Written in Red

Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop  433 pages 

"As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others. 

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow."

That's the summary from Goodreads --- I tried twice to write a summary that made sense, but it just wasn't working.  In this world created by Anne Bishop, humans are in the minority and the Others are the majority, keeping the destructive humans from wreaking their havoc on the world (yes, it's easy to see humans as annoying and troublesome once you start reading this story). As you can see from the summary, there are shapeshifters, but they aren't the only Others in this story --- there are vampires and Elementals, as well.

I had enjoyed Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy and when this series was recommended, I gave it a try --- and then after I started the book, was kicking myself for taking this long to pick up these books!  Luckily, I had already picked up the second book in the series (and now will check out the rest). I enjoy Bishop's worldbuilding and character development and the pacing here felt just right. 

The Power of Moments

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip and Dan Heath                         Audio book: 6 hours, 24 minutes      Hardback Book:  320 pages         

Brothers Chip and Dan Heath show how meaningful brief encounters can be, when you are emotional and someone comes along and says that one perfect thing that calm s your fears or you are feeling a lot less than perfect and don’t even realize how down you are but a stranger comes along and smiles at you not asking anything of you, just a genuine smile meeting your eyes and all of a sudden your spiritis lift and you are soaring where before you may have been staring at the ground feeling just like a mushroom.  The book talks about how small things that happen in an instant came be just the right thing to heal yourself and others.    It cites a lot of stories and Kodak moments.   A very uplifting book that I highly recommend.   Little things in the spur of the moment can matter to someone for a lifetime and they will never forget you or what you did and how made them feel.    Very good book.   Lots and lots of stories and examples here.   I definetly recommend it.

Just the Funny Parts…

Just the Funny Parts…And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boy’s Club by Nell Scovell       Audio Book: 8 hours, 36 minutes     Hardback Book:  336 pages     

Nell Scovell is both funny and a great writer.    She spells it out and names names on her experiences trying to break into writing for television and film.    Even in this day and age, the field is often closed to women, most t.v. writers are men and they are a very closed network.   Being a women and breaking through the glass ceiling of Hollywood writers is almost but not quite impossible.   Nell was able to do it, to hold her own to earn respect from her bosses and co-workers but in doing so she often had to become one of the guys.   If she worked with there being another woman on the writing team it never lasted.   They gave her hell, often ignoring her ideas or taking credit for them instead of giving it to her, even being belligerent and shouting in her face she was only there because they were giving the impression they were a diverse team.   Nell talks about the old boy network alive and rampant in all of the Hollywood studios.  If you do manage to break in don’t be surprised if you are harassed, sometimes verbally sometimes sexually.  It takes a tough skin to survive and she has learned to give and take with the men in the room by tolerating some of their crude remarks even giving them verbal jabs now and then, and she goes into detail  about the treatment she received from some of the top names in show business.   It is a very good book with a lot of insight into what to do and what not to do, what to expect and what not to expect.    She tells it all with aplumb and so much humor you will be laughing out loud at times.   This book is so open and informative a real taste for wanna be writers – a serious if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen type of advice.    She is like a mentor giving the ins and outs.    She said as a woman and as a white woman she still seemed to have an advantage as in her decades long career she has never seen a black woman writer and so very few minorities working as writers on t.v. shows that it could be a room out of the 1950s and would still look pretty much the same.    An eye-opening look into Hollywood bias.   I would recommend this book.  

Kind is the New Classy

Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure      Audio Book: 5 hours, 32 min    Hardback Book:  272 pages             

A treatise on how to be nice when your circumstances may not be.    How to re-think  your situation.   How to maintain a dignified manner within the chaos you may be dealing with.   Candace sites many examples from her own life and while it isn’t that she doesn’t get mad and feel like punching someone at times but she has learned that her strength comes from above.    God gives her enough calm to continue on in a Christian manner rather than going off on others.   She talks a lot about her life and discusses how she was not a Christian growing up but learned about God in her early adult life and became a Christian.   She cites examples when turning the other cheek was not her first reaction but how through her experiences and prayer she has learned that anger hurts you more than the other person and how even if you don’t feel it at first, kindness does allow the world to see a better you and when you look in the mirror, you do too.    A good book by a motivational speaker, commentator on the View, author, actress, wife and mother.   She has a lot of good things to say and a few truths that shocked me.   She seems like a fun person and her book shows it throughout.  I will be reading more of her books.

The Wabi-Sabi House

The Wabi-Sabi House by Robin Griggs-Lawrence       Hardback Book:  192 pages                  Genre:  Adult Non-Fiction, Accepting Your Circumstances and Improving on Them  Decorating,  Making art

