Tag Archive: Kindle


Review: STRAW BALE GARDENING For BEGINNERS – How to Grow Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs in a Straw Bale Garden by Michael Stones

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
June 11, 2015

STRAW BALE GARDENING For BEGINNERS - How to Grow Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs in a Straw Bale Garden (Straw Bale Gardening, Urban Gardening)STRAW BALE GARDENING For BEGINNERS – How to Grow Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs in a Straw Bale Garden by Michael Stones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As a result of a recent visit to the central desert of Oregon, I may very well have a place for gardening. The timeline of when we will get there will be fall so gardening probably won’t happen right away. That doesn’t stop my sudden need to know about such things. And so it was I had to start reading about different types of gardens.

I had heard of straw bale gardening the last time I was a greenhorn, over 20 years ago. So I thought I would start with this book. It was free, so what the heck? (BTW, it is still free with Kindle Unlimited.)

This book was very general information and the bits that venture into deeper instructions were confusing for me. I think my biggest question was about the fire hazard of straw bales mixed with certain fertilizers… why wasn’t that addressed? I am still afraid to try to do this. And I know I will have to deal with rodents, how can I make it work?

There were a few pictures, but for this visual learner, not enough. I like the idea of a greenhouse built of the bales, but again, fires????

So, I suppose this is a great book to get an overview. I have so much more to read about now!

View all my reviews

Tags: , ,
Comment

Review: Train to Nowhere by Kay Bratt

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
June 9, 2015

Train to NowhereTrain to Nowhere by Kay Bratt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Saw this sitting on my carousel, knew I have liked Kay Bratt’s stories before so started reading it last night. Nearly finished reading it before time to sleep. But sleep won. It didn’t take long for me to finish the story win I woke up this morning. It was well worth the read.

Imagine being forced to hop on a train away from you parents just to save you and your family’s lives. And then needing to stay on the train forever just to maintain the illusion that you are part of the Red Guard. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, but it was necessary. So scary. She knows no one, doesn’t know who she can trust. These are the feelings and situations that drive the story.

It was a well-written story. I loved the main character. My biggest complaint was that it was too short. I wanted more. It wasn’t a cliffhanger ending, but I could tell there must be more written about this young girl and her life elsewhere. It just ended too abruptly.

I picked it up for free a while back. It is still free with Kindle Unlimited.

View all my reviews

Tags: , ,
Comment

Review: Girl on Horseback Volume II: The Journey of Abby Simmons and her horses continues as she grows from child to young experienced horsewoman. by Eileen Tidwell

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
June 8, 2015

Girl on Horseback Volume II: The Journey of Abby Simmons and her horses continues as she grows from child to young experienced horsewoman.Girl on Horseback Volume II: The Journey of Abby Simmons and her horses continues as she grows from child to young experienced horsewoman. by Eileen Tidwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don’t know. I liked the first one. There just wasn’t enough depth to this one. Since I listen to the Kindle text-to-speech while reading it on the tablet app I saw a lot of editing issues. There were places where there were strikethroughs followed by other ways to say the same thing. Often I thought the strikeout was a better way to say it. The TTS would speak both parts. Then near the end there was a lot of underlining. That didn’t change or interrupt the story, just a little distracting.

Still, I needed a little story about horses to join me on my week long vacation out in the country. It just wasn’t long enough to keep me going a couple days and the character only grew a little. I felt it would have been better to have parts one and two together and with a part three to make it feel deeper.

View all my reviews

Tags: , ,
Comment

Review: Resignation by Amanda Thome

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
May 31, 2015

Resignation (Worlds Apart #2)Resignation by Amanda Thome

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Cliffhanger me once, shame on you. Cliffhanger me twice and I am finished reading your books!

This is a second book in a series that had promise. I don’t know many authors that can write action scenes like Amanda Thome. But when I read the cliffhanger at the end of book one I was forced to wait a long time to read the next book. By then I couldn’t remember the people or even the world left behind in book one. I spent more time online researching other reviews and blurbs to see if I could finally recall anything. By the time I did remember I almost didn’t care anymore. That Ms. Thome was able to still make me breathless as I read her action scenes and I cared that the people involved might get hurt among the bombs didn’t help me care enough to want to go through this again.

If a person knows they are writing a series, I think they need to write ‘cliff’notes to remind us all where we were and how we got there. But, PLEASE! leave us in a place where we can breathe and know that our friends are safe enough to live without our eyes keeping them alive.

If you like that sort of ending given in the Worlds Apart series. The books do read quickly. The second does need a bit more editing. And if you’re lucky enough to read book one and two in quick succession it may be worth being left out in the cold.

View all my reviews

Tags: , , ,
Comment

Review: Crux by Julie Reece

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
May 24, 2015

CruxCrux by Julie Reece

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a wonderful, unexpected find! I think I mentioned that my husband recommended a book titled Crux to me a while back. Well, I found two titles of Crux and both were free. So I picked them both up not knowing which one he was alluding to. That cleared up, I read the other one, by Moira Rogers, first. Yep, it was grand. But then I didn’t feel it fair not to read this one by Julie Reece, just to make sure it got a chance. IT WAS TERRIFIC!!!!!

