Reading Fanatic Reviews
Romantic FantasyOur World is In Your Hands by Jessica Evergreen
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Our World is in Your Hands*
Many Ways to Be Eco-Conscious and Eco-Friendly
I found this book to be a fascinating read. The author clearly believes in living green and planet-friendly in all aspects of her life. One thing I like about this book is that the author isn’t preachy; she doesn’t attempt to shame the reader for their less-than-stellar choices (as I’ve seen in other books). The tone is completely different, and she sets this up right from the beginning, and it carries on throughout the entire book. You can tell how much she cares about this and how much she wants YOU to care about it as well. The book does go into many details about ways to live a more eco-conscious life, from how we handle our food and resources under our care to issues like plastic bags and chemicals. Some ideas are not unique to the author, but others definitely are. There’s much food for thought here, and the book will get you thinking about ways that you could decrease your footprint and perhaps live better by doing so. The author is Australian, so some terms and information she gives are more particular to Australia but could be applied universally. If you have any interest in this topic, you will most likely find this personal take on it to be one that will challenge you to make changes for the benefit of yourself and the planet.
A Perfect Deception by Alyssa Drake
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
A Perfect Deception*
Darker than Your Typical Historical Romantic Mystery
I read a fair amount of historical romantic suspense and mystery, but this story is definitely a cut different from most. Most of the romantic historical mysteries I have read have been ones in which the suspense or mystery is rather light. Yes, it adds interest to the story and keeps the pages turning, but the main thrust is the romance and how the suspense affects that. This book is completely different, as the evil in this book is overarching in nature, not just a side interest. I could tell this right off the bat with the way the prologue started with such a graphic, violent scene. I’ll admit that I had a hard time following parts of this book, but that is probably because I haven’t read either of the previous books in the series. I didn’t realize when I signed up for this book at my favorite book review site that it was an installment of an episodic series. I still was able to figure things out, but it would have been easier if I had read the other books. The author is able to keep the tension and conflict ramped up through the entire book. There are some surprisingly graphically violent scenes in this book; I wasn’t expecting that, and so I am saying so in this review so others may see it and steer clear if they don’t like to read that. The book is well written, both the violence/mystery aspect and the romance. I found the heroine, Daphne, a particular delight as she provided a spot of levity in what can sometimes be a pretty dark book.
BTW, I am not a fan of the covers in this series. Too reminiscent of the old “bodice-ripper” style romance covers. And they don’t really give an idea of the suspense, which is so crucial.
Her Wild Coast Rescue by Dakota Davies
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Her Wild Coast Rescue*
Odd Blend of Steamy Romance and Medical Drama
I was attracted to this book at my favorite book review site because the medical angle of it intrigued me. I am an RN, and I am definitely drawn to medical fiction, whether it’s thrillers, romance, or mystery. I found it intriguing, too, that the heroine was a nursing student. Having been one myself, I was curious to see how that would play into it. (It didn’t really, other than her saying some completely wrong things!)
Unfortunately, I find myself disappointed in this book. It seems a very odd combination of steamy-to-the-level-of-crude romance (and I’m not a fan of crude terms in a love story) and heart-warming family medical drama. The parts about the heroine’s brother, grappling with the results of a climbing accident and traumatic brain injury, were gripping emotionally. The parts about the romance—not so much. It just didn’t work for me on several levels. In general, I am not a fan of insta lust stories, and I found it to be jarring in the context of the plot about the brother’s injuries. So this book just didn’t quite work for me.
Treble with the Law by Jessa Archer
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Treble with the Law*
Mystery Fell Flat
I have read quite a few books by this author. She has put out quite a few series, and as I love cozy mysteries, I snap them up as soon as I see them at my favorite book review site. What I have found, unfortunately, is that Ms. Archer’s style is uneven. Some of her books, and some of her series, are spectacular. For instance, I love the series about hand lettering; if you haven’t read any of that series, you should check it out. However, this series isn’t quite doing it for me, and this particular installment of the series fell flat. I felt there was too much emphasis on the cozy and not enough on the mystery. That is definitely a problem with so many cozy mysteries. There does need to be a balance. The mystery in this one seemed underdeveloped and the resolution too obvious.
In general, I do like Ms. Archer’s books. I just don’t like this particular one. Obviously, I am not a reviewer who likes every book an author puts out just because I’ve liked a couple previously. Each book has to stand on its own merit. But I have enjoyed so many of this author’s books, that I am willing to give new ones a try.
