tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51722114451156939192024-03-05T05:50:11.638-08:00Simply CTSimply good books. Simple things that rock. Simplicity. Rocks.Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-46028757245481766612017-11-05T16:38:00.001-08:002017-11-05T16:38:52.387-08:00For fans of book surfing and time travel - check this out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-zlQjgtjKz10M94bBVAG0boBuw7PCkv2iX6q7Bm7jIQbTb_GPCjabzSyq2cdJ064Qs8qdc5roV_EzQv9LE1Fs5qiOAJpepMrqkuzeBMims82AcnfHWH2h5Ewb4dxEMrms1w7IJ1KdIvn/s1600/Rafe+Rebel+-+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-zlQjgtjKz10M94bBVAG0boBuw7PCkv2iX6q7Bm7jIQbTb_GPCjabzSyq2cdJ064Qs8qdc5roV_EzQv9LE1Fs5qiOAJpepMrqkuzeBMims82AcnfHWH2h5Ewb4dxEMrms1w7IJ1KdIvn/s320/Rafe+Rebel+-+book+cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Very fascinating fantasy novel that capitalizes on story travel through novels spanning centuries. The main character’s family is a conglomeration of various book characters that traverse between their own stories and the present. I think the format lends itself to a boundless setting and timeline - and as such the author can definitely take us on a whirlwind of action, narrative and emotion. The overall feel is a blend of Wrinkle in Time, Inkheart and Magic Tree House. I actually enjoyed the ride it took me in, but I am not sure yet if I am attached to Rafe (the key character) enough to commit myself to the rest of a possible series. As far as writing and editing, I give this book 5 stars.</i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-75577523901680364772017-10-25T16:14:00.001-07:002017-10-25T16:14:17.774-07:00Re-educating a societal cult<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UOgmAICZoZr5wuzGBSa7epcYaZIdtXw8SdHuHT6aDvwlZVlEAlXECw72vFRErzzAngKyJzWKOtYqRP4GTWUajFNeVR4LoN7lxXo-Dw7AToWH34XJAhQWmVOjDxtePhooz_f07EDut1ah/s1600/Historymakers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UOgmAICZoZr5wuzGBSa7epcYaZIdtXw8SdHuHT6aDvwlZVlEAlXECw72vFRErzzAngKyJzWKOtYqRP4GTWUajFNeVR4LoN7lxXo-Dw7AToWH34XJAhQWmVOjDxtePhooz_f07EDut1ah/s1600/Historymakers.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>First things first – the cover or the title isn’t really
representative of the engaging YA story that is told by author Bodurtha. This is an active-paced story of a group of
teens that rebelled against a usurious elite and an inhuman tradition. Yes, the main characters are teens. Teens that are subject to emotional
immaturity and infatuation, but also full of passion and courage. However, they do deliver. Hence the title.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Background: The story
is premised on a fictional Aztec society that engages a priest to offer as a
godly sacrifice the life of one person a day in exchange for the opportunity to
see the sun rise again the next day. The
endless source of these “sacrifices” are the underprivileged of society (aka
poor). The key character is a young
woman from the upper class, who comes of age and is now informed of the truth
behind the practice. She crosses paths
with a rebel group and gets involved in a saga to unveil the truth to the
larger society, with the intent to stop the practice of human sacrifice and
destroy the wall between the rich and poor.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Review notes: I am
pleasantly surprised and delighted by the excellent storytelling of
Bodurtha. The characters are initially
introduced with only one dimension – e.g., shallow, pretty, arrogant, strong,
etc. – but as the story progresses, layers upon layers of values and
personality are added to each character.
I am particularly impressed by how the antagonist, Amihan, was given
flesh and character. In the end, it is
hard to blame this person for how skewed her perspective is. However, I agree, that a cause against
violence can never be won by violence.
This war is won from within – hence, education, societal unity and
collaboration are key to rebuilding. The
ending was a little too abrupt and summarized – but this isn’t unusual nowadays. At least, the tension aftermath and
uncertainty weren’t glossed over. The
rebuild of a broken society is never a smooth road. Cambodia comes to mind as an example. I just wish a lengthier epilogue was appended.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Conclusion: This is a
good quality novel. The setting did not
need to be in Mesoamerica, it could have been any fictional society for that
matter, but the story will still stand on its own. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Recommendation: Pick
this up as your next read over the holidays.
