Brain Rules

Sorry for the sporadic posts. I've been having some website issues. My backlog of reviews is growing!!

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving At Work, Home and School by John Medina

Today's recommendation is for the curious/scientific reader.

What is really going on in your brain? Dr. Medina shares his extensive knowledge of how the brain operates and then gives advice on how you can use this knowledge to change your life.

Lover Enshrined

Lover Enshrined by JR Ward

Again, I will say that J.R. Ward is now one of my favorite romance authors. I hardly remember that the characters are vampires…or that vampires don’t exist. She is that good!

Book five of the Black Dagger Brotherhood wasn’t as good, in my opinion, as the first four. This one, book six, continued in that vein. The problem is this: The first four books all had a starring male (Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist, Butch). These males were built up, complex and so emotional. Then, in book five, it felt like Vishious was more of a supporting actor. And I was sad because I really liked V’s character and I wanted him to have his own strong story. So…this one should be Phury’s story. But again, I don’t think the story focused on him. Even less so than V in the previous book. I felt like his character was capable of so much more. The love story in this one was luke-warm, at best.

I still enjoyed the book however. It is packed with action and has subplots involving other characters that I love. I’m hoping that book 7 (Rehv’s story) can get back on track.

Hmmmm…have I become a vampire groupie??

Into Thin Air

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

I was aware of the hiking tragedy on Mt. Everest that happened in 1996, but I just recently read Krakauer’s first-person account. After the book, I did more research into the controvery that ensued after publishing. The controvery was about Kraukauer's portrayal of some of the climbers. Survivors had different perceptions of what happened on that mountain and on what might prevented the disaster. But in the end, an author can only relate his own experience, his own feelings.

I found Krakauer’s account to be harrowing and sad. He put his emotion into his words and I could feel the danger, the disbelief, the agony. He tried to give the reader a sense of what it was like on the mountain, what it was like when the chance of survival had become razor thin. I also found his account to be balanced and fair.

A definite recommend.

The Kindness of Strangers

The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle

Amazon.com Description:

"Sarah Laden, a young widow and mother of two, struggles to keep her family together. Since the death of her husband, her high-school-age son, Nate, has developed a rebellious streak, constantly falling in and out of trouble. Her kindhearted younger son, Danny, though well behaved, struggles to pass his remedial classes. All the while, Sarah must make ends meet by running a catering business out of her home. But when a shocking and unbelievable revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet another young boy into her already tumultuous life. Jordan, a quiet and reclusive elementary-school boy and classmate of Danny's, has survived a terrible tragedy, leaving him without a family. When Sarah becomes Jordan's foster mother, a relationship develops that will force her to question the things of which she thought she was so sure. Yet Sarah is not the only one changed by this young boy, and as the delicate balance that holds her family together begins to falter, the Ladens will all face truths about themselves and one another -- and discover the power of love to forgive and to heal."

My thoughts:

Incredible. This book is raw and emotional…the story haunted me, still haunts me. Kittle created amazing characters and didn’t sugarcoat the issue of child abuse. She simply told a difficult story in a beautiful way.

The things described in this book happen to children every single day. The tears I cried while reading this were for all of those children who have not been saved, who have lost the innocence of their childhood to sick, vicious people. My wish for the world is that no child ever has to go through what the character in this book had to endure. Heartbreaking.

Shiver of Fear

Shiver of Fear by Roxanne St. Clair

This is the second book in the Guardian Angelino series. I really enjoyed the first (Edge of Sight). This one was decent, but didn’t compare to the previous.

The book starts where the first left off. After Devyn’s husband is murdered she is determined to find her birth mother. Digging into the past stirs up danger. Marc, the former FBI agent introduced in book one, is hired to find Devyn and get her out of the way.

The overall issue I had was the Devyn and Marc just didn’t click. I was interested in the plot, but didn’t feel like the characters were well-developed. The book was heavy on action, short on romance.

On to book three!

Body of Lies

Body of Lies by Iris Johansen

Johansen’s “Eve Duncan” series is phenomenal. This is the third book in the series. I strongly recommend that the books be read in order. I can’t see them being read as stand alones if you don’t already know the background and the characters.

In this installment Eve has found happiness with Joe and Jane, but everything changes when she is summoned to New Orleans to work on a skull. In danger, but at odds with Joe, Eve is vulnerable. Galen  is sent to protect her. He is one of the supporting characters that add depth to this series.

Typical of Johansen there are plot twists, conspiracies and strong suspenseful moments. Action packed and full of treasured characters--I highly recommend this series (but start at the beginning!).

What Do You Do All Day

What Do You Do All Day by Amy Schiebe

Advertised as a humorous relation of a stay-at-home Mom’s life, I was excited to try this one. I can always relate to kid antics! But I was disappointed.

Jennifer, the main character is extremely hard to like. In fact, I pretty much hated her. So I started skimming…just to see if it would get better. But, nope! No better…only worse. Schiebe throws in various plot points, and doesn’t do any of them justice. I was confused about who people were, why they were in the story and what was actually happening.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend this one.