Cheryl's Book Nook

My review When Beth was just nine years old, she and her father left their mother, Marika in Hungary and returned to England. Marika told Beth that Hungary was her home.Beth was devasted. However, Beth was able to visit her mother every summer.Beth and Marika looked forward to these summers. They shared laughes, love, and heartache. This changed when during one summer, Beth learned a secret that her mother had been keeping from her. A secret that tore them apart forever. The Book of Summers is Mrs. Hall's debut novel. I have to say after reading this book, I can not wait to see what Mrs. Hall has in story next. This book read more like Mrs. Hall's third or fourth book then her first. I started this book last night and about an hour and a half later I was finished. The Book of Summers reads like an old friend/journal then just a book. The Book of Summers is a must summer read! I found Marika to be the star of this story. Her hippy ways and carefree living made me s...

Review by Dorothy High school is a place of wondrous and dramatic events for most teenagers. Being a Senior makes that all the more exciting and fearful. After all your life will forever change after graduation, right? What to do, go to college, get a job, or coast for a while are the most difficult choices to make, right? But what if things do not work out that way and you wake up one day, someplace unfamiliar and scary; and you are pretty sure that you are going insane? Strike: The Hero from the Sky takes us on an exciting rollercoaster ride in another world. A world where you are chased by T-Rex like lizards and evil robots, just because of who your father is. A world where your best friend is a 6 foot talking, beer drinking Siberian Husky. A world that shows you that you are no ordinary teenage boy, but a true SUPERHERO, like your father before you. I truly was not sure about this book, after all alternate worlds have been done over and over again. However, Charlie Wood’s ...

My Review I must admit that I have never hear of Whitey Bulger until I read this book. This is probably a good thing. This means that one I don't keep up with the FBI's Most Wanted List and two that I have never had a run in with Mr. Bulger. After reading this book, it will change your mind about the FBI. I know it did for me. I mean I know the FBI has their secrets and some of them probably not good and we the public might not want to know about it but after hearing what they did to Mr. Foley, I was upset. Mr. Foley was the hero in this story. He stuck to his guns and it was like he was not only fighting to take down Bulger but also stop the other bad guys...FBI. Only Mr. Foley did not learn that they were the bad guys until later. I liked that I got to know who Mr. Foley was and how he advanced in his career. Usually I don't care of this in a nonfiction novel unless the book is about the author, who is writing it. Then I just want to know about the person fea...

My Review The year was 1897. Nils Strindberg traveled with several companions. Their balloon crashed in the North Pole during the Andree Expedition. What they left behind to this day still has people searching. Erik Hall was checking out pictures of other mine explorers. One that had Erik's attention was of two women who went cave diving near where Erik lives. Erik decided to go explore the cave for himself. He finds more than he bargained for with a dead body. The body is holding an ankh. Don Titelman is a religious symbol expert. He is the perfect person to investigate the mystery surround the ankh. Don is joined by his lawyer, Eva Strand. This book did grab my attention in tbe beginning. This was a good and bad thing. Good as that meant, I was intrigued by the story but bad because I started it right before I went to bed. The suspense of what Erik would find down in the mind shaft was enough to keep me awake. Don became the main man in this story. I had mixed feeli...

If you’re tired of your Moleskine and think that Microsoft Word is for laughable tech dinosaurs, consider going mobile with your writing. With non-verbal communication becoming the norm in today’s fast-paced, tech-forward world, there are many new tools designed to help you get the most out of your writing time, and, indeed, your words. If you’re struck with inspiration when you’re on the go, at least one of these eight essential apps should be available at your fingertips. Beware, wannabe writers! Once you’ve downloaded any or all of these tools, you’ll have less of an excuse to say that you "just can’t find the time" to write. For professionals and amateurs alike, these eight mobile-friendly writing apps are great assets to your toolkit. Clean Writer With all the clutter and noise out there keeping you from doing your best writing, there exists an app that silences all red underlines and dings until the time is write um, right. Boasting a "clean"...

There is a serial killer on the loose. The killer is leaving a trail of chopped up bodies. Detective Archie Sheridan is on the case. He is joined by his partner, Henry and reporter, Susan, who Archie saved in The Night Season. Archie receives a phone call from Gretchen's doctor. Gretchen is a patient in the Oregon State Mental Hospital. Her doctor says that Gretchen states she has a daughter and Archie needs to save her. At first Archie believes this is another of Gretchen's tricks but he can not resist checking into it. Kill You Twice is book five of Gretchen Lowell books. So glad to see Gretchen again. Just like Archie, she has cast a spell over me and I can not get enough of her. I like that she was featured more in this book than the last one. She has a presence that captivates your attention. The way she described her first kill with no emotions was creepy. I really liked that in this book, I got to know more about who the "real" Gretchen is and what star...