P.S. Thanks to Jared for
introducing me to this book.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-51495998264463675012017-05-30T09:29:00.000-07:002017-05-30T09:29:29.895-07:00No such thing as "No strings attached" - White Lies by Susan Barrett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03qPotth1LHfdYJZTYW3wJ6WVbNcTTppo28LWq1ktwrfcGbAXQs9zWHiHSmhjkS68utjvE_rI_93Tint8onyEk1WjYNl06PJSud_-5deWdNMltbXGyPnYJrtYdP5LR4USc_dICJ6g89d7/s1600/white+lies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03qPotth1LHfdYJZTYW3wJ6WVbNcTTppo28LWq1ktwrfcGbAXQs9zWHiHSmhjkS68utjvE_rI_93Tint8onyEk1WjYNl06PJSud_-5deWdNMltbXGyPnYJrtYdP5LR4USc_dICJ6g89d7/s320/white+lies.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is my first time to read a Susan Barrett book, but I enjoy psychological thrillers and dramas, so I accepted the review request. It is a relatively short book as far as number of words. However, the acceleration of emotional tension is immediate, and it turned out to be an intense and fully immersive reading experience, that it really did not feel like a short read.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The story revolves around a central complicated character – Beth. She has had a hard, sad and depressing life, which she narrates via her thoughts, as she sits and waits as a guest at a wedding. She’s had two kids given up for adoption. The circumstances of each adoption are individually heart-wrenching, so I do feel the depth of her emotions. The wedding she is attending is that of her second child, Tess. Beth had the chance to know Tess, so there is some level of relationship there. However, as with all dark paths of life would have it, Beth has an ominous feeling that the groom-to-be, Michael, is actually her first child. The thought of this possibility, and the convoluted mix of ugly relationships and events in her life, is what eats up Beth’s thoughts in anticipation of the actual wedding ceremony. Should she speak up her fears and concerns? What is the best thing to do in this situation? </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Beth’s life is just sad, and because of the way she recounted her past, I couldn’t help as a reader but be depressed. I hated the abusers and co-dependents in her life. I felt indignant about the disconnected parenting that she received. Note that the story also expounded on the life and emotions of Liz, the adoptive mom of Tess, as well as the journey of Tess herself. I “understood” their own life dramas and line of thinking, but I felt deeper for Beth. The author, Barrett, is an excellent psychological writer. She surely had a way of keeping me engaged with each character.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>So basically, this story paints a fuller picture of the emotional intricacies of adoption. I have an adopted brother, but he isn’t much of an emo kind of person. However, this book makes me think outside of the obvious, and I wonder how much of his own knowledge of his adoption has affected his own life decisions. I wonder how he really feels about everything and everyone involved. I don’t necessarily want to go down the path of unearthing his deep-seated emotions, but should we cross that bridge, I hope I can navigate the interaction with compassion, empathy and a whole lot of sensitivity.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is a life story, so there is no neat conclusion with every loose end tied up. There is still a lot to think about. Kudos to the author for creating a good, thought-provoking and book-club-material book.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>My main takeaway: Sometimes we feel like we can sweep things under the rug, accept and forget, and move on with life. Sometimes we feel like partial versions of the truth are more considerate of people and situations, and that “all’s well and that ends well” is a good compromise. However, truths about human relationships and interactions are never just one time events with a definite cut-off point. “No strings attached” when it comes to relationships are never quite true.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is definitely not airplane reading material. This is good for a rainy day, when one just wants to soak in a bathtub of emotions. You do get to “experience” the power of emotions, and your heart feels alive. Passion and anger aren’t distant as you read this book. It is not an easy read. But the impact on me is more on gratefulness, and a resolve to be a connected parent to my kids. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I personally will not recommend it to just anyone. But I will recommend it to those that I know will grow from this reading experience, as I think I did.</i></span><br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-67297423568264269372017-03-31T06:07:00.000-07:002017-03-31T06:07:29.411-07:00James Clyde - a fantasy involving other worlds, kingdoms, forests, betrayals and magic diamonds!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBETGUFUy32fU2FeYSocQbEcUJDJI_nhc-8cBBX__m7uu54MxZFTkMzwG0DLNXWM2s68L88N8r73JBDrCCcpp66Eu0cMFxjamY6xHZKjUWEols_XqSNcK2x_o7wf6Qt2Ajif_f5wmKhF5C/s1600/james+diamond.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBETGUFUy32fU2FeYSocQbEcUJDJI_nhc-8cBBX__m7uu54MxZFTkMzwG0DLNXWM2s68L88N8r73JBDrCCcpp66Eu0cMFxjamY6xHZKjUWEols_XqSNcK2x_o7wf6Qt2Ajif_f5wmKhF5C/s320/james+diamond.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>My kids (grades 5 and 7) and I had the privilege of receiving a review copy of this book. Our first impression was that this would be a typical grade school fantasy book - the cover seemed to indicate that this was a story for young children, since the illustrated boy looked like a 9-yr old in his pajama robe. However, the positive reviews seemed to imply otherwise. Upon reading it in full, we conclude that it is an age appropriate middle school book for 10-12 year old kids. It had a few violent scenes (think of knight battles vs. forces of evil) but there were none of the tricky romantic innuendos.