Grave Peril

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher    378 pages

Probably the most moving storylines I imagine that will come of this series.   This one tears at Harry Dresden's heart.   The nightmare ghosts don't hold a candle to what is going on with the vampires and just how far far will a girl go to get a story?   A photographer once said, you have to get close to get the photo but if you get too close, you die.   Good story.   I recommend this series whole heartedly.

 - Shirley J.

The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson

The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson     Audiobook: 11hrs,, 47 mins    Hardback Book:  400 pages

Excellent book!  I had to make myself put it down to go to sleep while listening.   The facts and historical documentation is so detailed and takes into account the actual events, the facts on the case, the suppositions of many of the town folk, relatives and friends, the gossip, the court transcripts - this is such a fascinating read.   Cara Robertson brings the story of Lizzie Borden and her family to life for the reader/listener in such a way as you are mesmerized by what took place.   So much more comes out here than any one following case will have learned before it is like she is using a laser to cut through to the meat of what transpired.   Every new detail gives more depth to the people and what transpired and how it ended up the way it did.   There is so much to the event than has come to light before.    I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the case, to all amateur sleuths who will be introduced to so many new facts and testimony, to those who love murder myteries, to those who love true crime stories and to anyone looking for a pageturner that is gripping.   Caution this story will hold your interest so deeply you won't want to stop till you get to the end and may have to force yourself to stop for rest and sustenance.   Excellent!   Bravo Cara Robertson.

Unleash the Power of the Female Brain

Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focuas and Sex by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.     Audio Book: 12 hours, 13 minutes    Hardback Book:  416 pages

Having grown up in a home with a mother and five sisters,  Dr. Amen has observed many amazing differences in the way that women perceive the world both as it pertains to them and how they relate to the outside world.    In his clinical studies of the brain later in life he developed a program specifically for women that points out the stuff in life that is bad for our brains and makes us foggy minded, sluggish, prone to foul moods, etc. that will make women and men (if they are open minded enough to try his program),  healthier, more energetic, more engaged in their home, work and social lives, more involved romantically and sexually with their partners, help reduce weight and body mass, improve sleep and relaxation reduce stress and relieve anxiety.   Sign me up.   All that Dr. Amen relates is doable and easy to follow.   He inspires his readers/listeners to want to be take better care of their brains for longevity and it can be done in 3 simple steps.   Eat better and choose to avoid caffeinated drinks, Sleep more - no less than 7 hours per night and preferably 8-9 hours for maximum benefit and meditate daily and as often as you can to calm your senses and by being more rested you will be better able to cope with the multiple stresses that arise throughout any given 24 hour period.   He gives such great advice that I want to run out and buy every grocery item he recommends.   He also goes into the use of healthy supplements what they do, what they are and how best you can use them for maximum benefit.   This is a great book that is very user friendly.    He offers such terrific insight that I would recommend this book to middle-schoolers on up so kids can learn early how best to treat their brains throughout their lives to avoid Alzheimers, dementia, wrinkles and more that while associated by mainstream media with growing older they do not have to be a part of our lives if we follow his simple way to be good to our brains and therefore our bodies.   GREAT  BOOK.  Any one at any age can learn from this book and undo the damage we don't even realize we are doing to ourselves: 0 high cholesterol, Diabetes, veins that turn brittle and break or fill with plaque to the point of stroke and worse.   Wonderful tips on brain health.   I highly recommend this one.

Sacred Duty: A Soldier's Tour at Arlington National Cemetery

Sacred Duty: A Soldier's Tour at Arlington National Cemetery by Tom Cotton 
Audio Book:  8 hours, 30 mins.    Hardback Book:  320 pages 

