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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.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Too Close to HomeToo Close to Home by Lynette Eason
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was free when I downloaded it for my Nook.

I thought this book would be romantic suspense because it is the first of the series, Women of Justice; but I would put that category more as a sub-genre and primarily shelve this book under Christian fiction. The characters of Danny and Angela went beyond affirming their faith and inviting Connor, Samantha, and Jenna to church; they were proselytizing.

A distraction in the formatting is the lack of *** or some other indicator when a scene changes within a chapter. Another irritation is the last chapter is the lead-in to the next book of the series.

I recommend this book only to readers of Christian fiction who enjoy romantic suspense.


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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Everything Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Book: A Portrait of an American IconThe Everything Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Book: A Portrait of an American Icon by Kathleen Tracy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was free when I downloaded it from BN.com for my Nook, and I appreciate the opportunity to read a new-to-me author.

There are no primary sources in the body of the text so this book is more for entertainment than for anyone who has to write a school assignment. At first, there was so much information about other people and other events which were not about Jacqueline that I thought the book could be improved by its removal. Later, this type of information was acknowledged as a way to provide the context for her history and to remind the readers she lived in different times and different social structures than a current reader might encounter. It added to its entertainment value.

This book provides an enjoyable, simplified reading opportunity.

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Monday, July 22, 2013

The Journey HomeThe Journey Home by Michael Baron
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This ebook was free when I downloaded it from BN.com to my Nook. I'm grateful to BN.com for the opportunity to try new-to-me authors and sometimes for books I would not want to pay to read. I knew this was likely to be a book I would not want to pay for when page 2 is headed as "Raves for Michael Baron" and the first review by RT Book Reviews begins, "Nicholas Sparks fans will rejoice..."

The ebook is short, only 146 pages, and the sentence structures used can be quickly scanned to move the reader along. Yes, it is Christian fiction, and I still want to challenge with why is this not simply-imagined fantasy from the sub-genre of magical realism for the hope that patients with Alzheimer or senile dementia are happy in a world of memories where it becomes easier to communicate with the dead than with the living.

I know there are readers who will enjoy this. I'm not one of them, and I don't recommend it.

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Friday, July 19, 2013

Highland SanctuaryHighland Sanctuary by Jennifer Hudson Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This ebook was free when I downloaded it for my Nook, and I appreciate the opportunity to read the second book in this series by Jennifer Hudson Taylor for free. I liked this book better than Highland Blessings.

One reason I enjoyed this book more is the woman and her suitors were not antagonistic toward each other. Sure, there is confusion and tension for this is a romance novel; but, the majority of the conflict is due to external forces such as church officials who want an exorcism or townspeople who fear what they don't understand.
I can only give this 3 stars for there is too much cliched material to recommend it any one other than a fan of the romance genre.

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Life to the Max - A Max Lucado Digital SamplerLife to the Max - A Max Lucado Digital Sampler by Max Lucado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was free when I downloaded it to my Nook. I appreciate the free opportunity to read new-to-me authors who write in genres I do not normally select. What makes this book even better is it contains excerpts from six of his books.
This book is well-written, motivating, and inspirational. It can be read quickly or slowly, depending on how much self-reflection the reader wishes to add.
I recommend it for all readers.

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Insane CityInsane City by Dave Barry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Mom for sharing this book with me. She knew I enjoyed Barry's newspaper columns so she recommended it to me.

I laughed out loud; when I controlled my laughter, I read that spot of the book to my husband.

The book is entertaining, and I recommend it to adult readers who want a good laugh.

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Monday, July 15, 2013

Poseidon's ArrowPoseidon's Arrow by Clive Cussler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipate the release of another Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino adventure, and I rate these books with 5 stars because they are what they are, a great adventure story with well-researched technical details.

The expected cast is present: Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino, siblings Dirk and Summer, vice-president Sandecker, congresswoman Loren Smith-Pitt, and the gang from NUMA. An NCIS agent, Ann Bennett, is added. This is a world-wide adventure.

This book can stand alone for first-time readers and it is a welcome addition for fans of the series.



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Sunday, July 14, 2013

12 Health and Fitness Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making (The Build Healthy Muscle Series)12 Health and Fitness Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making by Michael Matthews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was free when I downloaded it to my Nook, and I thank Barnes and Noble for the opportunity to read new-to-me authors at no charge.

Matthews' information is current and timely for those of us who have not worked out for a few years as new research disproves myths such as stretching before workouts and low-intensity is fat-burning. He calls these twelve mistakes twelve myths and covers the information in less than 58 pages. This book promotes others he has written.

I recommend it to other readers who have an interest in this subject.

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25 Days to Better Thinking & Better Living: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life25 Days to Better Thinking & Better Living: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life by Linda Elder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can use the same review for Discover the Power of Critical Thinking for they are essentially the same book, just different editions.
I downloaded this book when it was free from Barnes and Noble.com's Nook store.

This is the kind of book you wish some other people would read before they would even open their mouths; and yet, I would not recommend it as the best source of information about critical thinking for there is too much self-reference in such statements as "read our other books and visit our website." Too frequently in the examples of how to come to a critical thought is a liberal viewpoint without sufficient supporting analysis. To use their words, there may be a socio-centric bias.

I have no problems with the twenty-five themes we readers are asked to examine, and I like the suggestions for backward reading which is reading the works of critical thinkers from previous eras

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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Discover the Power of Critical Thinking: 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living, Revised and ExpandedDiscover the Power of Critical Thinking: 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living, Revised and Expanded by Linda Elder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I downloaded this book when it was free from Barnes and Noble.com's Nook store, and I thank them for giving me the opportunity to read different authors.

This is the kind of book you wish some other people would read before they would even open their mouths; and yet, I would not recommend it as the best source of information about critical thinking for there is too much self-reference in such statements as "read our other books and visit our website." Too frequently in the examples of how to come to a critical thought is a liberal viewpoint without sufficient supporting analysis. To use their words, there may be a socio-centric bias.

I have no problems with the thirty themes we readers are asked to examine, and I like the suggestions for backward reading which is reading the works of critical thinkers from previous eras.

I read this book at the same time as I read an earlier edition which was called 25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living: A guide for improving every aspect of Your Life. I did not see that much improvement in the revision and expansion.



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Saturday, July 06, 2013

The Cold Dish

The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire, #1)The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I sought this book when I learned the tv series Longmire was based on characters and stories from the nine-book series written by Mr. Johnson.

The dialogue, character development, story, and plot line work together to make this a fast read and to make me wanting more.

I recommend this book to all readers and especially to those readers who enjoy police-procedural mystery novels.

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