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is a well narrated fantasy story which involves other worlds, kingdoms, forests, betrayals and magic diamonds. The story moves quite fast, and there are questions that popped up in our minds as we read along. Some of these questions are addressed later on due to the way the story timeline is structured. However, there are a few that almost seem to refer to a basic understanding of the history behind the other worlds. These are mentioned as myths or stories passed on through time, but we are unfamiliar with them. The questions didn’t really impede the flow and excitement of the story, so we were able to read at a fairly fast pace. There are elements of wonder and delight which are rare in most books nowadays. The courage and bravado of James is impressive and believable. We cannot disclose much since it may spoil the plot, but for those fond of comparisons, we felt a little bit of LOTR here, escape to witch mountain, knights of the round table and peter pan. He he he - did I confuse you with this mash up - well, you will understand when you read it yourself.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Be advised beforehand that this is meant to be a series, given the open-ended conclusion. There is an initial victory won, but it is far from being the end of the war between James and his family’s enemies. Given the excellent writing style and clean content, we look forward to the rest of the story unfold.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Recommended for parents and kids who enjoy reading books together as part of family time. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Available in Amazon.</i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-62877805552201503182017-03-23T11:43:00.002-07:002017-03-23T11:43:27.801-07:00Insane in the membrane witty antihero - Harley Quinn Vol. I: Die Laughing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GeJkXA8x_2pT-5kycfGtHtR4W4B6ROPn6Jscv5ZWmpWJenWp-01O50sNYIstgpj_6Z_ZKypcQYxhBVcy-NaINo9Nj84LEVWV_2vzMGL_byJ3RpVkctWdawExGIylkvibDBesh4gc1bGK/s1600/GalleryComics_1920x1080_20160907_HARLEY_Cv3_58125500489254.38179142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GeJkXA8x_2pT-5kycfGtHtR4W4B6ROPn6Jscv5ZWmpWJenWp-01O50sNYIstgpj_6Z_ZKypcQYxhBVcy-NaINo9Nj84LEVWV_2vzMGL_byJ3RpVkctWdawExGIylkvibDBesh4gc1bGK/s320/GalleryComics_1920x1080_20160907_HARLEY_Cv3_58125500489254.38179142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I never really paid much attention to Harley Quinn in the
past. I just know that a close friend of
mine dressed up as her character last Halloween. Well, in this graphic novel, she is absolutely
nuts, unpredictable, impulsive, brave, smart and outrageous. I loved the back story, but I enjoyed even
more the story of the alien-minced meat that transformed everyone into
flesh-hungry entities aka zombies. Great
art work, witty banter, and cohesive storyline.
Highly recommended.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Graphic novel provided for review purposes.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-33877525285028130932017-03-21T07:09:00.002-07:002017-03-21T07:09:26.911-07:00#davinci #tesla #alias #raidersofthelostark #moses #arkofthecovenant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7nOrizS37aO1-41PAeCJxqUb0h0vf7rgwoJI7rze0E9b4Wj6V8Eftzz4d7P_SDPeKh02BLSLIiO6sI8rPl5pG9Gu0_KyPkaGgIZWsNlr9Mfj665avxpQrAp8YDkvFZtbKodtApcAzEXE/s1600/coulter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7nOrizS37aO1-41PAeCJxqUb0h0vf7rgwoJI7rze0E9b4Wj6V8Eftzz4d7P_SDPeKh02BLSLIiO6sI8rPl5pG9Gu0_KyPkaGgIZWsNlr9Mfj665avxpQrAp8YDkvFZtbKodtApcAzEXE/s320/coulter.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I know it is bad to do comparisons, but I am going to do it
anyway. The story tackles a new angle to
the Da Vinci – Tesla lore on the science behind weather manipulation. It is geeky-exciting in that regard. On top of that, Scriptural references to the
Ark of the Covenant is layered in, extending the line of Moses and the Levites
to the present day. It is archaeologically-curious
in this aspect. The pace is similar to
Dan Brown’s fiction, the international secret intelligence landscape is similar
to Ludlum’s global conspiracy web. The
action reminds me of JJ Abrams’ Alias and Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Too much? It is a
matter of preference. Personally, I
enjoyed it. It was a fun and exciting
read that I highly recommend for a nice weekend.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Review copy provided by Net Galley.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-55653489227449088232017-03-21T07:05:00.003-07:002017-03-21T07:05:36.140-07:00Excellent Holmes spin-off graphic novel for kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPlL2AtlnJjneRW0GSuW6GtbR1OpprysnY_YRgHvhOOFkHH9v5x1QnmomrOfzanOXMzXFSnvzvUxUMk-bM6pP-YOVmsarXS9a-EOL14p2me9Ve7G_Ge0hMicGsPvTZfDAqa7vgPPqId4-/s1600/Baker+street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPlL2AtlnJjneRW0GSuW6GtbR1OpprysnY_YRgHvhOOFkHH9v5x1QnmomrOfzanOXMzXFSnvzvUxUMk-bM6pP-YOVmsarXS9a-EOL14p2me9Ve7G_Ge0hMicGsPvTZfDAqa7vgPPqId4-/s320/Baker+street.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Well done! Again, another wonderful spin-off from Sherlock Holmes. This time around, this graphic novel centers on the street kids whom Holmes utilizes as his “eyes and ears”. The mysteries are solved by the kids themselves, given that Holmes is often out of town on other assignments. The illustrations are top-notch and the storyline sufficiently exciting and action-packed. The only suggestion I have is to make the arrows of the speech balloons straight instead of lightning-jagged. It was a little distracting. I do look forward to the rest of the series as they are published.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Review copy provided by Net Galley.</i></span><br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-92076263676561235512017-02-14T17:01:00.001-08:002017-02-14T17:01:56.465-08:00The Healing Room - If it seems too good to be true, it probably is<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWBzQBdcREa6FOpejTI4ZfVeW8FNILu5MgUuLc2lrnWly8w1ZgxCajkm_PJ8SkF3BKK4WMpP4bJcXsxsPOogL9fOWgmvav12CO97hYlWMb_X8mqI072r_Xlj5fD9uyZdTDSkjZsej3tSa/s1600/healing+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWBzQBdcREa6FOpejTI4ZfVeW8FNILu5MgUuLc2lrnWly8w1ZgxCajkm_PJ8SkF3BKK4WMpP4bJcXsxsPOogL9fOWgmvav12CO97hYlWMb_X8mqI072r_Xlj5fD9uyZdTDSkjZsej3tSa/s1600/healing+room.