REVIEW: Under The Naga Tail by Mae Bunseng Taing with James Taing

I have always heard about the Cambodian Genocide, but this book really brought it to life. The first hand account of a Chinese-Cambodian family fleeing from the Khmer Rouge showed what terrible things we do to each other as well as a person's ability to keep hope when there seemingly is no reason to.

This is a true story written from the perspective of Mae with help from his son James. Mae faces many harrowing situations at the hands of the Khmer Rouge all while being nearly starved to death. This is not an easy story to read, but it is an important one. I highly recommend this book.

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review through The Library Thing Early Reviewers Program.

REVIEW: And Poison Fell From the Sky by Marie Therese Martin

Earth Day is this month, although I think we are all figuring out every day should be Earth Day by now right? Either way I was happy to have a copy of Marie Therese Martin’s And Poison Fell From the Sky from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program to read this month.

This memoir by Marie Therese Martin detailed her life growing up and raising a family in Maine’s Cancer Valley. She really drives home the fact that our tendency is to ignore the truth when it will impact our paycheck.

I think this book is successful because it’s not preachy. Martin understands what it’s like to live in a mill town dependent on polluting wages. She has lived through controlling relationships of all types, and brings a unique perspective to he pollution poisoning her town and many others.

REVIEW: Word of Honor by Hallee Bridgeman

Word of Honor by Hallee Bridgeman- great for a lazy morning’s read

I have been reading a lot of non-fiction lately, but over my birthday weekend I needed something lighter to read out in the back yard. I was thrilled when publisher Revell sent me a copy of this romance/suspense novel through LibraryThing Early Reviewers just in time. Government agents/exes with a past fight ecoterrorism in the Middle East? Happy birthday to me!

This romance about federal agents chasing a group of ecoterrorists was a great escape after a busy week. I enjoyed the story, and the romance was just enough to add interest without taking over. Parts were a little unbelievable, like being dropped in the Middle East without training and just fitting in. But I really didn’t read this story because I wanted believable. I wanted suspense and romance, and I got that.

Here’s the official blurb from the editor:

FBI Special Agent Lynda Culter is investigating an ecoterrorist organization in the Alaskan wilderness when her partner is taken captive and murdered before her very eyes. The only person who can identify the key players, Lynda gets assigned to take part in a joint operation in Istanbul to take the organization down.As a woman in a Muslim country, she'll find it much easier to move around undetected with a fake husband. Unfortunately for her, the man assigned to play the role is none other than US Army weapons specialist Bill Sanders--the man who crushed her heart into a million pieces back in college.With a cargo bay's worth of hurt and baggage between them, these two consummate professionals must play their parts perfectly if they hope to stop those responsible for bombing oil pipelines, killing innocent civilians, and threatening to destabilize the oil markets. But love long buried has a way of resurfacing at the most inopportune times--and protecting Lynda has become Bill's primary focus.

Give this one a try if you’re looking for something fun!

[REVIEW] Bunco: A Comedy About The Drama of Friendship by Robin Delnoce

I know we’re all a little bit on pins and needles today so why don’t you shut off the news and read something that will take your mind off things?

Bunco by Robin Delnoce is a good candidate for something that will make you laugh and not think about poll numbers. Told in four chapters it’s written like a screen play, and is filled with fast and funny dialogue. If you’ve ever had the kind of friends who always tell you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it you’ll relate to this comedy.

Want to know more? Here’s the blurb from the back cover:

We all have “those” friends. Maybe you’ve known them since childhood, or met in college, or while waiting for a child’s practice to end. Maybe you found yourself living on the same street. There’s no single path to friendship. Relationships don’t follow a script and neither do the lives of smart, funny, complicated suburban women. Jill, Anne, Mary, and Rachel met years ago through a neighborhood group that regularly got together to play a dice game called bunco. Although players have come and gone, they continue to use bunco as an excuse to abandon their day-to-day responsibilities and enjoy food, drinks, and the company of their best friends. When new neighbors move in under the cover of night, the foursome sees an opportunity to expand their bunco circle. But within hours, suspicions run rampant as the odd behaviors of the newest residents are interpreted differently. Are they quirky, or kinky? Diabolical, or misunderstood? Time after time, as the truth sheds light on some secrets, more emerge. Each woman finds herself shocked by the friends she thought she knew.Through the friendly banter, intimate confessions, and tongue-twisting insults, you may see yourself or your friends in these characters. Wipe away tears of laughter and loss as you join the four metaphorical rounds of bunco, and feel part of the conversation. Whether engaging in playful exploits, providing unconditional support, making uncomfortable sacrifices, or winding up in handcuffs again, these ladies are those rarest of friends who become true family. Of course, families don’t follow a script either, unless it is a plot-twisting, slightly off-color comedy about the drama of friendship. And bunco, sort of.

This book is only $.99 on Kindle today so you should snap it up!

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support! I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Lost Boys of London by Mary Lawrence

In the last days of the reign of King Henry VIII Bianca Goddard makes medicines across the River Thames while her husband is in Scotland fighting for the King’s army. When the body of a young boy is found hanging from a church Bianca must put her medicines aside to help Constable Patch find the killer. Time grows short when another body is found, and her young friend Fitch goes missing. Bianca has two clues, a cloth with a mysterious odor and the rosary beads found wrapped around the necks of the victims. As the expected date of the next murder approaches Bianca must rely on her detective skills and her superb memory to find the killer before it’s too late.