In Japanese the word Wabi Sabi means humble beauty.    The author discusses finding the beauty in things that may not be new, may be rusty or the paint faded may be second, third or seventh-hand but can still be eclectic and beautiful.    Unlike Chinese Feng Shui which balances the elements of wind and water, Wabi Sabi does not look for perfection it looks for comfortable, and like that favorite pair of worn jeans that feels so good you always wear them or the rusty wagon wheel you found in a gulch in the southwest and brought home to stand in your yard glowing with unappreciated character until you found it and gave it purpose and saw its inner beauty.    It is found joy.    A wabi sabi house is full of love and feels well lived in.   The furniture is loved by its owners for how it makes them feel when they see it.   Wabi Sabi houses don’t have to be perfect, a well lived in home with people, pets and artistic pursuits is a wabi sabi home.   Humble beauty abounds not like those HOME BEAUTIFUL magazine photos, but, with a sense of love and commaraderie that Is strongly felt and seen by the artful use of what is there, what is repurposed what is loved and accepted for the beauty it reflects like bright shining eyes crinkling in a sea of wrinkles on a well-lived person’s face a joy still there a sparkle emanating from the soul within that is wabi sabi not airbrushed fake perfection.   Wabi Sabi art in a home might be driftwood gathered on a family vacation that holds beauty and meaning in its coarseness so much that you have to have it near you where you can see it often.  A very good book sharing a Japanese concept of acknowledging the less than perfect and seeing its charm not in spite of its weathered persona but because of it.    Wabi Sabi doesn’t strive for the sterile pristine modern look it includes every thing beautiful and meaningful to the person so that your home is a reflection of your heart and thoughts.   People want to come to a wabi sabi house and it may be hard to get them to leave because they feed on the effervescent vibe of acceptance there.   Wabi sabi people would be street people with stories to tell and songs to sing who brighten your life by sharing theirs with you.  Humble beauty what a wonderful concept.   I would definetly recommend this book.

Solo

Solo by Kwame Alexander            Audio Book:  4 hours, 2 min     Hardback Book:  464 pages

           

I liked this book a lot.    It is the story of trying to find your place in your family when the whole interconnected thing is somehow off-kelter.    Blade is 17 and an avid writer of songs, he puts his emotions into poetic words then accompanies himself on guitar.   His father is a drug addicted alcoholic rock star.   Their family enjoys the lifestyle of the rich and famous but their hugely successful musciain father is embarrassing.   He is always doing something or saying something that is awesome to his fans who think he is a rebel and they admire him, yet, Blade his son feels a huge embarrassement weighing him down whenever his father is making the tabloid news.    While his father loves him dearly and only wants the best for Blade and his sister his drug and alcohol hued lifestyle is wreaking their family.   The kids don’t want to be around him although he provides a lifestyle that allows them basically anything they want any time they want it.    A good inner look inside a family about to implode showing how they got there and how good intentions can go awry.   The thin line between love and hate goes back and forth from foot to foot like a game of hopscotch.   Picking petals from a flower, he loves me, he loves me not then getting disgusted and bored and throwing the flower away – this book gives you that kind of feel but the story while intense is good.   Honestly, the songs and poems were more pass for me than wowing me, but, they are pertinent to the story as Blade expresses his inner hurt through them.    It seemed like things might go right at Blades graduation as valedictorian instead of making a speech Blade got up to sing what he wanted to say to everyone, especially one someone who captured his imagination and dreams.  The story takes a twist here that I will leave for the reader to discover but this is a good story, a lost and found of a family who cycles through so much like a driverless car heading for a wall.    Keep reading it will make you bite your lip and think.    

My Girls: A lifetime with Carrie and Debbie

My Girls: A lifetime with Carrie and Debbie by Todd Fisher     Audio Book:  13 hours, 15 minutes   Paperback Book:  500 pages          

Excellent book.  I would highly recommend it.    Told with truth, love and humor.   Todd Fisher is the son of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher and is the younger brother of Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame.   This book was such an enjoyable read from beginning to end.  Todd relates stories of his life growing up as the child of celebrities relating great stories of hanging out with celebrities and thinking of them just as Mom and Dad's friends, like the time Bette Davis was using the bathroom in his room  and he went running in, flung open the door and there they were just staring at each other.   Apologetically he slammed the door shut horribly embarrassed, but, Bette called to him and continued to talk to him through the door until she finished, washed her hands came out and lovingly placing her hand atop his head told him he was an angel then went back to the get-together.  He talks about Debbie always saying on the phone when calling him and Carrie, "Hello Dear, this is your mother, Debbie."   Or the live in Chinese couple that worked for the family and were considered part of the family.   The lady would say each school day morning,  "Fishy Carrie, time to get up, I lobely you!   Fishy Todd, wake up!  I lobely you."  Which Todd and Carrie always continued to say to each other over the years and which when Todd said his last goodbye to Carrie when she had been disconnected from all the tubes and monitors in the hospital and was declared dead, he went back to her for a few minutes alone telling her how he would miss her and more, he ended with, "I lobely you."   He talks about the financial debacles Debbie's last two husbands had put her through -what a nightmare!  And the philandering and drug use of Eddie Fisher who walked in to Debbie one day and told her he was leaving her for Elizabeth Taylor.   At least he told her. Todd talks about growing up with a multimillionaire step-father and his tale of the manicurist that came so often when his mother was away.   Debbie Reynolds was one of the hardest working women in showbusiness.  She was forced to work to pay off the debts her exs incurred but while hard on her she loved her fans so much it was a labor of love and got her out on the stage with a smile even when she was in such pain that Todd had to carry her up the steps to the stage but she would stop she would not disappoint her fans she would say.   Todd's grandpa told him Quit was not a word in their family and she never did till her dying day.   Debbie supported her kids, her parents and her brother until her dying day and paid for so many things for both Carrie and Todd throughout their lives that they really should not have put on her once they were grown,  She loved them so much she didn't want to disappoint them and while she might postpone a major financial outlay on their latest want, she always came through.   Carrie at 19 wasn't sure if this Star Wars movie would ruin her career or not, but, gave it shot.   What a good thing she did career-wise though on the down side it gave her access to more hangers on with drugs.   She blew through relatioinships with Paul Simon and a brief marriage and a sex only relationship with Han Solo himelf, Harrison Ford during production.   Mr. Ford being married at the time - so-both knew it was a no strings relationship.   Carrie had huge mood swings which the drugs enhanced.  She was finally diagnosed as Bi-Polar and began to talk about it openly in hopes she might help other people suffering from it.   She wrote books about her life, "Post Cards from the Edge," "Shckaholic" and admitted to all that she was up to.   She alwsys felt Debbie was competing with her and their relationship remained strained at best until Carrie had a child of her own.  Carrie was destined to be unlucky at love just like her mother when her baby daddy told her he was gay and left her and their daughter.   Carrie used that as fodder for her stand-up comedy.  Such a great book, I wish it had been longer it was so compelling learning each new thing about this related trio and their good times and bad up through the deaths of both Carrie and Debbie 1 day apart.  Todd said his mother never wanted Carrie to feel like she was alone.   Such a good book,   You will feel so many emotions going through these pages.   Carrie never wanted Todd to write a book because she said that was her thing, but, I am so glad he did.   Bravo, Todd!   This is a wonderful book and an awesome tribute to your girls and you.