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The concept of the healing room is premised on the opportunity to be able to hear messages from dearly departed ones through a portal located in the corporate office of a non-profit organization. And that is where the skeptics come in. Non-profit? For such an elaborate and other-worldly experience? Well how is this entire “service” financed?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I loved this story, and I am impressed by the storyteller. The entire book is written from the perspective of two young adults – one non-conforming seventeen year old girl and one Latino college graduate. The tone is realistic, and the mortal imperfections of the main characters are not swept underneath the rug. The build-up was gradual and smooth, and the climax held my attention. The only criticism I have is that the later uncovered antagonists didn’t seem as sharp as they were portrayed to be in the earlier part of the book. Nonetheless, I got my fix of good vs. evil, and the victory of the unlikely heroes.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>There are a few shockers dropped here and there, so I do have to mention that this book is for older teens, and of course the rest of us adults.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I received a review copy and I savored every reading moment I had with this book. Recommended.</i></span><br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-78924526285968123282017-02-03T13:35:00.000-08:002017-02-03T14:45:40.332-08:00Ever Wonder What Happens to Sperm-Donor Siblings?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeuBPzhxqswiUB3xICaobTnT1liAHs6thTmZgVA8Puo2yLwZQLroau6AwGNKfyCr6kL5P5LkIH0vmHNbAtlNkXLqopeXOEMp1RKlPbcjSdWHKu2Wij1kfXfGA4VUAq93Fod9rsSPZ-2lw/s1600/the+other.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeuBPzhxqswiUB3xICaobTnT1liAHs6thTmZgVA8Puo2yLwZQLroau6AwGNKfyCr6kL5P5LkIH0vmHNbAtlNkXLqopeXOEMp1RKlPbcjSdWHKu2Wij1kfXfGA4VUAq93Fod9rsSPZ-2lw/s1600/the+other.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>You should totally read this book. It has a fresh concept and theme and the humor is spot on. I cannot count the number of time I silently laughed while reading this during my train rides. The main characters are young teens, so expect a lot of current wit, dry humor and sarcasm, but beneath this exterior is a lot of heart. The book is also unafraid to use as a backdrop a couple of households with two moms. While this could have been uncomfortable, the authenticity of the love between the moms and their children was unflappable, even in the face of complications brought about by the sperm donor and half-siblings situation.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am impressed as well by the maturity of the donor offspring, as demonstrated towards the end of the story. If this is a sign of fresh material to come in 2017, then I am fully committed to a great year of reading and reviewing.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. </i></span><br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-27128286295739984522017-01-06T23:33:00.000-08:002017-01-06T23:38:09.116-08:00The Peddler's Road - where Hansel and Gretel visit Neverland!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPx_5HLiIzs24F8OiythBNL_gkUSLG2mlBMazs8M0I2YlAsBBV_mj5tlE2Xq1eeCuMiJYSaEZ6H404co1O_mNJPZA14uuWEK_VHuoRpSlUrPY8DWQnu3JWIkCtB-e56_5ppN0k7uYRGpbd/s1600/Peddlers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPx_5HLiIzs24F8OiythBNL_gkUSLG2mlBMazs8M0I2YlAsBBV_mj5tlE2Xq1eeCuMiJYSaEZ6H404co1O_mNJPZA14uuWEK_VHuoRpSlUrPY8DWQnu3JWIkCtB-e56_5ppN0k7uYRGpbd/s320/Peddlers.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">I</span></i></span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"> am a dad of my own now, but back when I was a kid, my early exposure to literature and music included nursery rhymes, fairy tales and Christmas songs. So any trivia game that involves these, I will likely know the answer. Since there are a lot of fairy tale retellings nowadays, I am enjoying my responsibility to pre-screen books that I pass on to my pre-teens by reading them first. Some I disapprove of (like children's stories made excessively dark and gruesome) and some I am delighted with. I am happily delighted with Peddler's Road!</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This colorful revision of the original Pied Piper's story is expansive and inclusive. The world it paints is graphically depicted in a map ala-Middle Earth. The main characters are the two kids of a professional archivist and researcher of fairy tales. But the interesting twist is that they meet the original 130 kids who were lured by the Pied Piper! How? You have to read the book to find out.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">There are elements of Neverland here, as well as Hansel and Gretel, Raggedy Ann, Alice in Wonderland and Little Red Riding Hood. The monsters here are the ones we somehow tend to concoct as kids, regardless of race or creed. The rats are given life-sized roles here, instead of being just pests.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I liked this enough that midway through, I allowed my daughter to read it hoping she could catch up with me. Well, she ended up finishing it a day before I did, and now she is in Book 2. If there is one thing I could complain of, it is the pricing of the trilogy. My daughter is absolutely thrilled that there are 3 books - that means she has something to look forward to next year when Book 3 comes out. I am shocked by how expensive Book 2 was, even the ebook version. Unfortunately, our library only has Book 1, which I had already bought for myself. I feel like I have been lured by the Pied Piper... and here I am, merrily trading my hard earned money just to hear more of the story... and the music.