Cassidy is a crime reporter. She was just finishing up before she joined her friends, Nicole, FBI Agent and Allison, federal prosecutor for dinner and drinks. Cassidy receives a hot tip. It involves her ex and dirty cops. Cassidy agrees to meet the caller. It seems that Cassidy is on to something as the hot tip turns into something bigger than the Triple Threat group can handle alone. They relay on help from Private Investigator, Olivia. Eyes of Justice is book four of the Triple Threat books. I was hooked by this series when I read book one, Face of Betrayal. I have grown to really like Cassidy, Niicole and Allison. It is like I am an honorary member of their group. After the bomb dropped in this book to the Triple Threat group, I was momentary shocked. I had to re-read the scence to double check that what I was reading really happened. This does not typically happen to me in a book that I get this invested with the characters or series. These books are quick reads. I thought ...

Mr. Levine has reissued all of his books in Kindle editions. In celebration of this, I have a copy of the first book Solomon VS. Lord to giveaway (ebook edition). Leave your email address and a winner will be picked on June 5th. SOLOMON VS. LORD SERIES In creating his main characters, Levine relied on 17 years practicing law...and his three marriages. Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord are combative Florida lawyers who love/hate each other and can't agree on "good morning." But life sizzles when they're together and fizzles when they're apart. A Coral Gables blueblood, Victoria plays by the book. A Coconut Grove beach bum, Steve ignores the rules in favor of Solomon's Laws. Together, the two make a surprisingly good trial team, although there's always the chance they'll kill each other while the jury is still out. Solomon vs. Lord : Trial lawyer Victoria Lord, who follows every rule, and Steve Solomon, who makes up his own, bicker and banter a...

Leo Auberg was just seventeen when two policemen went from house to house with a list. They were rounding up people to take them to a prison camp in the Soviet Union. Leo traveled by train to the camp. Once there, he spent five grueling years in the camp. Although, Leo did not know it yet, he would have a companion with him. HIs companion would be known as the "hunger angel". Ms. Muller is a profilic writer. She described in much detail the hunger that Leo was experiencing. I wuld have to say though that the "hunger angel" felt more like a shadow or demon then an angel. The "angel' was always around Leo poking into his brain or teasing him with the many layers of hunger. Leo started out on the quiet side but as the story progressed, he became a strong voice and good narrator. Speaking of good voices, I thought that Philip Boehm did a nice job of translating Ms. Muller's words on page in English. This is not an easy task. I have read several boo...

Logan has just celebrated her twenty seventh birthday. It was not anything to really cheer about. Logan kind of has a boring life. This probably would explain why she does not think twice when she receives an offer she can not refuse. Logan's cousin, Kelsey is a celebrity. She is going to join Kelsey on tour as her assistant. Logan will be in for the ride of her life. I was intrigued to want to read this book. When I read the words Britney Spears, I admit that caught my attention. This book did not keep my attention. I wanted to like it more than I did. I probably could have liked this book better if most of the other characters did not rub me the wrong way or were more exciting. Logan started out a mouse but by the end of the book she had grown into a woman. Kelsey, I actually felt sorry for. I did not expect to as I thought she was going to be protrayed as self-centered but she bleeds like the rest of us. She was lost in a world of purple haze. For anyone who thought being...

Sara Gallagher has knew she was adopted and wondered who her parents were and why did they giv her up. Sara decides to search for her birth parents. Sara's fiance, Evan backs Sara up. Sara finds her birth mother but she wants nothing to do with her. Sara learns the truth. Her mother was the only survivor of the Campsite Killer. Sara's birth mother may not want anything to do with Sara but her father does and he is reaching out to her. I was excited to read this book after reading, Still Missing. While, this book was not as good, it was still an ejoyable read. My biggest problem was that I felt the story moved slowly and it could have ended about a hundred pages less than it ended up to be. Again, I did like the concept of the main character, Sara talking to someone as the story unfolds. It makes me feel more involved with the story and the characters. I wanted Sara to have more depth. What I mean by this is that she kind of just went with the flow and did what the po...

