Category: Reviews



Horses: Amazing Photos and Facts about ThemHorses: Amazing Photos and Facts about Them by DC Waits

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was looking for visual inspiration for my NaNoWriMo. It is about equine type people and I thought the more pictures I could look at the better. This served the purpose, but barely.

The photos are divine. But there is a need for an editor in the captions beneath each picture. Still. I got it for free. What was it I was hoping for? Great for children who haven’t learned to read yet. Or, like me, folks who like to see horses.

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The Horse Book (HC Picture Books 13)The Horse Book by Ben Holden-Crowther

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since my NaNoWriMo is/was about equine people I wanted just pictures for visual inspiration. This book filled the bill perfectly. I might have wanted more, especially of ponies. But these are marvelous photos of horses and landscapes.

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Sins of Eden (Ascension #7)Sins of Eden by S.M. Reine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Whew! Okay. Trying not to let spoilers slip. But Whew! If I could only tell you!!!!

I am finally catching up with S.M. Reine’s writing. This was Sara’s last of the Ascension series. Everyone you know and love from her previous series shows up in this book. Everything you know–poof!

If you haven’t started this marvelous universe, start with Six Moon Summer of the Seasons of the Moon series. Until I read the book that started it all, I wouldn’t read anything about werewolves. Or anything scary. But know I think I may have graduated. Ms. Reine has presented beings to me that I wouldn’t have tried to read, had she not so gently pulled me through. All of her characters are believable. Even the ones who seem to be evil have traits that make them likable. Though her worlds are this world and beyond, in spiritual space and time, she has built the stories of her own that transcends all other stories I’ve heard or read about these .

Gosh, this whole review is not living up to the wonder that is Sara Reine’s work. But I don’t want to tell you about this ending of the series book as I don’t want to ruin the process of reading all of it yourself. There is action, adventure, dark and light and love, not the wishy-washy romantic kind, though there is a little of that, too. I couldn’t stop reading. How was the author going to make it all happen? I mean, sometimes I did know bits but the how of it did work out sometimes caught me off guard.

Oh, blah, blah, blah. All I mean to say is this is great! You should read it!

By the way, I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

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Immutable (Ripple Series Book 5)Immutable by Cidney Swanson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, I am sad. I am nearing the end of a great series. It has been so much fun to read the Rippler series by Cidney Swanson. You may remember her name from the Mars series I went so crazy about.

The Rippler series isn’t space travel but I consider it to be sci-fi rather than fantasy as the condition that causes one to ripple into invisibility is caused by a certain gene, as I understand it. Scientists discover these genes and work with a multitude of medications to control the side effects and or the people that are able to vanish. As in all groups of people there are good scientists and bad/evil scientists. The results push the main characters and plot of this series.

What I don’t yet do like about this series is that even though you have the oldies but goodies from former books, each book or so introduces a new point of view. The reason I like it is because you can travel to new places and see things you might not have had Ms. Swanson kept the same main character for all the adventures. I like getting to know characters in their depth so that is why I don’t like a new character every time. I know, I’m hard to please. 🙂

At any rate, what I am left with is a case of wonderment. What if one could go invisible, hide in walls or in plain sight? What if one could read another’s thoughts? And how fun would it be to hitch a ride in an airplane anywhere in the world by hiding in the wall? And not only can you be invisible, but you can fly! Or you can take a dip in the ocean with a school of dolphins and not get wet or cold. These are just a few adventures the main characters have in this series.

I’d say try either the Rippler series or the Saving Mars series if you want to have some fun.

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101 Fish Pictures101 Fish Pictures by Lily Endicott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pictures. Give me pictures. I often pick up picture books for Kindle as I can enjoy beautiful pictures of just about anything. My recent NaNoWriMo novel included horses and centaurs so I picked up picture books on horses. This book just came up and I always love looking at fish. We don’t have room for an aquarium so pictures will have to do.

When I feel the need I will pull this one back up and just relax my eyes on these photos. I wish this was made into a screensaver app. I would love it! Oh, the nice part is that this one has no words. Although I would have liked to have the fish identified for my curiosity. But I could look it up if I wanted, I suppose.

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Eleanor & ParkEleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, how, sweet! One of my GoodReads friends, Lovely Primrose, recommended this to me. That was a long time ago. I couldn’t afford it so I put it on hold from my library. It seemed forever before it came my turn to read. Of course, I ordered the large-print version. I was glad. It was quite comfortable for my eyes to read. Even more, it was a joy for my heart.

Romance. Yuck! That’s what I usually think. But this book grabs you right from the beginning. You get the story from Eleanor and Park’s points of view. The angst of the story wasn’t ‘does he/she love me?’ but rather the angst of not fitting in. And it shows the inner beauty of these two people.

You get to see how their lives work at home and it all becomes clear why they act the way they do. Even though it was a hefty one, because of being large-print, book, I found I didn’t want to stop reading. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading. And… I am sad it came to an end. I would love to see a book two. It isn’t needed except for the fact that I miss the characters. It ends with a satisfactory feeling. But… please, please, please??

