Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Kindle Unlimited ReviewsNOTE: These books were in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program at the time that I posted the reviews. They may not still be in the program, as authors can opt out every 3 months. If you find a book that is no longer in the program, don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will update the review.
Become an Essentialist by Bill Andrews
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Paperback also available at Barnes & Noble
Become an Essentialist*
Tone of the Book is Off-Putting
For a book with a subtitle that starts with “how to,” the bulk of this book talks about the author’s philosophy on essentialism—what it is, why you should do it, how it can make a difference, essential qualities—not the practicalities. The “how to” part takes up only a fraction of the book. When I saw this book on one of my favorite book review sites, I was intrigued by it because the blurb suggested that this book would give information about how to not run yourself ragged (as we tend to do in modern life) and instead focus on what’s important. The blurb itself is somewhat encouraging and inviting. However, I found the tone of the book itself was actually completely different. Throughout all of the book, the author seems to be blaming and shaming the reader for his or her past actions (and possible future ones) in the choices they’ve made in their lives if they don’t follow his concept of essentialism. Honestly, I don’t think people learn the best that way. People should be gently encouraged to try a new system if their old one isn’t working for them, not insulted and belittled as the author often does in this book. In places, too, the author uses some outrageous examples. One of his concepts is that we need to place more value on time so that we will be compelled to use it wisely. In one place, he says something along the lines of, why do something that only pays you $10 a minute if you could be paid $100 for that minute? Who among his readership would be getting paid $10 a minute anyway? It just was an absurd example that jumped out at me. I believe some concepts here are valuable, but I didn’t appreciate the authors strident and belittling tone.
A Mother’s Loss by Jo Crow
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
A Mother's Loss*
How Many Twists of Fate Can One Woman Endure?
If you didn’t look and know that this is a thriller, the title of this book could make you think it is about grief and adjusting to loss. But, no, this is a psychological thriller that starts a little slowly as it sets the scene for the heroine’s life as a child psychologist who works with very troubled people. Her own life begins to unravel, and her past comes back to haunt her. How will she deal with this? The book is well written with some surprising twists and a suspenseful build to an unexpected climax. I can’t say I always agree with how the main character thought and acted up until the critical juncture, but I can understand her, given the intense pressures that her life had seemingly always been under. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you might find this one to be a gripping read.
Mashed Myths by Mick Wannenmacher and Andrew Traucki
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Mashed Myths*
Middle Grade Humorous Retelling of 6 Greek Myths
I may not be in the target age range of this book, but I found it a very fun and engaging retelling of six Greek myths. The drawings were whimsical, and the stories were told with humor and even a few gross-out moments. Now, if you’re expecting the characters in these stories to talk like ancient Greeks, you will be sorely disappointed. But if you keep your mind open and have an appreciation for middle-grade humor, you might find this a very enjoyable read.
Healing Zen to Empty the Brain by Leonid Altshuler
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Healing Zen to Empty the Brain*
Book of Short Poems
A fascinating collection of short poems buy a psychiatrist. I like to use poetry for writing prompts, so I was curious what this book had to offer. the poet has a good sense of the spare but artistic use of language in poetry. the poems are not very long, but they still managed to evoke a memory, and image, or a sense. Autumn seems to be an inspiration. I think this book might be fun for me to explore as the basis for stretching my own creativity.
Wyndcross by Martha Keyes
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Wyndcross*
Well-Written Regency Romance Debut
What a delightful Regency read! After reading so many of this subgenre lately that had stilted language that was trying to affect a historical tone, it was a pure pleasure to read an author who not only knew how to properly do a faux historical dialogue but also wrote it in such a clever and witty way. Right from the start, I loved the banter between William and Kate. This book has several levels going on, including a subplot about smuggling and an arc that is built on many layers of deviousness and deception. I found the characters to be well drawn. This book was just a great read if you love well written Regency, like I do.
Cursing by Lynne Murray
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Cursing*
Humorous, Men-in-Black-style Story
What a fun read! In a book that is very reminiscent of Men In Black but magic-like powers and paranormal creatures, the heroine is indoctrinated into a secret society that is a part of, but separate from, our own—one that seeks those with unique abilities so they can protect the regular part of humanity from dangers that the everyday people don’t know about, after she accidentally kills her boss using powers that she never knew she had or even existed. The heroine has a quirky sense of self that is a delight to read in this first-person narrative. There’s a lot of ironic humor in the book; it’s fun to come across these little nuggets. There were some delightful twists and turns, and I loved the ending. Hoping there is more to come. I very much enjoyed this urban fantasy with a paranormal, alien twist!
