when it may have been intended to be contemporary. There is an inherited manor house and its new residents want to keep it. Locals warn them the manor and its grounds are haunted, and the haunting is a reason that good local help will be hard to find. Yes, this is light enough to read on the beach, during an airline flight, or during waiting room visits.
i recommend it to readers who prefer genteel mysteries.


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Saturday, November 24, 2012

The new America's wonderlands: Our National Parks (World in color library)The new America's wonderlands: Our National Parks by National Geographic Society
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my National Geographic Society shelf in my home library for 37 years. I used it for reference when planning vacations before the internet made finding information easier. I finally read all the text this year.
Sometimes the text and information are dated. Sometimes the pictures are dated too. People may be in pictures for interest or to show scale, but the short shorts, tube socks and permed hair cuts occasionally date a picture.
The book can still be used to begin research or armchair travel.

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher, #17)A Wanted Man by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated this Jack Reacher mystery as soon as I read the last one.
Child set the mood for a long car ride across the interstates in Nebraska and Kansas at night. The ride is boring and yet you need to stay alert so you do lots of thinking.
I recommend it for fans of the series.


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Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Etiquette of Illness: What to Say When You Can't Find the WordsThe Etiquette of Illness: What to Say When You Can't Find the Words by Susan P. Halpern


The Etiquette of Illness was recommended to me when I read The End of Your Life Book Club. It also had the recommendation of Dawn, a www.goodreads.com reviewer who recommends it to all readers of a certain age.
I knew I needed to read this book because I tend to give too much advice that begins with the phrase, "What you ought to do..." or I avoid people with illness or people who are grieving. I have been taught avoidance by the best, and it is high time I learned better ways. I still found myself arguing with the book when the author's suggestions are not something I felt I could do.
The book gets 4 stars for discussing the topics in its 7 chapters.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Frozen Heat (Nikki Heat, #4)Frozen Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the other Nikki Heat books by Richard Castle and I eagerly anticipated reading Frozen Heat.
It's entertaining and fun. Would I enjoy this mystery if I were not already a fan of the tv series? Yes, the mystery is well-structured and it has good pacing. Fictional character growth is limited by the changes in the tv characters.
I recommend starting with the first book of the series, Heat Wave, and reading all four.


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Monday, November 12, 2012

The End of Your Life Book ClubThe End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book based on the recommendations from goodreads.com and Barnes& Noble, and I feel glad I read it now.
I appreciate the bibliography at the end of the book so that I may seek out some of the books enjoyed and discussed by Will and his mother. Mary Anne was a remarkable woman, and I am glad this book will help inspire us, if not to help refugees, at least to smile at every one we see and perhaps listen to their stories.
I recommend this to all readers, for as Mary Anne says what all readers have in common is reading.

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

GraceGrace by Deneane Clark
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a Free Friday book when I downloaded it. This is not a genre I prefer because I find too many cliches in the genre for me to find most books enjoyable, and my dislike for the genre is why this only gets 2 stars. Please check to make sure it is still free before downloading.

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Wednesday, November 07, 2012

I Used to Know That (Stuff You Forgot from School)I Used to Know That by Caroline Taggart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was once a Free Friday selection I downloaded from BN.com, and it is no longer free.
The book is comprised of lists and commentary about knowledge memorized for school tests which you may have forgotten without frequent use. Knowing I could still recall much of what is mentioned, except trigonometry, was reassuring. I do not value the reassurance as much as the current price of the ebook ($9.99.)



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Monday, November 05, 2012

Washington, D.C. and Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware (National Geographic's Driving Guides to America)Washington, D.C. and Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware by National Geographic Society
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book has been on my home library shelf for 15 years, and I used it this year as I planned and traveled on a road trip to Washington, D.C.
It is a good reference book for sights to see on the way and once you arrive. The reason it gets only 3 stars is it is fifteen years old and it is outdated. Telephone numbers are given for more information when it is more likely that we would prefer a website these days. Since its publications, there are new museums which are not to be missed.
If it is on your shelf, read it and use it.

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Thursday, November 01, 2012

First King of Shannara (Shannara, #0)First King of Shannara by Terry Brooks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because I am reading all the Shannara books in the chronological order.
I enjoyed it, just not as much as I enjoyed the books with John Ross and Nest Freemark.
I recommend it to fans of the series.

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