Hurricane Child

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender, 214 pages

“Born on Water Island in the Virgin Islands during a hurricane, which is considered bad luck, twelve-year-old Caroline falls in love with another girl--and together they set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother.” This book was hard to read for me.  The topic was a little tough, first of all, and the characters just didn’t hold my interest as much as I want. I really disliked some of them too.  I liked the story and it was executed fairly well, but it moved a little slowly in parts.  Overall, I’m not sure that I would seek out other books by the author or recommend this to kids, but I can’t say that I’m sorry that I read it.

Ringer

Ringer by Lauren Oliver, 502 pages

“Like its ambitious companion novel, Replica, this far-reaching novel by the powerhouse author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy digs deep into questions of how to be a human being in a world where humanity cannot be taken for granted. In the world outside of the Haven Institute, Lyra and Caelum are finding it hard to be human--and Lyra, infected at Haven with a terrible disease, finds her symptoms are growing worse. When Caelum leaves without warning, Lyra follows him, seeking a pioneering organization in Philadelphia that might have a cure. But what they uncover there is a shocking connection to their past, even as their future seems in danger of collapsing. Though Gemma just wants to go back to her normal life after Haven, she soon learns that her powerful father has other plans for the replicas--unless she and her boyfriend Pete can stop him. But they soon learn that they aren't safe either. The Haven Institute wasn't destroyed after all, and now Gemma is the one behind the walls. Bestselling author Lauren Oliver brings the Replica duology to a shocking close in Ringer, but like both Gemma and Lyra, you won't be able to leave the world of Haven behind after you've turned the last page.” I’m not sure that I was entirely satisfied with the conclusion of the story.  I might have been happier if I had read Lyra’s story before Gemma’s though.  It felt like Gemma’s story wrapped everything up just a little more than Lyra’s.  This is a great story for teens like dystopian books and science fiction.

Victoria: Portrait Of A Queen

Victoria: Portrait Of A Queen by Catherine Reef, 246 pages

“Victoria woke one morning at the age of eighteen to discover that her uncle had died and she was now queen. She went on to rule for sixty-three years, with an influence so far-reaching that the decades of her reign now bear her name--the Victorian period. Victoria is filled with the exciting comings and goings of royal life: intrigue and innuendo, scheming advisors, and assassination attempts, not to mention plenty of passion and discord. Includes bibliography, notes, British royal family tree, index.” I really liked this book.  It was very accessible because it read more like a story but very clearly included a lot of great information about Victoria; her life, family, and reign.  I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in the British monarchy in general and Victoria specifically, especially for anyone somewhat new to the topic.  It will be too simple for someone who already has a lot of information, probably, but for a novice it’s perfect.  It would probably be very accessible to teens and older children, as well.

Another Brooklyn

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, 175 pages

“Running into a long-ago friend sets memory from the 1970s in motion for August, transporting her to a time and a place where friendship was everything--until it wasn't. For August and her girls, sharing confidences as they ambled through neighborhood streets, Brooklyn was a place where they believed that they were beautiful, talented, brilliant--a part of a future that belonged to them. But beneath the hopeful veneer, there was another Brooklyn, a dangerous place where grown men reached for innocent girls in dark hallways, where ghosts haunted the night, where mothers disappeared. A world where madness was just a sunset away and fathers found hope in religion.” This was a sad but hopeful story.  It really spoke to me for some reason that I can’t quite explain.  I loved it, but I’m not sure I’ll want to reread it and I can’t quite explain that either.  I’d recommend this to anyone who likes realistic and historical fiction.

