Book Review: The Sphere Of Archimedes by H Squires

The Sphere of Archimedes by H. Squires
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Sphere of Archimedes (book #1)

I heard about this book from a friend and decided to read it, I purchased it off of Amazon. Purchase info below.

Professor Donovan Spiegler, and nine-year-old Oliver Abernathy have no warning that their seemingly routine lives will free-fall into danger and adventure in this sci-fi thriller.
The first thing that I liked about this book was that it is in Arizona, that is where I live, so I very excited to read a book that took place in my home town.
The story is about a boy and his family and they go to the Grand Canyon and he finds a metallic sphere. He takes it home and starts to check it out, and of course things start to happen.
I thought the author did a great job with the characters and I was totally into this book, even though it is for middle school age kids, this book would be a fun book to read as a family.  It is definitely a good book, I can’t wait till the next book comes out because the author chose it to be a: to be continued story, which I would rather it have an ending and not to make us wait for the next book. That would be my only negative on this book.

Professor Spiegler, and his assistant, Cedrick Wilhelm, are researching a mysterious metallic orb when Cedrick goes missing, and so does the orb.

 

On a trip to the Grand Canyon with his family, Oliver, a chubby freckle-faced boy, discovers a metallic sphere. Little does he know, he is holding the nucleus of the world. Oliver's boyish curiosity builds as he tests the abilities and hazards the orb possesses.

 

A group of threatening men turn up at the Professor’s class; at knife point, they demand he relinquish the orb, and show them how to release its powers. In an attempt to flee, Professor Spiegler inadvertently leads the mobsters straight to Oliver Abernathy and his family.

 

In the thrilling adventure that follows, the characters discover the need to work together in order to stay alive. The Professor and the Abernathys encounter other dimensions, and meet deadly enemies. Their survival is hinged on solving THE SPHERE OF ARCHIMEDES.

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The Sphere of Archimedes

Book Review: Lost and Found in Camden by Ann E. Hacker

Lost and Found in Camden by Ann E Hacker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow I just loved this book, This book was written by 11 authors, about one place, they each had a character who connects with another character. I thought all the authors did a great flow with the characters. Each one was outstanding.
I definitely recommend this book.
I was given a copy from Netgalley for an honest review and I felt this book was really worth it.
Here is what Netgalley says about the book:

Description

Featuring eleven colorful stories by eleven members of the IOWG (International Online Writers Group) that weave together through common characters, Lost and Found in Camden chronicles one hot August weekend at London's famous Camden Lock Market. Each story connects with the next through a minor character in the previous story who becomes the main character of the next. Each has challenges to confront in a setting that includes a myriad of eccentric and mysterious people, a threatening summer storm and a movie being filmed at the market.

The writers, spread out throughout the US and overseas, have been together via email for many years. Most have never met, yet they have remained close through the wonders of the internet. They began this book as an exercise which finally became this published anthology. All coordination was done via email. Sadly, one member, Barbara Inglis, died of cancer before the book was published. The book is dedicated in Barb's memory, and proceeds from book sales will go to a cancer research organization.


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Lost and Found in Camden

Thanks for reading:
Diana

Book Review: Better Date Than Never Series Boxed set#1 by Susan Hatler

This review is for 3 books,
The Better Date than Never Series, Boxed Set Vol. #1

Dating is so much easier when you have good friends to lean on. . . .

This book bundle includes three contemporary romance novellas 

Book One
Love at First Date by Susan Hatler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a wonderful quick read. It is a Short romance. I really liked it. The writer developed the characters and it was easy to get involved and wanting to know how it ended. The story is a clean romance, makes you feel good and I cant wait to read more of her books

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

I highly recommend this book if your looking for a short, clean, funny romantic story. 


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Book Two

Truth or Date by Susan Hatler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this book as part of a series through Netgalley and was given a copy for an honest opinion.


This is what the book is about, from Netgalley:
Gina Hall is done with men who won’t commit. Ten years waiting for her ex to propose wasted her time. Never again. When her friend Kristen starts a game of Truth or Dare, she dares Gina to go on a date with Ethan, who’s amazing and total marriage material.

