Reading Fanatic Reviews
Books to Add to Your TBR list... or Not!Hey, ya’ll! I’m VERY behind getting my reviews up on the website! I’ve increased the reading and reviewing, leaving less of my leisure time available to update this website. I’ll do weekly posts with links to my reviews at Amazon; you can also check out my Amazon and Goodreads profiles.
By the way, I’m now a top 50 Amazon.com reviewer (#12 currently) and the top 8 US reviewer of all time on Goodreads (and top 9 in the world)… and the #6 US reviewer and #8 in the world in the past year. Cool stuff!
I hope to make updates to this site soon!
Debt Cleanse by Jorge P. Newberry
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
Debt Cleanse*
Excellent Tips (and Legal Ones) to Help if You Have Crushing Debt
As someone who was put into pretty deep debt by my ex-husband (tanking my credit rating for years), I can say that this book has some excellent tips and advice for people who are experiencing soul-crushing debt. The author clearly has a lot of personal experience with debt, and he generously shares his knowledge with us so that if we’re having problems with this, we can find legal solutions. The book is organized cleanly, looking at specific types of debt like mortgages, student loans, credit card debt, and medical bills. There are nine types that he gives specific strategies for. There’s also a section on living debt-free. A section of action tools at the end are further guides. I wish I had this book back when I was having debt issues with my ex. While not everything would have worked for me or us, there are definitely nuggets here which would have helped keep the wolves from the door.
Worthy by Josephine Faulk
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
Worthy*
Stunning, Compassionate Blueprint to Help with Early Trauma
I am simply stunned by this book. I like to read in general, and I really love to read good nonfiction. Unfortunately, it feels like it’s harder and harder to find good nonfiction these days. With the ease of self-publishing, many would-be authors seemingly throw up any old thing online for immediate public display and hopeful purchase.
This book is what nonfiction ought to be. This author has written about a very personal and difficult topic, childhood trauma, which she has experienced herself, unfortunately. She also holds an advanced degree, which I imagine taught her good research skills, so she can bolster her own insights and experiences with science. What she has done here is put together the perfect blueprint for someone to heal from childhood trauma. The first chapters describe the symptoms and effects of it. The next chapters are a kind of “where are you now” section, explaining why it’s hard to understand healthy relationships if you suffered this way, why self-care may falter, and the monsters that still lurk even after time has passed. Then, she goes into how to dismantle and get past these traumas. But most remarkable, I think, are the sections on how to build a better now.
This book is meant to give you the baby steps to freedom from the effects of childhood trauma so you can embrace a better life. One might fear that an author with her credentials could be cold and clinical, but this book is far from that. While she has studied the subject in some depth, you can tell this is intensely personal for her. She not only openly shares her own trauma; she gives the impression that she truly cares that you heal and move on. Her compassion, as well as her insights, comes across on every single page. It has to be one of the most beautifully written self-help books that I’ve read. This book is not just for people who suffered sustained childhood trauma but also those who had the odd incident or two that may still affect them today. If you are a person has this in your past, no matter the extent, I highly recommend picking up this book and letting this author gently guide you through the difficulties that are still affecting you to a better place.
Farewell to Kindness by Jude Knight
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Farewell to Kindness*
Complicated, Perhaps Too Long, Story
You know a book is going to be complex when it starts with a long and complicated cast of characters. There is definitely much going on in this book, perhaps too much. The book begins with a somewhat surprising confrontation between the heroine and her guardian. I read a lot of historical romance, and I don’t think that the way the heroine acted at this point would be true to the times (unless she was a very unusual lady). I did like both the hero and the heroine. They had elaborate backstories, of which we only learned the full extent as the story went on; this is good, as I don’t like an information dump at the start of a book or in the chapters where a new viewpoint character starts. The author does write some characters in dialect, which I found a little distracting at times. I felt like this book was a bit too long and had too much going on. It could have been condensed for a better read in several ways; for instance, there were multiple scenes which I would consider to be everyday moments, with no conflict, crisis, or climax; if scenes don’t have those elements, they should at least tell us something about the character, or preferably, move the plot along. While the author was good at showing slice-of-life moments, sometimes I thought the descriptions went on for a little too long, which slows down the action of the story. The characters are engaging, though–and I think I have a grasp of the full cast!–so I am interested to see how the series evolves.
First Time’s a Charm by Laura Greenwood
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
First Time's a Charm by Laura Greenwood*
Fun But Feels More Like a Prequel
On occasion, I read magical academy stories. This is the slightly more grown-up version, a magical university. The book was certainly humorous in parts, as the protagonist, Mona, is definitely having issues with her magic. She can’t get it to go right at all. What is she going to do with all the kittens she seems to magically conjure? I loved the references to Harry Potter; nothing was super overt (especially the first line), but if you know your Harry Potter, you will catch the references. I like the other characters in the story as well, and I am interested to see how the characters will continue to interact and evolve in the next installments of the series. While this is supposedly book one of the series, it felt more like a prequel, like it was introducing the story world with little true meat to the story. It is short and ends abruptly. I don’t like stories that feel like they stop in the middle of the action unless it is meant to be episodic. That said, I enjoyed the story about Mona, her current and potential men, and of course, the kittens!
