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book reviews |
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Celebrated children’s author, Michelle Path, introduces us to Crackskull Jack Goes to the Ball: The crew of The Eye of the Storm aren't happy. Penny, their captain's new wife, is making a few changes on board the ship! Penny is determined to teach these scallywags some manners and make them more civilised by taking them to a ball. Crackskull Jack is pampered with fine clothes and bubble baths by his wife as his crew look on, half shocked, half amused. However, the crew find that they actually quite enjoy the ball. Is it possible that the romantic atmosphere can make Crackskull Jack and Penny fall in love all over again?  I think Michelle is a wonderful author of books for children! I love the care she takes to encourage discussion between child and adult in so many of her books. This book does nothing to change my opinion. It is fun and lighthearted, an interesting story and will delight children of all ages. I think the illustrator has done a wonderful job of portraying all of the characters! A great story and fun to read! 5 STARS! Thanks Michelle, I hope this is not the last of Crackskull Jack and Penny! I have reviewed many more of Michelle's books for children, you can find them on the Previous Book Reviews page.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Crackskull-Jack-goes-to-the-ball https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crackskull-Jack-Goes-to-the-Ball https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27999547-crackskull-jack-goes-to-the-ball You can follow Michelle: https://twitter.com/mimilovesu http://michellepath.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/michelle.path Children, kidlit, pirates, romance, dancing, fortune-teller Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Author Truant Memphis introduces us to Littlethumb Sneezed: What would happen if everything in the world froze but you? Littlethumb Sneezed is the tale of prolific artist and renowned philanthropist Littlethumb Brooks. From the discovery of his creative genius as a child to his rise to fame, join Littlethumb on a satirical journey through the world of American pop culture. It is a life filled with love, laughter, charity, art, disguises, magic tricks, international intrigue, and unfortunately, horrible tragedy. There’s also a punk rocker named Tommy Toxic. It began with the Occurrence. Littlethumb was a little boy…  I enjoyed this book a great deal and was surprised by the story in a number of places. No spoilers allowed here! Truant has an unusual writing style for me. His writing lacks the balance between narration, dialog, and action that I prefer. But he pulled this off really well! His POV was clean and easy to follow. I was fully immersed in the story and experienced many different emotions. His characters are nicely developed and very easy to relate to, whether you love them or hate them. The ending surprised me and left me all twisted up inside, I loved it and I hated it. I guess I loved it. Really, I loved the book! You will love this quirky and entertaining story also! I give Littlethumb Sneezed 4.7 stars of 5!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Littlethumb-Sneezed-Truant-D-Memphis-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Littlethumb-Sneezed-Truant-D-Memphis-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30118235-littlethumb-sneezed You can follow Truant: https://twitter.com/truantmemphis https://twitter.com/bekindhumans https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100016013085867 https://www.facebook.com/Littlethumb-Sneezed http://www.tdm-ink.com/ time travel, art, music, satire, humor, punk rock, drama, teen, YA Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Elizabeth Gross introduces us to Dream Accomplished: "You have cancer". Those words changed my life. After I heard them, all I could think was, "My daughter's only 8". It just over whelmed me. "How many dreams would I be able to help her make come true?"......... Hello, my name is Elizabeth Gross. This is the true story of my cancer journey. I've written it to say thank you to my daughter's hero, Taylor Swift, and to help and inspire others as they, too, battle cancer or invisible illness. Paying forward Taylor's kindness, my family donates 100% net profits to the cancer & invisible illness research and support cause of YOUR CHOICE. I sincerely hope our story is of help to you, or someone you love. -e :)  This book is more about Elizabeth’s and Marc’s love for their daughter, Page, and their nearly super-human efforts to make Elizabeth’s cancer journey more bearable for Page by helping her meet Taylor Swift. The manner in which the immediate family worked on the dual track of fighting cancer and finding Taylor Swift is very encouraging. There is a great deal of common sense advice for anyone dealing with cancer or an invisible disease. As the title declares dream accomplished! I enjoyed this book far more than I expected! Cancer is such a frightening topic and far more common than many of us know. Written in a very personal manner this story is very engaging! There is a good balance of information about Elizabeth’s struggle with a rare form of cancer, she doesn’t go to deep; yet she does provide links in the back of the book for those who want to learn more. Her search for Taylor Swift is just as balanced, enough information to make it interesting, without getting bogged down in details. There were many interesting turns of fate in that search and some serious genius moments! 4.9 stars is a very good score Dream Accomplished!  This is not a picture of Elizabeth Gross, but her daughter Page sharing a heart-felt hug with Taylor Swift.