The Store

The Store by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo, 259 pages

“When Jacob and Megan Brandeis plan to expose a secretive and evil corporation, the fallout threatens to destroy them. Jacob and Megan Brandeis have gotten jobs with the mega-successful, ultra-secretive Store. Seems perfect. Seems safe. But their lives are about to become anything but perfect, anything but safe. Especially since Jacob and Megan have a dark secret of their own. They're writing a book that will expose the Store-a forbidden book, a dangerous book. And if the Store finds out, there's only one thing Jacob, Megan and their kids can do: run for their bloody lives. Which is probably impossible, because the Store is always watching . . .” I had a few issues with how this book worked, logistically, and the message was way too overt.  It was mildly entertaining but not Patterson’s best work.

Two Truths And A Lie: Histories And Mysteries

Two Truths And A Lie: Histories And Mysteries by Ammi-Joan Paquette & Laurie Ann Thompson, 177 pages

“Crazy-but-true stories about history, geography, and human achievement make this acclaimed nonfiction series perfect for fans of curiosities and wonders. A fun way for middle graders to explore ways to separate fact from fiction. Did you know that a young girl once saved an entire beach community from a devastating tsunami thanks to something she learned in her fourth-grade geography lesson? Or that there is a person alive today who generates her own magnetic field? Or how about the fact that Benjamin Franklin once challenged the Royal Academy of Brussels to devise a way to make farts smell good? Welcome to Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries! You know the game: Every story in this book is strange and astounding, but one out of every three is an outright lie. Can you guess which stories are the facts and which are the fakes? It's not going to be easy. Some false stories are based on truth, and some of the true stories are just plain unbelievable! Don't be fooled by the photos that accompany each story--it's going to take all your smarts and some clever research to root out the alternative facts. From a train that transported dead people to antique photos of real fairies to a dog who was elected mayor, the stories in this book will amaze you! Just don't believe everything you read. . . .” This is excellent.  Kids who like interesting facts will enjoy this book.

Sleeping Beauties

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King, 702 pages

“In this spectacular father/son collaboration, Stephen King and Owen King tell the highest of high-stakes stories: what might happen if women disappeared from the world of men?  In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep: they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent. And while they sleep they go to another place, a better place, where harmony prevails and conflict is rare. One woman, the mysterious "Eve Black," is immune to the blessing or curse of the sleeping disease. Is Eve a medical anomaly to be studied? Or is she a demon who must be slain? Abandoned, left to their increasingly primal urges, the men divide into warring factions, some wanting to kill Eve, some to save her. Others exploit the chaos to wreak their own vengeance on new enemies. All turn to violence in a suddenly all-male world. Set in a small Appalachian town whose primary employer is a women's prison, Sleeping Beauties is a wildly provocative, gloriously dramatic father-son collaboration that feels particularly urgent and relevant today.” I liked this book.  It was a little less like Stephen King’s other stories in some ways, perhaps because of the collaboration, but there was enough of him in this book for it to work for me.  It was definitely creepy and certainly made me think.  There were parts that were hard to read but it was very good.  I think that most people who like horror will enjoy it.

Between The Lines

Between The Lines by Nikki Grimes, 216 pages

“Darrian dreams of writing for the New York Times. To hone his skills and learn more about the power of words, he enrolls in Mr. Ward's class, known for its open-mic poetry readings and boys vs. girls poetry slam. Everyone in class has something important to say, and in sharing their poetry, they learn that they all face challenges and have a story to tell-whether it's about health problems, aging out of foster care, being bullied for religious beliefs, or having to take on too much responsibility because of an addicted parent. As Darrian and his classmates get to know one another through poetry, they bond over the shared experiences and truth that emerge from their writing, despite their private struggles and outward differences.” This book almost makes me like poetry.  Grimes’s characters have some interesting things to say about poetry that I actually agree with.  I can’t say that I like the poems in this book better than others I’ve read, but I really enjoy the story and I may be able to better appreciate poetry in the future. This is a great book for teens who like realistic fiction, regardless of whether or not they like poetry.

The Alleluia Files

The Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn, 436 pages

“Legend has it that the Alleluia Files contain the truth about the god of Samaria. Now, a child raised in captivity among the angels will journey the length and breadth of her world to seek the documents that will alter the face of Samaria forever...”  This is a great series and this book is a must read for fantasy lovers.

Truly Devious

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, 420 pages

“Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. "A place," he said, "where learning is a game." Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym "Truly, Devious." It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history. True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder. The two interwoven mysteries of this first book in the Truly Devious series dovetail brilliantly, and Stevie Bell will continue her relentless quest for the murderers in books two and three.” This book was amazing.  I can’t wait for the next books to come out.  Teens who like mysteries, especially if they are creepy, need to read this.

Wires And Nerve Volume 1

Wires And Nerve Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer, 238 pages

“In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new, action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold. When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series.” Iko might be my favorite character in the series.  Although graphic isn’t usually my preferred format, I really liked this, maybe better than the original books in the series.  Anyone who liked the Lunar Chronicles or likes action filled graphic novels will want to read this.

