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46.
3 stars
This is a work of fiction and if it was not, it would be getting one star. This is Eleanor's diary, and her insights on her daily life, her observations and thinking on what is going on around her. To me for being the daughter of a King it lacks the true feelings of a Princess. Part of the book is boring while other parts just draw you in make you want more of the story, so this is the reason for three stars.
I knew very little about Eleanor before reading so it did pique my interest on learning more about the real Eleanor so I will be finding nonfiction books about her.
47.
2 stars
Synopsis is taken from the book.
"The inspiring true story of the tragic loss and triumphant resurrection of a basketball team and its coach at the heart of a small Indiana town. By 1977 the University of Evansville’s Purple Aces basketball team had won five small-college national championships. With a charismatic young coach and a freshman phenom, this small Indiana city hoped to see its team shine in the national spotlight. Then, on a foggy night, after just four games, the plane carrying the team and its coach crashed after takeoff, killing everyone on board. The tragedy seemed insurmountable, a devastating blow to the identity of a fading factory town. But, with the support of a city in mourning, ambitious new coach Dick Walters promised to rebuild the cherished institution. Assembling a team of castoffs, walk-ons, and overachievers, Walters restored the legacy of the team and its fans. Against all odds, his young men made history. A tribute to those who were lost, and to those who carried on, We Will Rise is the rich and powerful story of an underdog team and its fans and the spirit of a resilient community."
I will first say I am not a basketball fan, but I wanted to read more about this heartbreaking story.
From page 1 to page 87 the book gives you a who is who and a little history about coaches and players. Page 88 to 104 is about the crash and where family, friends and others were when they heard the news about the crash and who was aboard the plane crash. From Page 15 on gives you the moving on and rebuilding the program and the ones left behind dealing with the loss.
Sorry I did not like the lay out of the book, it does not give you a full picture, feels disconnected and unfeeling at times. I would have liked less unnecessary details and more about the ones who perished in the crash.
48.
4 stars
A collection of essays from famous writers and artists. "The contributors reflect on the experience of discovering Peanuts as a child, their identification with its characters and predicaments, and, for the artists in the book, the momentous effects of their encounters with the strip on their later careers. Taken together, the essays and comics of The Peanuts Papers enrich our understanding of the Peanuts gang and its world, with contributions not only about Charlie Brown and Snoopy but also Linus, Sally, Pigpen, and Peppermint Patty."
The book is broken down to five chapters.
Chapter 1 -The Big Picture
Adam Gopnik wrote the first essay. This is by far my favorite essay in the whole book. He gives a straightforward viewpoint of the Characters and their personalities and how they interact with each other and why.
Chapter 2- Characters
Chapter 3- Two Poems
I truly enjoyed Jill Bialosky poem.
Chapter 4- Off the Page
Just my opinion but I think Rich Cohen over analyzed The Great Pumpkin movie.
Chapter 5- True Stories
Found some essays dull, was not able to connect to others or understand what they were talking about. Overall, it was a fun interesting book, and I would recommend it to Peanuts fans.
49.
3 stars
This was a hard read and harder to review. The beautiful story is in there, but it is surrounded by too many words, at times over the top drama and lacks clear, get to the point, storytelling. A lot of the book reads like a disjointed diary. It is a bit sappy sweet in parts but overall, it is about a man who loved his dogs and built a business to make himself some money and feel fulfilled.
I had no idea who this Dog was or his human when I picked this book at a sale to read. The ending just about broke my heart, but it is part of life. I have been there too many times to count.
I am happy to have read this inspiring story.
50.
1 star
I stopped reading on page 172. I wanted to like the book, just could not get into the story or make myself finish it.
51.
1 star
Taken from the book's synopsis. "He was a man who didn’t deserve a second chance. But he needed one…
Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.
Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future—even after she meets a new man? "
After reading the first four chapters I just knew I was going to like this book, I was wrong. After reading more Characters the story did not develop enough plus things in Emily’s life either moved slow or way to fast, lacked balance. The bouncing back and Forth between the characters Emily and Einstein perspective on life after the death of Sandy plus how Emily was handling things grew tiresome. I did like the premise of the book just did not like the presentation and making Emily so annoyingly perfect, strong here, weak here but lacking growth. In my opinion the dog, Einstein’s, observations and growth surpassed Emily's, the Widow.
52.