</span></i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-21571828048466808062016-12-15T09:34:00.001-08:002016-12-15T09:34:03.910-08:00The Memory Thief by Bryce Moore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvufY2wNwyeXkf4MgRA4F6WQzym_BE4bn7meTZ1MXyemX_e4k4z2jQ0ZT4iulO14zSC4RUTl1AUuoSihBbJTC8OS0a8dXLYFiLuqObfKmGwe_Lyl0P5tCr2ubvNlh5GEMCYp4yGr0nD6e/s1600/memory+thief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvufY2wNwyeXkf4MgRA4F6WQzym_BE4bn7meTZ1MXyemX_e4k4z2jQ0ZT4iulO14zSC4RUTl1AUuoSihBbJTC8OS0a8dXLYFiLuqObfKmGwe_Lyl0P5tCr2ubvNlh5GEMCYp4yGr0nD6e/s320/memory+thief.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>First of all, this book does not shy away from describing the brutal impact of divorce on young children. The arguments and yelling that the main character clearly overhears from his parents are shared as an everyday occurrence in their household, including the parents’ discussion on divorce proceedings. The main character (Ben) and his twin sister also reference other divorces that they have known about from their classmates. So, while the offer of the “memory artist” would have been an excellent springboard for a fantastical MG adventure, Ben chooses instead to request that his parents’ memories be altered with the hope of preventing a divorce.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Wow, that alone squeezed my heart and elevated my respect for middle grade kids. They are more emotionally mature than we give them credit for. I know that teens in general are egocentric by nature, but so are we as adults, especially if we refuse to work things out within a difficult marriage.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Of course things go downhill pretty fast. That’s what happens when we mask the truth, or when we build upon a lie. Stealing memories is basically laying a foundation of untruth. But this is what made the story crazy entertaining and stressful at the same time. Things got really sticky and complicated, and it took a lot of storytelling talent and maturity for the author to keep everything tied together and sensible. The story ends with a satisfying ending.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Honestly, I previously thought that nothing can beat the concept of a pensieve (Dumbledore’s version of a basin to store random thoughts and memories). However, the prospect of trading, bartering, loaning, or exchanging memories among various people kind of trumps the pensieve. The storage place doesn’t have to be an object, it can be other people’s minds! Of course, a disaster will ensue, but the concept is fascinating and intriguing.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This was a great read that can be enjoyed as a family. It provided for a meaningful discussion afterwards.</i></span><br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-19226637388062963882016-12-06T19:41:00.000-08:002016-12-06T19:41:41.804-08:00Shooter by Caroline Pignat<br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-65786273521273677482016-12-02T12:45:00.000-08:002016-12-02T12:45:06.834-08:00Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is a beautifully written story – in a classic, traditional storytelling style. The story focuses on a certain black colt and his fellow horses. They are the main characters in this story, and they are portrayed to have the same thoughts, emotions and senses that we have. The descriptions of the various settings are vivid and colorful, and they allow the reader to literally feel the ambiance and stand alongside the colt.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The author wrote this while still in grade school and her imagination really shines through. This is the kind of book that I would highly recommend be included as part of required reading – for both homeschooled and regular-schooled kids. I would love to have short story writing to be brought back as part of Language Arts. Meeting of the Mustangs would be a stellar example of one excellently written fictional story.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>My primary and middle school kids definitely felt the obvious difference between this book and the current fantasy books that proliferate our local bookstore. They said this reminds them of the classics they read in the past – Lassie, Moby Dick, Black Beauty, The Black Stallion and even the Little House books.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Since this is more of a “life” story of the colt, there isn’t exactly a traditional plot, nor the usual climax and resolution of an adventure book. In that regard, this may also not be to everybody’s taste. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I received a review copy of this book.</i></span><br />
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-64925736111859068792016-11-08T17:24:00.002-08:002016-11-08T17:26:06.391-08:00The Art of Secrets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">Art of Secrets is well-written, smart, witty and unpredictable. It uses the scrapbook/case file approach, where each chapter is a documentation of a character’s point of view. The format of the POV clippings change with each chapter and can take the form of either a news article, a journal entry, an interview transcript, an email, a conversation or a train of thoughts. So while the story starts out with a big trigger event, and the initial chapters lean towards an investigation taking place, at the end of the book, a bigger story emerges – an insight on the fascinating tendency that we all have to mask the true nature of ourselves.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Secrecy is an art, not a science. People are walking marketers. The only things we know about each other are what we choose to divulge. We can be as fascinating, charming, disarming, or as hateful as we want others to perceive us. Real motives only surface through time.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">It brings to mind, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is.” (Jer. 17:9).</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This book is highly recommended for leisure and/or assigned reading as well as book clubs! I recommend the printed version over the Kindle edition – the FORMATTING is superb and adds to the entire scrapbook/case file experience! I am looking forward to more creative fiction from this author.