For Every One

For Every One by Jason Reynolds, 101 pages

“Originally performed at the Kennedy Center for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and later as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers, this stirring and inspirational poem is New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds's rallying cry to the dreamers of the world. For Every One is just that: for every one. For every one person. For every one dream. But especially for every one kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to dream. Kids who are like Jason Reynolds, a self-professed dreamer. Jason does not claim to know how to make dreams come true; he has, in fact, been fighting on the front line of his own battle to make his own dreams a reality. He expected to make it when he was sixteen. Then eighteen. Then twenty-five. Now, some of those expectations have been realized. But others, the most important ones, lay ahead, and a lot of them involve kids, how to inspire them. All the kids who are scared to dream, or don't know how to dream, or don't dare to dream because they've NEVER seen a dream come true. Jason wants kids to know that dreams take time. They involve countless struggles. But no matter how many times a dreamer gets beat down, the drive and the passion and the hope never fully extinguish--because just having the dream is the start you need, or you won't get anywhere anyway, and that is when you have to take a leap of faith. A pitch perfect graduation, baby, or love my kid gift.” This is really powerful.  It’s cataloged adult but it’s definitely appropriate for teens and kids too.  It’s for every one and every one should read it.

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine

ThePurloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain & Philip Stead, 152 pages

"Based on a set of unfinished Mark Twain notes for a children's story, this is the tale of Johnny, a young boy with a magical ability to speak to animals who sets off to rescue a stolen prince." This is a very simple book that would be easy to read for beginning readers.  It might be a hard sell because the illustrations are muted and some kids might think that it looks dull but it’s a funny story that has enough adventure to be interesting and I think that a lot of kids would like it if they give it a chance.

Cakewalk: A memoir

Cakewalk: A memoir by Kate Moses   350 pages

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Kate Moses was surrounded by sugar. However, her parents' unhappy marriage wasn't sweet at all and they were too preoccupied with themselves to notice its effects on their children. Telling her own story, interspersed with recipes, Kate Moses writes about her parents in a compassionate and sometimes humorous way. Her mother was a frustrated artist who instructed her three children to refer to her in public as "the babysitter." Her father was aloof and prone to blasts of negative comments directed at his daughter.  Kate looked for comfort in the imaginary worlds of books and found refuge in the kitchen, where she taught herself to bake.

I enjoyed this book. Moses' parents are pretty awful, although she is able to see some of the humor in some of the situations. The author does a good job of drawing into her childhood and later years, even though the book does unravel a bit towards the end. Each chapter does end with a great-sounding recipe (although I did not make anything from this book --- I already have binders filled with dessert recipes), so that's an added bonus.

Jell-O Girls: A Family History

Jell-O Girls: A Family History by Allie Rowbottom    288 pages

"In 1899, Allie Rowbottom's great-great-great-uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor for $450. The sale would turn out to be one of the most profitable business deals in American history, and the generations that followed enjoyed immense privilege - but they were also haunted by suicides, cancer, alcoholism, and mysterious ailments."

That sounds like quite the family history, right?  That's what I thought . . . but I just didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I appreciated that the author's mother had done a lot of research and that the author delved into her family's history. However, there are a lot of parts that just felt like a lot of speculation to me. There's a lot of emotional detail in this book, where you're reading about what the author's grandmother thought, and her mother thought -- and I wondered where the author was getting all of that.  I found it more distracting than interesting at times.

This story is deeply personal, but it focuses so much on the many complaints of a wealthy and destructive family that it feels self-absorbed. The way that the author's mother blames so much on the "Jell-O curse" becomes repetitive, especially because it feels like there's no resolution. The author brings up medical issues in the family, as well as a strange bout of occurrences among girls that may or may not have some kind of link to Jell-O --- but there's no resolution.  From some of the reviews on Goodreads, and especially the one here, it appears there are some glaring errors in this book.  It's one thing if you want to write a memoir about your mother and grandmother and include things about family history, but it's another to tie a business or company in to problems in that family.

The one thing I did like was the author's inclusion of the history of Jell-O, as well as the way that the advertising changed throughout the years (and how it reflected views on women). For me, that was the most interesting part of the book. I finished this book out of curiosity, but didn't enjoy it and wouldn't recommend it.

Magic Bites

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews 260 pages

Reviewed by Rae C.

I put this book down twice, but only because I absolutely had to! I’m not starting the second book until I have 4 hours of uninterrupted free time.  The heroine, Kate Daniels, lives in a world where our current technological age has been overtaken by magic and supernatural forces.   There are vampires, shapeshifters, necromancers, deities, and ordinary mortals.  When magical energies flood the atmosphere, technology functions badly or not at all, to the point of sometimes collapsing whole buildings.  During supernatural fluctuations, electrical power can go out, and Fey lights come up, and people (supernatural or otherwise) ride horses or use magical vehicles instead of cars.

Kate is special.  Throughout the book we get hints at the origin of her specialness, but we never learn exactly what she is. She’s strong, able to withstand a lot of pain, but she is neither shapeshifter or vampire, and she stays away from supernatural law enforcement agencies like the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, even though she could have a guaranteed job with them.  She instead chooses to be a Mercenary, until her Guardian is killed by a new kind of monster, unfamiliar even among the supernatural communities.  The People, the vampire organization, and The Pack, the shapeshifter organization, both suspect each other, but neither side wants a war.  Since Kate’s Guardian was a member of the Order, she works with all three groups to solve the murder.

The first couple of chapters has a lot of descriptions and set up for the series, but I didn’t find it slow or dull, although the person that suggested it to me did.  I did find the gore and machismo and action/fighting scenes over done, and written for male readers (probably by the husband in the husband and wife team), and I personally felt like much of it could have been edited without the story suffering.