Author, Senator Tom Cotton has done combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was a platoon leader with the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment or "Old Guard," as it is referred to.   The Old Guard is famous for its 24/7 patrolling of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and its watch over Arlington National Cemetery.    Not just a ceremonial nor fallen honors regiment, the Old Guard is an active military unit and has been called up to duty now and then in various skirmishes/wars over the years since it came into existence.    The Old Guard escorts the sitting President, they also march in funeral processions for various fallen Presidents and dignitaries .  They do the graveside folding of the flag and distributing it to mothers, widows, etc. as well as carrying caskets arriving back home from plane to plane and/or they carry remains directly to the waiting limousine.   Regardless of the weather the sentinels as they are called endure extreme heat and cold, they stand firm in torrential rains and endure the weight of the American flag even during wind storms.   They work 26 hour shifts at Arlington then on their off days they spend a lot of time repairing their uniforms.    It is a grueling task but all members take fierce pride in all their accomplishments to be strong and do their best to uphold the duty they are honored to serve.    This was a telling of how the regiment began, ceremonies since their beginning that they have attended, an introduction to some of the special events they participated in and some of the most serious events in our nation's history and what role the Old Guard played at every step along the way.  When I first started this audio book I wondered what would be told and I found it to a fascinating glimpse into history and some up close impressions of their side, their lives, who they and their families are and the sincerity they put into every aspect of their daily tasks.   A wonderful book.   I recommend this one to ages Middle School through the aged.  We can all learn from the fortitude of these dear soldiers.

Grow Wherever You Work

Grow Wherever You Work: Straight Talk to Help with Your Toughest Challenges by Joanna Barsh
Audio Book:  8 hrs., 47 mins.       Hardback Book:  272 pages       

A good manual that all workers would do well to read.   It doesn't deny that bad things will happen nor that colossal screw ups will suddenly disappear.  Instead, this book tells you the many mistakes well known entrepreneurs have made as well as middle managers and first liners and offers suggestions and lessons learned to help the worker come back from them.   The book discusses job pressure and how to de-stress instead of distressing.   How to use poor reviews to your advantage.  It tells you how to deal with all those Eddie Haskells on the job that shine brightly with doe eyes when the boss is around then treats their co-workers like crap when the boss isn't around.   It teaches you how to go for it and challenge yourself with a little motivational risk taking.  How to put the pieces back together when things get out of control and rein them back in.   And yes, how to know when it is time to move on.    Lots of ideas and solutions to nagging job issues from workers at all levels and from various different backgrounds and skill levels.   Helps workers to see the opportunities in what at first appears a gut-wrenching problem.  Defines challenges as career and esteem builders and how no matter who you are you can or where you work you can grow where you work by believing in yourself and setting your own path toward achieving your goals.   Excellent book.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers who need to know the realities they will face one day in the workplace all the way through those who are in their earning years and yes those in the retirement years so they can offer wisdom to their family members those workers coming behind them. 

A Nearly Normal Family

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson        PlayAway:  12 hrs., 30 mins. 
Paperback Book: 432 pages   

Who is guilty and who isn't?   A murder mystery with lots of twists and thrills.   How far would you go as a parent to save your child?     How deep are the bonds of friendship?    Mix a pastor, two criminal lawyers and two teenagers together and see what kind of stew you come up with.   This was a very good book, one of those that makes you smack yourself in the head and say, "No, they didn't!"  You will think you have it all figured out but every one has a motive and all appear guilty.   Remember, it is not over till its over.  (Big cheshire cat grin.)   Excellent book.   Well done.   You won't want to stop reading/listening until the end at which point you will say, "Whoa!"   Throughout you will catch yourself saying, "I didn't see that coming."   Really good who done it.   I highly recommend this one to all ages- it will give youngsters a little eye opener on being so trusting of other people and it will hit home with adults wondering just how far would you go for a loved one? 

This Chair Rocks

This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite     Audio Book:  8 hrs, 45 min
Paperback Book:  320 pages     