</span></i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-25505923682326999362016-11-08T17:21:00.000-08:002016-11-08T17:21:01.656-08:00Liars, Inc.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">The characters are in their late teens, and their lifestyle reflects current trends - a bit disturbing and disheartening, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the lives of current-day teens. So, while strategic thinking, self-positioning and self-marketing (all requiring lies in one form or another) may be the way to go nowadays, esp. among the young people still braving the waters of peer pressure, underneath the facade lies the normal, beating heart. A heart that desires to be honest, to care deeply, and to love truly. A heart that's vulnerable to abuse and hurt.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This is a good book that is sobering, but at the same time, hopeful. I would recommend it for a book club or even a small group discussion among young adults (aged between 20's and 30's).</span></i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-42231313154533821622016-11-08T16:59:00.001-08:002016-11-08T17:26:35.280-08:00The Best Mistake Mystery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td colspan="1" style="line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Written in typical middle-grade omniscient and sarcastic language, this story revolves around character Stephen Nobel, who is an uber inquisitive, awkward and analytical boy with an extreme glass-is-half-empty and if-there-is-smoke-then-there-must-be-fire mentality.<br /><br />Stephen gets involved with a series of misadventures and because of his personality, inadvertently solves mysteries along the way in a dry humorous manner. It is an entertaining story that grown-ups will probably enjoy even more than kids, because of the humor in between the lines.<br /><br />My ten-year old daughter’s opinion of the story is that has a staccato bounce to it and the transitions are almost too abrupt. She liked the story, but is having a hard time identifying who to recommend it to, since she says this book will be better appreciated by someone who loves reading, and unfortunately most of her 5th grade friends do not enjoy reading as much as she does. If they do, it will be the usual straightforward mystery stories.<br /><br />On the other hand, I will be glad to recommend it to all word nerds out there, because the play of words and quality of writing is just geeky fun.<br /><br />We received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.</span></i></span></span></td></tr>
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-85906635729017301322016-11-08T16:48:00.004-08:002016-11-08T16:48:59.080-08:00Parenting with Grace and Truth<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<span class="readable reviewText" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br />A good short book on parenting by example and influence. This contains concise advice as far as transitioning into the parenting approach that works better particularly starting with pre-pubescent kids, the stage when authoritative directions and rules, as well as figurative ‘spanking’ is no longer appropriate nor effective.<br /><br />This book combines principles that my wife and I learned in Growing Kids God’s Way as well as Real Family Values. It talks about defining family values and communicating this clearly to the kids, with parameters for expectations and consequences. There is no defined limit to the grace we should extend to the kids, as long as there is a good conversation afterwards to deal with the heart and the Biblical truth behind the values and boundaries in place. Obviously, love should embrace the whole effort of parenting.<br /><br />I like it. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-29892849264479827782016-11-07T09:36:00.000-08:002016-11-07T09:36:08.686-08:00No More Perfect Marriages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">This books hits a home run as far as honesty and vulnerability is concerned. This is most apparent at the beginning and won me over as a reader. I have read and reviewed several books on marriage, and this goes straight to the heart of the matter. I highly recommend it!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The focus is obvious from the title itself - marriage is the union of two flawed individuals living under the grace of God. Given this premise, the only thing that can sustain the relationship is a continual growth and understanding of this grace - upon us, and toward each other. The books deals with the issue on ‘slow fades’ or gradual erosion of a marriage’s foundation (love and respect), and the issue on sweeping things under a rug, or hidden behind a mask.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The book is written sort of like a personal devotional or a group discussion material. However, I believe that it has so much more potential than that. Since the intro alone is so powerful as to open people’s hearts, I would have wanted it to probe deeper and facilitate more of a marriage workshop or counseling type of conversation between husband and wife. Maybe a companion workbook will be good, similar to His Needs, Her Needs. I have a feeling that we will be hearing more about this book, and that we will possibly see this expand to weekend workshops all over the country, and have training sessions to accredit other counselors who can discuss the material, other than the authors themselves.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">As an aside, the layout and playful use of fonts was awesome!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.</span></i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-85314598606645835312016-11-03T08:01:00.000-07:002016-11-03T08:01:13.855-07:00A Countdown to Christmas by Ace Collins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR2A5TchuuBS4zZa9IAel1PZAgTNSTW78yMXFZnasJNFBduONB6aPcdiSSAG38Q5LmhvODeOMKdL1KtnsPd3HegV8ql5NU4hSNupFwaHvl8aOmTHXOT5P2YsA2eNxzi_JvtpKaas5GlzG/s1600/christmas+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR2A5TchuuBS4zZa9IAel1PZAgTNSTW78yMXFZnasJNFBduONB6aPcdiSSAG38Q5LmhvODeOMKdL1KtnsPd3HegV8ql5NU4hSNupFwaHvl8aOmTHXOT5P2YsA2eNxzi_JvtpKaas5GlzG/s1600/christmas+book.