Indomitable by Terry Brooks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This eBook fits into the Shannara chronological order after The Wishsong of Shannara. It includes an excerpt from The Measure of Magic.

I recommend it to fans of the series.

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Paladins of Shannara: The Weapons Master's Choice by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a 99-cent, 44-page ebook, set in the chronological Shannara series somewhere before The Wishsong of Shannara. Released last month, the timing was close to perfect in my own reading project, the Shannara series in chronological order.

Garet Jax had many stories to tell of his life before he joined Jair Ohmsford's quest in The Wishsong of Shannara, and this story of Lyriana and the warlock Kronswiff is one of them.

I recommend it to fans of the series.

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Murder is a Piece of Cake by Elaine Viets
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated reading this mystery for I have been waiting through several books for Josie Marcus to finally marry Dr. Ted, the attractive veterinarian. I did not need a murder or two to pique my interest in the dialogues and interactions between family members and friends. Yet, this is eighth book in the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series in the amateur sleuth category of the mystery genre; there is going to be a murder. Clues for the prospective victim, the first suspect, and the actual murderer were heavy-handed.
I recommend this book for fans of the series.


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The Leopard: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do not recommend this book as a place for a new-to-the-series reader to start as the details are more violent and gross than in past books. It is only for fans of the series.

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The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My two-year project is reading the Shannara books in chronological order. This is the thirteenth book I read, the third of the original trilogy which was published in 1985.
In this third book, Brook acknowledges the pattern: Allanon the Druid seeks the help of a member of the Ohmsford family to defeat the present Evil. Gnome, Drawf, Elf, and Bordermen join the quest. Brooks paces his novel well and he writes descriptive, action-filled fight scenes.
I recommend this book for readers of the series.

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The Snowman: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A 2013 project for me is to read all of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole mysteries. I'm 2/3 done with this project, and I am not yet bored with Nesbo's mystery content or writing style. I'm still rooting for Harry to be happy. Yet, the topic that losers make a more interesting story was discussed between Harry and his former girlfriend's new boyfriend.

I like the layers of symbols that Nesbo adds to the mystery so that there is more of a literary quality to this detective novel: the childhood icon of snowmen become sinister and menacing; taking your children for medical checkups puts a target on your back; and the difference between Oslo and Bergen.

I recommend this book to mystery readers, and I suggest they start the series with The Redbreast.

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Investing with Exchange-Traded Funds Made Easy: A Start-To-Finish Plan to Reduce Costs and Achieve Higher Returns by Marvin Appel
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was part of the free for my Nook trilogy called ETF Trading and Investing Strategies. I'm glad I did not pay any more for information that was e-published in 2009.
After the first two chapters, I started to read only the conclusion at the end of each chapter. This was enough to give me the gist of what the author discussed. By chapter 7, Appel finally discusses his One-Decision Portfolio whose strategy is asset allocation with only once-a-year rebalancing. I interpret that time-frame to be a buy-and-hold strategy. He makes no suggestion to use stop losses. To save more time for anyone who may be interested, figure 13.1 is the flowchart of the "ultimate ETF investing strategy portfolio."
I don't recommend this book as I think a reader might get better information from the education section of brokerage websites.

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