As Gina plans the going away party for office playboy Chris Bradley, she spontaneously initiates a game of Truth or Dare with him. When his turn comes around, he dares Gina to pose as his girlfriend to help get a flirty colleague off his back. Gina finds playing couple with Chris way too much fun.

Even though Gina and Chris are pretending, their relationship begins to feel painfully real. Fearing she might be falling for another fly-by man, Gina must focus on Ethan so she doesn’t make the same dating mistakes all over again.

I thought the story was good, fun and clean, loved how Gina had a hard time making up her mind and so she waited till the last minute. I really thought the characters were right on.

After reading this book, the 2nd in the series, I had to read the 3rd.
And now I am reading the whole series, Love the way to writer writes.


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Book Three
My Last Blind Date by Susan Hatler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book through Netgalley for an honest opinion.

My Last Blind Date, Book #3

It’s Valentine’s Day and Rachel Price has a choice: Stay home and watch TV with her lovable doggy or let her best friend, Ellen, set her up on a blind date. What to do….

Ellen says the guy is a “10,” but the last guy she set her up with was a “–5.” Rachel’s been flirting with coworker Noah Peterson and she’s hoping he’s noticed. Then, she finds out Noah has big plans. Even worse, he advises Rachel to go on the blind date!

Should she play it safe and spend the Hallmark holiday with her loyal pooch, Chester, or risk another dating disaster by trying yet again for love?

I loved reading this simple story, if you want to read a book that gives you warm fuzzy and happy, this is it.

I really liked the whole series and I enjoy the writer's style and will continue to read her books.


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In all honesty, I loved these sweet stories of romance, Just glad that I am not young and have to go through this again.

You can purchase these books on Amazon.com
Better Date than Never Boxed Set, Vol. #1

I will be reviewing the rest of the books in the next week.

Book Review: It's NOT Just a Dog! by Pam Torres

It's NOT Just A Dog! by Pam Torres
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is an awesome book to read, great for dog lovers and for middle school and up age group.
This is a story about Madison and her adventures to save the animals. this book is well written and I enjoyed reading it. I am sure others will enjoy this book as well.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest opinion, and I truly found this book to be a good summer reading book.

Here is what Amazon says about this book:

In the second book of the Project Madison series, things get complicated as Madison and Cooper try to navigate their new relationship. School has ended and they're spending more time together, blogging, working at the kennel, training dogs—including Lilly. When Jonah, the new neighbor who has moved into Paige's old house, begins to spend more time with Madison, Cooper isn't at all happy.  
Jonah's uncle, a Native American, shares his knowledge about Madison's power to see and feel canine memories and emotions. The mysterious white wolf returns and fills her mind with dreams and more questions. Madison starts a dog-walking business and discovers Ben, a crotchety old man whose dog is skin and bones. 
When the kennel receives a dog that has been brutally injured, Madison is determined to find out what happened. She and Cooper realize they're going to need Jonah and Donald to bust this investigation wide open and save the dogs. But getting to the bottom of the mystery will threaten not only Madison, but everyone she loves.
Purchase on Amazon:

It's NOT Just A Dog! (Project Madison Series)

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Book Review: Rekindled

Rekindled by Maisey Yates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a good book, easy to read, but predictable. I think the story should have had a better twist, but the book is a good happy read. Nice to read and didn't make me depressed. I am planning on reading more books by this author, this was the first one I have read from her and I do like her style.

Here is what the description about the book from Amazon:
In USA Today bestselling author Maisey Yates’s latest Silver Creek Romance, a rich girl gets the privilege of starting over—and finding true love.



Lucy Ryan got everything she thought she wanted, going from high school queen to Manhattan trophy wife. But none of it was worth staying in a loveless marriage. So now she’s back in Silver Creek—with no money and no place to stay, applying for a job cleaning someone else’s house. And her potential employer is the last person she ever expected to see again.



Mac Denton can’t believe the mean girl who once tormented him in high school is now his housekeeper. He looks forward to making her squirm for a few days before she runs back to her rich husband. But Lucy has changed, and he is surprised to find himself attracted to the beautiful, courageous woman she has become.



Lucy is finally ready to go after what she really wants from life. And what she wants more than anything is Mac. But is Mac ready to truly forget the past and embrace the future?

