Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

The story starts out as a mystery and gradually becomes a story of attraction between two law officers. He from the FBI and her as a homicide investigator. As the story goes on we discover she is also a writer of true crime fiction based on the friends around her.

            She also has secrets. She has nightmares based on her present book she is working on.

            Two plots are going on. Plot one is a case centered around of the lady killer who sends tapes of contracts to murder done in the past..

            This book can’t be placed completely in the genre of mystery even though there is a murderer out there called the lady shooter. She sends letters to Paul offering tapes that are of old murders. She only killed people whom she was contracted to kill. The tapes would expose who issued the contracts, It seems there is government involvement.

            The second plot has to do with romance. And the process of attraction. Paul is falling in love with Ann who is the other main character in the story. She is the homicide investigator who has big secrets.

            It intensifies as the John Doe case is opened and the former VP of the United States pulls both Paul and Ann in to close the case. This case is linked to the lady shooter case.

            The story is multi-view point. It is mostly from Paul’s point of view.

            This book will hold the interest of romantics. The mystery is secondary to the romance.

            The author is not afraid to bring her faith into the mix. Both main characters are Christian. This adds another dimension to the story.

            This is recommended highly by a person who is not into romance. Give me a good mystery over romance any day.

           

Heaven's Lessons by Steve Sjogren

This small  160 page soft cover book put out by Thomas Nelson Publishers has as its theme ‘knowing God.’ The subtitle of this book is ten things I learned about God when I died.

            I wasn’t comfortable  reviewing a book that purports to be an after death experience. But this is not the jest of the book. I allowed this book to be sent to me as a complimentary copy  as part of the  BookSneeze book reviews program. I was not required to give a positive review.

            The premise Sjogren gives to the book is that he learned a few things about God when he suffered a near death experience. There are some things that are beyond our understanding as fallen creatures, and one of them is a so called near death experience. So I won’t comment on that aspect of the book.

            It is a hard book to pin down. He spends time on his experience and at the same time attempts to teach spiritual truths.

How did he do?

            The information conveyed was  interesting but not earth shaking.. I was interested but not inspired.. It did not cause me to think deeper thoughts about God.

            I would  not recommend this book to others if they are looking to know more about God. It seemed to be another attempt to justify experience over truth.

            As I said above I received this book complimentary from BookSneeze to review on my blog and I was not required to give it a positive review. The views expressed are those of the book reviewer and not those of the publisher.

Reviewing Books

 This being a book review blog you may be eager to learn how to review books.  You may want to know how do you go about getting books to review.
   After all, I didn't just wake up one day and say, wow, I know howm to review books. I had to review books for my Englkish class so I know all about it.
   No, there are steps.
  Let me introduce a book you may want to use if you are at all interested in doing book reviews.
   It doesn't matter if you review books for pay or for the pure joy of having your name in print as a book reviewer.
  Getting paid is best if you can swing it. You won't get rich if this is what you want to do. But you will be able to hold your head up and say you are a writter.
        you will also need a good printer as you will want to have copies to show your firends.  You need a portfolio.
   So you can either go to office max or go on line at their web site officemax.com.
   What ever you do be sure to take a good look at what I am offering you in this blog.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

              Every year around February the city of Santa Monica has what is known as a city wide read. What this means is that the city library host city wide discussion groups centered around a book chosen by a committee. Each year the book chosen is centered on a major issue, it seems.

                This year the city of Santa Monica is reading and discussing Wonder. It is a young adult book and the issue is acceptance.

                The main character is a ten year old, August, who has been born with a cleft palate. Now he is going to enter fifth grade and is being sent to a school with other children. Formerly he has been home schooled.

                His daily struggle to accept himself and have others accept him is the main story.

                “My name is August, by the way. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” is how he starts it out.

                Structure wise it is in eight parts and seven voices. All are in first person. The one year is the time period covered.

                Palacio handles the characters well. They are believable.

                I recommend it be read by all. It is not just for young adults.

