Poseidon'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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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 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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Discover 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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The Cold Dish

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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Winston's War by Michael Dobbs
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I downloaded Winston's War, it was free from Nook. I shelved it in non-fiction; but it states it is a work of fiction.

I found too many parts of it to be boring for it to rank more than 2 stars as a work of fiction. Uneven pacing and too many characters who were not doing enough interesting things contributed to my boredom. I easily tire of drunken, boorish behavior as exhibited by the politicians, their assistants, and those for whom they rely on information and to spread their point of view.

I don't recommend Winston's War.

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The Talismans of Shannara by Terry Brooks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Talismans of Shannara is the 21st book I read in my quest to read the Shannara books in chronological order.

This is the fourth book of The Heritage of Shannara; and so, a conclusion to the quests of Walker Boh, Wren Elessedil, Par Ohmsford, and Coll Ohmsford is to be expected. I dropped my rating from the usual 4 stars because the last two chapters seemed to be rapid responses to possible questions the readers may still have.

I recommend it to fans of the series, rather than a first-time reader.

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