Book Reviews

  I loved this book and I knew I would, right away, from reading the publishers summary, so if you’ve read the summary and believe you will enjoy this book, go ahead & buy it because you may want to read it more than once.   The great thing about this book? It such a timely book! It has so much positive energy and in 2020 (pandemic & election year) there is a sore lacking of it. Like Crazy...is filled with love, family, friendships, people helping people & people actually accepting the assistance of others, and so much resilience.  By the time I was done with the book, it occurred to me that Dan Mathews must be an excellent judge of character because he sure has assembled a wonderful, loving support group.  Dan Mathews, author, has agreed to buy a run down Victorian home and have his ill mother flown across the country to live with him. He is single, he travels frequently for work, he has never owned a house and he’s struggling with maintenance....

Bruce Tucker has a drink, falls and hits his head. unfortunately, the fall was bad enough that Bruce Tucker went to the hospital.    The rest of the story is appalling, horrific, and I don’t know of a word that is strong enough to describe how inhumane, racist ,     unethical, and just flat out shocking the content of this book is. The worst part is the story is true and there is no way to make amends to Bruce, his family, and the many other humans who were undeniably mistreated and taken advantage of for medical science.    Everyone should read this story and understand how he unknowingly and without consent was sacrificed in greed, in competition, and there is a debt that cannot be paid to this family.  Major topics touched upon in the non fictional story: family injustice, pain & suffering, racism, medical and courtroom ethics, and the continuing pull of good versus evil.  Additional reading with the very similar    topics: The Im...

Coal Run by Tawni O’Dell is a novel situated in a western Pennsylvania coal-mining town. The main character is town deputy and injured football star Ivan Z. The book was published in 2005 Berkeley Books. Ivan has recently returned to his hometown after years of being away. He returns to Coal Run to await a former teammates release from prison and to facedown his troubled past. The town Sheriff has hired him as deputy despite the fact that Ivan has no qualifications, is physically unfit, and he’s a raging alcoholic.  Gee, What could go wrong here?!?!  The reason novels interest me — that simple reminder that humor & hope can still be found amongst pain. This novel is no exception. I laughed out loud a few times due to the quick wit of a few of its characters. Tawni O’Dell is always great at bringing the town and it’s people vividly into the light so the reader can actually know the town, its residents, and their beauty & flaws.  Audible narrator is Daniel Passer. H...

This has to be among my favorite top 3 reads of 2020! Have you ever read a book you enjoyed so much that the books that followed all seemed to fall flat? That’s what happened to me... nothing compared after finishing A Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen. I think I’ve started and stopped/did not finish 4 or 5 different books since finishing this novel. I’m guessing I’m going to have to find another audiobook narrated by Bahni Turpin. She narrated this audiobook with expert precision. The prideful, sarcastic, and angry attitudes of the main character were delivered so expertly, I found myself cheering on the main character and responding to events in the book with a “You’ve got to be kidding me!!!”  The main character, Cathy Williams, is a real spitfire and I adore her courage, integrity, quick wit & temper.  Cathy Williams is born on a tobacco plantation in Missouri who goes through so much in her life and she never surrenders to any challenge in front of her. Cathay William...

  A huge thank you to Goodreads for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart. This story is a historical mystery which takes place in London in the early 1700’s amongst the greatest collection intended to mark the history of the world. Barnaby has collected everything: plants, reptiles, stones, fish, you name it and he has it. He keeps his treasures at the House of Mayne where people come to visit, learn, explore and it is also where the mystery of the story takes place while several visitors are in residence. This is a fun whodunnit read. It reminded me of the game of Clue and/or Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie. If you’re interested in a good mystery, this book is for you!