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.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
The Bone Tree by Greg Iles
Greg Iles is a master of tension. I think I start all his book reviews with that compliment. This book matches Dead Sleep and Third Degree tense moment for a tense moment but adds the disturbing note that much of the depicted violence actually took place. Natchez Burning began this trilogy. The story continues in this, the second book. Be warned, it is hazardous to develop any attachment to a character as they may not survive.
Although repetitious, I'm old enough to recall civil rights violence. This book deals with the KKK, a splinter group of the KKK, the Double Eagles; a crazed bootstrap
millionaire; a crusading journalist and a family with a troubled past. If that is not enough to pique your interest then you apparently have little or no imagination.
This too was a hard book to read. History is sometimes very painful. As troubled as our current climate is regarding race, it has been worse. That was hard to read and to realize the depravity that was novelized was reality based.
There are some shattering discoveries in this volume. As an aside, Iles certainly has great respect for the violence that can be perpetrated by elderly folks, male, female and good and bad.
Iles writes a powerful story.
I strongly recommend.
web site: http://www.gregiles.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.
Friday, May 19, 2017
French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain
The story starts with a classical music definition of a rhapsody. The is translated from French. Each chapter has a character as it’s main focus. The central theme is that a group of diverse young people get together in the eighties and form a band called Hologram. The current lives of those people are explored with each looking back at their earlier personas.
My initial reaction was not overly positive but I stuck with it and found that it was an enjoyable book. Your roots often determine your eventual outcome but this book shows that is not always the case.
There were a few surprises and the book was well written. It is for those who like character studies there are no car chases and very little violence.
I recommend it.
Web: not his site but gives good information on him.
http://belgraviabooks.com/writer/antoine-laurain
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Spotlight on The Darkest Corner, The Gravediggers Series,Book 1
THE DARKEST CORNER
The Gravediggers Series, Book One
Liliana Hart
Pocket Books
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
ISBN: 9781501150036
Price: $7.99 Paperback
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Liliana Hart’s first book in her sexy, suspenseful Gravediggers series, THE DARKEST CORNER, features an elite group of mysterious men who might be dead to the world, but are also tasked with saving it—and no one can ever know.
The Gravediggers aren’t exactly what they seem. They’re the most elite of the world’s fighting forces—and all they have in common is that they’ve been betrayed by the countries they’ve died for. Because they are dead. To their country, their military, and their families.
Sometimes the dead do rise…
Deacon Tucker is a dead man walking. A former black ops agent, he was disavowed and stripped of all honor before being recruited as a Gravedigger. But his honor and good name no longer matter, because no one knows he’s alive, and he’ll never get the recognition he deserves. His mission is simple: save the world or die trying. And for God’s sake, don’t ever fall in love. That’s a rule punishable by death. The kind of death a man can’t be brought back from.
Tess Sherman is the only mortician in Last Stop, Texas. She has no idea how Deacon Tucker ended up in her funeral home, but she’ll eat her hat if he’s only a funeral home assistant. Deacon is dangerous, deadly, and drop-dead gorgeous. And she knows her attraction to him can only end in heartache.
Deacon is on a mission to stop the most deadly terror attack the world has ever known—what’s known as The Day of Destiny—a terrorist’s perfect day. But when he discovers Tess has skills he can use to stop them, he has to decide if he can trust her with secrets worth dying for. And most important, he has to decide if he can trust her with his heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liliana Hart is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than forty titles, including the Addison Holmes Whiskey and J.J. Graves Mystery series. Since self-publishing in June 2011, Liliana has sold more than four million ebooks. She’s hit the #1 spot on lists all over the world, and all three of her series have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Liliana is a sought-after speaker who’s given keynote speeches and self-publishing workshops to standing-room-only crowds from California to New York to London. Please visit her at lilianahart.com, facebook.com/lilianahart, and twitter.com/liliana_hart.
Look for Gone to Dust (Book 2) June 20th!
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, May 11, 2017
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
This book has an interesting premise regarding godhood. Forbidden Planet was the earliest science
fiction movie I can recall. I saved Quaker Oats coupons to get a free
ticket. Succinctly the villain in the
movie is the physical manifestations of the thoughts and fears of the
characters in the movie. In other words, what they thought or feared became
real. American Gods are gods who have
been created by their believers. The
old gods came from the old country. The
new gods are those created by what is currently worshipped such as technology
or beauty. The premise of the book is
the conflict between the old gods and the new gods.
Shadow is the main protagonist who is ignorant of his
conceptional roots. He is taciturn,
large and strong. He faces many changes
and makes many strange friends. Shadow
finds himself being manipulated not only
by those he loves but some he doesn't even realize exists.
The book questions the underpinnings of faith and what leads
to worship. The plot is intricate and
occasionally confusing. You often find
yourself wondering where am I and what is Gaiman trying to say.
The book is worth reading and if you are not a fan, I
suggest continuing to read anyway as you may become a fan. The book is a re-release possibly because it
is now being produced as a TV series.
I recommend the book.
Web: http://www.neilgaiman.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, May 6, 2017
Time for Kids: 50 States
Ready for a road trip?
Get the scoop on the
nifty fifty from North to South and
coast to coast with no
need for batteries or a charger!
Through the pages of this book you can travel
to all 50 states, from Alabama to Wyoming , to discover the
history, geography, and culture that make each one great. With more than 100
kid-friendly maps by illustrator Aaron Meshon, full-color photographs, and fun
facts galore, this state-by-state guide is perfect for exploring your own
state, uncovering new places, and digging into the history of the United States
of America.
A great resource for school reports and
general curiosity, kids will learn the story of the people who lived on the
land before European settlement; how each state joined the Union ;
the natural resources and people that make it unique; and the industry and
agriculture that drive it today. 50
States supports
cross-discipline learning in U.S.
history, geography, natural history, and cultural studies.
This is a very condensed book about the United States . It is a thumb nail sketch of each state. Early elementary age kids should enjoy
it. I discovered several things I either
knew and forgot or never knew in the section on territories and commonwealths. There is also a regional section which looks
at groups of states and their regional similarities.
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, May 2, 2017
The God Peak by Patrick Hemstreet
The
God Wave novel seems like it was
authentic peek into the future.
Consider the brain operated drones for a moment and how experiments are
progressing with the brain operating prosthesis hands. That book went a large but not inconceivable
step forward in the direction of the
main character in the movie Lucy. The
thesis is the mind can be trained into using more of its potential. The God Peak
carries that further with the same cast of characters we met in The
God Wave.
Hemstreet'a main characters Matt and Chuck from the first
book are almost ancillary to this book, at least Matt is marginalized. The military industrial complex (there is a
phrase that dates me) has been thwarted by the Zetas, Sarah, Mike and Timmy. Thrown out of their mountain retreat, the
military refuses to see that force can not dislodge the mental skills the Zetas
command.
Meanwhile Chuck and the rest of the crew have been
"rescued" by a secret society of near Zetas They are pressured to teach their unique
skills and eventually to confront their former friends at the god peak formerly
headquarters of Deep Shield.
This book is more action and less cerebral than the
last. It still forces one to ponder what
unknown skills lie in the unplowed fields of the human brain
I recommend it.
Web site:
https://www.facebook.com/Patrick-Hemstreet-991494760945021/
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.
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