Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura  Bates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book will be the October selection for my book club, so I borrowed it on the Hoopla app from my local library. I doubt I would have selected it for its topic without the book club.
There were some parts I found difficult to read because I felt manipulated by the author to have more empathy for Larry than I would have given him from another person's telling of his story. It did make me question my previous belief about the need for correctional education. I look forward to book club's discussion.
I recommend it to other book clubs and their readers.


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 The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This ebook was downloaded to my Nook library when it was offered for free from Barnes and Noble several years ago. I chose it because I enjoy motivational self-help books.
This book has some truthiness to it. "Over time, myths and mistruths get thrown around so often they eventually feel familiar and start to sound like the truth." Like all good advice books, the advice will work only if it becomes a consistent part of your day. The main question to be asked for this book is "What is the One thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"
The author also discusses creating a time block on your calendar or schedule to do the One thing.
I recommend this book for all readers who enjoy this genre.


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The Western Star by Craig Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a fan of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire books so I requested this one as soon as I heard it would be available. When I could clear enough time to start this one, I read it in one day because I was fully involved in the two storylines of this book.
I took off one star because it ends with a cliffhanger, and now I have to wait for the next one!


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Digitization Options for Family Photos: Including Slides, Film Negatives, and Home Movies by Thomas MacEntee
My rating: 2 of 5 stars




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Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend who shares a concern about trying to eat healthful foods, and I am glad I did. I do not add salt to food when I cook because I know DH will salt food before tasting, and yet when I track foods with an app that stores data from labels, my sodium levels often exceeded recommended levels by the end of the day. Now that I read labels for more than calories/serving, I see canned peas has 380mg sodium with sugar and salt added during the canning process.
I find this book discouraging and disheartening because the investigative reporting by Michael Moss reveals how many nutritional scientists are working to find bliss points so that the processed food will be craved and so many marketing people are eager to use words to allow me to think concentrated fruit juice might be a healthful choice.
All readers MUST read this book!


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Guns by Phil Bowie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I downloaded this ebook for free from Barnes and Noble for my Nook library in 2012. This is a mystery-revenge novel. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars, and decided to go with 4 stars because I think other readers might enjoy it.


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A Heart for Home by Lauraine Snelling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third novel of the Home to Blessing series as part of the Bjorklund family books by Lauraine Snelling.
I enjoyed each and every one of these books, and I recommend them to all readers.


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The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this book because I had a difficult time controlling food cravings that I felt was provoked by exposure to high fructose corn syrup during periods of physical and emotional stress. This book explained why some of my cravings may have been manipulated by the food industry's choices by the addition of extra sugar, fat, and salt and by the marketing that may condition me to use food as a reward. I learned how "...cues, priming, and emotional triggers all drive conditioned hypereating." The second part of the book suggests different techniques to disrupt the cue-urge-reward-habit cycle. I have high hopes as I put these strategies into actions.
I recommend this book to all readers.


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