               

Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado

       

            The first thing you realize when you open this book and start reading is this author knows how to manage word pictures. Lucado establishes from the beginning the need of an anchor in our life. He starts with the picture of a ship surviving an hurricane because it is grounded in bedrock.

            He offers three anchor points or boulders to use in the stream of life. They are solid points  to brace your philosophy of life on.

            Futility, failure and finality are the three storms that enter every life lived. But he points out  there is hope of surviving by going through.

            The anchor, he puts forth, was  laid in six hours one Friday.

            Lucado , in his story teller style, reminds us that Jesus is the only anchor we have been given to make it through the three storm points he presents.

            The structure of the book is six chapters per anchor point and three anchor points for nineteen chapters counting the introduction. There is a study guide included for small  groups.. This will be  a book  you will need to study to firm up your belief system.

            This is an interesting book. Each chapter is independent of the other and can be read in whatever order you choose. I recommend you take one point at a time and digest the six chapters under that anchor point.

If you have a soft heart you may find yourself emotional,

 Lucado is that good a story teller. In the telling  of the story he never lost sight of the truth. .I would recommend this for new believers and others on the journey.

BookSneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy  of the book to be reviewed . I was not required to give a positive review and any opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and not those of the publisher.

Quiet by Susan Cain

    

It is not easy being an introvert living in a world geared to extroverts.  Introvert get the bad end of the stick when it comes to opportunities. They are thought of as slow and somewhat uninterested in events around them

 That is not a fair estimate. One third to one half of the people we know fall under the umbrella of introvert, according to Cain..

 What Cain has done is give us a gentle study of the issue. In her  first  part of the book  she surveys the extrovert universe. In the next three parts she examines the introvert and the ways he can navigate in the world surrounding him.

 This is a psychological study using the behavioral lens.

This is a very interesting book .Psychology is one of my interests. People and the ways they behave help display the image of the Almighty God to the world. How we react and blend is very important. 

 Each part held together as the introvert and the extrovert were examined  in a very understandable manner. It is a book for the thinker and for the college student

I would recommend this  to the college class room.
I have received this book free from the publisher as a online blogger for WaterBrook Multinonah Publishing Group . I was not required to give a positive review. The views expressed are mine and do not reflect those of the publisher. 

Superman By Larry Tye

          Every generation needs a hero. Every child needs someone who can handle the bullies of life and come out a winner. It was just this desire that pushed a young man during the depression of the thirties named Jerry Siegel to envision and put on paper a super character that could handle problems.

                It wasn’t easy being Jewish and a puny kid during the depression. He was often overlooked by his peers. He couldn’t get the girl. He was often beat up. If anyone needed someone to believe in who could make things right, it was Jerry. So he invented one.  Jerry had an idea of a supreme being who would do right and make things right.

Comics were not well received or even conceived of when Siegel started. But he was had an imagination and a desire to create a character who could handle whatever was thrown at him. In the beginning it wasn’t a super character.  He just needed a character who could conquer our fears and dread.

                Superman wasn’t original. Jerry Siegel was steeped in Science Fiction so he subconsciously adapted from what was available in 1932. There was Doc Savage and John Carter. Doc had brute strength. John was invulnerable and traveled n space.

                The DNA of Superman can be traced back to the Hebrew Bible and the person of Samson.

                Larry Tye, the writer of this book, is very detailed in tracing the genesis and growth of Superman.

A lot has happened to Superman since that day he was created..

                Superman was tinkered with as time went on. He developed traits and weaknesses according to the time in which he was published. First a comic book character, than a radio character, moving on to television and movies. There were years he was not in the public eye, but he was never forgotten.

                Today he is still available to be seen in moves. He started out a loner and today he works with a group of superheroes. But he has never completely disappeared. You may not like what they have done to Superman. He has been remade so many times he may not even be recognizable if our grandparents who grew up on him were to try to recapture their youth.

Every Halloween there are still Superman costumes being sold. Children are still wearing Superman pajamas. There are still people who remember him. And the new legends of Superman put on film are around.

This is a great addition to the story of the development of American pop culture.