Why I Read by Wendy Lesser

     There are many reasons why a person reads books. Now I am not talking about the required reading assigned in class. Having required reading of books that you aren’t ready for ruins the joy of reading.

        Reading should be a time of exploration and discovery. It should be a time of setting out on new adventures.

        When confronted in school with such assigned reading as a book by Sir Walter Scott, a book by Harper Lee, a book by Dickens the student is confronted with an aversion to reading for enjoyment.

        Later in life, if not completely ruined, you can go back and find genres and characters you only dream of existing.

        You may discover that characters and plot are linked. This is one point Lesser makes in this addition to the thousand of books explaining the discipline of reading for enjoyment.

        She enjoys the classics as well as the lyric poetry that are around us in print. It is what you get out of books that should be your motivation for reading.

        It is the characters and the development of the plot that should keep you reading along with the pleasure you get interacting with truth as seen in the story. Patterns emerge as you read.

She points out “to tell the truth in literature, each era, requires a new set of authorial skills with which to rivet a reader’s attention.”

        There is no superior genre. Mysteries and science fiction are just as much carriers of truth as the classics. It is after all truth not lies we are seeking, Lesser points out. And a story must seem true to us to be worth reading.

        This book is a welcome addition to the library of any serious reader. It will act as a refreshing drink for the mind.

The Good Suicides by Antonioi Hill

        Is there ever a thing as a good suicide? And if there is, who determines that?

        This is a fiction thriller written by a Spanish author. That means the pace is not as fast as an American novel. There are no bodies showing up every other chapter. More time is spent on the development of characters and atmosphere. Still this is a plot driven novel.

        Sometimes a story is just a good story. Since characters and plot are so tightly linked together in this case we have a thriller that moves by characters interacting with layers of memories.

        There are three deaths that look like suicides, but there are no notes left behind. Only a photo of three dogs hung from a tree is found near the bodies.

        This is the second in what may be a series concerning inspector Hector Salgado. He is presented as a person working through some problems of his own.

        The style of thriller reminds me of books by Deborah Crombie is that it is told in second person and multiple viewpoint. The interests of the characters play a part in the development of the plot as linked with the characters.

        This book is written well and sustains tension. Hill keeps your interest in the story.

 It is a book for escapists. One of the reasons we read is for pleasure and I am sure you will get pleasure out of this book.

        This book was given to me free for reviewing on my blog by blogging for books and there was no requirement I give a positive review.  All viewpoints expressed are those of the reviewer and do not reflect those of the publisher.

7 Ways To Be Her Hero by Doug Fields

    

    We live in a world of hero worship but for us men it is hard to know the rules. No one has taken the time to list them. Not that we men will read the list.

        When it comes to marriage we men feel lost when it comes to how to be what we think our wife wants us to be. She knows and keeps a list that she doesn’t share with us. But break one of the items on the list and she will let you know you have fallen short.

        Fields has written a guide for us men. All we need to do is read it and follow the suggestions. The only problem may be, as Fields points out, it is the woman and not the man who buys books.

        So let me clue you in guys, you need to get this book before your wife suggests it. That way you will start making points.

        Written in the language that a man uses when he is talking man to man and using humor that is man humor this short how-to-book will be very useful.

        Fields gives retreats and conferences for men on this subject so most of the material here comes from his conference notes. It may even help the young man who is courting.

        I have received this book gratis from  booklovers.com  for the purpose of reviewing it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review. All viewpoints are my own and do not reflect those of the publisher.

The Psychopath Whisperer by Kent A. Kiehl, Ph.D.

        What does it take to be a criminal psychopath? Or even a person who works with these members of society?   

There is something different about your brain and the brain of your neighborhood psychopath. It can be seen using an MRI.

        The subtitle to this book is: ‘The Science of Those without Conscience. Dr. Kiehl details in this book his studies in what makes a psychopath. He majored in the study of people in maximum security prisons and postulated that if he could map the brain using an MRI you could see there was a difference in areas of the brain that may be the indication of problems.

        This is in the psychology genre. It will satisfy those people who enjoy reading stories of advances in care of the mentally ill.

        Kiehl details his fascination with the brain of psychopaths. He mentions his studies to get his degrees while working in the maximum security prisons with psychopaths, trying to understand  their thought processes. He even went so far as to develop a mobile MRI machine to scan their brains.

        Luckily less than 1 percent of the general population fit this criteria.

        I have been interested in psychology for a while and found this book a bit disturbing. It is not easy reading but still fascinating. It will meet the need of those who follow this subject as part of their occupation.

        I was sent this book free from WaterBrooks Publishers 

as a member of the blog reviewers. I was not required to give a positive review and the opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and not of the publisher.

The Hope Quotient by Ray Johnston

        It is one thing we all need. Without it there just is no reason to plan. All our thoughts and actions depend on this one little aspect of life. That is the small but powerful emotion of hope.

        This is something that permeates our whole life—our finances, our work environment, our marriages. There is nothing more important. Without hope there is no future.

         If we don’t have it at the moment we can develop it. It may even be the one most important thing you can develop.

        Johnston in this book lays out the seven factors needed to change a life of discouragement to a life of hope. After all, hope can set you free. Discouragement destroys and hope can come in and liberate.

        The seven factors hope is built on are easy to follow.. Putting them in your life, according to Johnston, will be an adventure.

        He includes a link to an assessment test on the flyleaf of the book so that you can have a benchmark to work with as you read through the text and apply the different factors to your life.       

        I found this to be a refreshing and creative way to handle the theme of hope. It would have been useful for me as I struggled. It is here now and welcome to my library.

        I would suggest it be in the library of every counselor and handed out to the seekers who come to him.

        This book was sent to me free from BookLovers.com to be reviewed as part of their book review bloggers program I was not required to give a positive review and any opinion expressed is that of the reviewer and not that of the publisher.