I appreciated that it was “romance” (paranormal or otherwise) written for women that are mature, satisfied adults that don’t need every chapter to have sex in it.  There’s a lot of hot and juicy bits, but this is not a bodice ripper or panacea for the uninitiated or unfulfilled.

Kate Daniels is a strong, self-contained woman that can take a man if he’s worthy, and leave him if he’s not.  But she's also a tough outsider, a longer by necessity, and a cynic when it comes to men.  I don’t want to give any spoilers, but that is why the situation with Dr. Crest was so bittersweet and achingly emotionally honest.

The story is well-plotted and suspenseful, and only sometimes predictable, and even then, the world Daniels’ inhabits has surprises for the reader.  I loved that the authors did thorough research on esoteric and ceremonial magick, and appreciated the references to obscure mythologies and demons. 

A great book for strong women, looking for adventure in an alternate paranormal world, with a little romance in the mix.  I think fans of Harry Dresden, The Invisible Library, and/or the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer would enjoy this book.

Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America

Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America by Alissa Quart   Audio Book:  9 hours     Hardback Book:  320 pages        

Very good book, well written and gets to the heart of every topic covered in an informative and conversational way.    The author cuts right to the point without candy covering any thing.  With laser precision she analyzes the problems middle class families face today and believe me she covers the gamut and then some.   Why people today live less comfortable lives than their parents did just one generation prior.    While technology advances it also thwarts.   With the competiton of robots being introduced to take over everything from factory jobs to the service industry ie. robots or A.I. artificial intelligence machines being introduced into the service sector to assist the elderly in nursing homes and doing many tasks formerly the responsibility of nurses or aides to public relations in grocery stores assisting customers, etc. many trend followers are skeptical.   They wonder just how far mankind will go in investing in robots to change the course of society.   While arguments can be made, robots don’t have to have set hours, they don’t call in sick, technically they can go 24/7 without a break or having to leave work to take care of a sick child.    While still in its infancy, A.I. assistants are becoming more accepted for the mainstream of society who still for the most part find A.I. amusing and cute but is putting too much trust in this non-human workforce really reliable?  Currently the cost of setting up robots to do the work of several humans is prohibitive.   For the price of one robot even with paying insurance and benefits it still comes out ahead for businesses to hire humans.   Humans get sick and have home lives to deal with but there is no guarantee a machine won’t break down and when a robot/automaton/high tech set up costs in the millions of dollars as opposed to a minimum wage part-time or full-time worker even with cost of living increases this can still make humans look the better choice, plus in medical care environments the human touch can do so much to assuage the fears of the elderly while a robot might be good at telling a person when to take their meds, but not so much being sympathetic to their feelings and emotions.   Even highly advanced robots while offering comforting words do not have the empathy of a fellow human being.    She talks about the disparity in wages to this day of women and minorities and how many people are choosing not to have children because it would interfere with their being able to work long hours or more than one job even as they are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.   She discusses the debt most Americans find themselves drowning in and how those struggling paycheck to paycheck often suffer at the hands of high interest loans or credit cards just to try to make ends meet and live as they should be.   She sites many examples throughout of how people both men and women often are paying one bill with a credit card sometimes more than one then when the interest kicks in they cannot get ahead because now they not only owe the bill they owe interest and if they can’t come up with the next payment late fees begin to accrue then their credit rating suffers and they become worse off than they were.   Previous generations leery of buying on credit and living within their means until they could afford to save up and buy something are a dying breed.   Media and Marketing feed the senses that Americans must have more to be more setting up false images and false expectations and sadly piles of debt with little to show for it – debt that won’t go away becomes an all consuming monster that just grows while mankind makes minimum payments that do little to lessen the debt but feed the greed of corporations extending that credit.   Working parents find a huge chunk of their income is paid out for childcare so they can continue to work.   Many women leave the work force because they come out ahead staying home and not having to pay childcare though this puts strain on the other parent who’s income then has to cover all their fundamental needs.   A never ending circle with little hope of escape.   Hence why the lottery is so popular with the poor trying to win their dream life while struggling to come up with the money to buy that magic ticket that might just take them there except more often, it doesn’t.   Attaining the standard of living our parents had is a thing of the past for most Americans.   As many people forego parenting because they simply can’t afford it.    She does offer hopeful ideas so it isn’t all gloom and doom just reality and how it could be possible to fix it.     Really well done. 

