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Cindy Bauer
is now following Bradley's reviews
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In this fast-paced, action-filled novella, Saniscalchi captures the reader’s attention almost instantly as ex-Vietnam vet Rob Marrino, now a police officer, becomes involved with the Columbian drug cartel.
What a difference a day can make! When one ma...more
In this fast-paced, action-filled novella, Saniscalchi captures the reader’s attention almost instantly as ex-Vietnam vet Rob Marrino, now a police officer, becomes involved with the Columbian drug cartel.
What a difference a day can make! When one man’s death leads to another’s vengeance, Rob Marrino has unwillingly put his family’s life in danger. His wife’s continued existence depends solely on Marrino’s abilities to rescue her while taking down one of the biggest drug lords.
Desperately determined to save her life, Marrino enlists the assistance of his Vietnam comrade, Tex, a former U.S. Marine sniper. Together they take on the almost impossible mission filled with tense, suspenseful action and page-turning scenes.
He fought for his country. Now it’s personal.
Saniscalchi has the knack for storytelling - a talented author and a must-read!
I give it 4 stars! Cindy Bauer Author of the Memory Box Trilogy(less)
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In Definitely Digital by Australian author & photographer Thomas Palfy, simple to read and follow instructions, pictures and explanations clearly define using a digital camera to create the effects of the best picture possible for the reader.
Palf...more
In Definitely Digital by Australian author & photographer Thomas Palfy, simple to read and follow instructions, pictures and explanations clearly define using a digital camera to create the effects of the best picture possible for the reader.
Palfy begins with a demonstration from an old family photograph he was able to restore somewhat using Adobe Photoshop, a photo editing program. He follows with some other family photos, explaining lighting and background techniques used then, compared to newer age functions of the now preferred digital camera.
I found the short, simple instructional book to be very informative and consise. The author also explains dpi (dots per inch) and how the number of dpi can affect the quality of the picture in print. He also explains digital file sizes and how to save and store them, resize and send photos through email programs and various photo editing programs.
What a wonderful book for the beginner in digital photographer as Palfy also explains the various functions on the digital camera and the effects they will produce. I highly recommend this book for beginners.(less)
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While The Days of our Lives hit daytime soap serial might be pure fiction, the life of its Executive Producer, Ken Corday, is not and lends familiarity into real life situations, despite his infamous family. This shows that even the rich and famous a...more
While The Days of our Lives hit daytime soap serial might be pure fiction, the life of its Executive Producer, Ken Corday, is not and lends familiarity into real life situations, despite his infamous family. This shows that even the rich and famous are only human, too.
On the jacket, a very clear description of the book’s contents can be found: The True Story of one Family’s Dream and the Untold History of Days of our Lives. Ken Corday writes beautifully as he opens up to the world about his family, background and events leading up to the creation of one of America’s top daytime soaps, Days of our Lives.
Originally a dream of his father and mother, Ted and Betty Corday, the family moved from New York to Los Angeles, bringing their dream to life. Unfortunately, Ted Corday found out soon after production began that he was terminally ill. Cancer reared its evil head, not showing any favoritism among its countless victims. Upon learning the devastating news, Ted Corday enlisted the assistance of William (Bill) Bell to write for the show and keep it alive, and it was under Bell’s brilliant and imaginative mind that it became number one, bringing top ratings to NBC.
Betty Corday took the helm of control, running it as tightly as a mother runs a home full of children before becoming ill herself and turned it over to son, Ken Corday, in the late 70s. Interestingly enough, Ken Corday was, and still is, a musician and though he didn’t really want to be in charge of the show, took it over and has been running it ever since.
Tragedy did not strike only the characters plotted into the scenes unfolding on the screen, but in the Corday family as well. Ken Corday’s older brother Chris committed suicide, though he didn’t dwell on that particular subject in the book, he did specify that to this day, none of the characters in Days of our Lives has ever committed suicide, despite all the adversities they’ve encountered.
I found the book to be extremely interesting as it brought to life the many facets involved in producing a show of this nature and magnitude, keeping it alive for many, many years and how despite their own family’s misfortunes, the Cordays were able to stay close-knit, loving and caring amongst themselves and the crew and cast of the longtime running show. Also included were pictures of the Corday family, cast and award ceremonies, which added an extremely real touch to the story inside the cover. And I was very surprised to learn that Mr. Corday also composes the music played on the show. Bravo, Mr. Corday. Well done, indeed!
Reviewed by Cindy Bauer for Bookpleasures.com(less)
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With vague memories of early childhood, author Helen Waldstein Wilkes felt an immense emotional desire to further investigate her heritage. This started when she opened a box filled with letters that her father had left behind. Letters from the lost,...more
With vague memories of early childhood, author Helen Waldstein Wilkes felt an immense emotional desire to further investigate her heritage. This started when she opened a box filled with letters that her father had left behind. Letters from the lost, her Jewish ancestors, of whom many never survived their unforgettable journey to freedom.