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">Our family loves Christmas, both the good and stressful things about it. It seems like every year, we attempt to start a tradition. But so far, what I have noticed is that each year’s celebration is unique in its own, as we discover new material, books, or activities that we could do to make the season more meaningful.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This year, I have decided that we are going to go through this book. I read through it in advance and yes, this will be a great book to go through. The devotionals are short but insightful. Each devotional focuses on one thought, so that works for us, since we do our family devotionals each morning at the breakfast table. I can supplement the material with other Scriptures during the weekend and likely on the 24th and 25th, and 31st as well. The daily article on the history on a Christmas tradition is great trivia info. I can now assign my son to print out the appropriate sheet music so that we can sing the hymns at night after dinner. The recipes for food and handmade gifts look easy to follow. I am a good follower of recipes, so this will work for me. These will only be supplemental to our favorite dishes and projects. Cool, now we have an exciting December to look forward to!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">At the end of the day, the memories that will be created will be up to me and my family. This book is just a springboard of devotional thoughts, conversation topics and food and gift ideas. I wouldn’t bank on this book itself leading our Christmas – I will do that, and I will make sure that Christ is central to everything we do. The Scriptures will still be our primary resource to make sure our hearts are focused on our God.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I received a review copy of this Christmas book from NetGalley.</span></i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-70061041186390078882016-11-03T05:40:00.002-07:002016-11-03T05:54:12.021-07:00What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone by Rabbi Daniel Cohen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>This is one of the few self-help books, not necessarily religious, that I enjoyed. The whole concept has to do with building up one’s spiritual ‘PR’ campaign (I define PR as positive reimaging), knowing that at the end of life, people will be sharing about us in our future eulogies. How do we want ourselves to be remembered by? Of course we wouldn’t want the sharing to be shallow or superficial, but rather substantial and with basis. Hopefully, by then, we would have made our impact and will leave this world a better place.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Even if the motivation sounds a little narcissistic, the book actually dealt with the heart of the matter. Life is what we make it - and if our lives are supposed to make a statement, we need to start defining it now. The book included some workshops to help navigate the process of reverse engineering our lives, regardless of one’s starting point.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>This is a life long process, and at some future point, I may share with you some updates, as comments to this review. Hopefully it will be comments from other people, and not myself!</i></span></span></div>
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-6427924002710863602016-11-01T09:35:00.001-07:002016-11-01T09:49:50.514-07:00Infinity by Jus Accardo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">As always, Jus Accardo has penned another story that is easy and fast to read. The author is an excellent story-teller. The story starts with a good hook – nothing unusual, just current, down-to-earth, relatable and familiar. The writing style is conversational and natural, so it is easy to get on board and empathize with the main character, Kori, who is going through grief recovery with a need to express herself artistically. The rest of the cast are engaging.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Subjective thoughts - My kids and I love Flash, the TV series, and earlier this year, we read Fair Coin by E.C. Myers. Because of this, to me personally, the concept of parallel worlds is no longer as exciting as it used to be. So as the story dove more into this aspect, a lot of it sounded familiar and cliché. The plot is simple, so I won't elaborate. Overall, I found Infinity to be a fun, engaging read, and I would attribute it to interesting characters and the impressive way that the author navigated the relationships among the characters. The characters projected honesty and realness.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Similar to the Denazen series, this book is marketed as YA, but the concept story is science fiction. Some of the content is mature YA. Parents - you may want to read this first and make the call whether you would like your middle school kids to read it.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I received a review copy from the author and Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.</span></i></span>Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-25237634061527692262016-11-01T08:51:00.002-07:002016-11-01T08:52:12.879-07:00Revelation: A Thriller by Carter Wilson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WgIatZZ9KmYRQ7UR_7WhXeMFzkRzVbqWVKHmTx9j0GOZ7gtxfHJ_gd6zeXSJfiA5iwpZwD_wRXMs28ulr61Mmh6REktW9GKFZ8kjPXYGlUmr1oSem9lSn76h4AGOS67oP7nl6TgDMeCi/s1600/revelation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WgIatZZ9KmYRQ7UR_7WhXeMFzkRzVbqWVKHmTx9j0GOZ7gtxfHJ_gd6zeXSJfiA5iwpZwD_wRXMs28ulr61Mmh6REktW9GKFZ8kjPXYGlUmr1oSem9lSn76h4AGOS67oP7nl6TgDMeCi/s1600/revelation.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Tight psychotic storytelling that prodded me along quickly. It may have just happened to hit me a certain way, but the writing style brings flashes of Fight Club and American Psycho to mind. The characterization is brilliant and scary. The way the story is told is definitely tension-gripping: Lead character Harden Campbell is trapped in a cell and the only way to survive is to type out the story that involves him, his captor and the woman he cares for. The reader is his captor. How should he word the truth? This is a great read.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I received a review copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley.</i></span></div>