Great book.   It really is spot on with the disrespect and disdain older members of our Western Society are subjected to.    Marketing favors the young and kicks older people to the curb or tries to.    The elderly are marginalized and pushed out of the mainstream.   It is a very real form of bias and prejudice like hating on the overweight,  hating people because of the color of their skin or because they are homeless.   So many forms of hate these days and all due to one group feeling superior to another.   Not fair, Not right.  And yet, it continues.    Ashton Applewhite pretty much went along with all the prejudicial talk until she became a senior citizen.    Then she began to pick up on all of the cues from the people surrounding her, society wants the elderly to sit down and get out of their way-the world is evolving into sectors  - the young who see no reason to keep the elderly people viable - just stick them away somewhere, medicate them or euthanize them with the cost of their medical bills it is draining what social security might be left.    The other side, the more Eastern philosophy on aging parents, grandparents, etc. is far more content to keep multi-generations alive and well and all living in one home.   Elders are people with lots of wisdom and experience though some younger members of society feel by elders continuing to work they are taking jobs away from young people who need them.   However, with science improving medical care and procedures all the time, people are tending to live longer and in order to live well many older members of society need to work to sustain themselves as not everyone is able to save nor to invest for their futures.   With the advent of viagra, etc. older people are living happier sexual lives well into their 80s with potential for 90s which is the new 60 for many physically fit and sound minded folk.   Disrespecting the elders of society is a form of bullying and certainly a hate crime like any similar acts carried out on gay, ethnic, followers of all religions, etc.    Elders are not burdens to society but contributors to it.   Ashton Applewhite is an Age Activist and is diligently working to bring about awareness of the treatment of and working to break the stereotypes associated with the older people on this planet.    She wants the world to practice AGE PRIDE and asks the readers of this book to do their part to educate the masses on the value of older people and not to deny their right to live well alongside every age.   I highly recommend this book to young and old.   Young people will never look at the elderly the same way agai

n nor will elderly who read this see themselves as anything other than vibrant and phenomenal. 

The Enemy of the People:

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The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to the Truth in America by Jim Acosta   
Audio Book:  10 hrs., 3 mins    Hardback Book:  368 pages   
Genre:  Adult Non-Fiction   the Press, Telling the Truth in the media under a political agenda citing everything unpleasant about them as fake news

Really good book.    Jim Acosta, CNN's Chief White House Correspondent has weathered some really tough accusations and came out standing tall and strong.   Never giving up and never giving way to bullying and lies, Jim Acosta has made many enemies throughout his career by telling the what and why of things in an age of misdirection of the truth.   When politicians play fast and loose with what they believe to be pliable truth, that is truth that can be molded like play dough and think the public isn't paying attention anyway, Jim Acosta called them on it and asked the hard questions that made them flinch and go into avoidance mode.   When Donald Trump was elected President things really began to go off in an unheard of direction.  FAKE NEWS!   At first Acosta and the other reporters were offended but it kept getting worse to the point reporters in this country are actually being threatened and assaulted by Trump followers and when on location at Trump rallies the media is being shouted down with accusations from the crowd of FAKE NEWS and worse.   Jim Acosta has had rocks and more hurled at him, death threats at work, home and via email.   He has been black listed from the White House, his press credentials and White House access pulled - he fought it in court and got it back due to the illegality of how it was done.   He is most often ignored by the President when trying to ask questions during press conferences though he has learned to stand up and ask them anyway even when Donald Trump says, 'NOT YOU!"   He often mentions throughout the book that regimes that control the press control everything that is said and there is no freedom of speech allowed.  Jim Costa avows he will stand up for what is right and the truth and tell the people the truth in his reporting which has earned him another Donald Trump admonishment.   Donald Trump told Jim Acosta he was the Enemy of the People for reporting FAKE NEWS.   A very well written book showing what goes on in the press world-wide, historical facts, as well as much current information.  A battle of the wills - he and the Donald are like the bantering and body slamming that goes in the WWE.    A worthy read for anyone interested in how news is related, manipulated, and presented.  I highly recommend this one.

The Latte Factor

The Latte Factor:  Why You Don't Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach     

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Audio Book: 3 hrs.,  59 mins       Hardback Book:  160 pages      

This book is told in a story form, but, as Jesus with the parables, it delivers a lot of helpful information in an understandable way.    Difficult to understand financial information is presented in a smooth easy to follow format.   Zooey a 20 something young gal who has no thought of how she spends her money, no understanding of why she is always broke and no plan for her future self to get by in old age - no one stays young forever.   Responsibilities, credit card and student loan debt, she just wants to hide and let someone else take care of her.   Her paycheck doesn't stretch far enough to cover it all though she is working at her dream job.   Her boss nudges her toward a wise sage that works at a coffee shop who teaches her the three secrets to financial freedom and from whom she learns she already makes enough to secure her financial future with just a few doable tweaks here and there.   And best of all - it is never too late to reach for your financial dreams - hello Baby Boomers!  Yes, I recommend this book, a different way to look at your finances that leaves a nice minty taste in your mouth not a bitter this is way over my head one.