Many have only read about, or watched on television, the collective history of an era deeply embedded into our minds as the Holocaust. But never have you experienced it so closely, as I did while reading this unforgettable memoir.
Escaping Prague as the Nazi’s moved in swiftly, Helen and her parents were able to enter Canada, where they began a new life. Life was different there. Their only connection to family came from the many letters her father had stored in a cardboard box. With a red lid.
Once Helen opened the box, everything changed. Now retired, she began a journey, traveling all over the world, to find family members and to learn more about her family history – the “roots” she’d been missing her entire life.
In an unforgettable read, the author has cleverly included the context of the letters, pictures she was able to locate, and her own heartfelt story behind the discoveries. It was an emotional journey for me as well, as I learned more about this family and their struggle to survive in a most overwhelming time.
I’ve always enjoyed reading memoirs, but by far this one has been the most memorable. An unforgettable story, filled with history, love, emotions and facts, Letters From The Lost is a read you won’t want to miss. Read the letters in the box and prepare for a historical lesson you won’t read about in the history books. You will experience suffering, joy, love and fear. You won’t close the book as the same person who opened it to read.
About the Book On March 15, 1939, Helen Waldstein’s father snatched his stamped exit visa from a distracted clerk to escape from Prague with his wife and child. As the Nazis closed in on a war-torn Czechoslovakia, only letters from their extended family could reach Canada through the barriers of conflict. The Waldstein family received these letters as they made their lives on a southern Ontario farm, where they learned to be Canadian and forget their Jewish roots. Helen Waldstein read these letters as an adult―this changed everything. As her past refused to keep silent, Helen followed the trail of the letters back to Europe, where she discovered living witnesses who could attest to the letters’ contents. She has here interwoven their stories and her own into a compelling narrative of suffering, survivor guilt, and overcoming intergenerational obstacles when exploring a traumatic past.
About the Author Since receiving her PhD in French Literature, Helen Waldstein Wilkes spent 30 years teaching at every level in Canada and in the U.S. Her research interests include cross-cultural understanding, language acquisition, and neurolinguistics. Now retired and living in Vancouver, she is actively examining her own cultural inheritance and its impact. Reviewed by Cindy Bauer – Bookpleasures.com http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitep...(less)
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Though I am not typically a history buff, per se, I am a Christian and I enjoy learning more about past events that reflect on the political and social injustices, both human and animal related, and how we were able to surpass and/or overcome those....more
Though I am not typically a history buff, per se, I am a Christian and I enjoy learning more about past events that reflect on the political and social injustices, both human and animal related, and how we were able to surpass and/or overcome those. I chose to review this particular book because for one, I recognized the name – Martha Wright – however, I had no recollection that she had been directly involved with the women’s rights movements or abolishing slavery.
The authors (a husband and wife team) have brilliantly weaved Martha’s story in with not only the history behind this woman and her role in it, but have added photographs and references to where the information can be found. It was a unique and fascinating way to lure in even the average reader, such as I, who normally would not veer into the historical lessons. In summary, it is written as a story about the life of Martha Wright and her involvement in not only the women’s rights movements, but also how she became a part of the few brave and often unknowns who assisted the slaves in reaching freedom from a cruel society who believed “owning” a person was proper.
The photographs entwined between the chapters only lend an even deeper understanding because you could actually see the person involved. And the inclusions of references on record nicely polished off the invaluable lesson learned from reading about this family’s history.
Another reason I was drawn to read this book was the fact that one of the authors, Mr. Livingston, is a descendant of Martha Wright. Learning about one’s genealogical flow in history has always been a fascination of mine and I was impressed with learning more about the family and their role in history.
Martha was actually not very well known for her part in all of this critical participation. I have a feeling that at the time, she didn’t really mind her role in the shadows as it actually wound up being to her advantage and she was able to do more than even she thought she was capable of accomplishing, given the restraints of that era in time.
A fascinating read and one I highly recommend. I also believe this particular book should play an important role in schooling the children of our political future. Well done!
Reviewed by: Cindy Bauer - Bookpleasures.com(less)
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The setting is summer in the late 50’s, southern Mississippi, along the low lands of the Delta and Justin Cane, the son of a farmer, is ready to learn how to drive. One of his father’s black farmhands lends his expertise as the two take to the open r...more
The setting is summer in the late 50’s, southern Mississippi, along the low lands of the Delta and Justin Cane, the son of a farmer, is ready to learn how to drive. One of his father’s black farmhands lends his expertise as the two take to the open road.
The driving lesson soon turns into an adventure neither had bargained for and Justin learns more than just how to drive his father’s truck. Through humor, mishap and racial prejudice, along with the guidance of a loving God and the driven faith of Able Johnson, young Justin Cane soon learns the meaning of integrity and righteousness through the eyes of a black man.
Humorous, tense, action filled with distinct southern dialogue, Cane and Able is a perfect fit for the troubled era in which it is set and lends a wonderful insight into the life experience of a family destined to be taken on the journey of a lifetime.
Stephen Cheek has a talent for storytelling. A good read overall.
Reviewed by Cindy Bauer(less)
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