The Everglades by Archie Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is on my home library shelf of "The American Wilderness" series, and I am finally reading the text that accompanies the wonderfulo photographs.
I wonder how much as changed since 1973 as I like to hope efforts made for conservation have been worthwhile.  
I recommend it for armchair travelers.


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 Gray Mountain by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I borrowed the copy from my parents as I know they always buy Grisham's books.
Grisham uses this story to tell his readers about the issues of mountaintop removal, poverty in Appalachia, and how free legal aid can help.  His pacing kept me reading to the end of the book.
I recommend it only to fans of Grisham's novels.


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The Long Fall by Lynn Kostoff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I downloaded this free ebook to my Nook library in March 2012.
It is a noir novel with characters who just can't catch a break.
I recommend it only to readers who enjoy the noir genre as the author aspires to write like Elmore Leonard.


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 Wait for Signs: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a collection of twelve short stories I found in my local library while I waited for Mr. Johnson's newest novel.
I give praise to Mr. Johnson for his ability to write good short stories for these fit the definition, "a piece that can be read in one sitting and remembered for a lifetime."
I highly recommend this to all readers


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 The Faith of Ashish: Blessings in India Book #1 by Kay Marshall Strom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was free when I downloaded it to my Nook library in 2012.  This is Christian fiction even though it is written about the Hindus and the caste system as it was 110 years ago.  It is also about the lives of people who unwittingly or desparetely sell themselves and their families into slavery.
Sometimes the pace of the story bogs down; but I can still recommend this for all readers.


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The Great Divide by Bryce S. Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My family has had some great vacations over the years along The Great Divide: Glacier National Park; Yellowstone; The Grand Tetons; and, down into Colorado.  I recommend Bryce S. Walker's suggestion, "The best way to explore Glacier...is to carry a pack on your back and go for the high country."  I appreciate Walker's description of the hike to Iceberg Lake.  The aerial photo of Sperry Glacier takes my breath away.
I recommend this book for all readers.


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 Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I looked for an audiobook from my local library and I chose this one because I enjoy Jim Gaffigan's comedy.  This is good for laughing out loud while wearing headphones.


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An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book so much I am going to buttonhole people, and tell them to read it. I already recommended it to my grandson who already wants to be an engineer because engineers figure things out.
A favorite quote is "An astronaut is someone who's able to make good decisions quickly, with incomplete information, when the consequences really matter."


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Dare to Die by Carolyn Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I downloaded this free ebook to my Nook library in 2012.
The author uses the first 16 pages to introduce 11 characters. I guess that is necessary to bring this first-time reader to number 19 in this series.
I can recommend this book to most readers who enjoy cozy mysteries; I can't recommend it to readers who think amateur sleuths should let the 'real detectives' in this fictional world solve the case before the stumblings of the amateur provokes any unintended consequences that lead to injury or death used for plot points.  


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 After You're Gone: Future Proofing Your Genealogy Research by Thomas MacEntee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I uploaded this book to my Kindle library before I watched Thomas MacEntee's Legacy FamilyTree webinar on the same topic. There is a lot of good advice and links to some pdf files in this ebook.  Now, to take the time to follow his advice to make some plans about including the materials for the hobby into estate planning.
This book starts with some good advice, no matter what your hobbies might be.  Include an inventory with your Important Papers that lists subscription websites, the credit card information used and the renewal dates, and the usernames and passwords.
I recommend this book to all genealogists and keepers of family history.  I go as far as recommending it to all who have digital assets and digital subscriptions.


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Canyons & Mesas by Jerome Doolittle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Canyons and Mesas is another book from my shelf of Time-Life American Wilderness Series.
I enjoyed the text with phrases such as "...full of heat that sucks the water out of the blood, rocks that turn under the feet, snakes to bite, thorns to tear, flash floods to drown a man, and blizzards to freeze him."
I recommend it to all readers.


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Out of the Shoebox: An Autobiographic Mystery by Yaron Reshef
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was recommended to members of a Facebook group for genealogists, and I am glad I read it.
If you are looking for a strong narrative, you may be bored by the way the story is told.  If you are familiar with a research process, you will understand the frustration when you cannot find the proof you need and the elation when evidence shows up in unexpected places. Reshef begins with his research diary and he adds transcriptions of diaries and his remembrances of family stories when his mother had difficulty in disclosing and discussing what happened to people she loved.
I recommend this book to all genealogists and keepers of family history.


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Presenting to Win by Jerry Weissman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Presenting to Win was downloaded to my Nook library when Barnes and Noble offered it for free in October 2012.  It uses PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 in its examples.  PowerPoint 2013 is likely to adapt to those instructions.
Weissman wants us to strongly remember the phrase, a presentation is not a document.  The speaker needs more than Word to write a speech and PowerPoint for the graphics.  He wants the speaker to be an audience advocate so that your message gets through to the audience before their eyes glaze over. Another important topic is the necessity of verbalizing your speech in practice, not simply disembodiment or mumbling. Linkages are meaningful verbal transitions from one slide to the next.
Sometimes, the reader may think Weissman slows down too much, and this may be an indication Weissman is using spaced learning for a purpose.  If you don't have the time for spaced learning, read the highlights from the last chapter, Appendix A and Appendix B.
I recommend it to all who are required to give presentations.  


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Hawaii by Robert Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hawaii is another book from the Time-Life American Wilderness series shelf in my home library.
I have always enjoyed the pictures.  Now, I take the time to read the enjoyable text, and this is great armchair traveling as the author guides us on hikes to see the birds and the plants in the various micro-climates within the wilderness areas.  There is an unexpected akua (spirit or ghost) story on the hike to previously unknown species of tree.
I recommend this book to all readers.


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Dead Politician Society by Robin Spano
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was free when I downloaded it from Barnes and Noble to my Nook library.
Each character is introduced in a chapter, and I did not care about any one of them which makes me lose interest quickly.  Yet, I plodded on to the end.
I don't recommend this book.


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