Getting Started in Options, Fifth Edition by Michael C. Thomsett


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
"Options investing contains many traps, making it one of the more challenging specialties you can find. It has a complex and specialized language; it changes rapidly; and it requires a high degree of comfort with mathematics. Thus, it is easy for people to become lost in terminology, to fail to act quickly enough to take advantage of the momentary situation, or to become confused by the calculations required to assess risk and potential profit. It is also easy to become distracted by the theoretical profit of options, ignoring associated risks, the result being taking on risks that in fact are unacceptable. Novice options traders often fail to realize how important it is to monitor the market regularly and to look for action points in their open positions."

With that, I finished reading the last book on my investing shelf.

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Our Lady of Immaculate Deception by Nancy Martin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was in the mood for a blue-collar heroine, or should I say a hoodie-and-jeans heroine, who drives the Monster Truck instead of a blue roadster. We are introduced to the characters who are important in her life and we readers hope Roxie Abruzzo will be around for a series set in modern-day Pittsburgh. The author introduced a lot of characters and did a lot of "world-building" and this whets my appetite for more books.
Roxie's architectural salvage business puts her near the scene of the murder of multi-millionaire Julius Hyde. She does not want to be a person of interest in the police investigation while she tries to find a buyer for a statue she removed, without permission, before scheduled demolition of his burned-out mansion.
I might warn some readers that they may be shocked as Roxie displays some behavior that make the reader wonder if she can ever have a wholesome relationship with a loving man. The writing is not graphic nor lewd, but her behavior may startle the more prudish among cozy mystery readers.

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The Ice Storm

We were told to expect the rain would turn to snow overnight. What we did not expect was how all that rain would freeze solidly.

A low area beside the end of our driveway fills with rainwater after a hard rain. It froze sold and turned the end of the driveway into a skating rink during the morning hours.

Another reason to avoid HFCS

Investors Business Daily reports, "All sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain, says a Princeton Univ. research team that ran a study involving lab rats. The team found that consuming highfructose corn syrup leads to considerably more weight gain vs. consuming table sugar, even when total caloric intake is the same."

Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book in a series of four (so far) from Hank Phillippi Ryan. It is an enjoyable mystery with strong supporting characters. I will read the rest of this series before the year is over.


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The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book will not disappoint the fans of Molly Murphy. Bowen does an excellent job of making the setting of early 20th century New York City believable, populating it with interesting characters, and writing a fast-paced narrative.
Sid and Gus are still in this book. Molly has the problem many of us 21st century women have: how can we make time for our friends when our jobs put demands on our availability and will our friends be less of a priority when the man in our life is uncomfortable with them.

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First walk in the Park that feels like Spring

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Originally uploaded by hikerdee

Sunshine, blue skies, temperatures above freezing! Yes, it feels Spring in the Midwest. I laced up my walking shoes and hit the trail.


The thaw has been gradual enough for the creek to stay in its banks. Some trees were lost to the creek this winter.
It is still too early for soccer and baseball practice.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book will be a good book for our book club because its chapter headings about happiness resolutions give enough information for topics to start discussions. We will discuss this in April and the topic that month was Lighten Up. Subheadings were: Sing in the Morning, Acknowledge the reality of people's feelings, Be a treasure house of happy memories, and Take time for projects.
From this author, I learned her work was classified as a new subgenre, "stunt nonfiction."

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The Biltmore Estate

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've always been curious about the formal dining room because this had the table large enough to seat our entire extended family, no children's table necessary.
When my mother was on vacation here many years ago, I suggested she take a look at that dining room. She brought me this informative book about the house where this princess would like to live. Ok, maybe I only covet two rooms: the formal dining room and the library.
I looked at the pictures many times and it had a place on my travel reference shelf in my home library. This year I took the time to read the text so I could classify it as read in 2010.


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The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was surprised that the seventh book of this series changed its format to tell the story of Jennssen who had good reason to fear the rule of Darken Rahl and continues to fear the rule of Lord Richard Rahl.

New characters are introduced and I find them engaging.

Exploring Richard's rule from a different perscpective keeps the series from becoming as predictable as it could be by the seventh book.

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