You can buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997107200 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AKR3C2A/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdo_fx6CxbWGSPD80 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28537781-dream-accomplished You can follow Elizabeth: Http://www.twitter.com/ourtaylorstory https://ourtaylorstory.tumblr.com http://www.dreamaccomplished.com An open letter to Taylor Swift: http://www.dreamaccomplished.com/uploads/3/4/7/0/34709357/open_letter_to_taylor_swift__1_.docx love, music, cancer, oncology, inspirational, hope-filled, concerts, travel, family, Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Authors S. Jackson and A. Raymond introduce us to When Angels Fly: We often find ourselves daydreaming about what our futures will be like. This may be especially true if one lives in an environment most would consider less than desirable. Some are lucky to find their futures much like their childhood dreams. Others find the paths to their dreams strewn with hurdles. Growing up, Sarah dodged her mother’s blows. She often hid in her room crying about her life. Still, she believes in her future and the happiness it can bring. In their book When Angels Fly, authors S. Stevens and A. Raymond tell Sarah’s story--their stories. The authors use their journals to describe Sarah’s experiences of family dysfunction, strength, courage, faith, abuse, grief, and so much more. You’ll read how, like many, she attempts to escape from her mother’s abuse through marriage. And like many, she learns it is not a viable alternative. Then Sarah experiences a parent’s ultimate tragedy twice, the deaths of her sons, Joshua and Eli. When Angels Fly is about much more than the telling of a family’s tragedy. It is also the story of finding faith after it has wavered. Most of all, it’s a story of love lost and found.  This is a powerful and moving story! I laughed a few times, got angry more than once, cringed a lot, and my eyes got sweaty quite a few times. The medical knowledge displayed is obviously from someone who is an insider, yet it is not overwhelming. The structure of a diary or journal is a little unusual, yet it adds a framework that is ultimately helpful to the reader. I award 5 stars to When Angels Fly.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Angels-Fly-S-Jackson-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Angels-Fly-S-Jackson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25513325-when-angels-fly You can follow the authors: https://twitter.com/MaryLSchmidt https://twitter.com/AuthorMichael57 https://whenangelsfly.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/MMSchmidtAuthorGDDonley/ Cancer, childhood cancer, oncology, faith, spirituality, Christian faith, domestic abuse, death, memoir, inspirational Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Haven Caylor introduces us to Parenting Strategies on the Go: "In 2008, life blessed my husband, Sean, and me with two healthy babies. We have an engaging and magnetic tale of parenting with unique learning strategies on the go that all parents can benefit from; however, this book is far more than that. As a professional educator, I saw how both everyday events like planning food and clothing and planning special trips like a visit to Disney World were gateways to introducing children to life skills and to nurturing cognitive development through learning strategies. With minimal planning time, any parent can use these strategies to inspire their children to learn, and the best part is that the planning and the execution of the plans are fun and exciting. Each chapter is devoted to exposing children to diverse learning strategies: strategies to elicit proper behavior in public events, strategies for choosing souvenirs as teaching tools, and strategies to journal your children’s precious life events. The concluding chapter is a strategy unit guide for learning during a special trip—in this case, New York City—and we got to test that guide in June 2013."  For anybody who spends very much time with young children this is a valuable book to read. It is chock full of information about working with children in age-appropriate ways in many different situations. Haven home-schools their children and brings a wealth of information to this situation. I love that he is not just making statements, he cites studies and research about educating and engaging your children in their own education. He also brings many personal anecdotes about the experiences of raising the children and involving them in many different activities that provide stimulation and engagement of all their faculties. Education is fun for these children! Of course, not everyone has a doctorate in Education. The principles that are brought forth can be used effectively by almost anyone with a little bit of thought and planning. One of the principles that Haven follows is involving the kids in decisions, giving them some ownership increases their involvement and motivation. I give Parenting Strategies on the Go 4.6/5 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Strategies-Go e-book https://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Strategies-Go paperback https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parenting-Strategies-Go one of different versions https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28572243-parenting-strategies-on-the-go You can follow Haven: http://www.parentingwithpride.net/ https://twitter.com/Twin_Travel http://havencaylor.brandyourself.com Parenting, travel, travel with kids, homeschooling, planning trips, education Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Robert D. Reed introduces us to Flightmares: Sky-High Humor: Flightmares: Sky-High Humor is a book of quotes, jokes, cartoons, illustrations, and stories depicting humor in the airlines industry. The author, Robert D. Reed, known for his humor, contracted with a cartoonist from Malaysia named Khairal Izzuddin to put his ideas into cartoons, including the one on the front cover. A famous quote by Mark Russel, "The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage," is illustrated in an image created by Reed's wife, Cleone Reed. A delightful read, this book makes for a wonderful gift, especially if presented in an airline sick bag!  