I recommend this one for anyone young at heart.

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The Tales of BunniHoTepThe Tales of BunniHoTep by Mary Beth Robb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Remember Peter Rabbit and the other Beatrix Potter bunnies? Did you just smile like I did as you thought of them? This book will do the same for you. Sure, they are children’s stories to introduce morals and some of the gods and goddesses of the Pagan worlds. But I read these every night. It was nice to bring that sweet, peacefulness only a bunny goddess could bring.

I would have loved to have these stories to share with my kids when they were small. What a great way to initiate conversation about world history and religious history. To show that other philosophies have something to live by. How being kind and helping others is not just a Christian belief, but one that goes back to BC days.

Kindle Unlimited is a great way to read books that you can’t afford, but would love to read. Often the library doesn’t carry books of my eclectic interests. And what I love to do is take in Kids’ books in other languages or philosophies so as to grasp ideas in the simplest forms. BunniHoTep can help teach us all.

My only suggestion would be pictures. This book could bee a series of picture books. Without the pictures Mary Beth Robb painted word pictures that were tactile, involving all the senses, making the reader feel there, in that temple row. I look forward to reading more books by her. I do love her blog: elfkat.wordpress.com. There you will find humor, information, and mental caffeine. She has opened my mind to other ways of thinking. Thank you, Ms. Robb.

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Other WomenOther Women by Lisa Alther

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Original Sin by Lisa Alther and having a hard time liking it in any way, I had a decision to make. You see I got both of these books through Kindle Unlimited which means they were free to borrow. I thought about returning this one, Other Women, and not reading it at all. Thank goodness I didn’t. I loved this book!

If you have had a good experience with a counselor, dealing with problems of the past or current ones, this will feel familiar. I think everyone should have a good counselor once in a while to air the mental stuff that you might not want to weigh down your friends and family with. And here in Other Women there were plots and characters that felt so real that I was sorry the book ended. I think I might read it again, sometime.

Though this book ended quite well, all threads neatly sewn up, I still wish there was more. I want to see what happens next. We are left with ideas as to how life might continue, but I knew I would miss all these people as much as the real people in my life. I like when an author can do that. She created a reality that felt real.

Just saying that made me smile. Wasn’t it because Original Sins felt so real that I hated it? I think I could relate more with the characters in Other Women much more deeply than I could with the characters in Original Sins. So maybe that is why the reviews on both books had such a variety of ranks. I guess it has to do with your own viewpoint of the world.

This is one book I will have to buy someday. I think many will love it as much as I did.

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Original SinsOriginal Sins by Lisa Alther

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First of all, let me tell you, I read books for escape. But sometimes, I might learn a thing or two. And it is with a humble acknowledgement that I gave this book three stars.

Look, I lived through the 1960s and feel that nowadays we have reverted back to the 1860s so revisiting all the bigotry and misogyny of the country through this book during a time when cops shoot kids because of their menacing faces in real life, and reading this nonsense as my escape–well, let’s just say the truth. I nearly threw this book away for most of the first 40%. Then at 43-46% I was ready to be finished as the pages were repeated and out of order. But somehow I was drawn in like vampire to a train wreck??? So much was wrong I hoped there was a single drop I could glean from it.

Okay, this should be required reading for everyone in high school. It could be used to teach English. Look, I understand making the characters sound a certain way but to continue beyond the dialogue was horrid! Then you could use the book to teach patience and tolerance about people who may seem like they are different. Then use it in a Sex Ed. class to show what not to do. Then for a feminism classes to show men and women what not to expect.

I am so glad I didn’t buy this book. I picked it up through Kindle Unlimited. I know a lot of people loved this book. It was through a book group who recommended this to me that I read it. I feel no closer to a truth or an escape having gone through this. And that makes me feel horrid. Sorry.

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The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy, #3)The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series was so much fun that I wish I could go back and read it again, right now! I miss the characters and the wonderful voice of Jennifer Ikeda. This series is best read with the narration. The experience is over the top!

Anyone who knows me knows I am not into vampires. Okay, I watched Vampire Diary for a while but it was because of the witch more than anything else. So had this not started with A Discovery of Witches, and had my cousin not recommended it, I might not have gotten into this series. And the witches sure do kick b*** in this series, so I wasn’t let down.

Even writing this is giving me a sense of remorse that it is over. Gosh, what a sentimental mush brain, huh? But how else can I tell you how good this series is?

I do have a complaint about the whispersync of this book. For some reason, it would skip over the bottom of each paragraph. But that didn’t stop me. I just signed onto my Audible and played the story from there and read it on my tablet. Yeah, I had to turn pages, but I hardly noticed as the story moved me forward.

I noticed that there were the slightest threads left undone. Nothing drastic, but it had me hoping there would be more to this series. Oh, and the last couple chapters felt rather anticlimactic, but I wasn’t complaining. It just gave me more time with the family. This was the perfect read for the Halloween season, but it would hold its own over any other set of days too.

Do read it! I think you’ll enjoy it, too!

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