I did receive this book from NetGalley for an honest opinion.


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You can purchase this book from Amazon.com:
Rekindled (A Silver Creek Romance)

Book Review Studio Kill

The Studio Kill by Charles Fleming
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest opinion.

My first thought was I love this book, I love the era and everything about it. I loved the mystery and the romance, this book was awesome, I read this book really fast compared to others. Very easy to read and understand.

Here is what is says about it on Amazon:
Book Description
Publication Date: May 4, 2014
Want to take a trip back to the 1940s, when Tinseltown was glamorous, decadent, sexy, and violent? Then don't miss THE STUDIO KILL, Charles Fleming's great new noir novel about John McClellan, head of security for Continental Pictures. An ex-cop for the LAPD, he spends his days and nights hushing up the sexual peccadilloes of actors and studio honchos, not to mention their rampant use of drugs and booze. Now our hero has his hands full with a Red-baiting Congressman who want to bring the studio down, the murder of a famous director's wife, a columnist who will do anything for his next big story, and a sexy girl screenwriter who might be the love of his life—or the death of him. THE STUDIO KILL is beautifully written, with all the period details dead-on, dialogue so breezy it'll make your hair stand on end, and a twisty, dangerous plot that will keep you guessing, Nobody does Hollywood hardboiled like Charles Fleming.


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To Purchase on Amazon click the link:
The Studio Kill

Number sign, Pound sign, Hashtag

 

Ok so it seems there is this thing called #hashtags. I didn't know what this was at first, I mean as far as I knew this little sign # meant numbers or pound on the telephone key pad, how did it turn into a hashtag?

A hashtag is a word or an unspaced phrase prefixed with the number sign ("#"). It is a form of metadata tag. Beginning July 2, 2009, Twitter began to hyperlink all hashtags in tweets to Twitter search results for the hashtagged word (and for the standard spelling of commonly misspelled words). In 2010, Twitter introduced "Trending Topics" on the Twitter front page, displaying hashtags that are rapidly becoming popular. Source Wikipedia.

 

This is from the Urban Dictionary:

Hashtag

If you have been on Twitter, you may have seen a "hashtag." To put it simply, a hash tag is simply a way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic and to begin a conversation. For example, if you search on #LOST (or #Lost or #lost, because it's not case-sensitive), you'll get a list of tweets related to the TV show. What you won't get are tweets that say "I lost my wallet yesterday" because "lost" isn't preceded by the hash tag.

Hashtags believed to have originated on Twitter but, interestingly enough, it is not a Twitter function. Some believe it began when the broken plane luckily landed in the Hudson River in early 2009, some Twitter user wrote a post and added #flight1549 to it. I have no idea who this person was, but somebody else would have read it and when he posted something about the incident, added #flight1549 to HIS tweet. For something like this, where tweets would have been flying fast and furiously, it wouldn't have taken long for this hash tag to go viral and suddenly thousands of people posting about it would have added it to their tweets as well. Then, if you wanted info on the situation, you could do a search on "#flight1549" and see everything that people had written about it.

Take this hashtag for example: #worstjobeverhad. This Hash tag would compel many others to share the worst jobs they've ever had, thus contributing to a fun conversation. It can be used for specific searches or individual twitters that begin them for their followers.

 

 

Well I started using #hashtags a few months ago, because I love social media and love learning new things. I also use these #hashtags for TV shows I like, I notice most of the TV shows I watch have #hashtags on the program so that we can Tweet about it.

 

From Wikipedia:

The first official integration between Twitter hashtags and television programs was during Comedy Central's March 15, 2011 roast of Donald Trump. Using the hashtag #TrumpRoast at the bottom of the screen, Twitter called it "the single deepest integration of a Twitter hashtag on air-ever." The promotion worked, as it generated the channel's most-watched Tuesday in history; the hashtag #trumproast was used over 27,000 times on Twitter during the show's initial broadcast.^[2]

 

There is of course a lot more info on the web about #hashtags, but I just was kind of interested in reading how it came about. So I am sure I will be learning more about using #hashtags and I use them more often.

