Reading Fanatic Reviews
Romantic FantasyThe Boston Freedom Trail in Words and Pictures by Robert Wheeler
Available at Amazon in paperback only
The Boston Freedom Trail in Words and Pictures*
Find Your Inner Bostonian on the Freedom Trail
Every American–by birth or by choice–is by some measure a Bostonian. The tides of history that shaped that city flow through us as our American birthright, whether deep in our hearts as that understood but unspoken patriotic bedrock of our country or through a more conscious choice to make the ideals of freedom that brought about revolution our own (whether or not you espouse the freedoms of the right or the left politically).
If you’re expecting a glossy, touristy book about the Boston Freedom Trail, you will be surprised. While it does have some pictures of each site along the Trail, as well as occasional watercolors, the photos recall to mind mostly small moments at these places. Some sites have the traditional, done-from-a-distance views, but most are surprisingly small and intimate looks at these famous places, perhaps just the head of a statue or the top of a church steeple or an unobtrusive corner of a building. Along with these photos, the author has given a couple-paragraph synopsis of the historical significance or description of the place.
While I am not a Bostonian, I did visit the city nearly 30 years ago and spent some time visiting the historic Trail. I was amazed at how this book transported me back. Before we even left home, I had done a significant amount of research about the history of what we would be seeing on each leg of our journey. But nothing prepared me for the emotional impact that actually walking the streets of American history would have on me. I wish I could remember the particular place on the Trail where I actually had to sit down and catch my breath because I was so overwhelmed with what Boston means American history and every American. As I looked at each picture and read the commentary in this book, I was struck not only by the history reflected by the sites on the Freedom Trail but also how it continues to grow, showing the impact of other non-Revolutionary war historical events and what they mean to the people of Boston. I would like to see the memorials to the Holocaust and the Irish famine; they were not there when I went.
If you enjoy American history, you will find this book’s narrowly focused look at a small part of Boston to be a treasure. Perhaps you, too, will find the beating heart of your inner Bostonian.
Spring Gourmet Mag, Palermo Issue by Claudia Rinaldi
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Spring 2019 Gourmet Mag, Palermo Issue*
A Historic and Gastronomic Tour of Palermo
I wasn’t sure what to expect about this “book” that is named after the now-defunct magazine. What I found is a curious combination of travelogue, history, and recipes, with plenty of pictures of both the recipes and Palermo. This is an intensely personal book. In the early parts of it, she takes you on little day trips around the vicinity, seeing both places of historic interest as well as foodie places. There aren’t many recipes in the first part of the book, but as the book goes on, more and more recipes show up. I absolutely loved the photographs as well as her descriptions of Palermo and the recipes. I felt like I was walking the streets with her, which is certainly fun for an armchair traveler. The recipes themselves are written in both metric and Imperial measure, though I am always leery of Imperial measures that have been derived from a metric source. The collection of recipes I would call quirky, some that are specific to Palermo or Sicily and others that are more pan Italian in nature. There are lots of fun ideas in here, from main dishes to snacks and even offbeat things like digestivos. If you like a little bit of food with your armchair traveling, you may very well enjoy this book.
By the way, I think this ebook is best enjoyed on a tablet or computer, not a standard Kindle. You’ll lose the effect of all the lovely photographs on a black-and-white Kindle.
Infatuated by the Duke’s Daughter by Eliza Heaton
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Infatuated with the Duke's Daughter*
Odd Viewpoint Shifts
While I have enjoyed at least one other book by this author, this one just didn’t work for me on so many levels. The author had a strange writing style in this one, where she interspersed omniscient viewpoint with a third-person viewpoint. For me, that was very awkward. And it made for long stretches of exposition that were more telling rather than showing. Telling rather than showing is definitely a danger in a novella anyway, but it is heightened when the omniscient viewpoint is used, especially as it done so often in this book. I also found the language to be stilted and awkward. Not that it’s completely germaine, but the cover is completely inappropriate for a Regency romance. The style of dress is about as opposite from Regency as you can get. Regency dress is known for having high, empire waists; the dress shown on the cover has the waistline below the hips. This just isn’t realistic for Regency at all. I had so enjoyed her other book, but I just did not like this one.