The Lost Boys of London was a satisfying escape to another time when medicine was considered the same as witchcraft, and religion was ruled by the king. The mystery was a good one, and the ending was pleasing. Bianca Goddard is my kind of lady- independent but cares about the people around her.

These days we all need some extra comfort, and this is the kind of book that delivers it. It’s perfect for reading on a cozy afternoon with a bowl of soup and a beer. This is the fifth book in a series, and I’m excited to go back and read some others featuring Bianca Goddard.

The Lost Boys of London will be published on April 28, 2020 and is available for pre-order now.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support! A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: After The Flood by Kassandra Montag

After The Flood by Kassandra Montag

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag was one of those books that started slow, and then before I knew it I couldn’t put it down.

This is a powerful novel about a woman named Myra, and her daughter Pearl, and their struggle to survive in a world that has been ravaged by floods. When Myra hears that her other daughter, who was kidnapped by her husband before the floods, may still be alive far away in Greenland she makes the decision to risk Pearl’s life and her own to find her.

In a flooded world nothing is easy or straightforward, and Myra must cast her lot with a bigger group in order to make it. The twists and turns of the events that take place will take your breath away and keep you on the edge of your seat.

An advanced copy of this book was provided by William Morrow Books. It comes out on September 3rd in the United States.

You might also like:

Note: links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

[REVIEW] Sometimes I'm So Smart I Almost Feel Like a Real Person by Graham Parke

This book started off as a funny workplace memoir similar to The Rosie Project and ended up as a poignant reminder that you never know what someone's going through on the inside. Harold is a cubicle worker who lives with his mom, and runs a dating advice Youtube channel at night. He's a severe introvert, and has rules for everything. Even eating a burger requires precise finger placement.

Things begin to unravel in Harold's carefully planned life when he begins trying to date Emma, the cute girl who works at the nut shop in the mall. As someone who works in an analytical field, and who has met more than my fair share of Harolds I really enjoyed watching him break out of his comfort zone. (Note: I may also be a Harold.)

If you like quirky humor and nerds give Sometimes I'm So Smart I Almost Feel Like a Real Person a try. It's even free for Kindle Unlimited users right now!

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

[REVIEW]: Footsteps

Over the past month or so I've been savoring The New York Times' Footsteps. It's an awesome collection of pieces on literary pilgrimages that have been printed in the Times over the years. The short stories are perfect for dipping in and out of in between phone call or while on a train. My only complaint about this book is that it's adding to my already too long to-be-read list.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Travelers by Chris Pavone

If you need some paperback entertainment consider Chris Pavone's The Travelers. This is a good old fashioned spy novel. It is in no way relate-able or possible, but it will keep you reading and guessing.

Will and Chloe are not exactly newlyweds, but they're not an old married couple either. Things are still new-ish, but they're starting to feel the strain of their poor financial decisions, infertility, and Will's debt. Then Will makes a mistake, and nothing is ever the same.

It took me about fifty pages to get into this book. There are a lot of characters, and it starts somewhat slow. But before I knew it, I couldn't put it down. This book would be perfect for vacation reading, and I'll seek out more of Pavone's books next time I take a trip.

Note: This book was provided by Blogging For Books in exchange for a fair review.

[REVIEW] A New Way To Dinner by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs

I recently had the pleasure of curling up and reading A New Way To Dinner by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. This gorgeous cookbook by the brains behind Food52 is a collection of amazing recipes that are also family friendly. Best of all they are organized to knock out a week's worth of cooking in one afternoon!

After an hour or so of reading and drooling over the recipes and color photographs I was inspired to get in the kitchen and cook. Not only did I prep for a week's worth of bag lunches for my family, I made the Thai Steak Salad from this book. We loved it, and I can't wait to do a more organized session of a week's worth of meals.

Buy this book for yourself, and buy a copy as a Christmas present for your best friend. you both will thank me later!

Note: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Blogging For Books.

REVIEW: Life of the Party by Bob Kealing

Every so often you stumble across a book about something obscure, and it's so interesting that you spend the next month telling all your friends what you know about said obscure topic. If you're willing to talk to your friends about Tupperware you should read Life of the Party by Bob Kealing right away.

Life of the Party starts from the beginning of the company when plastics genius Earl Tupper came up with the secret formula using materials previously cast off by other processes. At his side was glamorous but smart and hard working Brownie Wise, the woman who really made the home sales party the phenomenon it was in the 1950's. 

The writing in this book was repetitive in some areas, and lacking depth in others. At one point much was made of a law suit, but it was never resolved in the book. However the fascinating hidden story behind the Tupperware empire was more than enough to make up for any problems in the text.

If you like fascinating but obscure stories like the ones you might hear on This American Life be sure to pick this book up.

Note: this book was provided by Blogging For Books in exchange for a honest review.

REVIEW: Shylock Is My Name

Shylock Is My Name is beautifully written, with concise descriptions that made me laugh. Despite all that, I just couldn't get through it. I stopped about 1/3 of the way through. Maybe if I were a regular reader of Shakespeare, or if I knew the original story line of Merchant of Venice I would have been able to stick it out. But, I'm not, and I don't, and I'm a grown up so no one can force me to read a book I don't really understand. I'm going to stick with Jane Austen re-telling from now on.

Note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a honest review.