Required Reading

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Books I have authored.

Many times I receive books for FREE to give them an honest review. I do not get paid to give a good or bad review. Spotlights are promotional and should be regarded as advertising for the book spotlighted. Regardless of where or how I got a book, my review will be as honest as I can make it.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Tenderloin by Court Haslett


This book was based in the Tenderloin of San Francisco.  It is set in the time of Jim Jones and the mass suicide/mass murder in Guyana, 1978.  The story is peripherally related to that event and the fixed election and ensuing murder of Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk.

Sleeper Hayes is an ex-hippie who dabbles deeply in drugs, drinks and gambling.  He also is an unrepentant fixer or perhaps do-gooder.  His efforts to do favors for friends who are in trouble leads him to getting shot, stabbed and beaten.

Sleeper helps enough people that he has people in the strangest places owing him favors.  The author's description of the life of the Tenderloin residents is colorful.

This was loosely historical fiction.

I enjoyed the book.

Web: http://www.280steps.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Topsy Turvy World by Atak


My first reaction to the book was not positive.  After reading it, or looking at the pictures, I reached the back cover and discovered that my supposition was correct.  The book wasn't nonsensical it was educational.  I suppose it was nonsensical as well.   The goal of the book is to spot all of the things that have been turned topsy turvy.  The pages are so detailed that the child should be able to go through the book multiple times and still discover things that are upside down.  In addition their is a mouse on each page that has a vague resemblance to a theme park mouse and finding it on each page is another task.

After I realized what the books goals were and screwed it into my frame of reference lens, I really liked it.

Atak is a pseudonym for Hans-Georg Barber .
Web: http://flyingeyebooks.com/creator/atak-2/


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry



This was an intriguing book.  Russia as we know it today but slightly skewed.  The Russian people have set up a commission to decide who will be brought back as Tsar.  The decades of Communist rule have failed and the hope is that a return to an autocratic monarch will inspire the people and save Russia.

The author makes liberal use of the prophecies of Rasputin.  In the afterword he notes that they may have been made or fabricated by his (Rasputin's) daughter.   An American attorney is identified as the Raven and a Russian circus performer is identified as the Eagle.  These two are prophesied to bring the Romanov's back to the throne.

The author puts a wealth of action and a fair number of history lessons in the book.   The plot is intricate but not confusing.   The book provides an answer to the mystery of the murder of the Romanov's at the beginning of the Bolshevik revolution, or at least the author's fictional answer.

I recommend the book.

Web:  http://steveberry.org/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

THE ENCHANTMENT OF EMMA FLETCHER

THE ENCHANTMENT OF EMMA FLETCHER
L.D. Crichton
Pocket Star EBooks
Publication Date: March 13, 2017
ISBN: 9781501152313
Romance
$1.99

“The character development will draw readers into the story and have them rushing to find out what happens…Verdict: Romance readers who prefer a love story with a thriller twist will enjoy this page-turner. It’s perfect for those jumping from YA contemporary romance to more adult fiction.”
Library Journal STARRED REVIEWstarred review star

“L.D. Crichton has written a compelling story of overcoming tragedy and moving forward. I truly experienced the wide range of emotions felt by all the characters, as all feelings are conveyed with genuineness. THE ENCHANTMENT OF EMMA FLETCHER is heartfelt and very realistic…THE ENCHANTMENT OF EMMA FLETCHER is emotionally rewarding…L.D. Crichton has created an interesting story about true-to-life people, and I look forward to more books from this author.”
—Always Reviewing

About the book:
After Emma Fletcher is viciously attacked and left for dead, she flees to her old childhood hometown where she’s confronted with bitter memories of her damaged past and alcoholic mother. Emma is determined to make her stay temporary and get out with minimal emotional damage. What she doesn’t count on is Tristan Banks: auto mechanic, coffee addict, and town hottie with dark secrets of his own.

Tristan’s track record of saving girls has historically led to failure. The last thing he needs is trouble in the form of a leggy brunette with an attitude, but when he starts to fall for Emma, Tristan realizes the only way he can save her is to help her save herself.

About the author:
L.D. Crichton is the author of the only official fan fictions for both One Direction and Emblem3, commissioned by Sony Music Entertainment and Faculty Management Group. Crichton has over 7.5 million combined reads on Wattpad and her work has been featured in Publisher’s Weekly, the Daily Dot, Marketing magazine, Just Jared, VentureBeat, and Contently. She lives in Alberta, Canada. Please visit ldcrichton.com   and L.D. Crichton on Facebook
 and Twitter
.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Devil Colony by James Rollins



This is a Sigma Force Novel.  The Sigma Force is a quasi-commando organization operating under the auspices of the DOD.  Regardless of whether you have read any of the series, this book is worth reading.  It stands alone very well.   This would be a great script for an Indiana Jones movie.   There are biblical references, strange phenomena and futuristic action.   The first few sentences are a repeat of my last Rollin’s review, The Seventh Plague.

This book starts with a Thomas Jefferson mystery and then moves to the present.   A lost tribe of Israel and American Indians provide the meat of the drama.   A secret society currently identified by the Sigma Force as the Guild is the ruthless adversary.

There are dark villains and naïve protagonists as well as some familiar faces from the previous book.

The action is tilt-a-whirl like with not so fun house surprises.   I enjoy the inclusion of historic characters and secret society myths.

Again the story line is excellent and I recommend the book.


Web: http://jamesrollins.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

The Select by F. Paul Wilson




This is a stand alone book and not related to the Repairman Jack series.  Quinn Cleary has wanted to be a physician for as long as she can remember.  Despite her awesome intellectual successes as a student, her family is unable to afford medical school tuition.  She and her life long pal, Matt, apply to The Ingraham, the most prestigious medical school in the country.  Matt’s buddy, Tim, applies as well with no real drive to being a physician.   Tim’s eidetic memory and substantial intellect supersede his uncaring playboy attitude.  The three take the notorious Ingraham entrance exam and the fun begins.

The Ingraham may not be what it seems in spite of it’s providing a full boat for all those admitted.  It also requires strict adherence to it’s philosophical underpinnings. 

Tim’s rebellious behavior and Quinn’s abiding compassion lead the two down a path of perfidy.   Matt, although a bit player, provides a lifeline that is instrumental to some major upheavals.

Wilson suggests a frightening method of medical care and provides sufficient arguments which compel serious thought.

I recommend the book.

Site:  http://repairmanjack.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.