One for the Detectives in Us All

Collateral Damage
An Annie Ogden Mystery 
by Frederick Lee Brooke

My rating on a 100-point scale: 94

My recommender:

Novel Publicity provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My synopsis: 

   Annie Ogden has moved in with Salvatore D'Angelo, who propposes marriage to her the same day she's attacked on her morning jog. But her attacker ends up being Annie's old fiance from Iraq, and he's come to take her back into his arms of sunshine and passion. Annie has to choose between a man who treats her right and her burning flame for an ex-con she knew as a soldier in Iraq. And then a murder happens, and Annie's old flame is the prime suspect...

My review: 

   This is an awesome book! It's thrilling and intriguing, even if you can guess early on who done it. The characters are great, and realistic. The plot is clear and has some nice twists. The writing is generally good, but there are a few things I could complain abot. There were definitely times that I was like, "Wow! What great imagery!"
   Check out some of my updates while reading this book below. To read the full comments, check them out here on Goodreads.

The Bible 30-Day Experience: Daily Guidebook
by Bob Hostetler

My rating on a 100-point scale: 82

My thoughts:
   I didn't study this in a small group or with the dvds, but I still learned from this book. It's set up well and is very clear on what it teaches.

I recommend this book to:
   Christians, whether you're studying the good book alone or with a partner or small group.

This book has no restricting content.

The Second in a Series

Daughter's Justice
by Thaddeus Nowak

My rating on a 100-point scale: 91

My review:
   If you've read the first in this series and liked it, you'll definitely want to read this one. Stephenie's fight with her circumstances continues in this adventurous tale. I highly recommend to fans of supernatural/fantasy who like books with female heroines.

   Though there are a couple things I could complain about ("However" and a single technical error every 20 or so pages), this book was well worth the time. I cut back on my screen-time reading during this book, but it had nothing to do with the novel, only the format I had it in. I enjoyed this read immensely and think many other readers will too.

This sequel's predecessor: 
Mother's Curse

My recommender:  
   I recently participated in a blog tour hosted by Novel Publicity for this series. Though I didn't finish this sequel during the tour, I still feel the need to share my thoughts on it. 

Suggested restrictions:
There is some foul language throughout and a little gore, so be forewarned. I personally don't think anyone under the age of 14 should read this without parental guidance.

One for Christians

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
by Francis Chan

My rating on a 100-point scale: 87

My short and sweet review:  

   This book is well-written and inspiring. Though at one point the author's crazy does show through a little, the ideologies are pretty clearly stated in the Bible, just pushed home a little harder here. I highly recommend to everyone who calls themselves Christian and anyone who aspires to be called a true follower of Christ. In my opinion, every Christian should read this book. 

How I came upon this book: 

   My husband had a copy on our bookshelf from a class in church he attended once. He mentioned selling it, but I asked to read it before he did so. 

A very short excerpt: 

   "I believe that much of the American church-going population, while not specifically swimming downstream, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn't a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ." - from page 95.

 

Additional info and thoughts:

   This novel is meant to challenge Christians to give more of themselves to Christ. The author points out verses and legitimate reasons why followers of Christ should give all the glory to God, and I personally found it uplifting and inspiring, for the most part. 

   I especially liked the idea of the chapter devoted to those who've devoted their lives to living like Christ. 

   

This novel has no restricting content.

   

A Witch, a Ghost, and Tour - Oh My!

Mother's Curse by Thaddeus Nowak

My rating on a 100-point scale: 92

My short and sweet review:

   This is a great novel! Adventurous, romantic, and entertaining. It's well-written and holds the attention of the reader. I highly recommend for anyone who likes fantastic supernatural stories, as I'm sure this one will not disappoint. 

   The only reasons I can't allow myself to give this a higher rating is: "however" is repeated too often, I think, and there is one single typo or technical error every 20-50 pages. I'm easily distracted by these types of things, and I know I'm a nitpicker, but I just have to mention them for my own piece of mind.

There is some foul language throughout and a little gore, so be forewarned. I personally don't think anyone under the age of 14 should read this without parental guidance.  

My recommender:

   This week, I'm participating in a blog tour for the above book and its sequel. Be sure to check out the tour page by clicking on the image to the right. There are also tons of reviews by others, so don't just take my word for it - learn more! 

An Excerpt:
   Feeling slightly better for having a bit of light to keep with her, she continued down the street, occasionally looking through a window to see the remains of a room.  After the third storefront she passed, she wondered at the reason all of the furniture and even drapes, carpets, and accessories had been left behind.  Even in the desperate flight from Antar, people were still taking their belongings.  They removed their drapes, even ones far less decorative then what Stephenie suspected were here.  Why would everyone desert a city and yet leave almost everything behind as if they were simply going across town to visit a friend?  She was hesitant to consider an answer.  This city had been deserted and abandoned for a long time.  Antar castle and city above had been there for as long as memory could recall and the original castle even before then.  Had any of those above known about a city deep in the rocks under their feet, there would have been stories.

