Moms, Monsters, Media & Margaritas by
Angela Williams Glenn
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book, looking at the challenges of motherhood in todays world, the author shares her personal struggles in an honest and forthright manner. She looks at mommy wars and tackles the guilt and uncertainty of motherhood with humor and grace. This was an easy read, and I would recommend this book to all moms.
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Weight Loss: 30 Tips On How To Lose Weight Fast Without Pills Or Surgery, Weight Loss Motivation And Fat Burning Strategies by
Sandra Williams
My rating:
2 of 5 stars
This book had little original or helpful advice for weight loss. I found the ideas in this book to be overly simplistic, i.e. one tip was "go for a salad instead of fries". Many of the tips were based on the use of shame/guilt to loose weight, i.e "Revisit situations when friends, siblings or children were embarrassed of your weight and take it upon yourself to make them proud". At times the advice even conflicted with previous advice in the book, the author points out that drinking a glass of wine daily can help boost metabolism and weight loss, but then later advises the reader to give up drinking alcohol to lose weight. The quality of writing was poor as well, with run-on sentences and grammatical errors, as well as poor sentence construction. At one point the author advises the reader to "sign up to Facebook" as a distraction for hunger. It seems odd that the author thinks individuals who are purchasing an electronic book from Amazon are not already one of the 250 million users currently on Facebook. The author suggests that Facebook removes food oriented thinking from your mind so you will eat less, I guess her Facebook friends don't post pictures of food. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
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Children's Book: The Secret Beam by
Timor Rofman
My rating:
2 of 5 stars
Even on a kindle, the illustrations came out beautifully, but the story itself was very limited. The rhyming was rough and the although some children's stories are nonsensical and still work, I found myself confused after reading this story. A magic beam, bubbles floating in the air, and for no reason at all the bubbles pop and they make it to the ground unharmed, I know children are very imaginative but this story feels like it is caught between fantasy and reality and doesn't quite work as either. For me this story just didn't work well.
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Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I wish there was a 4.5 star rating available. I really enjoyed this dystopian young adult adventure, but not enough to give it a full 5 stars. The adventure begins with Tris, the main character, deciding which 'faction' of society she will choose to spend the rest of her life with. Tris is very conflicted about her choice, and the story follows Tris as she struggles through the initiation process of her new faction as she literally fights her way to a spot within the tough and brave "Dauntless' faction. I really enjoyed the relationships and characters in the story, including the inevitable love interest, although I think there were some characters that could have been developed even more. The story is engaging and moves along quickly. Without sharing a spoiler, I was slightly disappointed (as I usually am in any series of books) when the ending of the story doesn't feel resolved, forcing the reader to continue reading the books in the series.
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Seriously... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Seriously...its funny. If you are already a fan of Ellen DeGeneres you already know her amazing and off-beat style of humor. This book did not disappoint. I decided to try the audible version of her book and I felt like Ellen was just sitting in my room/car and chatting with me, I think the audible version added to the humor. I laughed so hard through the whole book. This was such a great way to spend a few hours.
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The Golden Peacock by
Lauren B. Grossman
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
The Golden Peacock is an interesting book that weaves past and present around the story of a writer named Rainee and her search for her next great book idea. Rainee becomes inspired by finding a card from the Holocaust Museum about a Holocaust survivor named Jana Lutkin who shares a birthday with Rainee. The story takes several very interesting twists and turns as Rainee tracks down Jana in England and learns her story. I found this book very engaging, the story moved along at a rapid pace, and although some of the events were a bit too obvious or coincidental, it kept me surprised and eager to keep reading to see what would happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review
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35 Dog Training Mistakes: Mistakes You Are Probably Doing and How to Avoid Them by
James Goodman
My rating:
2 of 5 stars
If you are a dog owner or dog lover this book has many hints and ideas that you may find helpful, but unfortunately the book is also full of typos and formatting errors. The errors were so pervasive that I found them distracting, making it hard to pay attention to content presented. Although the author is repetitive at times, it is clear the author understands dogs and is experienced at dealing with and training dogs. Reading this book reminds me of the old saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". The poor writing is clearly the bathwater, but the content is the true baby of this book. The book is organized into sections based on mistakes that dog owners frequently make, and while this organization does work well, at the end of each section is a "Long story short" conclusion. These "Long story short" pieces are poorly written and often include just a fragment, taking away from their meaning. There are quite a few dog training books out there, this book does have some useful information, but the grammatical errors and format errors make it difficult and distracting to read. Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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The Impossible Knife of Memory by
Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
The issue of PTSD can be scary and confusing for adults and children, but for Hayley it is part of the daily struggle to survive with her father, a vet who struggles to deal with his past and the horrors or war. Hayley is a teenage girl who has lived through tremendous hardship and loss, and her life revolves around caring for her ill father. Alcohol, drugs and violence are a daily occurrence in her unpredictable world. Laurie Halse Anderson is a gifted author who connects with young adult readers through her gritty and honest portrayal of characters. The author reminds us that many teens are facing very real and difficult struggles, and she reminds us that our connection to others is essential, and that sometimes that connection can be fragile, but incredibly necessary. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand more about the challenges of PTSD and the struggle to care for someone who is overwhelmed by their past.
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