This is such a funny and wonderful book! You have to admit flying, while very safe statistically, is a scary proposition no matter which way you look at it. This book will give you a solid rush of endorphins from all the laughing you will do! I couldn’t quit laughing at any time in chapter 5. There are a lot of cartoons, quotes from famous people and great stories about flying. I love this book and give it 5/5 stars! You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/blogs/news/united-video-bad-p-r https://www.amazon.com/Flightmares-Sky-High-Robert-D-Reed https://www.amazon.co.uk/flightmares https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34649775-flightmares Airplanes, travel, humor, satire, collection, jokes, riddles, puns, funny stories Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Diane Munier introduces us to Finding My Thunder: The story takes place in the late sixties. Hilly Grunier has been in love with Danny Boyd since she was a kid telling scary stories on summer nights at the fire hydrant while Danny pulled close on his bike. But when Danny is thirteen, their friendship ends when he and his brother Sukey have a vicious fight over Hilly. Years pass, and Hilly carries a secret and growing love as she watches Danny rise athletically to the top of their school’s food chain. He even dates the prom queen and rumor says they are engaged. Now Danny has graduated and shows up in her dad’s shop looking for some temporary employment until the army picks him off for Vietnam. He’s thrown aside his college scholarship and the golden girl. He seems to be searching for something new before he leaves town. He seems to be searching for her. Hilly can’t let him go overseas without showing him how she feels. But once he’s gone, her own battle intensifies. It’s a long road to finding her thunder.  This is a story about dreams and secrets. Sometimes dreams come true. Sometimes teens have a secret. Though Hilly and Danny have grown up in close proximity, they seem to have drifted apart. One watches the other from a distance. Decisions by people far away and war bring them together in an unusual way. I love the way Diane writes. Her characters come alive and reek with life. Her scenes are dramatic, and dialog is so outstanding. Her pacing and plotting makes her stories so unforgettable. If you like romance, if you like a true-to-life story, then you are in for an outstanding treat in this book. I am not the only one who thinks like this. Finding My Thunder won HONORABLE MENTION for Literary Fiction, The New York Book Festival in 2015. Finding My Thunder deserves a 5 STAR rating!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Thunder-Diane-Munier-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-My-Thunder-Diane-Munier https://www.goodreads.com/finding-my-thunder 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] fiction, literary fiction, Viet Nam, coming of age Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Cal Samra introduces us to The Physically Fit Messiah: Too many people are ailing and dying in church pews, and author Cal Samra is challenging clergy and health professionals to stem the epidemic of obesity, Alzheimer's, and other diseases by respecting the contributions of health reformers of the past and present. Many clergy are unaware of the wisdom of health reformers in churches of all faith traditions in past centuries, as well as modern health reformers, The author urges them to be concerned about the environmental factors affecting the health of their congregations – nutrition, the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, our physical fitness as well as our spiritual fitness. With the assistance of many health professionals and pastors, the author introduces you to the early Greek Christian physicians, the early Franciscans, John Wesley and the early Methodists, Congregationalist Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ellen White and the Seventh Day Adventists, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, and modern health reformers like George Bernard Shaw. After a serious illness, the author himself recovered his health when he returned to the natural Mediterranean diet he had been raised on – very similar to the food that Jesus ate.  This is a wonderful two-for! I really enjoyed this book. I got some thoughtful and practical advice on how to eat better and smarter. I also got a lot of laughs! There are a slew of cartoons, jokes, and a plethora of funny stories! Ha! I almost wrote piñata! A plethora of piñatas. That was a funny movie … “The Three Amigos”. Oops! I got distracted from laughing at a joke in the book. Really, it is a three-for! There is a fascinating section on the history of people of many different faiths who have suggested that what we eat we become. There is a lot of good advice on living healthier and simpler, plus there are many encouraging anecdotes that are spiritually uplifting. I give the The Physically Fit Messiah a score of 4.9 of 5 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Physically-Fit-Messiah https://www.amazon.co.uk/Physically-Fit-Messiah https://www.goodreads.com/book/-the-physically-fit-messiah You can follow Cal Samra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cal-samra-5062b838/ https://www.joyfulnoiseletter.com/ self-help, nutrition, exercise, faith, inspirational, spirituality, humor Copyright © 2017 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Mary Bradford introduces us to My Husband’s Sin: In the weeks following Lillian Taylor’s burial, her four loving adult children assemble for the reading of her will. For the grieving youngest sibling, Lacey, life is about to come crashing down as a deep secret is revealed. The fall-out affects every member and they struggle to regain the happy family unit they once shared. Each of the siblings, take the reader on a journey as they try to come to terms and learn to handle this huge revelation.  Mary has certainly honed her writing craft with short stories, because this, her debut novel, shows a mastery of plot, rich characters and many levels of conflict! The characters really come alive drawing you into the narrative, dialog and action. She maintains control over every aspect of the story while the characters twist and turn in the wind. She has many nice touches of detail that make the scenes very realistic with food, clothing and scene décor. She handles POV deftly and never indulges in head hopping! The setting in Ireland is incidental, this story could be told from any town and any street. I give this book 4.9 stars of 5! I have it on good authority that a sequel is in progress.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/My-Husbands-Sin-Mary-Bradford https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Husbands-Sin-Mary-Bradford https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23146499-my-husband-s-sin You can follow Mary: https://twitter.com/marytbrad http://marytbradford-author.blogspot.com/ http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Bradford_MaryT/index.htm women's fiction, contemporary fiction, fiction, 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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