The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Part 1

The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Part 1 by  Konami Kanata          Paperback Book: 480 pages           

I love, love, love, love, love Chi the adorable kitten who got lost from his mother and was found by Yohei Yamada.    Yohei Yamada’s parents feel sorry for Chi, who is mourning for her mother.  They try and find someone who will take the kitten in as the apartment building they live ins strictly forbids pets and the superintendent lives on  site and is meticulous about enforcing the NO PETS rule.   The book describes cat behavior to a tee and Chi’s antics are so funny, so sweet and so endearing.    Life has its ups and downs and Chi is so precious in how she finds fun in so many things and tries so hard to tell the Yamadas about everything she experiences because all things are so new to her being a baby cat.   She never does find her mother and the Yamadas never find anyone to take Chi until Mrs. Yamada’s sister and niece come to visit.    The little girl is pretty rough in her handling of Chi but she wants Chi.   Yohei is like NOOOOOOOO!  Because Chi is “fweaking  out!” over the in your face rough housing attitude of the little girl.    She roughs Chi up pretty good telling everyone that Chi likes it.   I  think not.    Yohei is adamant that he doesn’t want her to have Chi even though things get pretty dicey with Chi in the apartment and the Super stopping by every so often.    All heck breaks out when an adult cat is spotted on the premises.    The Super is determined to track it down and put whoever owns it out of the apartment complex.   Someone leaves the sliding door ajar and while Chi is enjoying her bowl of food this huge monstrous looking cat, later dubbed, “bear cat,” stands menacingly in the door.   Chi’s mouth drops open so far in stunned fear that her food rolls out of her mouth and onto the floor.     She is paralyzed with fear as the bear cat shuffles in fearlessly, goes over to Chi’s bowl and eats her food up!  All of it!   Chi comes back to herself and starts hissing and hollering at the bear cat that is Chi’s food!   The bear cat hardly acknowledges Chi, continues to eat then takes its time to mozey out the door and through the hedge.   Chi doesn’t know which to be more of, angry or amazed.     She goes with angry and tries to tell the Yamadas about it.   All they keep talking about is how fast Chi ate up all of her food while she desperately is telling them she is starving because the bear cat came in and ate up all of her food.   Chi goes and lays down with tears in her eyes because she is so hungry and the Yamadas are enjoying great smelling food for dinner and she doesn’t get any because they think she is full because her bowl was empty.   Poor Chi.   I just want to hold her and love her – life is so unfair sometimes, then losing her Mommy and siblings because her curiousity lured her away from them.   So heartwrenching, Poor Baby.   The good news is Chi and the Bear Cat eventually become Buds through a lot of adventures but there is bad news, too.    Don’t want to blow the story for you so I will let you find out on your own, but, the climax will leave you dying to know more!    How does Chi’s life go from here?  Omgosh!!!!   I love this story and highly recommend it and the series.

Blue Dreams

Blue Dreams: The Science and the Story of the Drugs that Changed Our Minds by Lauren Slater      Audio Book:  13 hours and 33 mins.       Hardback Book:  416 pages     

Excellent book – well written – well researched, and lived by the author.   Very real and down-to-earth look into how drugs have evolved from common natural ingredients found in nature into the big business it is today with giant multi-gazillion dollar pharmaceutical companies wining and dining the medical profession with trips, bonuses, even paying for the children’s education in some case all to get support for marketing NEW drugs to replace Old drugs that may still be fine for solving medical issues but as in the fashion industry giant pharmas roll out new medications on the red carpet to replace last years cheaper offering.    Drugs come and go and ones that work fine are often dropped completely from being produced in order to produce new and different offerings most times more expensive with several side effects which offer opportunities to prescribe more drugs to counteract the side effects brought on by the other drug.   Pharmaceuticals are a cash cow and the trickle down effect is bribing call it what you will but if a pharmaceutical rep is offering a doctor presents for promoting a particular drug, sounds like bribing a baby to eat its vegetables with the promise of icecream to come after.   I was witness to this when I overhead a conversation a doctor I was seeing had in another room outside the door of the room I was in waiting for a check-up.   The rep. spoke eloquently about the drug they were giving samples of and telling her the essentially “gifts”  trips, etc. for promoting their drug of the day to the doctor’s patients.   I noted this conversation so I was not surprised when the doctor came in and after a minimal amount of time began to discuss the benefits of this new drug and how I would be given a prescription for it to try but the doctor was pretty sure this new script would be beneficial for my health and I would continue on it.   “Really?”   Knowing what I knew I declined.   But, how often are we patients led like that?   Way more often than we know, I’m sure.   How many procedures are performed unnecessarily other than the medical practitioner receives a car from whichever company is pushing that procedure to sell their wares.   They make it very lucrative to the medical profession for setting it up, for getting patients on a regimen including their latest trendy chemical compound.   It’s a case of what the customer doesn’t see, the cook gets away with all over again.  YIKES!!!  Even the Food and Drug Administration isn’t the watchdog over our safety as much as we think.    Money talks and that other stuff walks.    And we the unknowing public are left at the ethical mercy of those we put our trust in as medical professionals.   As in all things not everyone is careful, not everyone is up on all the information available and not everyone truly cares when it comes to you or their being able to lie on the beach on someone else’s tab.  You lose.   The public needs to do its homework.   Remember, doctors are not gods they are people who took classes that we didn’t and they know enough about a field that we have not thoroughly researched to make their best guess and their best promotional behavior to get us to go along with what they say.  Do your homework people!    Author Lauren Slater is an entertaining writer, you will enjoy her writing style, also being a psychologist herself and a person who suffers from depression she has her own list of pharmaceuticals and herbs she has partaken of over the years whether prescribed by physicians or self-subscribed.   She knows of which she speaks.   Very light-hearted and enjoyable read while getting down and dirty with the history  and use of psychotropic drugs.   Statistic – 1 in 5 Americans now takes at least one psychotropic drug and usually a cocktail of a mix of them.   Science really doesn’t understand why these drugs effect our brains the way they do, they just know they do and the public reacts positively to it.  This book offers a no B.S. look at narcotics and the invention, history and science behind them.   She discusses many who’s names are familiar, Prozac, Lithium, Thorazine, Ecstasy, Psilocybin – yes, even those magic mushrooms!    Really Excellent book told by someone who knows of what she speaks.   I would definetly recommend this book.