The Disgraced Bride by Rose Pearson
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Disgraced Bride*
Story Arc Good; Language Use Distracting
This story combined ideas that are quite often seen in Regency romance but rarely together. There is a spinsters’ guild; spinsters and avowed bluestockings definitely seem to be recurrent themes in Regency lately. The heroine is suffering in society because of the downfall of her father. She still hopes to marry, so she goes to London in hopes of finding a suitor. The hero did have some involvement in her father’s nasty business, but he feels sorry for the heroine, as he knows that she is at no fault but is being punished for it, and he wishes he could do something to help ease her way in society.
I found the writing in this book to be a little stilted, particularly the dialogue. I can tell the author is striving to make it sound like historical speech, but not only were some phrases awkward, the characters unfortunately all sounded alike in mimicking this variant of historical-like speech. I also found it confusing that two of the female characters were named Emma and Emily, one of them the heroine and the other being the head of the spinsters’ guild. There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage (beyond the UK spellings), but nothing that was overly distracting. I found that I actually liked the arc of the story, but I was put off by the very unnatural-sounding language.
The Other Blue Sky by Shari J. Ryan
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Other Blue Sky*
An Enthusiastic 5+ Star Read
Having recently read Last Words, I was very interested in Annie’s story. I’ll admit that I started the book in an already emotional state because I just knew that her story, as told by this author, was going to blow me away. I was not wrong. The author has managed to craft yet another tale that is heartbreakingly beautiful and poignant, that will resonate with you for long after you’ve finished it. The story weaves between the modern-day where Annie is talking with her mother and Charlie, filling in the gaps of what she knows of her history, and the past starting when Annie realized that she wasn’t her parents’ biological child and going through the years as she developed as a young woman, wife, and mother. This book touches on so many themes I hardly know where to start. It is about identity, family, your place in the world, grief, forgiveness, love of several sorts, and grace. And I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I don’t know how this author can create such heartfelt and beautiful words that perfectly express such a wide range of human emotions and experience. This book, like Last Words, is simply stunning. As it does deal with the aftermath of the Holocaust, parts of it are not an easy read, but the author doesn’t dwell on this. Rather, this book—like the other one—is about the triumph of the human spirit. That sounds a little high falutin’ and cerebral, but the author makes it real with believable characters that we can immediately identify with and root for as they face the challenges in the book. I can recommend this fantastic book wholeheartedly.
Diary of a Psychic by Laura Powers
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Diary of a Psychic*
Interesting Look into the Life and Mind of a Psychic
While not a diary in the truest sense, in this book, a psychic shares both her insights about her experience of the psychic world and her experience of the everyday realm as seen by a person who considers herself a psychic. In the first part of the book, she explains what the psychic world is to her, how she experiences it, and the beings and entities that she has interacted with. Then she goes on to give her opinion about a variety of topics, from narcissism to psychic attacks to what we eat. The book isn’t quite what I expected, but I still found it an interesting look into the psychic world from someone who states she is an empath and psychic. There are definitely a few surprises and little-known concepts in here as well as more well-known ideas about the psychic world. The book is a relatively quick and easy read, and it certainly has the potential to open up your mind to think about how much there could be to the world beyond what can be readily seen, heard, and felt.
Stay with Me by Katherine L. Evans
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Stay with Me*
Simply a Great Read
I don’t think I’ve had so much fun reading a contemporary romance in a long time as I did with this book! The first scene, which mocks the romance genre, was a delight in and of itself. The book just starts out so funny, and for once, the author actually knows how to write humor. Too many authors attempt it who aren’t really able to pull it off, which just makes the reading awkward. But that did not happen here. The first chapters going back and forth between Nick and Samantha just showed so much of their personalities, and their interaction was so humorous and delicious to watch. Nick definitely had issues with women, and Samantha was not going to let him play his usual game (even if she didn’t know his full story). But it all changes in the middle of the book in a surprising way, challenging both of them in different ways. This book is exceedingly well done and such an easy and delightful read. If you enjoy contemporary romance that’s just a little bit different, I don’t think you can go wrong with this book.
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