2 stars
Write up comes from Goodreads books details page. "Just before starting second grade, Jim Kristofic moved from Pittsburgh across the country to Ganado, Arizona, when his mother took a job at a hospital on the Navajo Reservation. Navajos Wear Nikes reveals the complexity of modern life on the Navajo Reservation, a world where Anglo and Navajo coexisted in a tenuous truce. After the births of his Navajo half-siblings, Jim and his family moved off the Reservation to an Arizona border town where they struggled to readapt to an Anglo world that no longer felt like home. With tales of gangs and skinwalkers, an Indian Boy Scout troop, a fanatical Sunday school teacher, and the author's own experience of sincere friendships that lead to ho?zho? (beautiful harmony), Kristofic's memoir is an honest portrait of growing up on--and growing to love--the Reservation."
Mom wanted an Indian husband and found one. This is about Jim's struggle in his early years growing up on a Reservation. Had some bullies, made some friends and his family grew.
Sorry but I just did not like this book much. I feel things were left out to give you an overall picture and other parts were repetitive. Just another hard ship book with someone getting what they want and dragging others along the way.
53.
4 stars
The Underdogs tells the story of Karen Shirk, the founder of 4 Paws for Ability. She started the service dog academy after she was turned down by multiple service dog services. She was diagnosed with
neuromuscular disease and started to see there were others out there who needed dogs too.
The book is a collection of short stories about the beginnings of 4 Paws for Ability, the dogs they found and trained to place with the children.
I enjoyed most of the book. Some of it is very technical, making the storytelling lose its flow. Also, some of the stories are told in different chapters, this too makes the story lose its flow. Overall it is a really good book with eye-opening stories that will have you on the verge of tears. I would recommend this book to dog/animal lovers.
54.
3 stars
I had no idea what to expect when I picked this book out to read. I had never heard of Michael A. Mares but I learned he was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico when I was researching him and if I wanted to read the book. I found him to be fascinating and his work interesting. I did find myself skimming here and there when it came to his fieldwork adventures, some of it was just dull to read, too descriptive or it was information I already knew about since I live in the prairie desert part of New Mexico. Michael A. Mares also gives you a tidbit here and there about his personal life, he is a survivor of disseminated histoplasmosis. He contracted it doing the thing he loves, searching and studying bats in a cave in Mexico.
I also got a good history lesson about Argentina.
Here is a Quote from the book I liked.
"It is a strange feeling to be searching for an animal that you know exists, but have never seen."
55.
5 stars and added to favorites.
I am a Mike Rowe fan and had to pleasure of seeing him in person when he came to our town as a special speaker. When I found out his mother wrote a book, I immediately put it on my TBR mountain. I loved this book. Her humor alone makes the book but the keep it honest and real made is pleasure to read. Peggy not only tells stories about herself, but she also includes her husband John and Son Mike. I was not familiar with some of Mike Rowes early years, that was fun to read about.
The back of the book has a good collection of family pictures. Peggy also gives a shout out to her Facebook fans by giving their names and their comments they posted on her page. That was an interesting fun page. Peggy sounds like a fun lady with a beautiful heart. Can't wait to read her other books.
56.
3 stars
Sergeant Daniel Hendrex gives his first-hand account while in Iraq on deployment. He meets a young boy who becomes an asset to him and his fellow soldiers and makes a promise to get him out of Iraq and away from his abusive father.
The first half of the book is set up and a bit slow. The second half is raw at times and shows the human spirit of survival and give and take.
57.
1 star
I just could not get into the book. The story was too slow to develop plus the characters never fully developed. I know a lot of people liked or enjoyed this book, I did not.
58.
1 star
I could not get into the story line, parts dragged, and I just don't think the characters were developed enough. I also predicted how things would end up early in the building of the story line.
59.
1 star
Taken from the Goodreads book page write up.
"The Last The Tragic Race for Shangri-la is a breathtaking account of the ill-fated October 1998 expedition of an American whitewater kayaking team who traveled deep into the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet to run the Yarlung Tsangpo, known in paddling circles as the "Everest of rivers." For Wick Walker and Tom McEwan, extreme whitewater pioneers, best friends, and trip leaders, the Tsangpo adventure was the culmination of a twenty-five-year quest for glory. Yet the team's magnificent dreams crumbled when their ace paddler was swept over a thunderous eight-foot waterfall, never to be seen again."