The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family and Flowers

The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family and Flowers by Marcia Gay Harden       Audio Book: 8 hours, 34 minutes      Hardback Book: 336 pages       

Bittersweet book written by actress, Marcia Gay Harden about her life  from growing up at home with her parents and siblings, later going into her mother’s bout with dementia and the toll it is taking on both of them.    She speaks so lovingly about her mother, she jokes about her father’s default word that he emphasized nearly every sentence with and certainly every conversation with several times.   Funny at times but always told with just a bit of melancholy.  From their early life living in Yokohama, Japan while her Dad who was a Naval Officer was stationed there during the Viet Nam War and the family went with him.    Her Mother left alone with the 5 Harden children looked for outlets for her creative streak and settled on Ikebana or the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging and became so proficient at it she gave lectures on it and taught classes.   Just before the Alzheimer’s kicked in, Marcia’s mother, Beverly had been planning on doing a cable tv show with Marcia on gardening and flower arranging she named, “Down the Garden Path.”   The two women were excited about the project then that hateful memory dissolving thing came to be and took the present memories away left no concept of future only stray memories from the past that could be brought out bringing smiles and nods even though Beverly no longer knows who Marcia is.   A journey through 2 gifted people’s lives told with joy, regret, sometimes with anger but always with love about a very present and all consuming beast that threatens all of us but the lucky few.   May medical science find a way to stop this disease from taking over the minds and lives of the elderly and even some not so elderly.   This book will bring tears to the eyes, there is such a deep longing to embrace what was and bring it back but Alzheimer’s is not forgiving and will not release those caught in its clutches.   Marcia Gay Harden says, “I just want my Mom back.”   How gut-wrenching that someone can be so lost in their mind, yet, be right in front of you.   It rips your heart out to know this person you love and would do anything for is asking for your help as they realize they are losing control of their faculties and it kills both you and them to know there is nothing you can do about it.    Like watching a drowning victim go down for the third time, yet, you are too far away and cannot free them nor help them return to shore.   My heart goes out to her and her mother.

Baby Teeth

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage               Audio Book:  11 hours, 6 mins.     Hardback Book:  320 pages                   

What a little demon this child is!   Yikes!   Great Book, it will elicit so many different reactions from the reader but it is so well written you won’t want to stop until you reach the end – it is that good.  It does live up to its suspense and yes quite often it is a horror show in the intensity of the actions that take place.    Everyone in this story has a little mental issue going on – each person in their own particular way.  It crosses many lines mixing a bit of mental psychosis with wiccan mystery, blend in multi-generational personality disorders with a father figure who is naïve and gullible, shake them all together and pour out a cauldronful of mental mayhem.    Perfect for this time of year, when the air begins to chill a bit as the days are growing shorter the scent of Fall is in the air and you can picture this tale of the woebegone and monsters under the bed who don’t hold a candle to the living being on top of it.    REALLY GOOD STORY but oh my gosh this kid is something else and that is the lightest thing I can say about her.    This story is gripping.   It will grab you and won’t let you go till you complete it.    Well done, Zoje Stage!   Yes, if you are a fan of scary mental asylum type fare that go in to the thinking process of the disturbed – you are going to love this book.   It was recommended to me by a friend and I am so glad she did.   Very good, I do recommend it.   This would make a terrific book club selection for October!

What Rich People Know And Desperately Want to Keep Secret

What Rich People Know And Desperately Want to Keep Secret By Brian Sher 251 pages

Reviewed by Rae C.

This is a great book! The title is completely misleading, but also great marketing- it makes you want to pick it up and find out what the secrets are!  The book should really be titled “What Successful, Ethical Businesses Know And Are Happy To Share”.  I’ve worked for a lot of small businesses, and many people are just buying themselves a job, or just want to the boss, or are really nothing more than hobbyists or dreamers with no understanding of how to run a business.  In other words, someone who loves to cook and opens a restaurant is not a business person.  This is why most small businesses fail.

If you want to start a business because you want to create a successful enterprise, become a leader in your field, and develop both customers and employees, this is a great place to start.

The book grabbed me because I opened it to the part about the importance of employees- they are just as important as customers.  Too many business people do not consider the knowledge the employee has of the customer, the work environment, and/or the product.  Sher advises consulting employees, developing relationships with employees, and respecting workers.  “Hire Giants, not Dwarves.” “Delegate, don’t try to do everything yourself.”

A successful business develops systems.  He uses McDonald’s as example.  Business owners should be able to set up systems and train other people to follow those systems.  Many small businesses never bother to set up systems, and rely on long term employees or third party contractors.  This does not lead to success.

His instructions on advertising and the actual value of a long term customer is invaluable.  Don’t spend money on advertising unless you know it is going to pay off, and follow his formula for assessing the actual cost of advertising.  Pay attention to the profit from an average sale, and how often a customer purchases from you.

I recommend this book to all business owners and to all aspiring entrepreneurs.