Monday, August 29, 2016

Review: The St. Lucia Island Club: A John Le Brun Novel, Book 5

The St. Lucia Island Club: A John Le Brun Novel, Book 5 The St. Lucia Island Club: A John Le Brun Novel, Book 5 by Brent Monahan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I like this publisher and this sounded interesting so I wanted to give this a read but it really just wasn't my thing. If I were more a fan of mysteries, I might have enjoyed this more but I didn't love it. That said, the writing is very good and there's a lot of interesting history that the author obviously spent a lot of time researching to make accurate. You also don't need to have read the previous books in the series to follow this one. So, not for me but if you enjoy the genre you will probably love this.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from the publisher.

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Review: Above: Broken Sky Chronicles, Book 2

Above: Broken Sky Chronicles, Book 2 Above: Broken Sky Chronicles, Book 2 by Jason Chabot
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 as it's in medias res. These middle stories never seem to be quite as good as the beginning and the end even if the narrative does move nicely along. And this book is still very good. The action is original and the characters continue to develop in interesting ways. It just makes me long for the next book more and I know there will be a long wait.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from the publisher.

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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Review: The St. Lucia Island Club: A John Le Brun Novel, Book 5

The St. Lucia Island Club: A John Le Brun Novel, Book 5 The St. Lucia Island Club: A John Le Brun Novel, Book 5 by Brent Monahan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I like this publisher and this sounded interesting so I wanted to give this a read but it really just wasn't my thing. If I were more a fan of mysteries, I might have enjoyed this more but I didn't love it. That said, the writing is very good and there's a lot of interesting history that the author obviously spent a lot of time researching to make accurate. You also don't need to have read the previous books in the series to follow this one. So, not for me but if you enjoy the genre you will probably love this.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from the publisher.

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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Review: A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches

A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches by Tyler Kord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never thought I would read a synopsis for a cookbook and think, "hey, that sounds entertaining." This really was though. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud (LOL for you youngsters) reading a cookbook before but this was really funny. I'm really curious to try out some of the recipes because they are so unique but I'm pretty lazy when it comes to sandwich cooking so I'm not sure when I'll get around to it. Probably when I want to impress someone with an obscure and fancy portable meal. I will update you and let you know how that goes.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from bloggingforbooks.com.

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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Review: Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel

Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel by Dan Slater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like the drug cartel problem in Mexico and on the American side of the border is something that is extremely underreported. You hear a story every once in a while when something really shocking happens and the media gets wind of it but this is a daily problem in this area. It's really easy to forget how bad it is when you don't hear about it all that often. When you do, it's terrifying. This book was really well written. It's so insightful I had a hard time putting it down. If you want to open your eyes and get a glimpse of what's going on, read this book.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received through GoodReads Giveaways.

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Sunday, August 14, 2016

Review: The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think

The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think by Brian Hare
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There's a lot of science and historical research that went in to this book, it's interesting for that. I felt like it spent more time on back story than answering why and how dogs are the way they are. Which, in a way, does answer the question. It's just not what I was expecting I guess.

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Friday, August 12, 2016

Review: The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories

The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories by Patrick Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Just to get this out of the way, aside from all the stories taking place near Cape Canaveral this book didn't really have much to do with astronauts. I'm not normally a fan of short stories but these were actually quite lovely. They were a bit sad and wistful, but still lovely. I don't really know how else to describe them other than they could have been the stories of any random group of people but they are just wonderfully rendered.

This review is in exchange for a free copy obtained through GoodReads Giveaways.

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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this 3 stars only because it was fun to be back in this world. It didn't really add anything to the series.

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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Review: Below

Below Below by Jason Chabot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a wonderful new world this author has created! It's a great combination of sci-fi, historical and future world novels (how does that happen?!), with the accessability of a YA style. What a fun read, I really did not want to put it down. I don't feel like this was intentional, but I think this book would really latch on to all the Pokemon Go fans as there are some unusual animals and the male protagonist has a really nice relationship with them. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from the

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Sunday, August 7, 2016

Review: The 7-Day Back Pain Cure

The 7-Day Back Pain Cure The 7-Day Back Pain Cure by Jesse Cannone
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I saw an ad for this, I got it for the cost of shipping (it's probably still available at that cost). I pulled it out of my TBR pile today because my back has really been causing me a lot of pain lately. The first half of the book has a lot of common sense to it and I found myself nodding a lot and identifying with most of what the author had to say. I gave this book 2 stars because the remainder of the book is basically advertisements for the author's products that are not all that cheap. The main thing is a back care system that runs $47 for an all digital version and $97 for the dvds. Although I'm turned off by his marketing scheme of reeling in people with a book that doesn't solve problems but refers you to more product, I may buy his system anyway because I could identify so completely and am really tired of my back problems.

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Saturday, August 6, 2016

Review: The Sunlight Pilgrims

The Sunlight Pilgrims The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The whole setting of the apocalyptic snowstorm felt a bit gimmicky since it wasn't really a factor in driving the plot. This is a character story and these events could have happened anywhere under many different circumstances. That said, the characters were interesting but not really interesting enough to hold the story together. She should have picked one instead of dividing her time between two narrators, it might have fleshed out better. I wouldn't have you think this is a horrible book, it's not. It's just not all that impressive.

This review is in exchange for a free copy from Bloggingforbooks.com.

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Thursday, August 4, 2016

Review: Fitness After 40: Your Strong Body at 40, 50, 60, and Beyond

Fitness After 40: Your Strong Body at 40, 50, 60, and Beyond Fitness After 40: Your Strong Body at 40, 50, 60, and Beyond by Vonda Wright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are some good exercises in here and some sound nutritional advice but not much that I haven't read or seen elsewhere. I thought there would be more drastically different advice based on age but there really wasn't, other than injury awareness.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.

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