Dear Beneficiary by Janet Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dear Beneficiary is the story of Cynthia, a sixty year old widow who deals with the loss of her husband and her newly found freedom by having a steamy romance with a much younger Nigerian man. Cynthia is heart broken when Darius, her love interest, must return to Nigeria to help his family. Cynthia decides to enlist her grandson's help in purchasing and learning to use a computer in the hopes of communicating with Darius, but instead she receives a "Dear beneficiary" e-mail and falls prey to a scam from Nigerian con artists, mistakenly believing that she is helping her beloved Darius. Cynthia decides to travel to Nigeria. Cynthia and her fellow travel companion, an unlikeable woman named Tracey are lost and overwhelmed in the Nigerian airport and they wind up being kidnapped. Although it is an engaging story, it did not feel believable. The author missed opportunities to really describe Nigeria and the experience that Cynthia had. At times it felt as if Cynthia was simply narrating her story and not really experiencing it. I never felt the terror or anger or frustration that I would expect from someone who is kidnapped. I really enjoyed the idea of Cynthia evaluating her life and deciding that perhaps she had been too safe, and her unexpected relationship with Darius. Overall it was a fun book, but the author missed some opportunities to make it really great.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
View all my reviews
65 Genius Do It Yourself Gardening Hacks by Teeto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you love gardening, this little book is loaded with some great tips for cultivating many of your favorite foods. Written in a simple no-nonsense style, the author shares their expertise about gardening a wide array of plants. Although the text would benefit from some editing, the content is well worth picking up this little treasure of a book.
View all my reviews
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When Grace Munroe suddenly receives a bequeath from a stranger in Paris, she is confused. She knows nothing about Eva D'Orsey and she does not understand why this woman would choose to leave everything to a total stranger. As the story develops, the author moves from the story of Eva as a young girl, to the emotional turbulence of Grace as she tries to understand who Eva is and why she left this gift to Grace. The characters are interesting, but slightly one-dimensional at times. I was thoroughly engaged in the story and even though the plot is not overly surprising, the author does manage to include a few unexpected moments. Perhaps the best part of the book is the author's ability to make us actually smell the words as she describes the various scents that make up the story of Eva and her relationship to Madame Zed and her talented apprentice Andre Valmont. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction.
View all my reviews
Glenn Hates Books Vol. 1: Brutally Honest Book Reviews by Glenn Conley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The author Glenn Conley is lying, he does NOT hate books, he hates poorly written books. I think he actually loves books - and I really enjoyed his brutal and slightly offensive, yet very funny book reviews. I may not agree with everything that Glenn says in his reviews, but I do applaud his ability to sift through the important parts of a book and his straightforward approach. If you are easily offended by foul language you should avoid this book, but if you don't mind his very 'colorful' descriptions, Glenn offers his insights on a variety of books and his enthusiasm will have you downloading a whole list of new books and authors onto your to-read pile.
View all my reviews
Prodigal Son by Danielle Steel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The main character Jack gets caught in the middle of the Wall Street meltdown and his life begins to unravel. He loses his job, his money and now his wife wants a divorce. Seemingly at his lowest point, he decides to visit his old family vacation cottage and this decision sets off a series of events that will change not only his life, but it will shock and devastate a small town. As Jack tries to come to terms with his estranged twin brother, he finally has hope for reconciliation but his nephew is convinced that Michael is evil and Jack is forced to decide what he really believes about his brother. Danielle Steel is a master at escape and this new novel is a fun break from reality. Prodigal Son has a darker theme than most of her work, but it is engaging and a fun read. It was somewhat predictable with an overly convenient ending in true corny Danielle Steel fashion, but I enjoyed this book.
View all my reviews
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Insurgent picked up right where Divergent left off. In the continuing story of Tris and Four, as they deal with a chaotic society at war with itself, they struggle to understand and accept each other, and navigate their way through the challenges of guilt, forgiveness and trust needed to move forward. Veronica Roth gives us a sequel that is fast paced and compelling. Friendship, love and betrayal are mixed up in a jumble of relationships torn apart and thrust together by the war that has broken out among the factions. Struggling with the shock and trauma of watching her parents die and overwhelming guilt from shooting a close friend, Tris decides to sacrifice herself to save the others, and comes face to face with the cold calculating leader that started all the strife, Jeannine, and the author doesn't disappoint, showing us Tris' inner strength. Tris depends on her intuition, making alliances that seem to defy logic. The story includes shocking betrayals and surprising moments of kindness and charity. Once again, I am usually frustrated by books in a series where the ending is left somewhat unfinished, creating the interest for the third book, and although Insurgent gives an interesting ending, it clearly leaves a big question mark too, requiring us to read the third book for resolution. I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.
View all my reviews
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The story of Malala is compelling and profound. This book covers much more than just the intimate details of a cowardly and vicious attempt on a young girls life, but the book gives an enormous amount of information about the region, the people, their beliefs and values. Malala gives us a peek into a world that most westerners know very little about. I was surprised at the depth of political and geographic details in the book, which really helped the reader to understand the dynamics that led to the attempt on her life. Malala and her parents are inspiring with their courageous and relentless pursuit of education and equality for girls and women. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.
View all my reviews
The Comprehensive Guide To Whitening Teeth: Smile with confidence! How to whiten teeth safely and keep them that way by Allan West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book contains some good basic information about the types of teeth whitening and the pros and cons of each method, but does not go into great detail. The author focuses on practical information like how to make a teeth whitening paste and what materials work best. It is important to note that the author is NOT a dentist, and although he strongly recommends that you see a dentist before any whitening, he also seems to imply that dentists often over charge for their whitening services. The book is a quick easy read, at only 39 pages, but the tone and style of the writing is awkward. At times the author is repetitive and the writing is in need of editing with grammatical and structural errors throughout. If you are very interested in teeth whitening, you might find this book helpful.
View all my reviews
Anna's Bear: 5 Days of Moral Conflict And Pursuit, Nazi Germany, 1939 by O.W. Shumaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anna's Bear shares the story of three Nazi party faithful, who each come to see the party and their devotion to it in a new light. For Max, a desperate attempt to save his little sister sets off a series of events that will change not only his life, but many lives around him. For Inga, a pregnancy has taken her from the limelight as a darling of the SS elite, but a violent assault changes her allegiances forever. Pastor Steffen has been comfortably balancing his faith with the party message, but his conscious challenges his faith and with a renewed purpose, he attempts to right a wrong and help Max rescue his little sister Anna. From gypsies to underground resistance, this adventure unites each of these characters in a struggle for their very lives against the head of the SS, a brutal man focused only on their destruction. Although it seemed very dark and sinister at times, this was an engaging book, with adventure and unexpected warmth.
View all my reviews
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The main character Alice wakes up and realizes she has forgotten the last 10 years of her life. Although the beginning of the book felt somewhat confusing at first, I really enjoyed this book and I really wanted to keep reading to see if Alice would get her memory back. Alice deals with a failing marriage that she doesn't understand and three children that she doesn't even remember having. The relationship between Alice and her sister Elisabeth has also degraded in the past 10 years, as Elisabeth has dealt with struggles of infertility, but Alice's injury and memory loss not only bring them back together, but it actually helps Elisabeth come to terms with her own emotional struggles. Alice has to come to terms with the person she has become. Some of the dialogue is forced and I was frustrated at the authors choice for the ending (I won't spoil it for you) but overall I felt it was a good read.
View all my reviews
