Reading Fanatic Reviews
Romantic FantasyAutophagy Fasting with Water for Beginners by Jason Berg and Eric Fung
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Autophagy Fasting with Water for Beginners*
A Hot Mess
This book is a hot mess. One look at the table of contents will reveal that the book is all over the map. The book is definitely repetitive in places, and the structure does not follow a logical pattern. With a topic like this, the book should open with a good background section which should be followed by a clearly defined method. Instead, here, the initial part is scattered and disorganized. I don’t think they define autophagy quickly enough before they start using it everywhere. Because it is such an unusual word, the author should let the reader know that right away. I thought that the background information should have been structured more cleanly and less repetitively; there are several places where they could have said a concept once instead of over and over in different areas in the text. The authors seem to grapple with the idea of distinguishing regular fasting from autophagy water fasting; this actually happened in several places in the book. These concepts definitely need to be streamlined for the reader. The method that the authors suggest is not all set in one place. It is mostly after the background, but some of it is contained within the initial section as well. There is at least one chapter that should have been split into more to aid clarity. Some statements in the text contradicted each other. The medical claims seem outlandish at times and aren’t backed up with mentions or links to research.
There are definitely some issues with language. For one thing, I think the authors are trying to impress the reader with the use of medical- and scientific-sounding words. It is evident in places that they don’t really seem to understand these terms. I am an RN, and I was surprised to see their description of the medical suffix of “-phagy” as “engulf”; it actually means to digest or to eat. There was at least one place where I just about laughed out loud because what they said was nonsensical: “In Type I and type II diabetes, fasting could aggravate the side effect of diabetes.” Mercy! Diseases have symptoms and complications; medications/drugs have side effects! And which “side effect” of diabetes could fasting aggravate? Aside from these aspects of language, the book is rife with grammatical, punctuation, and usage errors; it seems unlikely that this was self-edited (let alone professionally edited). Words were left in that should have been removed; in other places, words appeared to be missing. The language for the nonscientific jargon part of the text is a bit stilted in a way that makes me think that the authors may not be native English speakers. If you are interested in the topic of water fasting, I think you could find a better book on the subject.
The Revelstoke Legacy by Lynda Hurst
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The Revelstoke Legacy*
Interesting Plots & Characters; Writing Style Lacked
This box that is a collection of three novels that are connected by the Revelstoke Legacy, which is revealed in the first book. The legacy is mysterious and vast, so it adds interest to each book. I enjoyed the plots and the characters in these books, but I found the author’s writing style to be lacking on several fronts. I thought the language, both in dialogue and the narrative portions, sounded stilted, as if the author was trying to affect historical speech but missed the mark. There were often long passages of plain narration that seemed to slow down the forward motion of the stories. After all, each of these books has an element of suspense; romantic books with suspense plots and mystery should be faster paced than books that are just about romance. I did like the last book’s emphasis on herbology; I love it when little bits like that are included in a book. All in all, I found this box set to be a disappointment, which is too bad as I do enjoy historical romantic suspense.
Battered by G. P. Gottlieb
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Thalia, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Battered*
Needs All Levels of Editing
I love a good culinary mystery, especially one that includes recipes that sound yummy (like this one has); unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. The language seemed oddly stilted, with phrases that we wouldn’t typically use (like “Edith tightened her lips”–making me visualize Edith and a screwdriver!) and word choice that was meant to be strong (like action verbs) but was actually just wrong in the context or distracting because it was trying too hard. I felt like the author more often told us what was happening than showed us, creating a distance between the reader and the work. The book also started with a rather large information dump, and that is one of my big pet peeves about novels, and it seems to be particularly rampant in indie-published works. It needed firm-handed editors–developmental, line, and copy editors. The book did have issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage that were hard to overlook. But, at least, the recipes do look good.
The Magic of Assuming Command by Johnny Welch
Available at Amazon, Kobo, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
The Magic of Assuming Command*
Historical Lessons in Personal Mastery
This is a rather intriguing book, that, while not a simple read, is a profoundly engrossing and fascinating one. I think the author overstates the book’s potential in the blurb, but there is much of value here. The author gives us a glimpse of larger than life historical and contemporary figures through the lens of power and personal mastery–how to assume command. The introductory chapter is long but necessary. The author preframes the topics that will be looked at and addressed in the later sections that are actually about the historical and contemporary figures. I like to read and review nonfiction books, so I have often seen modern books on a lot of the topics within this book. I liked seeing the usually historical examples of personal growth and mastery. It is interesting to see the choices and circumstances that made well-known figures who they are/were. We can do well to learn from them, both from their failures and their successes. The book includes a variety of people (mostly men) from different walks of life. Some of the historical figures highlighted in this book are Benjamin Franklin, several presidents, Walter Chrysler, and Tesla. There are even a few stories about contemporary figures, like Steven Spielberg. The author groups several historical or contemporary figures into one chapter under a guiding principle. Some of these guiding principles include seizing initiative, asking for what you want, and authorizing yourself.
The book is not light reading, and I suggest reading it in small chunks. One little point stuck in my craw. I don’t particularly like how the author used the term “hustle” in the book subtitle and in the book proper. It is such a contemporary concept that I am not comfortable with it being applied to historical figures (as most featured in this book are). I’ll admit that History’s Heroes of Hustle, as it states in the subtitle, does have a certain alliterative ring to it, but I think it almost trivializes what the book is about. If you have an interest in history or personal growth, this well-researched (and well-documented) book may be right up your alley.