The Targeter: My Life in the CIA

The Targeter:  My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House by Nada Bakos          Audio Book: 10 hours, 42 minutes     Hardback Book:  368 pages 

A good book it is the true life story of Nada Bakos who grew up in Montana and moved to Washington D.C. to join the CIA.   In her work as an analyst she and her team tracked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from his terrorist activities with Osama Ben Laden to his death at the hands of American Special Ops.   She takes you through the academy at Langley all the way to her stint on the ground with troops in Iraq to get a better understanding of the people and the situations being dealt with.   She takes you deep inside the inner workings of the CIA and how they go about getting into the head of the terrorists, how the seemingly invisible can be located, really interesting stuff to be learned here.  I would certainly recommend this one - very illuminating.

Wild Boy

Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones       Audio Book:  5 hours, 46 minutes     Hardback Book:  304 pages
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I enjoyed this book a lot.   I am a fan of carnivals, circuses and yes the mysteries that lie beyond that P.T. Barnum flair for the unusual and exotic.    Though this is categorized as YA, it is written in a very adult manner and some of the descriptions of muck in its many forms strike me as a lot more detailed than a young adult reader might be ready for, but, then again...  Extraordinary people are fascinating to me, too, and there is a Duke's mixture of characters with amazing and unique bodies and skills  throughout the story.   There is a lot here that will remind the reader of the Elephant Man story or at least it did me, though, this lead character has loads of body and facial hair rather than the gigantic tumors John Merrick was born with.  Wild Boy is mistreated and abused but like John Merrick there is nothing wrong with his mind, he just feels he has to accept the life he is forced into because - where could he go?   There are scientists working on a major invention that will change people and lots of evil occurs to try to gain control of the device.   Where once enemies fought like tigers now they become first friendly enemies then something more closer to real friends bordering on what could turn to romance.   Lots of murders and mysterious clues and a very fun read.   The reader will try to figure it out from beginning to end.   I do recommend this book to all ages it is a fun read if a little graphic at times.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose            Audiobook:  21 hrs., 40 mins        Paperback Book:  521 pages


President Thomas Jefferson hand selected Meriwether Lewis to take on the role of Commander of the expedition that was given the directive to find a straight through trade route from the Mississippi River all the way across to the Pacific Ocean.   No one had ever attempted such a potentially perilous journey before.   The land was wild and raw, there were who knew what creatures lurking in forests along the way not to mention the threat of possibly hostile Indian tribes still living on the plains.   Jefferson was an expansionist and wanted the land to add to the country's area and also to stave off threats from warring countries, Britain, France and Spain.   Jefferson commissioned Lewis, who he thought very highly of and had even mentored Lewis in his own home prior to giving him such a worthy calling.   Jefferson admired and loved Lewis like a son and thought no man better to be trusted with such a fine purpose.   Lewis drew together a band of men he trusted implicitly and they camped together in St. Louis, St. Charles and Alton gathering provisions, honing their survival skills and getting to know each other well until the day came they were ready to begin their journey.   Jefferson gave Lewis promissory letters signed personally by him to show to any and all traders/vendors along the way they would need to get supplies from saying the government would fund their excursion from start to finish.   It took them 2 years from 1803 to 1805 into 1806 to complete their journey both Lewis and William Clark noting their experiences, local flora and fauna they encountered, even sending back samples from time to time and maps Clark made of the terrain they endured in their adventures along the Missouri to the Snake River and on to the Pacific Ocean.   This book is written in such a true form, noting dispositions of all the people involved, introducing the reader to each so well that they come alive.   Lewis tells such detail of hardships they went through and it gives you a clue to how extremely hard this trip had to be from the viewpoint of those who were there.   Sacajawea gave birth to her son while on the way.   She had to be there (the only woman for most of the trip) in order to communicate with the tribes along the way as she could speak or decipher most of the tribal languages, malaria was a big issue for the troupe and came back on them even after they thought they were cured.   Lewis served as medic for everyone and had so thoroughly planned out provisions and medicines he expected they would need for the trip that they managed to make it with what they had brought with occasional herbs and berries, etc. Sacajawea introduced for healing.   You will learn so many things from these diary entries it is really amazing they survived.   And I learned a surprising fact I don't remember ever hearing before, Meriwether Lewis was manic depressive and attempted taking his own life several times until he finally succeeded.    Yes, I would recommend this book very highly,  it is an exceptional account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and a look at what America was like when it was still pristine.

Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis

Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond      Audio Book:  18 hrs., 41 mins
Hard Back Book:  512 pages              Genre: Political History

I did not realize until after I had finished this book that it is actually the third in a trilogy, the first two books being, "Guns, Germs and Steel," and "Collapse."  It did not occur to me while listening to it on CD as it seemed like a stand alone book doing a comparative study on seven countries and the United States and seemed to have its own beginning and future speculations.   I may have to go back and pick up the other two as Jared Diamond is a fascinating historian and political analyst.   He gives the topics a lot more information because he actually lived in 5 of the 7 countries he discusses which are:  Japan, Indonesia, Germany, Austria, Finland (and a bit on Iceland), the then Soviet Union, and Chile, he is also fluent in the languages of the countries he spent significant time in.    He is one of those story tellers who peppers his own experiences politically, as a resident and as a foreigner which gives him insight into the cultures and the times in such a genuine way he literally takes you along with him as he describes the times he was there and what was happening.   Then he uses his knowledge and experiences to discuss ways that the other countries found solutions to or failed in finding workable answers to their ongoing problems.   He discusses way they fixed or tried to fix or totally ignored any type of change, the outcome and what could have been done differently and sites several possible outcomes of each of his conclusions.   He later discusses challenges that the United States faces and what measures are being taken, considered or ignored to change for the better.    He is a very savvy soul and I found his sharing of experiences and his take on what is going on what the fix or fixes could be world-wide, new issues to be faced profound and I hope he is being included in think tanks and symposiums around the world that will put his suggestions and ideas into feasible plans.    Good book.   Great listen.   I would highly recommend this book as it will illuminate a lot of historical facts that you won't have learned in school.   He is brutally honest in his observations and speaks the truth as he sees it and names names.   This book will definetly add a few new wrinkles to your brain from all that you will learn here.   Really reader friendly nothing lofty, very down to earth like reading top secret documents finally released to the public.   GOOD BOOK.

The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life

The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks     AudioBook:  13 hours   Hardback Book: 384 pages               

I take away from this book that Brooks does a lot of grousing.   He often points to his Jewish heritage and upbringing then he juxtaposes that against the fact he grew up in a Protest neighborhood and attended Christian schools and activities and had many Christian friends all also influencing his life.    He comes back many times during the first part of the book to his being an atheist yet, throughout the book he quotes the Torah sometimes and more often the Bible and applies it to his life and the situations he finds himself or other people in.   His analogy of the two mountains is the first mountain is humans doing what society tells us we want - a good job, friends, and to make our mark in the world but, the second mountain is us attaining our climb to the top of the first mountain, looking around and saying, "Is that all there is?   There must be more to life that fulfilling the obligations others put upon us.   When do we get to do what we want?   When do we explore our own beliefs and follow our own drams instead of what others see for us?"   His book is his grappling with his second mountain - struggling and overcoming all the obstacles blocking his way to obtaining his own realizations for what he wants in life.   His premise is his struggle is the same for everyone - finding what you believe in, finding relationships that work for you on your terms. finding fulfilling work to occupy ourselves and sustain us and making a way so that it all works in tandem as a moral uplifting life.    He offers some thought provoking concepts once you wade through all his back and forth on religion and its teachings.    He comes out being a very Messianic Jew (a Jew that believes in Jesus as the Christ not simply a prophet) and whatever he thinks he is saying I believe the seeds of Christianity are planted within him.    There are some nuggets of learning to be had here once you get past or totally ignore his wrestling match with what he believes.