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-59147989948885388382016-11-01T08:49:00.000-07:002016-11-01T08:49:05.435-07:00The Whizbang Machine by Danielle Vann - Quirky and adventure-filled story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Jl8G5VYhPOMm84inmec_BERR1cfxO_Izbhx2Qg6ax5d2VVq-T2_mr-5SNP2zWB6X0hQ6NMjzbyVVAi5RBlhSmhjX4U_09ZS2BgEcLcvK2HC-sNTJZRz54L6GnrotBwuiP_mKtiK6kymy/s1600/whizbang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Jl8G5VYhPOMm84inmec_BERR1cfxO_Izbhx2Qg6ax5d2VVq-T2_mr-5SNP2zWB6X0hQ6NMjzbyVVAi5RBlhSmhjX4U_09ZS2BgEcLcvK2HC-sNTJZRz54L6GnrotBwuiP_mKtiK6kymy/s1600/whizbang.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>A magical mystery book with just enough human relationship elements to keep me connected to the characters. The story is quirky and took me on an adventure with the overarching intent of unravelling the mystery, powers and purpose of the famous Royal typewriter. The machine’s history is connected to the main character’s family tree, and is critical to resolving a feud that dates back to over a century ago. This was a quirky, dynamic, odd and unravelling adventure story that I enjoyed reading.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I received a review copy of this book from Waldorf Publishing via NetGalley.</i></span></div>
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Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-4802519562317467442016-10-31T12:11:00.000-07:002016-10-31T13:30:48.281-07:00Child's Play by Merry Jones - A dark, demental thriller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihow25sPxy31NYkcfIXO_xk6gvr7isNItPWkuwWXm0xVMi26Pzhe-0yNbyLdHatF0creso3EZaiB4pyHE4Lq6L-Zt988XeLbKuzzYNwHt_Ti-7if8pxSknzEFO5dGKRrEsZ6tLYiA7BDFY/s1600/merryjones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihow25sPxy31NYkcfIXO_xk6gvr7isNItPWkuwWXm0xVMi26Pzhe-0yNbyLdHatF0creso3EZaiB4pyHE4Lq6L-Zt988XeLbKuzzYNwHt_Ti-7if8pxSknzEFO5dGKRrEsZ6tLYiA7BDFY/s1600/merryjones.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>As psycho-thrillers go,
this is a dark and twisted tale. The
title should give you a clue about its subject.
The narrator is unreliable, being a middle-aged lady with constant mind
“check-outs”. She (the narrator) is part
of a group of four girlfriends, who inevitably reminds me of a slightly younger
cast of Steel Magnolias.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The cast alone provides a
lot of noise and humor to the story. The
narrator is a grade school teacher, so the rest of her world revolves around
kids, both present and previous. The
conflict is provided by historical relationships that she has had, as well as
her current realtor and an ex-convict student who is now an adult.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The story is quite
well-written. Because of the chatter of
the girlfriends (both the narrator’s and another key character’s posse), it
sometimes feels like a Lifetime-meets-CW network show. However, the twist and climax is so demental,
that it kept me reading up to the end, despite the constant chatter. This is a creepy and insane read that is
surprisingly entertaining.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I received a review copy of
this book from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley.</i></span><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172211445115693919.post-9999396173357135412016-10-28T11:38:00.000-07:002016-10-28T11:40:25.229-07:00At Rope's End by Edward Kay - Welcome new Profiler Dr. James Verraday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wtDBrgqHB2CBS1dnoR0F7WDRiCIJheQ92FIaMkonW8fqKewQYvwiPEgPxrW0_A9EUK0D78IiXwxXDo36TY-wHA97MSiYE0aSFgsYJ1bPev-XehyphenhyphenIrzLuJJi9ENaeirOCmVoNc31xdsKE/s1600/at+ropes+end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wtDBrgqHB2CBS1dnoR0F7WDRiCIJheQ92FIaMkonW8fqKewQYvwiPEgPxrW0_A9EUK0D78IiXwxXDo36TY-wHA97MSiYE0aSFgsYJ1bPev-XehyphenhyphenIrzLuJJi9ENaeirOCmVoNc31xdsKE/s320/at+ropes+end.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The story jumps right into
the action. There isn’t any dull
moment. Due to the brevity of the story,
the fact that Dr. Verraday agreed to be a profiler and help out the police after
one after-school conversation with them, still remains baffling to me. It is so unusual, and even more so, his
commitment. That part at least felt
fictional. But it was easy to discount
this oddity, since I was hooked to the story from the first page.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The narrative is told in
third person, but the text is heavy with conversations between the
characters. It was easy to connect and
relate with Verraday, MacLean, the detective that Verraday worked with, and
even the rest of the characters (for example, the victim’s ex, Verraday’s sister,
victims, students, and detectives).
The easy flowing dialogues are the strongest element of this story, and is what drove me
to read through it as fast as I did.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Some of the profiling and
events felt formulaic, but again, because of the connection I felt with
Verraday, it was easy to overlook the clichéd segments. This is one of those books where in
retrospect, I find myself thinking, “I knew it” with reference to the plot
twist. Did I, really? Objectively, I don't think so. Bottom line is, this was a good read and good entertainment. And the
length is just perfect for about 2 hours of reading.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I received a review copy of
this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.</i></span><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Simply CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372601404287861199noreply@blogger.com0