Ray Cruz was a Marine. He is trying to adjust to cilivan life. It is Christmas time. Ray and his friend, Molly are shopping. So are tons of other people on this day. People ae in a jolly mood and children are having fun sitting n Santa's lap, telling him their wish list. Suddenly, a shot is fired. Santa's brains go splattering. Soon people start to realize what has happened and panic arupts. People go screaming. More shots are fired. Terrorists come out from every direction. They gather people up as hostages. Ray, Molly and several others are hiding in a store on one of the upper levels. Ray knows that he must do something to try and stop the terrorists before the mall ends up a slaughter house. Soft Target is book one of the Ray Cruz novels. Ray was a stand out in this book. His military back ground helped him in this situation. He was cool under pressure. While, I did like Ray, it was not enough to sustain me into really liking this book. The opening scene of this book...

I got an email from a contact that I have worked with previously. His name is Tony and he just started up Astor + Blue. Here is some information about the company from their website. Like them on facebook for the latest information and updates. ABOUT A+B DIGITAL PUBLISHING. CLASSIC PUBLISHER Astor +Blue Editions is an innovative “Digital First” Publisher dedicated to producing the highest quality ebooks and custom print editions by leveraging the very latest in digital technology. We do not merely publish books, we E-LAUNCH them through a long term, proactive marketing program that features the best of traditional, mass and emerging new media outreach. In short: We maximize each book’s readership and keep it alive indefinitely. WHAT IS “DIGITAL FIRST” PUBLISHING? The Publishing World is not changing, it has changed. At A+B, we’ve embraced that change, and are constantly seeking out—and fearlessly trying—new ways to serve readers and authors in this new world. This is the...

Review by Dorothy What do you do after returning to the 21st Century from the 1st Century and living in the time and places of Jesus Christ to living in our modern world? Does this experience change your outlook on modern times and your behavior to your fellow man? Do you keep looking for ways to go back and try to actually talk to Jesus or do you make the best of your life in the here and now? If you were able to go back and talk to him, what would you ask him? If he was able to help you talk to loved ones you have lost, would you ask them for forgiveness? If you were asked, would you give up your happiness to see someone else happy? These are a few of the things that Michael Stewart has to confront. Along with raising his teenage daughter alone, he is a torn man and haunted by the things he could have and should have done. Then the portal opens up for him again and he takes the opportunity to go back to Jerusalem, back to see Jesus and to talk to him about his lost wife a...

The year is 1914. Grace and her newly married husband, Henry boarded the Empress Alexandra. They were heading from the Atlantic to America. Things were going well until the cruise liner starting sinking like another famous cruise ship, the Titanic. Henry saves Grace and ensures that she gets a seat in a life boat. This is just the beginning of the rest of Grace's life. Some of Grace's boat mates include John Hardie, one of Empress Alexandra's ship mates and Mrs. Grant, a bossy woman. As each passing day goes by, some people will die. Who will be left? Grace survives but what she has to experience afterwards, she may wish she had died in the ocean. I was entralled by this book. Grace was such a good narrator. I fell for her as a person. This is very important in a story like this. Where there is not a lot of action and the whole time the characters are stuck in a boat in the middle of the ocean. The story has to be character driven. Which it was. I actually did not...

Hazel is a major video gameaholic. This is perfect as she works for Badass Games. Their greatest claim to fame is Pimps N; Ho's. Hazel is going out to LA to coordinate the release party of Pimps N' Ho's, Volume 5. Hazel has a good job and a great boyfriend in Wylie. Wylie is a chef. Hazel loves to eat and thus she is the perfect taste tester for Wylie's food. During a game with friends, they shared if they had a "pass" from their partner, who would they have sex with. For Hazel, this is a no brainer. Finn Schiller, lead singer of The Void. Hzael has the opportunity to make her dream come true, when during her flight to LA, she is seated next to Finn in the flesh. What is a girl to do when a rock star wants to jump her bones. I dedicate The Rock Star in Seat 3A to anyone who dared to dream or having a fling with a rock star! Book your ticket for The Rock Star in Seat 3A. I liked this book a lot. I wanted to be mad at Hazel for hooking up with Finn and l...