Here is a fascinating exploration of both the seething big water and perilous terrain of the legendary Shangri-la, and the men who dared challenge the furious rapids that raced through this 140-mile-long canyon. The Last River invites us to view the Himalayas from a totally new perspective -- on a historic river so remote that only the most hardy and romantic souls attempt to unlock its mysteries."
This is my type of book because I like adventure, travel, survival books. This book falls short on several levels so must give it one-star book.
It feels like it has been written by several people. Parts pull you in, other parts have way too many details, other parts of the story get lost and then once and awhile the look at me because I am so fit and wonderful steps in. The story is in there, it just gets lost, and this made me lose interest.
60.
1 star
White Sands, Red Menace is the sequel to The Green Glass Sea. I enjoyed The Green Glass Sea and gave it four stars, giving this book one star. It just did not have the same feel as the first book and did not like the ending. I made myself finish it and wish I had stopped when I was halfway through the book and found myself bored to death.
61.
2 stars
Eustacia Cutler is the mother of Temple Grandin. The book has a little here and there about Temple and that is when she is taking Temple to Doctors, psychiatrists and schools trying to figure out how to deal and help her. Eustacia's husband, Temple's father, is a jerk and so happy she figured it out before he destroyed things further and divorced him. The book as a whole is a dry read and just did not develop enough to make me want to give it more than two stars.
62.
3 stars
Colin Dickey gives you a good mixture of ghost story and history book. Just to name a few places he takes you to; houses, mansions, bars, brothels, asylums, parks, etc. that are found throughout the USA. Overall, I did not find the stories scary but a couple I did find to be a very creepy. Nice collection of haunted places and I would recommend to those who are into these types of books.
63.
1 star
I just could not finish this book. I did not care for Scott Johnson's writing style and the story is lost in all the nonsense information and things that have very little to do with the crime. I got so lost on what was going I gave up. Sounded interesting but it is a nope for me.
64.
5 stars
Taken from the back of the book. "Julie Erickson’s fifth mystery begins with a simple donation of books to the Hospital Thrift Shop. Tucked inside one book is a handwritten list of names that includes the elderly donor’s. When Julie discovers a similar list near the dead body of someone she knows, she’s determined to find the connection. But her search pits her against a master manipulator unlike anyone she’s encountered before---someone who leaves behind a trail of elderly victims. Between preparing for the next craft fair and coping with the second anniversary of her husband’s death, Julie gets an unsettling glimpse into the lives of senior citizens in a way she couldn’t have imagined. When she realizes that someone believes betrayal, greed, and revenge are worth killing for, she makes it her mission to stop them."
Yet another great cozy mystery written by Cristine Adams. I enjoyed the charter's interactions; it was eavesdropping in on friends talking at the next table. I did figure out who did it was but why and what they would do to keep it unsolved had me blindsided. I highly recommend this whole series.
65.
5 stars
Taken from the back of the book. "When a true crime podcast turns into a true crime, Abby and her fellow FBI investigators are shocked when a young woman is murdered during a live broadcast. With no clue as to the victim’s identity or location, the team must rely on Abby’s intuition to hone in on the victim. When they discover the girl’s remains at the University of Texas, the team can barely catch their breath before another female student falls victim to the same killer. Knowing that it’s only a matter of time before her phone rings with another young coed’s pleas for help, Abby and her team must race to find a clue—any clue—that will lead them to the killer. Trouble is, Abby’s got a sinking feeling that she could be the next guest on the killer’s podcast . . ."
Wow! This one will have you trying to wrap your head around what is going to happen next, where, when and to who. Yes, this is darker than the rest of the series but to me that showed growth in the characters because what all they have been through building up to the case. Abby does not hold back which should not be shocking. One thing bugs me is the lack of growth and trust between Dutch and Abby, an issue will pop up and they have a lack of maturity in the relationship on dealing with it.
I did enjoy this one story very much and looking forward to more.
66.
1 star
Taken from the Goodreads book page, "The lives of three Australian children are cruelly affected when a bushfire known as the February Dragon sweeps across the countryside."
Colin Thiele weaves a fascinating but heartbreaking story. It is also one of those either you like it or don't, I did not like the book. At times I found myself disinterested because I got lost on what was going on or who was who. It is a Childrens book, and I may have liked it more when I was younger but as an Adult it is a nope or me. I made myself finish and wow, it is a very sad story.
67.
3 stars
I am not going to write a synopsis; it is an older book so there is enough information about the book out there.
