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Author Diane Munier introduces us to Darnay Road: Starts out in summer of 1963. Sweet little ten-year-old Catholic school girl Georgia Christine meets eleven-year-old smoker with armpit hair who really does live on the wrong side of the tracks Easy. She and Abigail May are mystery solvers, The Darnay Spies, in their spare time, and Easy Caghan (E.C.) and his brother Cap will keep these two little ladies on their sleuthing toes. Darnay Road leads them into a future where their childish friendship blooms into love. Will the Vietnam War be the one challenge they can’t overcome?  Diane is one of my favorite authors. I love her writing style. She makes very effective use of the First Person POV. I was greatly excited and honored when she asked me to proofread this book. I was not disappointed in the least by Darnay Road. Diane has such a deft touch when she describes the inner thoughts of her characters. Her descriptions of locales, daily activities and the general milieu in her books are top notch. Growing up in the 60’s was not easy for many people; the societal upheaval was intense. Diane’s characterization of the boys and girls growing up in tumultuous times is uncannily accurate. I grew up in the same era. You are going to love this book for so many reasons just like me. Darnay Road gets 5 STARS!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Darnay-Road-Diane-Munier-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Darnay-Road-Diane-Munier-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25380215-darnay-road You can follow Diane Munier: https://twitter.com/dianemunier https://dianemunier.com/ https://www.facebook.com/dianemunierauthor You can contact Diane Munier: mailto:[email protected] Teen, YA, romance, coming of age, historical, American Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Author Michelle Path introduces us to Sham Subterranean, Lady Amaranth and the Nightly Shades: When Jake falls through a puddle, he finds himself back in the strange, mystical land of Subterranea once again. This time he is met by a flowery creature called Lady Amaranth, and Sham is nowhere in sight. Jake is immediately whisked off to a castle by his new flower friend. Once there, he soon finds out that Sham has been kidnapped by the villainous King Shade and his army! Along with Lady Amaranth and some strange creatures known as tweetles, Jake embarks on a journey to rescue Sham. Only by succeeding will he be able to save Floria and return home!  This is the second in the series about Sham Subterranean who lives underground and Jake who lives above ground. The first book is very cute and lighthearted, this one is a little bit edgier, still fine for almost all kids. Michelle is a good author and has written many books for children. She knows her craft. In this book Jake reenters the underground kingdom and finds out his friend is in trouble. This book deviates from her usual format because it has a cliff-hanger as an ending. But the story is well written, and children will enjoy it. Michelle writes her books to stimulate conversations between child and adult, one of many things I love about her writing. This book gets 5 STARS!  You can buy this book at:
https://www.amazon.com/Sham-Subterranean-Amaranth-Nightly-Shades https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sham-Subterranean-Amaranth-Nightly-Shades https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30352715-sham-subterranean-lady-amaranth-and-the-nightly-shades You can follow Michelle on Twitter: @mimilovesu michellepath.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/Michelle-Path https://www.goodreads.com/Michelle_Path Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Three Days In January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission by Bret Baier with Catherine Whitney2/17/2017 Author Bret Baier introduces us to Three Days In January: January 1961: President Eisenhower has three days to secure the nation's future before his young successor, John F. Kennedy, takes power — a final mission by the legendary leader who planned D-Day and guided America through the darkening Cold War Bret Baier, the Chief Political Anchor for Fox News Channel and the Anchor and Executive Editor of Special Report with Bret Baier, illuminates the extraordinary yet underappreciated presidency of Dwight Eisenhower by taking readers into Ike's last days in power. Baier masterfully casts the period between Eisenhower's now-prophetic farewell address on the evening of January 17, 1961, and Kennedy's inauguration on the afternoon of January 20 as the closing act of one of modern America's greatest leaders -- during which Eisenhower urgently sought to prepare both the country and the next president for the challenges ahead. Those three days in January 1961, Baier shows, were the culmination of a lifetime of service that took Ike from rural Kansas to West Point, to the battlefields of World War II, and finally to the Oval Office. When he left the White House, Dwight Eisenhower had done more than perhaps any other modern American to set the nation, in his words, "on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment." On January 17, Eisenhower spoke to the nation in one of the most remarkable farewell speeches in U.S. history. Ike looked to the future, warning Americans against the dangers of elevating partisanship above national interest, excessive government budgets (particularly deficit spending), the expansion of the military-industrial complex, and the creeping political power of special interests. Seeking to ready a new generation for power, Eisenhower intensely advised the forty-three-year-old Kennedy before the inauguration. Baier also reveals how Eisenhower's two terms changed America forever for the better — perhaps even saved the world from destruction — and demonstrates how today Ike offers us the model of principled leadership that polls say is so missing in politics. The Supreme Commander of Allied Forces during World War II, Eisenhower only reluctantly stepped into politics. As president, Ike successfully guided the country out of a dangerous war in Korea, peacefully through the apocalyptic threat of nuclear war with the Soviets, and into one of the greatest economic booms in world history. Five decades later, Baier's Three Days in January forever makes clear that Eisenhower, an often forgotten giant of U.S. history, still offers vital lessons for our own time and stands as a lasting example of political leadership at its most effective and honorable.  