Okay, it wasn’t the erotic volcano that Moira Rogers’ book was. In fact, this one is tame enough that anyone could read it and not be embarrassed by sexual, much less sensual acts of the main characters. Okay, maybe there was a kiss or two, but that was expected. On the other hand, just in warning, it does have some very violent scenes. And I almost think that they were necessary for the whole picture. But otherwise, this was a fantastic read.

This was a longer than usual book. But it managed to tell the whole story without the need for a book two. Yet, I wish I could visit the characters again. I always feel like that. Birdie, the main character is a lovable young lady, homeless after years of foster care. The story is contemporary with throwbacks to early Viking/English wars. Since my studies don’t cover the Vikings (except for the glorious TV show, Vikings) I must admit to being a little out of my element at times, but it all starts to make sense after a while and it is always a fun read. And often it is on the edge of your seat exciting.

I highly recommend this wonder of a story to everyone, violence be damned, it’s worth it!

View all my reviews

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Review: Innocence Lost by Patty Jansen

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
May 23, 2015

Innocence Lost (For Queen and Country, #1)Innocence Lost by Patty Jansen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having finished Crux, then the prequel to this book, Whispering Willows, I was still not ready to go to sleep. So I thought I’d get started on this one. Yet, it was too short to do the job. I mean it did a good job getting me involved in the story and wanting to know more…then it ended. And the worst kind of ending! Yes, a cliffhanger! Argh! I hate those! Just as I finally am invested in the characters and outcome, it ends. The sad part of that trick is that if the next were free or even $.99 I would have grabbed it up and started reading. But this is just beyond my reach right now. By the time I remember that I need to read book two, I won’t care. Especially if it is long enough away to require a reread of book one. Note to self: Don’t do this when publishing my own books!

Now the story itself isn’t about the girl in the prequel, Loesie, though she plays a very pitiful part. I mean, you will pity that poor girl. Rather, it stars Johanna, a girl lucky enough to be a merchant’s daughter and high enough on the status scale to be invited to the ball. But Johanna wants nothing to do with frills and fashion of the day. She wants fun and adventure. Be careful what you wish for? She asks the question, if the aim for a young woman is to be married, why are so few of the married ladies happy. That attitude makes it well worth the read! Johanna is strong and cares about others. Cliffhanger be damned, she is worth learning more about. AND Johanna can ‘hear’ the willows just like Loesie. And she has more opportunities to do something about the warnings.

This is a bit of a cautionary tale about organized religion and reflects our own history of the witch trials. I found Ms. Jansen’s take on the subject refreshing. Again, that makes it worth the read. All in all, I think, if you can afford it, that this is a fun adventure and worth pursuing through the series.

View all my reviews

Tags: , ,
Comment

Review: Whispering Willows by Patty Jansen

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment

Whispering WillowsWhispering Willows by Patty Jansen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to read Patty Jansen’s books in order and found this one to be a prequel to the For Queen and Country series. At least that was my hope. I thought it would be enough to see me from the ending of one book and to the point of well-involved-yet-ready-to-sleep time.

Too short! I don’t like short stories. Mostly because you can’t get involved with the characters. You don’t get enough of what makes them tick. But I did pick up enough to know a little about Loesie. She can hear magick in the willows. She has a gift. That makes her a dangerous person. People have been hung for less. Yet, how can she not pay attention to what the willows say to her. They’ve always been right. It’s the rest of the world that doesn’t get it.

And so this story tells her back story. What is sad is that in the next story she is pitiful and I miss her gumption. I don’t know if this adds enough to the series to make it necessary to read before starting the series. Maybe beyond book one I will see why we needed to get to know her better.

Sadly it wasn’t enough to get me to the sleep realm and I needed to start the book one. This book was free so you can’t say it isn’t worth the price. 🙂 Maybe it is more for you?

View all my reviews

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Review: Crux by Moira Rogers

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment

Crux (Southern Arcana, #1)Crux by Moira Rogers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When my husband recommends a book, I grab it up. It will be good. And Crux is proof. Just a side note. When he first mentioned Crux to me, there was another book called Crux by Julie Reece that was also free. I will read that one very soon. I doubt it will be as steamy as this one. How could it be?

This Crux, by the writers who combine their talents and become Moira Rogers, author, has everything! BUT if you don’t like shapeshifters, great romance, complex characters with relationships to a seedier, yet more honest side, or hot steamy (wait, I used that word already), volatile (yeah, that’ll do it!) erotic lovemaking, don’t bother. I can’t remember gratuitous cussing. Maybe I was already enthralled and didn’t notice. Let that be a warning: THIS IS FOR ADULTS! even I might be too young! (LOL. 65!)

The thing is, the young woman is running for her life. No place is safe for her or those she may give her heart to. Someone is out to get her. When she learns why, it still doesn’t explain WHY. So what if she has an inner cougar begging her to shapeshift. That’s not a good reason to kill those who get too close.