Unstable Orbit by R. Parr
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Unstable Orbit*
Funny, if Sometimes Unstable, Story
If you enjoy quirky little romantic comedies, this book may be right up your alley. It’s an opposites-attract romance, so it doesn’t look very good for the couple in the first chapter. She chose him—blind—on a reality dating show. I do have a couple of quibbles with the book. One is that I thought that it had too many scenes or snippets of scenes that depicted banal moments in the characters’ lives. All scenes in a novel, and even parts of scenes, need to have a certain level of tension and conflict and move the story forward in some way or reveal character. It’s boring to just read about standard day-in-the-life stuff. I thought, too, that the author had too much of what I call “naked dialogue.” That’s dialogue without any descriptions of what is going on at the time when the line is being spoken. These descriptions can be about so many things—what the characters are thinking, doing, seeing, or hearing. I’m a very visual reader, so I tend to see books happen in my mind, and it’s hard to do that without some descriptions! I thought the pacing of the book was a little uneven. That said, I did enjoy watching the evolving relationship between the hero and heroine, as it did have some very funny moments and at times seemed very true to human nature.
A Sleepy Hollow Kiss by Vivien Mayfair
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
A Sleepy Hollow Kiss*
Not a Fun Halloween Romance
I don’t know quite what to think about this book. The title, the cover, and even the blurb suggest a light-hearted Halloween romance. But it is not. The heroine seems a little quirky in her first scene with the woman who runs the literary college where she works. Things start to go off the rails just about as soon as she leaves this meeting. All of a sudden, the heroine comes across as someone with a rather bizarre OCD that was initially triggered by what we later find out is childhood trauma around Halloween. She also has a rather bizarre relationship with her younger brother that is not healthy. In fact, as a story unwinds, the heroine definitely appears to be a few candy corns short of a Halloween treat bag, and as such, I just couldn’t picture her as a romantic heroine. The author took the backstory a bit too far for the heroine to be believable and relatable. I did like the literary aspect of this town; I always love writerly and bookish elements in novels. I enjoyed the relationship between the heroine, who is a Gothic literature professor, and the man who owns the horror book shop in town. if you’re looking for a fun little Halloween romance, this isn’t it.
How to Read Faster by Steven Hopkins
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How to Read Faster*
Overview of Speed-reading Techniques
I have read several different books on speed reading, so I was interested to see what this author’s spin on it would be. The book is well-organized, following a logical progression. He first defines what speed reading is and then talks about the proper mindset and how to prepare for it. The next several chapters talk about specific speed reading, visualization, and comprehension techniques. He gives ideas about how to read both fiction and nonfiction books and encourages developing good reading habits and applying your skills regularly.
I thought the book was overly repetitive in the beginning. The book is rather short, so the repetition really stood out. There is nothing truly new in this book, but the author has collected much of the major techniques of speed reading and comprehension under one cover. I didn’t think, at times, that the explanations were enough for someone to actually implement the concepts. Perhaps he could have given specific exercises with detailed instructions for the reader who has not read a lot of speed reading books as I have.
Having read so many, I find myself wondering if one thing that is said in all of them, including this one, is true. Every book on speed reading talks about the dangers of subvocalizing–reading the words in your head as you read. Personally, I don’t see how you can read and NOT subvocalize. If this is the cornerstone of speed reading, as it seems to be as stated in all these books, I think we are all doomed to failure. When I have attempted it at various times, I found it impossible. Yes, eyes could skim the words, but without hearing at least some of them in my head, comprehension fell to nothing; speed reading became an eye exercise.
If you have an interest in speed reading, this book is actually a reasonable compilation of ideas and techniques that will help you realize if you want to dig deeper into the topic.
U. S. Taxes for Worldly Americans by Olivier Wagner
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
U.S. Taxes for Worldly Americans*
A Great Guide to Taxes for Americans Living Abroad
If you are an American, whether by birth or by choice, and you spend a lot of time out of the country either as a full expatriate, a perpetual traveler, or an “accidental American” (someone born in the U. S. but has spent most of their life abroad), this is the book you need to figure out what precisely your tax burden is to the United States government and what to do about it. It is written by a man who is French by birth but became an American citizen before becoming a global traveler on a large scale. He does have some background in finance, and he offers this book to help you understand the processes of taxation for the global American. He gets very detailed about specific forms, exemptions, and other tax information. Truly, if you are an American who spends much of the year outside of the U. S., whether making money or not, this is a book that will help you get and stay tax compliant. The author has done a wonderful service for traveling Americans, and Americans who dream of travel, by writing a book with such solid information.