Bret and Catherine have given us an insightful and well researched look into one of America’s most critical transfers of power in the last 100 years. From President Eisenhower to President Kennedy, this passing of the torch was well considered by the former and not valued as much by the latter. This book delivers so many nuggets of historical value about many people beyond Eisenhower and Kennedy, their families, their staffers and people of great influence. The inside story is simply fascinating when placed in context of serious world events. Written in a pleasing style, this book deserves a lot of attention. Three Days In January gets 4.9 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Days-January-Eisenhowers-Mission https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Days-January-Eisenhowers-Mission https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30037292-three-days-in-january You can follow Bret: https://twitter.com/BretBaier http://www.bretbaier.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BretBaierSR You can follow Catherine: https://twitter.com/cathwhit https://www.facebook.com/catherine.whitney Politics, history, presidents, elections Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Robin Lyons introduces Unknown Threat: Cole MacKenna, nicknamed ‘Mac’, retired after twenty-years in the U.S. Air Force returns to his hometown, Brookfield, California. He’s restless and relearning how to be a civilian when he receives an offer he can’t refuse. A childhood friend and air force buddy, now police detective, needs Mac’s help. Someone at Blackstone Academy is selling drugs to students. The Police Chief wants Mac to work undercover at the school and identify the source. His mission takes a detour when he suspects a well-connected parent is abusing his son, a student at the school. He springs into action, ready to save lives like the good old days. Unfortunately for Mac, meddling with the rich can have deadly consequences.  This is a wonderful mystery/who-done-it! It has many layers and following Mac and Roxy around as the layers are peeled back is so delicious! Author Robin Lyons has a superb handle on this genre, the suspense of the chase is so exciting! The scenery, cast of characters and events all contribute to a wonderful read. The pace is just right and POV is maintained very nicely. Robin has a great balance of action, dialog and introspection. This story is fleshed out so effectively! My only complaint is I haven’t seen the next in the series. Tell me there is more in the pipeline! This action-packed thriller gets 5 STARS! You are going to love it!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/UKNOWN-THREAT-School-Marshal-Book-1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/UNKNOWN-THREAT-School-Marshal-Book-1 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33548989-unknown-threat You can follow Robin Lyons: https://twitter.com/2RobinLyons https://www.facebook.com/robinlyons.author http://www.robinlyons.com https://www.pinterest.com/robinlyons Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Diane Munier introduces us to Deep in the Heart of Me: Growing up between the strong guidance of his successful father and a secret fascination for gangsters, Tonio, a farm boy on the cusp of manhood falls in love with Sobe, the new Sheriff's daughter. He's brave and impetuous and he will stop at nothing to protect those he loves.  When I first got this book for proofreading, I was intrigued, the title and tagline were different from most other romantic books. I quickly discovered that this is very much more than a romantic story. Told in the first-person point of view Deep in the Heart of Me explores the depth of thoughts and feelings in a young teenage boy as he grows into a man. I love this book; Diane has written a story that amazes me and reminds me of how stubborn and deeply emotional a teenage boy can be. Her writing reminds me of myself at that age. I love writing in the first person when it is done well, and Diane succeeds in this area extremely well. Her descriptions of the locale, foods, and so many aspects of daily life in 1930’s Middle America are superb. She maintains POV so very well, which is key to writing in first person. The supporting cast is developed quite well also. One of the problems that Diane solved quite expertly is the balance between introspection and action and dialog. Deep in the Heart of Me deserves a perfect score of 5 STARS! Thank you, Diane, for hours of entertaining reading.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Heart-Me-Diane-Munier https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Heart-Me-Diane-Munier https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30967357-deep-in-the-heart-of-me You can follow Diane Munier: https://twitter.com/dianemunier https://dianemunier.com/ https://www.facebook.com/dianemunierauthor You can contact Diane Munier: mailto:[email protected] Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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