 - Shirley J

The Last Book Party

The Last Book Party by Karen DuKess      Audio Book: 6 hours, 30 mins.     Hardback Book:  256 pages        

Eve Rosen is trying to make her way in life and find herself along the journey.   Bored with her job,  in the shadow of her brilliant brother she is trying to make her place in the world.    As we all do, she encounters a lot of joy, frustration, enamour and disillusionment along the way.   Lucking into a position as assistant to a famous writer she spends the summer of 1987 in Cape Cod.   She also finds love with the writers son and the writer - for a girl searching for excitement she ends up tangled up in way more than she planned for.   The writer's wife is a famous poet and she and he throw their famous book party every year where guests come dressed as literary characters with part of the fun being guessing who everyone is portraying.   As the girl is torn between those who are genuine and those who she cannot understand or chooses not to see for what they really are, the plot thickens.   Friends or allies at least appear with unlikely timing and things revealed serve to bring all she thinks she wants and believes (or decieves herself) to a humiliating end.   Things are never as we glorify them to be and the lesson of doing so is tragic when it smacks us in the face.    An O.K. book.  Would I recomemmend it?   I don't think so.   The reader pretty much knew what was going to happen every where along the way - no surprises.   The writing and dialogue were good but I found this to be a book I could easily put down and pick up again days later.   It didn't hold my interest enough though I kept hoping.

 - Shirley J

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life:  Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Audio Book: ( hours, 9 minutes      Hardback Book 416 pages     


Dr. Dyer offers honey to the soul of the reader/listener of this great book.   He delivers the teachings of Lao-tzu, 81 verses that pretty much sum up the path to living in harmony with your higher power, life, nature, our fellow travellers.   He speaks with an authority whether speaking the words of Jesus who he quotes throughout and Chinese wise man, Lao-tzu.   He quotes the Bible and the Tao Te Ching.    Dr. Dyer made a study of each of the 81 verses of the Tao turning each verse into a study on the life principles it expands upon.    He is also a Bible scholar because he can quote Jesus' teachings and life lessons beautifully and thoroughly sharing the wisdom of both biblical teaching and the lessons of the Tao.   This is a magnificent blending bringing two spiritual paths together and sharing the betterment of man gleaned from each as they compliment one another though delivered in different centuries and diverse parts of the world Lao-tzu in China 500 years before Jesus bringing the good news to man 500 years later in Israel.    Dr. Dyer's essays are fire and ice the perfect blending of the two as if the truth of the ages opens before the reader with the fire of spirit filled zeal and the cool nature that makes it tolerable to the psyche of man.   Hard truths are laid open in an easy to comprehend manner and the reader will literally experience the joy of understanding the wisdom of the ages brought in humble and simplistic language broken down often in parables that the reader may understand and marvel.   An amazing spiritual experience I cannot begin to say enough good things about.   A worthy read for every one regardless of faith.  An explanation as to why we think we are so different from one another when we are really very much alike.   Words that will touch your heart, mind and soul.   WOW!

Remember It!

Remember It!:  The Names of People You Meet, All of Your Passwords, Where You Left Your Keys, and  Everything Else You Tend To Forget by Nelson Dellis             Audio Book: 6 hours, 48 minutes
Paperback book:  240 pages     


Nelson Dellis does have an amusing way of memorizing things.   It is based heavily on math  but also on the most extreme of absurd images that can be so gross and literally shocking like OMgosh! shocking that the bizzarre sometimes horrendous images will virtually stick in your memory.  We are talking slasher film stuff here ladies and gentlemen.  Now while I get it that those images will certainly remain in your brain, the sheer OMgosh! quality is a little bracing.    It works great for Nelson but, I would have to tone mine waaaaaaay down to what his are. YIKES!    It is a fun read.  The guy is after all a major world contender for memory competition and has memorized up to like every person's name at every party and event he goes to which is wild.    He does present his tactics for never forgetting another thing in fun ways just sometimes his imagery sort of hits you right between the eyes.   The guy is good and I highly recommend readers do give this one your full attention you will be glad you did - just prepare yourself for some shocking means of associating names, place, locations, lists, to dos, ad infinitum but, maybe that is the brillance of left brain thinking.    The man is a genius and aren't all geniuses ever so remotely "eccentric?"   Good book, your brain will feel like it has been scrubbed and cleaned and you will never forget a thing you commit to memory with these techniques.  I do recommend this book to anyone seriously looking to improve their memory.