Article by Laura K. Curtis Last night I was on Twitter and friend and blogger Tara Gelsomino mentioned that FX had greenlit a television series about a female serial killer. The conversation then went like this: laurakcurtis: So . . . like a female Dexter, or more like a Chelsea Cain character? taragel: Actually is an adaptation of the Cain novels, FX greenlit laurakcurtis: Whoa. That’s pretty grim for TV. But could be cool if done right. taragel: Fitting that it’s FX taking it on, I think. Closest you’ll get to premium cable. laurakcurtis: Indeed. And FX does Justified, so they might manage it. taragel: And Sons of Anarchy. For those of you unfamiliar with Chelsea Cain, her series is about Gretchen Lowell, a female serial killer, and Archie Sheridan, the Portland detective she captured and tortured and with whom she maintains a relationship of sorts. It’s very, very dark stuff. According to Cain’s site, The plan is for Heartsick to be season one, season tw...

Nora and her two daughters, Ella and Annie leave for Burke's Island in Maine. Nora used to live here when she was younger. Lately Nora has been feeling a powerful pull to return. Nora and her daughters are staying just for the summer. It is not long before the threee women have a man wash up into their lives...literally. His name is Owen. There is something mysterious about Owen. This will be the summer that Nora and her girls will never forget. This book was way better than I could have imagine it to be. It had some aire of mystery surrounding it with the characters. While, I figured out where the story was leading pretty early on, I still kept reading and waiting to see how the big reveal would take place. Nora, I was unsure of in the beginning. I was not sure if she could hold her own but she did. She did it in a quiet way. Annie was a doll. She was just like any little seven year old girl...full of wonder, adventure and wise beyond her years. Ella, I could even forgive as ...

Review by Nancy Take a dog groomer, a hot private eye and a totally un-cute dog and you have the makings of Wild Thing, a short novel by Tawny Weber. Andrea is the groomer, proud of creating her own business out of financial crises. Percy is the PI and the doggy is called Medusa. Ah, but this Medusa doesn’t have snakes in her head, she has DREADLOCKS. Probably a good thing since she is a Chinese Crested and they have no hair on this bodies except head and tail! Medusa has gone missing and, which Percy was trying to go on vacation, he figures he can use the cash and how hard can it be to find a dog? Not nearly as simple as he thinks. Medusa is right in the middle of her parents’ divorce and both want her. They don’t like her but the WANT HER, just the same. She was stolen from Andrea’s grooming parlor and the bad guy left her tied up and hysterical and, unfortunately for him – MAD!! Nothing will do but Percy has to help Andrea find Medusa. Again, not simple. She doesn’t want h...

Review by Nancy This story is a “come to Jesus” moment for anyone who reads it. It tells us of Alex, the son and of Curly, the father. They are together on different planes - the same house, sleeping, eating, living together barely speaking, barely existing most of the time. Mom left with the young brother, Howard, several years ago and Curly’s world changed dramatically. His drinking before more, his life much less and his ability to care for a son alone isn’t even worth discussing. Alex has, at 16, done something most adults haven’t done, much less kids his age: he is driving a Buick and it is the 14th car he has stolen. However, the Buick is different in that this time he is caught. Dad is working nights building cars and has no idea what Alex is up to. Curly is too depressed to notice. He knows he should do SOMETHING but doesn’t know what. Alex goes to the 1960’s version of Juvie and there his world enlarges by leaps and bounds. It is a hard place, cleaning coal chutes, ...

My Review Jules Strauss goes to Princeton University. She is approached one day while at the mall. A man tells her about a opportunity where she can make a lot of money. The catch is, Jules would have to give away her eggs. The man he is from the Princeton Fertility Clinic. Jules agrees to sell her eggs. She is really doing it for her father. He is an alocohtic. The money would help pay for him to go to rehab. Annie Barrow is a mother of two boys and a wife. Her husband is in the military. They are struggling for money. Annie wants to help with the finances. That is why she signed up to be a surrogate mother. India is married to weathly Marcus Croft. They have been trying to have a child. After two miscarriages, they decide to use a surrogate. Everything is looking up for India and Marcus until Marcus's daughter, Bettina finds out the truth about who India really is. I felt the most connected to Annie. She is a good mother and wife. She was warm and friendly. The other ...

