Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy reading the books about Shannara by Terry Brooks, so I thought I would start at the chronological beginning. Running with the Demon is the first of the Word and Void trilogy.
This book also had this reader turning pages during a flight when an ebook reader must be turned off. It was good enough for me to read through out the flight. Who is the demon tracked by John Ross, and why is a youg girl named Nest Freemark so important?
I recommend this to fans who have not read it.

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Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This was free from the Nook store at BN.com, and now its price is $9.99.
The one thing that makes me stop reading a book, it is inconsistency and a lack of continuity. Her dog Rowdy is killed by an automobile on page 106 and this is the big moment when Honor can trust Matt to provide loving support for her, and then on page 202, "For another, he [Buzz] knew that Rowdy had successfully worked several snow missions and that whil he [Rowdy] had not been fond of airplanes and helicopters, he'd cooperated."
I don't recommend this book.

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From Ashes to Honor by Loree Lough
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thisa book was free from the Nook store on BN.com, and its current price is $9.48.
I read it because I liked the concept of stories about First Responders, and how their lives have changed in the ten years since 9/11/2001. I knew the book was Christian fiction, and I was willing to overlook the parts where I thought different characters were repeating the same dialogue without the author changing the words to better suit the current character speaking. What I can't overlook is why doesn't Austin place a call to Mercy's brother to tell him that Mercy is in the hospital? Austin met him before.
I don't recommend this book because I think there are better choices for your reading.

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Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a Free Friday selection from the Nook store on BN.com, and it is no longer free. Its current price is $10.71.
I recommend it as a good summer read for I like the characters, and wondering what will happen to them keeps you turning the page. Sometimes Annie made choices I found difficult to believe; but then I have never been as desparate as she to find who her mother is and to protect her scalawag father.
Check it out at a library near you.


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Freaks by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a free short story written for Gerritsen's fans before her next novel comes out. It is only 20 pages long so it feels more like an episode of the tv series.

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Spain and Peace by Howard Fast
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
I don't know if this is history or propaganda. I'm too young to know what news was reported about Spain when this was written, but, I'm old enough to remember Chevy Chase continuing to report on the dying of Generalissimo Franco on the "Weekend Update" of Saturday Night Live.As much as I shake my head at people who get their news from John Stewart and Steven Colbert, I once received my current events from comedy shows.
I recommend it only to students of history.

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Orchard Street, Dawn by Joseph O'Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a free book from BN.com, and it comes with an exceprt from Joseph O'Connor's #1 best seller in Ireland, Ghost Light.
This story of Irish immigrants who live in New York City, and he makes each word count in a memorable way.
I recommend it to all. for those who don't think they have enough time: it can be read in one sitting.

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The Incredible Tito: Man of the Hour by Howard Fast
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was offered for free on BN.com.
The Incredible Tito is 54 pages out of an available 61 pages, with the remaing 7 pages for the author's biography. It was written in 1944, and it was recently published in 2003. Fast's writing is worth more than two stars; the two stars are a warning that this is an incomplete biography if a reader wants something more, as the 2003 publication date might imply.
I recommend it only for students of Tito or students of the writing of Howard Fast.

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Business Leaders & Success: 55 Top Business Leaders & How They Achieved Greatness by William J. O'Neil
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was offered for free when I renewed my my subscription to investors.com.
This book is a compilation of "Leaders and Success" columns from the newspaper Investors Business Daily, and it was published in 2004. They are biographical sketches with flattering anecdotes. I mention the publication date because some seem to be outdated after eight years.
This is a good book to have by your telephone to read if you are on hold for a long period of time or to read during television commercial breaks. These columns were written to be read one a day.

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Invisible by Lorena McCourtney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a Free ebook from BN.com, and it is still free.
Invisible is the first of four Ivy Malone mysteries, and it can be categorized as a cozy mystery or Christian fiction. Do not avoid this because I classify it as Christian fiction for this is the type of Christian fiction I prefer: Christian beliefs are a fundamental part of Ivy's character and her choices; but Ivy does not sermonize nor does she proselytize. She thinks she might be useful observing and gathering information about vandalism in a small cemetery. She is simply doing what the sheriff's department does not have time or budget to do. She cares about her neighbors; and when an acquaintance is not seen for a few days, she is the one who calls police to inquire if a murdered victim might be Kendra. These circumstances starts a friendship with the investigating detective Dix.
Invisible is an entertaining and quick read.

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The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This displayed book caught my attention because my daughter once worked with children with autism. I also enjoyed the books by Temple Grandin. The author David Finch was not diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome until the fifth year of his marriage, and that diagnosis helped explain some of his behaviors that annoyed his wife and would have bewildered neurotypicals who had to work with him or socialize with him.
This book expands on a published article, and it can hold the interest of a reader until the end of the book.
I recommend this book to all readers with the caveat that just because your husband overlooks laundry that needs to be folded and put away, it does not meet the diagnosis criteria of Asperger Syndrome. Sometimes, better communication is all every marriage needs.

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Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this as a Free Friday selection for my Nook from Barnes & Noble, and it is no longer free. Apocalyptic fiction is a genre I don't read often because when I empathize with well-drawn characters I start to wonder if I have enough food, water, and solar collectors. This is a soft apocalypse because it is a New Normal and the government continues to say things will get better as soon as the economy turns around.
New Normal for Jasper and his friends is a nomadic existence because they are unemployed college graduates who trade the energy they collect from wind for food. They collect rainfall from water. If only one had a job, they could rent an apartment and not fear they would be rounded up with the illegals and shipped to a third-world country simply because they are homeless. I was quickly drawn into the story and cared about these characters.
I recommend this to all readers, especially to those who read dystopian fiction.

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The Thief by Clive Cussler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this because I eagerly anticipated the next Clive Cussler/ Justin Scott novel.
It is an entertaining read that does not disappoint this fan of the Clive Cussler genre. I gave this 5 stars for the villian was a worthy opponent to Isaac Bell.

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