One for Brides

Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul: Stories of Love, Laughter and Commitment to Last a Lifetime by Jack Canfield

My rating on a 100-point scale: 97

   If I would have quit reading this book because of my disappointment at the first section, I would have never realized that this is a great book. The further I read, the better the stories got. This book is not only for new brides, it's just as equally for brides who have been married for years.
   I bought my copy when I was planning my own wedding more than two years ago now, but didn't get around to reading it until recently. It was worth whatever I paid for it and it's staying on my bookshelf. I highly recommend this book to any who are getting married, any who are already married, and any who dream about having a marriage that literally lasts a lifetime.
   This is the best Chicken Soup book I have read to date.

This book has no restricting content.

A Better Chicken Soup for Sisters

Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul 2: Celebrating Love and Laughter Throughout Our Lives by Jack Canfield

My rating on a 100-point scale: 93

   I really liked this collection. After the disappointment I got from the first Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul, this one surprised me. This one is definitely better than the other one. I highly recommend to any who have a sister, whether biological or not.

This novel has no restricting content.

A Review, Synopsis, and Author Interview

The Wailing by M.R. Graham

My rating on a 100-point scale: 95


My thoughts: 
   A great read! A well-written and intriguing novel/la that kept me interested until the very end. Though there were a couple places where I found myself accurately predicting what was going to happen, I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes paranormal mystery and adventure.

My short synopsis: 
   A man under an unknown compulsion to higher authorities is told to kill another of his kind. He carries out his mission and along the way gains the aid of a wizard who seems to have a personal vendetta against his target. His intentions and goals are clear, but his companions' are not.

I do not suggest this read for anyone less than twelve years of age. 

My interview with the author: 
   Welcome! Are you ready to share a little about you, the person and the writer?  
   How long have you been a writer? What inspired you to do what you do?

   Many thanks, Faye! 

   I've been writing crummy little stories since I could hold a pen, and I wrote my first novel around (the)* second grade (and it was atrocious). I really decided to put effort into it in high school, which is when I began what is now In the Shadow of the Mountains, the second book in my Lost Knowledge series.
   I actually started writing because, as a small child, I had a very hard time telling the difference between a story and a lie. I didn't get in trouble for telling stories on paper, so writing became my favorite form of communication. I always had stories to tell.

A Few Timeless Tales

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm 
A New English Version  
Edited and Annotated by Philip Pullman

My rating on a 100-point scale: 92

   Although I'm thoroughly interested in fairy tales, folk tales and all, this book got a little old for me about half-way through. The title is misleading because they are not only fairy tales - there are folk tales, fables, and even a creation myth or two. So I believe the title should be more simply Tales from the Brothers Grimm, since that more accurately describes what it contains.
   The tales are well-written for the most part, though there are a few technical errors (till instead of until or 'til, round instead of around, etc). What bothered me most about this collection though, are the notes that Pullman made after each tale. As someone who has studied these kinds of tales a little in college, I feel like Pullman was a little condescending in his notes. I felt like he was trying to belittle me into believing what he does about them. I didn't like that.
   I probably would have purchased this book for my collection, had the library not had it. Now I know that Pullman kind of ruins it for me, and know not to get this version. He may not ruin these timeless tales for everyone like he did for me, but it's not going on my bookshelf anymore. I think I'll stick with the originals, though these are pretty close.
   The high rating is because I enjoy these tales so much. I can't rate them less than that, despite what Pullman says about them.

This book is not suggested for ages ten and under due to gore and horror. The original tales were not pretty like Disney, for those of you who may not already be aware. 

A History of the World and Science

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

My rating on a 100-point scale: 92

     I read this book about a year and a half ago, I estimate. I took pages and pages of notes, since this is nonfiction and most of it was a grand learning opportunity. But looking back over those notes, I can't decipher what is actually from the book, and what came from my mind as I read it. I developed theories about the earth and human origins because of this book. I've been meaning to research them more to see if they hold up against what is already known that is not included in the book, but I haven't yet. 

Image borrowed from www.jyi.org.

     Personally, I usually prefer fiction to historical non-fiction works, and that may be why I wasn't too crazy about this book, but there were also some pet peeves in it that I must mention here. First, the author is very obviously an atheist; I don't have anything against atheists, but when it comes to scientific works, I don't care how you feel about God or what you do and don't believe - I just want to know what you know, not your personal choices. Second, this book does have profanity, specifically the sh-word, and though I don't usually care, it's worth mentioning I feel. Third, and I find this very often in written works so it's not that big of a deal I guess, the author uses now in his past tense writing, which I personally find annoying. Another common mistake that writers of all genres make and editors don't seem to bother to fix before publishing, is the use of till where until is meant - the first is what one does to the ground when wanting to start a garden, and the other 'til is a shortened form of until, which is not even in the same word category. Sorry, a little bit of a rant I know - I guess I'm just in a bad mood today or something. Another of my pet peeves that this book brings to mind is double words like "that that" and "had had" - if you have to do this, I think you need to expand some part of your writing, like your vocabulary or sentence structure, or something. Rearrange the sentence or something, just don't repeat a word like that. And oh, on the subject of using more words than necessary: "ten-thousand trillion" is a quadrillion and "one-hundred thousand million" is 100 billion - the latter is shorter and a whole lot easier to understand than Bryson's choices. I'm tempted to say the author did this to belittle his audience, but I hope not. I'm going to leave alone the round versus around right now, since I don't want to alienate my readers. -Thank you for reading, by the way!