Review by Nancy A young girl, her brother, uncle, grandmother and assorted other characters are out to find the very last Dragon – a female named Ling-Li. She is the mate to Tianlong and both are very, very old. The tale of how everyone got to this point is interesting, funny and thought-provoking. Isabella Treehorn and brother, Kaelyn are very close to their Uncle Titus. A very good thing since they lose their mother early on in the story and go to live with him and his dog, Jake. Isabella has always been different, both culturally and spiritually. She is a United Nations of heritages and has odd dreams for a 12-year-old. She dreams of dragons who talk to her and the dark Lords of Death who want to kill her. Pretty serious for one so young. She is amazed when she and family go to see the Ming Dynasty Dragon Exhibit and the exhibit starts talking to her! Tianlong was found in the frozen steppes and while researchers thought they had a body they were seeing mega-dollar signs whe...

James has a niche for finding people. His talent as a skilled hacker helps. That is why when his ex, Blythe Randall has come to James. She needs the best. Her brother Billy has gone missing. Billy is also a genius. He has created a virtual gaming world known as NOD. It seems that Billy has literally taken this new world too serious as he has disappeared within it. I picked up this book with no expectances of whether I would like this book or not. The concept of it was intriguing. A virtual game world filled with sex, revenge and another alterative virtual world within a virtual world. I was not prepared for what awaited me between the front and back cover of this book. James had the brain smarts. He would pick up on hidden clues fairly quickly. I tried several times to figure out where Billy was located at the same time that James would figure out clues but I finally gave up and just went with the flow. For me what really drew mw in was the virtual world…NOD. This is no...

Review by Nancy Take two women. Each has a son, each has issues – different yet similar. One has spent her life doing things “her way” alienating many, becoming famous, losing a lover and finding out that things are more important to her than people. The other has given up everything, her home, her things her self-esteem to put her addict son into rehab. She, too, has lost a lover and feels that people are more worth holding on to than items. What happens when these two meet and try to work together is a wonderful, funny, sad and meaningful story called Objects of My Affection. Marva has a house full of “things. Mostly worth tons of cash and she does NOT want to part with them. Movie trivia, statues, her own paintings worth millions, etc., etc., etc. Her son hires Lucy, author of a book on organization titled Things are Not People, to get around Marva and have the house clean and empty by May 15th. The date is decided by Marva as it is her 65th birthday. She has acquired a...

A GAME OF THRONES by George R. R. Martin, Excerpt

Review by Dorothy When a dying breed of people discovers a new source of the one mineral that enables their women to get pregnant as well as stay alive during and after a pregnancy, the fight is on. Factions of one kind or another with of course the rich and powerful getting into the mix for their own purposes; it makes you wonder if there is anyone you can trust. Throw in magic and demons and alternate worlds along with slavery, exploitation, plots, subplots, a large dose of male ego and a woman’s need to save her child from her plight and you have Hailey Edward’s Eversworn: Daughters of Askara. Eversworn takes us on a journey with Isabeau and Dillon. Isabeau has a secret that she cannot allow to be reveled even to the man she wants to spent the rest of her life with. However, one person knows her secret and is using her to gain what he most desires, more wealth and power, while promising to release her from slavery and to return to her the one thing she would die for, her da...

Review by Nancy Aaron Likens has done remarkable things but first he started out as a seriously annoying disruptive kid. He hated school; most kids do, but Aaron HATED school. He was bored, mostly, but also not functioning on the same level as his peers. By the time he was six, Aaron couldn’t play monopoly with his dad because he always won. Always. Taken to counseling he was compared to….wait for it…..the Unabomber or possibly a serial killer. Thankfully that didn’t happen because we would have missed out the wonderful various of life that Aaron gives us in FINDING KANSAS. Aaron has autism in the form as Asperger’s Syndrome. “Asperger's syndrome, also called Asperger's disorder, is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD). PDDs are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination.” Thank you Wiki! He wasn’t diagnosed until he was...

Play These Games: 101 Delightful Diversions Using Everyday Items is a book that everyone should pick up a copy of. This book had tons of fun and interactive games to play. Mrs. Swain does show you how to have fun without spending tons of money with this book. Some are new games and others are games just with a new twist to them. Games like: Loony Balloons Materials: Writing paper Pen or pencil Scissors Balloons Write silly actions on the papers like..Bark like a dog, act like a chicken, Moo like a cow, etc. Write enough actions for each person playing. Put the papers in the balloons, blow them up. How to play: Everyone sits in a circle on the floor. Hand the first balloon to the first person, who bounces on it three times. If it pops, the player finds the instruction and follows it, than moves to the outside of the circle. Repeat until everyone has had a turn. Love to play golf or even miniature golf. Well you can play it at home. Stuffed animal charades. Ther...