Greater than a Tourist: Lake Tahoe by Katarina Elliot
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Greater than a Tourist: Lake Tahoe*
Poorly Organized Set of Travel Tips
I enjoy traveling, and I am familiar with the Lake Tahoe area because we went there quite often when I was a child. I will admit it has been some time since I have been there. While I did like the tips themselves given by someone who knows the area, I thought the book lacked organization, was too short to be genuinely of much help, and was flawed in its basic design.
In terms of organization, there truly is none. This is a pamphlet of 50 random tips. Some are on similar ideas, so it would make sense to group them together. For instance, there are several tips about skiing or what to do in the snow. These would have been great to group together. Instead, there are some at the beginning, and one sneaks it at the end. This book could have been organized in so many different ways: by season, by activity, indoor versus outdoor, things to do in Tahoe itself versus things to do in other cities and towns, etc. To me, too, it felt like there was a bit of cheating to inflate the numbers. For instance, the “castle” of Tahoe is actually given two tips out of the 50, the hidden castle and learning about the castle; those certainly could have been combined into one tip! I also thought that some tips should be grouped together into one recommendation, like all the breweries in a particular town or area. This would have given more space for other tips, of which I know there has to be many because there is so much to do in and around the Tahoe area
The book is shorter than you might think from its number of pages. The text of the tips starts around the 15% mark in my Kindle for PC app and actually stops at the 63% point; the rest is a “bonus book” that purports to be about traveling light, but it is more about packing in general and some trip prep. So, only about half of the book is tips about Tahoe.
To me, there is an inherent flaw in the design of this book. Namely, it really revolves just around these 50 poorly organized tips. There’s a very brief opening paragraph, but that is the extent of the “orientation” you get to the area. So I found it lacking a true orientation to the area, which I think is really necessary for a book like this. Luckily, I know the area because I have visited it so many times, but I can imagine that a tourist from another state or country might find themselves scratching their heads while trying to read this book. If the tips had been organized, they could have had header sections that described more generalities about the combined topics before diving into the details. Orienting, overarching information grounds the reader so he or she can better take in the information.
The ARC copy I received didn’t have any maps, diagrams, or photos in it. In looking at the 10% availabe at Amazon, I see that it does have a general high-level map of the area and a diagram of sorts but no photos. I think photos are an essential part of any travel book. Armchair travelers like to imagine the places they read about, perhaps envisioning themselves there; photographs scratch that itch.
The book, or at least the ARC version of the book I received, is full of issues with grammar, punctuation, usage, and formatting. In one of the first tips, Tahoe itself was not capitalized! There were other issues with capitalization and spelling, even of some business names. I’m hoping this has been cleared up for publication. The most crucial mistakes were made after the 10% mark, so I cannot check on Amazon to see if these have been corrected.
I wanted to like this book because I am fascinated by the idea of the series, learning more about a place from a local. (And arguably, the author of this book may not be considered a local as she is not a permanent resident.) I am mostly an armchair traveler who does travel on occasion. I was hoping to find a series that I could count on for cool information about other places I might travel. But I do not think that these books, if this is a fair sample, would serve that function. Unless you have other books or information about the areas covered in this series, you would most likely find yourself more confused than enlightened by reading this book.
Chess Opening Names by Nathan Rose
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Chess Opening Names*
A Look into the Origins of Chess Openings
This is a surprisingly interesting book about the origins of the names of chess opening strategies. The book is divided into three main sections, depending on the origin of the opening: people, places, and stories. For the people section, he gives a little background about the person for whom an opening is named, sometimes putting the man and the moves into historical context as well. If there is a written source for the opening, that is included as well.
There is only one downside to this book. The author has chosen to use algebraic chess notation but doesn’t explain what that is and how to interpret it. Rather, he refers you to a video about it on his website. In a book where so much depends upon each individual move in the opening, I think that an explanation of this system is required for both chest novices and more experienced players who don’t know about this notation. As a visual person, too, I might have liked to have seen the chess diagram boards with arrows and/or numbers showing the move. I will admit to being a chess novice, having only played on occasion, but I do find it an interesting mental challenge. If you have an interest in chess, or even the history of the game, you might find this as engaging a read as I did.
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