I had a hard time here and there reading about the events in the lives of the animals and humans in the book but overall, it is a good but heartbreaking story.
It is hard to believe one's stupid mistake/bad judgement could impact so many.
68.
3 stars
Taken from the book: "Oliver the cat is a timid little thing, who rarely ventures from his home in the Foresters’ Arms.
Then his life changes dramatically when a fire breaks out in the pub kitchen, and he is left homeless and afraid. But, with the kindness of the humans around him, he soon learns to trust again. And, in his own special way, he helps to heal those around him.
However, it isn’t until he meets a little girl in desperate need of a friend that he realizes this village needs a Christmas miracle..."
Touching story with a couple of sweet twists but there are some heartbreaking parts. It is a slow-moving story with some cheesy dialog and very little character development. I still enjoyed the story, but I would recommend this book to a younger audience.
69.
1 star
Taken from the back of the book. "For sisters Samantha and Ella Mitchell, Christmas is their most precious time of the year—a time for togetherness, love and celebration. Most of all, it’s about making up for everything their childhood Christmases lacked. But this year, they’ll be buying presents for the most unexpected guest of all—their estranged mother. It’s been five years since they last saw each other. But when their mom calls out of the blue and promises that this Christmas will be different, Samantha and Ella cautiously agree to spend it all together…
Gayle Mitchell is at the top of her career, but her success has come at a price—her relationship with her daughters. She never seemed to say or do the right things. Her tough-love approach was designed to make them stronger, but instead managed to push them away…until a brush with her own mortality forces Gayle to make amends. As the snowflakes fall on their first family celebration in years, the Mitchell women must learn that sometimes facing up to the past is all you need to heal your heart…"
A good story is in there, but it did not hold my interest plus I found bouncing from sister to sister in each chapter annoying. The story line could have been blended together better and done in less pages. I also had issues here and there with the dialog and the demanding to have family mend and get back together, found it very cheesy and unrealistic.
70.
3 stars
Taken from the Goodreads synopsis. "Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" ( Boston Globe ) and his human partner Bernie Little find themselves high in the mountains this holiday season to help Dame Ariadne Carlisle, a renowned author of bestselling Christmas mysteries, find Rudy, her lead reindeer and good luck charm, who has gone missing.
At Kringle Ranch, Dame Ariadne’s expansive mountain spread, Chet discovers that he is not fond of reindeer. But the case turns out to be about much more than reindeer after Dame Ariadne’s personal assistant takes a long fall into Devil’s Purse, a deep mountain gorge. When our duo discovers that someone very close to Dame Ariadne was murdered in that same spot decades earlier, they start looking into that long ago unsolved crime.
But as they reach into the past, the past is also reaching out for them. Can they unlock the secrets of Dame Ariadne’s life before they too end up at the bottom of the gorge? Is Rudy somehow the key?"
I was looking forward to a Christmas book, this story falls short on being one, in my opinion. The story line dragged so I found myself bored with what was going on. I still enjoyed Chet, he is such a dog and allowed to be one, so still loving him tell the story. Just wanted better story line and less unnecessary side story.
71.
1 star
I stopped reading on page 134. I am not going to write a long review, I tried to make myself finish it but was underwhelmed with the Authors presentation of the story.
72.
4 stars
I enjoyed the stories, history and the photo's sprinkled throughout the book, but it was a dry read. Edward Curtis and many others could have never foreseen the impact his photos would be in the future. Edward Curtis took great care in presenting his subjects pure and real. I just wish him, and other early photographers would have taken that same care in dates, names and places and put them on the back of the photos as well as a log. It breaks my heart with so many beautiful pictures with Unknown on them.
73.
5 stars
Stephen A. Townsend did a wonderful job putting this book together. The beginning chapters have you stepping back in time watching a town develop and grow and then with each chapter after he brings you up to the current days. Like many small towns in New Mexico, it has some growing pains.
I enjoyed all the pictures and the book had lots of familiar names.
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5 stars and added to my favorites.
This a collection of stories told about the beginning and early years of the Lovington NM and Lea County New Mexico. A few are told by family members or friends of who lived during this time. I loved reading the history of the area I grew up in. I was very young, but I recall meeting and talking to a few of the people mentioned in stories or telling the stories. That made it extra special. If you are in this area, I highly recommend this wonderful book. If you are a history buff this too is a book for you.