Thanks for reading,

Diana

Book Review: Tim Conway, What's so funny? My Hilarious Life

What's So Funny?: My Hilarious Life by Tim Conway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received this book from Net Galley for my an honest review.

I have to say that I loved the Carol Burnett show. I loved all the characters on this show. When I saw that this book was going to be
published I knew I had to read it.
I thought this book was awesome, When Tim talked about when he was growing up, I could feel that my Grandparents were just like his parents and the fun things he did when he was younger I could picture my own Father doing them as well. I really loved the way he wrote this book, just felt right there through the whole thing.
I could just keep on reading this book, loved the stories and such a positive person he was.
This is defiantly a worthwhile book to read. If there is a second book I will read it as well.


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You can purchase this book on Amazon.com

What's So Funny?: My Hilarious Life

Book Review: Illegal:Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant

Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant by José Ángel N.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


 Well this book was very interesting, it is about an illegal immigrant who came into this country and his struggles to want to be here. I really liked reading his side of it and how he struggled with wanting to fit in more then the others who came here illegally.
I am impressed by how much he wanted to learn in his new country, something I do see a lot of where I live.
I think the book is worth reading, it is interesting to see it from his eyes. I guess if you want something bad enough you would do just about anything. I hope this book helps others like him to become who they need to be.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
To Purchase this book visit Amazon.com
Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant (Latinos in Chicago and Midwest)

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Awesome Cook book-Not Just Tacos.

Not Just Tacos - A Journey Into the World of Authentic Latin American Cuisine by Shirley Solis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book, I don't cook a lot but I found some awesome recipes in this book that I am going to try. I also loved the info she gave about different countries and their foods. I cant wait to try some of the recipes in this book, they are very clearly written and seem easy enough for me.


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I do recommend this book if you are interested in cooking Latin style Cuisine, this book also comes with some interesting facts about the countries of the food for the recipes.

Click below to order from Amazon: Not Just Tacos - A Journey Into the World of Authentic Latin American Cuisine

New Book Review: Fifty Years in Polygamy: Big Secrets and Little White Lies

Well I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review. 

Well all I can say is that this book is an eye opener. I am not surprised that this sort of stuff happens as my Mom had once told me about it, very vaguely though, I think from coming home driving through Colorado city. I feel Kristyn did a great job on writing a story about her life, in her opinion, it is her story, and it is very interesting how she over came all the obstacles that she had to endure during her first 50 years.  I love reading books about peoples lives, it is always very interesting to me. I feel bad for the wives who had to struggle like single parents to raise their families while there "husbands" were off trying to another wife or working to support their family. and for their children, so many children and so much abusive. Not everyone lives like the Sister Wives do or the My Five Wives shows., of course we don't really know how they feel emotional about their situation, it is all they know. 
If you at all interested in reading how this sheltered lifestyle can be detrimental to women and to men as well, this book is really good to read. 

Here is what is says on GoodReads about this book:
There is much ado about polygamy these days. Media coverage, HBO's Big Love, TLC's Sister Wives, the acts committed by cult leader Warren Jeffs and his followers--all of these keep a slew of polygamy-related issues at the forefront of society. But none can depict the ongoing, daily atrocities and heartaches that are hidden behind the scenes, behind closed doors, within the hearts and souls of thousands of smiling faces.

Kristyn Decker's memoir recounts the harsh realities of being born and raised in the second largest polygamist sect in America--the Apostolic United Brethren, or the AUB (Allred Group). For five decades, Kristyn, then Sophie, was caught up in a cult of plural marriage ... and lived it until she thought it would kill her. When she finally had the courage to leave, she knew she had to share her story.

Fifty Years in Polygamy: Big Secrets and Little White Lies describes a life of religious submission, lies, secrets, poverty, abuse, jealousy, depression, and loneliness. The gripping, detailed events in this book will shock you but will also inspire compassion, understanding, and perhaps even the courage to change your own life.



"Fifty Years in Polygamy is a compelling read, full of raw emotion that reveals the abuses hidden under the cloak of religion. Kristyn Decker's book depicts the cries of thousands of women across the world--another voice who through fear remained silent for too many years."

--Irene Spencer, author of New York Times bestseller

Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamous Wife(less)

My Monthly Newsletter

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