Kissing by the Mistletoe by Cora Lee
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Ferguson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Kissing by the Mistletoe*
A Sweet, Brief Holiday Romance
This is a rather short novella that can be read quickly, in a sitting or two. For such a short book, it is actually pretty well done. The author didn’t do any significant information dumps, as seems to be common in novellas. I absolutely adored the relationship between the heroine and the Mathison brothers. They had long been friends, and it truly came across as such. In fact, everyone assumes that the heroine is going to marry the older brother. So much so that no other young man in the area has shown any interest in her in the slightest. She comes up with the brilliant idea to fake a courtship with the younger brother while keeping her distance from the older one so that others will not see them as an item. Unfortunately for the younger brother, Thomas, he actually has held a tendre for her and wishes the courtship could be real. As you might imagine, as they get to know each other in their faux courtship, she begins to warm to him as a potential suitor. I absolutely adored the scene with Thomas and the little boy, just like the heroine did. I thought the hero was perfectly swoon-worthy, even if he did have some awkward moments at the end. A fun little Christmas romance.
Find Your Mantra by Aysel Gunar
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Find Your Mantra*
Not Truly New Mantras, but Mantra Actions are Good
In this book, you will find 75 mantras along with suggested actions for you to take to fully embody or embrace what the mantra is about. The book is divided into 5 core topics: peace, love, happiness, strength, and journey. I was surprised as I was flipping through the book at how common these mantras are. A few of them might be original to the author, but most are short, commonplace sayings–commonplace, at least, if you’ve done much reading in self-help or self-development. What does make this book interesting are the suggested mantra actions, though some are a bit general. After all, it is one thing to say a mantra and another thing to try fully practice, embrace, or get to know it more deeply. I think that’s what this book’s strength is. The writing is a little awkward, as if the writer is not a native English speaker or has been translated from another language. If you have an interest in positive thinking or translating positive thinking into action, this book could be for you.
Become an Intelligent Real Estate Investor by David Morales
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Become an Intelligent Real Estate Investor*
Doesn’t Quite Live Up to Expectations
In the blurb of this book, the author promises to tell you every tip, trick, and technique to become a real estate investor. That’s a lot for a book to live up to, and unfortunately, I don’t think the author succeeded. In fact, the first half of the book is basically about mindset, which doesn’t seem all that important to me in a relatively short book that should probably focus on some nitty-gritty new-investor advice for real estate investing. The bulk of the second half looks at the 22 ways that you can make money from real estate. These aren’t really gone into in any depth; some are just a paragraph or two. I just don’t see where this book gives you truly practical information if you’re just starting out or thinking about becoming a real estate investor. If you want to understand the concept of passive income and the mindset needed to be an entrepreneur, this book could be for you. If you aren’t sure of all the ways you can benefit from real estate investing, you might appreciate the 22 ways that he shares that I mentioned above. Outside of these ideas, I don’t see where this book is that helpful.
June Jenson and the Shield of Quell by Emily Harper
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Smashwords, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
June Jenson and the Shield of Quell*
Family Dynamics and Archaeological Intrigue
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I quite enjoyed it. I was in the mood for something a little different, so archaeological intrigue sounded like it would do the trick. This book is decidedly English: in tone, vocabulary, references, and most punctuation. As such, as I have often found in contemporary British literature, it tends to meander a little bit, but that does not mean that the journey is unpleasant. I loved the relationship between the heroine and her grandfather. Her love of history was learned at his knee. She lives with him but is finding it a challenge as he becomes more and more altered by Alzheimer’s dementia. My own father had dementia in his later years; I like the way that the author deals with it in the book. The disorder does have both moments of humor and pathos, and I think that the author is able to show that as well as how difficult it is for care-taking family members to have a full life. The grandfather is a colorful, interesting character. But the story, of course, isn’t just about this. The novel has some intrigue around an artifact that the grandfather was believed to have taken from an archaeological dig some time ago. It shows up but then disappears again. The heroine is wanting to clear her grandfather’s good name once and for all. Will she succeed?