Concerto by Cora Aston
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Concerto*
Not a Good P&P Variation
I am a big Pride and Prejudice fanfiction fan. There was a certain point when I was in nursing school where it was just about the only thing I read that wasn’t a textbook. So I have pretty exacting standards of what I like and don’t like about modern variations. I enjoy many types of variations, including those that take place far after the original timeframe of the story, so I was intrigued by this book’s premise of them meeting 10 years after the original. Unfortunately, the premise was the best part of the book. It failed for me on several fronts. Neither Elizabeth nor Darcy seemed to be the characters we know and love from the original; they could be anybody. Elizabeth is far too independent-minded for a woman of those times, even if she did have to “work” for a living playing piano for the Beau Monde, and Darcy was more dour and dark than he typically is–actually being threatening and aggressive. Both Elizabeth and Darcy seem to have wild emotional shifts that don’t make sense for either the characters in this book or for the originals. I don’t mind sensual variations of Pride and Prejudice; some that I have read have been quite good. But this book didn’t make the right transition into the sensual part of the book. I didn’t get how it made sense for the characters at that point in the story, and the tipping point for Elizabeth was actually bizarre.
As another oddity, the first line of the blurb at Amazon is misleading; Elizabeth doesn’t refuse him. Rather, she wants time to think about it.
The language of the book was an odd mixture of a poor attempt at the heightened language that is required for a good historical novel and too modernistic speech. Most of the lines of dialogue I can’t imagine someone saying. I think the cover is wrong, too. This book is supposed to take place ten years after the original Pride and Prejudice. So, Darcy would be 38, and Elizabeth would be 30; the cover models look like they’re both in their twenties. If you enjoy Pride and Prejudice variations, you might do better looking elsewhere.
The Naked Truth by Maggie Aldrich
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The Naked Truth*
Romantic, Suspenseful Cozy Mystery
Oh, my gosh! What a fun ride is! I’ve read many cozy mysteries, but I don’t think I’ve ever read one with such a strong romantic element. This one takes place on a honeymoon, of all things. We are firmly in the head of the bride, and the author has given her such a great voice. It feels like she’s just your funny girlfriend telling you about the zany things in her life. There is so much humor, even though there are some very serious aspects to this story. What a beleaguered couple, trying to figure out the mystery when they should just be having the time of their lives. Secondary characters Fritz and Darcy were a fun addition as well. The book definitely had some twists and good red herrings, what you must have in a good mystery. It wrapped up satisfactorily, but the author wisely left it open for more adventures by the couple or perhaps by Fritz and Darcy… or maybe both! By the way, I haven’t read the first book of the series, but I was still able to read this book without any confusion or issues. This was so good, though, that I think I’m going to have to go back and read that one. I recommend this fun and easy romantic cozy mystery.
Rejections from a Literary Agent by G. Randy Kasten
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Thalia, and Bol.de
Rejections from a Literary Agent*
What If a Literary Agent Responded How They Liked
This book, if it isn’t clear from the blurb, is a fictitious collection of query letters to a literary agent with a manuscript sample and a cranky agent’s response (like may want to do but never gets done in the real world). It is meant to be a satirical look at the modern publishing industry according to the book description. Having been a writer, editor, and reviewer, I can say that I am of several minds of this book. There are parts of it that are amusing if you’ve ever dealt with rejection from an agent or publisher. Back in the last millennium, I actually did submit books to publishing houses, so I do understand what the process is like from that perspective. It is hard to get rejections. As an editor and reviewer, some items that the acerbic Ms. Ribbons brings up in her responses are truly problematic with books or with authors in the free-wheeling world of modern independent publishing. I would never be as abrupt and unkind as Ms. Ribbons, but I do understand some of her points. I think the book is overly repetitious; Ms. Ribbons could have made some other salient points instead of some of the same ones over and over. This book might be too much of an insider view for the general reader, but authors, future authors, or writers might be amused by parts of it (or unfortunately see themselves in it).
The Lieutenant’s Lady by Emilee Harris
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The Lieutenant's Lady*
Regency Fugitives… Is One a Spy?
The cover of this book makes you think it is your typical historical romance, but it is far from the regular Regency. In a good way! (Not that I don’t love a traditional Regency.) This book is not one of manners and courtship like most of the genre. Instead, it looks at a complicated relationship between enemies in the time of war. The hero is in the British Navy, and the French capture his ship right when the book starts. When delivered to land and the local gendarmerie, he is given quarter in a French widow’s home. She is not too pleased about this. Throughout the book, they become fugitives, on the run in France on the way to England. They do have an undeniable chemistry that neither understands nor is quite willing to admit to fully. So this is action Regency romance with a little bit of espionage and intrigue thrown in. A unique combination to be sure and very well done by this author.
Forex Trading for Beginners by Bill Sykes and Timothy Gibbs
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Forex Trading for Beginners*
Great Introduction to Forex Trading
While I don’t know a lot about trading currencies, I believe this book is a good initiation for people who are looking to go into that. The authors talk about what Forex is, defining terms and giving a little history. They share the mindset that you need to have to successfully trade in this market, or at least be comfortable with it. They go over the practical ideas, like the different platforms you can trade on and analytical software that you can use to help you figure out your plan. They get down to brass tacks, looking at different ways that you can analyze the market. The book gets completely hands on in the section where they tell you step by step how to set up your first trade. This book is chock-full of easily understandable information that can start you on your way to successful, or at least more informed, Forex trading.
A Heart’s Design by Natalee Cooper
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
A Heart's Design*
Billionaire Romance with All the Feels
A sweet and lovely contemporary romance. For once, backstory was seamlessly integrated into the story: precisely the right amount and just when it was needed; I don’t see that often enough, and I so appreciate it! Both the hero and heroine were relatable and interesting people, and watching their story unfold brought all the feels. The hero has a secret in his past that haunts him still. The heroine is an up-and-coming architect who lost out on the contract for the hero’s big project, but he wants her for a small personal one. The book is well written and engaging, so much so that I kept reading rather than go on to other things I should have been doing!
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