By the way, Fifty Shades and the pain be damned. This is what turns me on. It is just as hungry, sexually, but more in the moment and involved.

AND there are witches and seers trying to help the young woman become all she can be while fighting the bad guy.

This book is free. The rest of the series is out of my reach for now, but not impossibly high. Go check it out…if you dare!

View all my reviews

Tags: , , ,
Comment

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
May 21, 2015

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, #2)Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Look, if the publishers and the author didn’t think of their pocketbooks over their readers, I would have been able to give this book five stars. As it is, the book, Kindle version (the cheapest) is $9.99. This isn’t loanable. It doesn’t have text-to-speech. For those of us who have poor eyes or other reading disabilities, there is no hope but to buy the Audible version to Whispersynch. That’s another $12.99. Twenty-three dollars for this piece of crap? No, the story is okay. It is as good as other YA dystopias out there. Maybe fewer mistakes, but not topping any of the indies. Are ALL young adults made of money? Do they care about reading books this much? And now I have to put out $23 more to read book three? Are you kidding me? I am putting no more money out for this. I don’t care what happens to the characters. If I can find the Kindle and Overdrive or CD versions I might check them out. Otherwise. I am done with this author and publisher. I don’t care if they are geniuses, storywise! There is plenty more out there that is equal if not surpassing these stories.

Now the story itself was good. I did like the characters. I thought the world interesting. I did pull for the good ending. And while I was reading/listening to the story, I forgot about the price. Michael Goldstrom is okay as a narrator but not the best. Since half the book is from a female point of view, hearing the male voice made the female seem less than a person.

I hope when I get ready to publish my own books I remember how I felt about this series and do what I think is the right thing for all.

View all my reviews

Tags: , , ,
Comment

Review: The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby

Filed under: Books, Kindle, Reviews — Leave a comment
May 20, 2015

The Twelfth Child (Serendipity #1)The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Twelfth Child (Serendipity #1)The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes, you’re between books. Too close to sleeping to put on a headset and listen to the whispersynched Kindle book or the text-to-speech on the older Kindle while reading on the self-lit Kindle app on the tablet. The main issue is that it is difficult to sleep with the headset on, blaring into your ears. At the same time, having the reading lamp on will make you stay awake for sure. So, you pick out a book by an author you know will be easy enough to follow on Kindle app alone. Bette Lee Crosby holds out that kind of hope for me. I have read other books by her and followed with or without the audio help. She writes plainly yet elegantly. She writes compelling stories that draw you in.

And so it was I started this book a couple nights ago. And yes, it drew me in, without keeping me awake all night. I was able to read a couple chapters and drift off comfortably. Then the next day I pulled in the text-to-speech and read until I was finished. And, as usual, I was not disappointed in her writing.

Ms. Crosby can make you believe you are there, in the past as the story is set up with the mother of twins. The daughter (one-half of the twins) becomes the twelfth child of her misogynistic, chauvinistic father. His only hope of having the wished-for son, is the other twin. This man married and was left by or widowed by so many women (what reasonable woman would stay near that man?) and he had lost his sons to death and their mothers’ flights. But at last, he has a son. But this poor kid wants nothing to do with the rugged farm life. Instead, that annoying girl child could have done anything that boy did and then some.

Anyway… That girl had enough gumption to span a few storylines and her entire life, including the afterlife and the court drama included. Wow! What? No, the court isn’t in the afterlife. It is the contemporary here and now, not choosing where to go at the Pearly Gates. But her spirit sticks around to make sure it all turns out okay.

Quite a few times I was surprised that the story didn’t end. I would look at the percentages and find I had lots more to read. I’d wonder where we could go from there. But Bette Lee Crosby wasn’t about to let it go until the story was finished. I was so happy with how it ended. Nope. You won’t get any spoilers here!

I look forward to reading more by Ms. Crosby!

View all my reviews

View all my reviews

Tags: , , , ,
Comment
Survivor Literacy

IYKYK

venture

"Collect moments, not just destinations. Travel well."

Weekend Stories by Trishikh

Connie Lukey

Writer's Edge

Sebastian Stead - My Photography Blog

Hi! my name is Sebastian (You can call me Seb!) ...welcome to my Blog. I'm a photographer from Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoy my work.

Learn How To Draw

My Awesome Blog

“Log your journey to success.” “Where goals turn into progress.”

Thoughts of a Wanderer

Exploring Timeless Blogs

THE AVOERIA ARCHIVE

The Depth Behind The Ordinary

Life of Chaz

Books, games, music, and life — filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.

Pieces Of My Heart

"Words & Wonders - Where thoughts meet art

💫The Afterlove Voice💫

Justice,Spiritual,Astrology,Tarot,Healing

Amin Academy

Education, Information, Motivation

My Blog

Luso Loonie — Devin Meireles

Exploring Portuguese Culture, Azorean Heritage, and Luso-Canadian Identity Through Writing

UNDER THE WILL... OVER THE DRAMA...

Inheritance. Narcissism. Turf. Welcome to the family.

Adym Digital

Selma

Finding the extra in the ordinary