The Enchanted Hour

The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon

Audio Book: 7 hours, 54 minutes     Hardback Book:  304 pages       

This book will tell the reader that reading aloud makes you smarter - let's all do it!   I enjoy reading aloud be it stories to youngsters, or particularly moving literature or plays where I can assume the character telling the tale,  mimic the dialect of a foreign tongue - I have always loved dialects - or assuming the role of one of Shakespeare's many faceted characters.   I love reading aloud.  Always have since I was a kid.   In fact, as adults, sitting around the table in the kitchen my older brother and I would play out radio announcer Walter Winchell's famous often quoted words from WWII, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea..." when our Mom would start reading to us news stories from the newspaper she wanted to share with us.  Mom loved reading out loud, too.   We would tease her about it, but, we loved hearing her even as adults and what I wouldn't give to hear her read me an article she found interesting today.   The book goes on to say that reading aloud makes both adults and children happier, too, well that was also proven by Mom's reading to us and also satisfying to take time out to read aloud myself, some books just lend themselves to it.   You do feel better for reading aloud even if only to yourself.   The book goes further, it also states and backs up with studies, stats, others experiences and the writer's own to prove that reading aloud makes you more successful and healthier as neurological and behavioral science shows.   It is a feel good experience.in an age of extreme technology in the hands of the common human.    It can be a learning experience or a sharing experience but always a creative and imaginative experience.    Reading aloud crosses all barriers, rich/poor, young/old regardless one's nationality or upbringing reading aloud is a universally pleasant (o.k. maybe not for the extremely shy, though, they may blossom if reading aloud alone).   As our cell phones and ipads and multi-technological gizmos draw us into more introspective personnas, reading aloud frees the spirit within.   It cleanses the soul if you will and draws us close to one another again as technology pulls us further and further physically from one another.    It teaches us not only vocabulary but to love the language of our and other's cultures.   Reading aloud is a gift we can give ourself that bestows so many feel good benefits we should all read aloud whenever the chance offers itself.   This is a very good book with so much to teach.   I highly recommend it to anyone, any age and get the book version so you can read it aloud or the audio version so you can enjoy being read to.   Good book.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie       Audio Book:  10 hours, 8 minutes      Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages   

TImeless and great book, though written in the early part of the 20th century, this book has such value as a priceless gem of knowledge today and for tomorrows yet to come.    Times and technology change but people stay very similar to what humankind has always been.   Humans have problems and worry and that has been a mainstay since primitive man had to find food and sustain life.   Carnegie teaches readers to explore and enjoy their uniqueness.  He teaches how getting more rest increase your productivity, he offers brilliant solutions on how to stop  worrying about everything from work to finances and beyond.     And his teachings are so simple to understand and follow thru with.   He is such a great life coach.   He cites examples, he offers information on how well known and not so well known people have found ways to impact their lives for the better following life principles that just make sense - common sense and are so easily implemented.    Bravo.   We all need to read this book!   A fountain of knowledge to be found in these pages.  Ageless great information!

 - Shirley J

The Daughter's Tale

The Daughter's Tale: A Novel by Armando Lucas Correa     Audio Book:  9 hours, 8 mins       Hardback Book:  320pages     

Good Book.   One I couldn't put down.   A tragedy.   A Jewish family torn apart by the SS coming into the town.   First the father, a heart surgeon, who refuses to leave and take his family to safer shores because he does not want to leave his patients.   A mother left with 2 daughters and the stigma of being Jewish under Nazi rule.    It is told with such deep emotion that the reader will be touched by the multitude of horrific acts occurring.   The mother in the story has the great opportunity to save her daughters from the life she has endured but at the last minute chooses only to save the one leaving her all alone sailing away to an Uncle she has never met asking another passenger to please keep an eye on her 6 year old daughter.   For what reason I cannot understand she keeps the youngest daughter with her and the girl's life becomes a travesty of abuse.  It never made sense to me to force one girl to face the world alone and terrified then keeping the other girl seeing clearly the writing on the wall of where and how life was going to go.   The story is so good but like watching a trainwreck you know how it is going to go but you cannot turn away,.  The hard times may make you strong, but, why force one to endure hard times when there was a chance for escape.   At the end of the story I still did not forgive that woman for denying one daughter her freedom thereby sentencing her to the whims of Jew hating Nazis.   I can't even justify the act by the mother being self-ish and wanting to keep her, because, she never seemed love her overly much.   There are many things that come to light in this story and it is gripping.   Well written.  I would highly recommend this story to all who enjoy stories from WWII from Middle Schoolers on up,.   The tragic lives will stay with young readers and adults.    A good look at people enduring WWII.