Gold by Krystal M. Anderson
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Gold*
Well-Written Western Romance
I am a huge lover of historical romance, but my typical go-to read is more along the lines of Regency or medieval. Lately, I have been trying out a few Western romances, and I am finding that I am enjoying these as well as the other two. There’s usually some crazy melodrama and wild incidents, like things with railroads or mines, that you only see in westerns. This book is an excellent example of why I am testing the waters of western romance. This story was just plain fun, with all of the hijinks that one expects from a western. Plus the hero and the heroine were complex characters who first mixed like oil and water. I so enjoyed their first bantering and interactions while Charlie was recuperating after his treacherous flume ride. Charlie, the hero, is definitely a daredevil—what we’d call an adrenaline junkie today—but he has a big heart and truly cares for people whom he cares for. Virginia, the heroine, is at times a no-nonsense lady. She has to be, as she is working a couple of jobs, including helping the local doctor as a nurse, to pay off her father’s debts. The book has a surprising harrowing incident that actually keeps you on edge to see how it’s going to turn out. All in all, this was a fantastically well-done western romance with engaging characters and a well-paced plot.
The Sunshine Girl by Grace M. Jolliffe
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Sunshine Girl*
Transported to 1970s Liverpool
What a fantastic read! The author has done an exceptional job of recreating the time and space of Liverpool in the 1970s as well as fashioning a delightful heroine to follow. After reading far too many books that have a big information dump to start, I actually quite enjoyed the slice-of-life first chapter that introduced us to the heroine. She comes across as such a typical teenage girl; having been one myself many moons ago, I could completely relate to her. Her head was a very interesting one to be in. There is definitely a lot of humor, especially of the family variety. The author has shown very clearly what it is like to be a teenager in a complex world, where you feel so adult, but you’re still underneath your parents’ thumbs. There’s a little bit of romance and intrigue thrown in here as well. All in all, a well-written, true-to-life story that pulls you right into its world, making it so that you don’t want to put it down.
Unto Death by Lena West
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Unto Death*
Odd Book
I found this book to be rather odd. There is something off with the tone, but I don’t know if I can describe it accurately. It comes across as if an excited child was telling it, so it has some melodrama as well as a certain level of naivete. I actually found this tone hard to read as it felt distancing. The narrators didn’t come across as adults; they felt childlike. So some of the discussion about the romantic aspects felt more than a little creepy. I understand that the author is Australian, I believe, but certain grammar and punctuation rules supersede the variant of English one writes. Unfortunately, I found this author to be woefully ignorant about the proper use of semicolons and commas, to the point that it was distracting, and some words were repeatedly misspelled.
Forest of the Fearless by various authors
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Forest of the Fearless*
Delightful Fantasy Collection
If you like tales of mythical creatures—like nymphs, seelies, and the other similar creatures–you will most likely enjoy this anthology containing stories of varying lengths from six different authors. I particularly like the ones by Nikki Landis and Laura Greenwood. I have read both authors before, and I generally like their books. Both authors are able to weave worlds that draw the reader right in and allow us to visualize and be a part of the world. I love that Thumbelina had a retelling of her story. I so enjoy modern redos of fairy tales. There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage; this definitely varied by author and was sometimes distracting. All in all, a wonderful collection if you enjoy a good fantasy or paranormal read.
Cognitive Behavorial Therapy Box Set
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Box Set*
More Pop Psych than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This box set contains two books that purport to be about cognitive behavioral therapy. To me, the first book seems like it is more like a short pop-psych book with a little CBT window dressing. The second book gives a lot more information, relatively speaking, about actual cognitive behavioral therapy. I actually think that the order of the books in this set should be flipped. Interestingly, the first book seems to be relatively well edited while the second book needed a good copy editor to help with grammar, punctuation, and repetitiousness. At times, I thought the author’s tone was a little harsh, to “get real,” so to speak. I don’t think that kind of tone actually helps people who want to change their lives positively. All in all, the box set is disappointing because the bulk of it, book one, really isn’t about cognitive behavioral therapy beyond the first introductory chapters.
Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Manners and Monsters*
Regency… and Zombies
Mercy, what a completely different read! Think Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies with a little bit of suspense, romance, and gothic and steampunk sensibilities. The women of high-society Britain have suffered from a nasty, zombie-making affliction since the close of the Napoleonic Wars; some nasty Frenchmen created an expensive face powder that made this happen. I liked the heroine; she is a strong and smart woman in an era when that is not appreciated. The hero feels relatively weak in comparison, but he is still a fascinating character to watch. I didn’t like the information dump at the start of the book. It’s a long enough novel that the author could have started with a nice impactful action scene and dribbled in the backstory of the world little by little. Since this is essentially a zombie novel, at times it gets a little too gory for me. I like the author’s writing style, which was at times quite humorous and quite fitting for the type of book. Even though I am not one who particularly enjoys zombie literature or movies, I found this to be a fun read.
Jamie Brydone-Jack
Reader, Editor, Writer
I’m an avid reader, for both fun and work/business. I enjoy a wide variety of books, including literary fiction, romance, thrillers, cozy mysteries, and fantasy for fiction and history, contemporary issues, philosophy, music, medicine, and cookbooks for nonfiction. I’m a freelance copyeditor who also does beta and alpha reading. I have two websites that are all about romance and mystery. You can also follow my reviews at Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
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