Wrapped Up in Christmas by Janice Lynn
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Wrapped Up in Christmas*
Normally, I Love Wounded Hero Stories…
This book had all of the elements of a holiday tale that I would typically like: quirky small town, a busybody group of well-meaning older ladies, a wounded hero, and plenty of Christmas spirit. However, the book never really gelled for me. I didn’t get any sense of chemistry between the hero and the heroine, which is crucial for a romance of course. The heroine is a sweetheart, giving so much to her community at Christmas time because it truly matters to her. She’s also in the midst of opening up her aunt’s old home as a bed-and-breakfast. The hero is just passing through, though he came specifically to this small town because he wanted to thank the woman who made his Quilt of Valor (which is an actual organization) that did help him as he went through recovery after being injured in the military. But he ends up getting caught up in the heroine’s world because of a misunderstanding, but he decides to stay and pay back the woman who’d helped him through difficult times.
I am normally a sucker for wounded hero romance, but it just didn’t ring right for me in this particular book. Theoretically, the couple was fighting their attraction during the bulk of the book, but that didn’t seem realistic to me at all because I couldn’t really sense that attraction. Their interactions felt pretty low key because of all the other stuff that was going on in the book, like the renovations, trying to get Bodie in the Christmas spirit, and dealing with the Butterflies (that group of older women mentioned above). I liked the characters, but it just didn’t come together. On the plus side, it does have a quilting pattern from the Quilts of Valor Foundation and a yummy-sounding cinnamon swirl bread recipe.
Read This if You Want to Take Good Photographs by Henry Carroll
eBook available at Amazon only
Read This if You Want to Take Good Photographs*
The Philosophy of Photography
As the author states in the introduction of the book, this is not a work that focuses on the technical aspects of photography. Yes, there are sections on exposure, white balance, and lenses, but the book is more about fostering the development of an artistic eye. To aid in that, the author has a selection of photographs that he uses as an example to discuss topics like framing, symmetry, different types of light, and the dangers of perfection. The book is actually a set of mini essays about these topics and others. I would almost call it philosophical in nature, as it does get you to think about your perception of the world and what you can capture with a camera. I love how the book starts, where he just shows a box with a hole in it, saying that this is your camera. I think he wants to take away any fear of the complexity of modern cameras and show as well that the focus of this book is really on the photographer, not the camera. If you are into photography at all, you will most likely find this book and its collection of essays and striking photographs an interesting read and much food for thought.
The World Sauces Cookbook by Mark Stevens
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The World Sauces*Cookbook
Get Your Sauce On!
I love sauces in cooking, whether store-bought or ones that I make myself. So when I saw this book at a book reviewer site, I was very curious to see what it would have. The book is broadly divided into two sections: sauces of the world and recipes with which you can use the sauces. Both of these sections are further divided, the sauce section into continents and the second section into basic main ingredient types like meat, seafood, and vegetables.
Flipping through the section on the sauces, I found it to be an intriguing collection of 75 recipes. The ones you would expect to see are here like tikka masala, barbecue sauce, romesco, and chimichurri. It also contains some things that I don’t really consider sauces like baba ganoush, fondue, and hummus. Other sauces are ones that I would not consider to be a signature sauce for a country or region. Even a brief glance shows you, unfortunately, that so many sauces have been left out. For instance, the French and Italians are well known for their sauces but not many are presented in this book. (Note: Look for a couple of French classics in the Introduction, like bechamel, hollandaise, and mayonnaise; this section also has a basic tomato sauce.) I would have loved to have seen more sauce recipes. Frankly, I can’t get enough. In this section, each sauce recipe refers to recipes in the second section to pair it with.
The second section, on using the sauces for everyday recipes, is a lot of fun. Some basic everyday recipes are given like pan-roasted vegetables, fish in parchment, and couscous. What makes these interesting is some of the accompaniments they have with them as well as the suggested sauces. Some of the combinations suggested are unusual, but I bet they’d be good. It gets you thinking more about how to creatively combine sauces with simple recipes to really elevate a meal rather simply. There is much here for inspiration.
If you enjoy cooking with sauces, this book would be a great one to add to your library.
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