Some Favorite Books This Week!

I’ve been having a tough time keeping up with both the reading AND posting here. While I get it all sorted out, I thought I could at least post the reviews here to Amazon, so you can read them there!

The book in the first position is my own book, Kitchen Open, published just a few weeks ago, meant to help restaurants during the pandemic. Know any restaurateurs or managers? Let them know about the book!

Note: I am listing reviews as I do them each day. Sometimes, Amazon takes days or even a week or more to approve these reviews, so you will see a lag between when I list reviews and when a link is available. The longest I had to wait was 3.5 weeks!

Hope that life becomes a little more sane soon!

Historical Romance

Awoken by Jane Castel (medieval Scotland Isle of Skye; this one is about a nun who is kidnapped by an evil clan chief; very good, actually!)
Lords and Secrets by Joyce Alec

Contemporary Romance

Cottage on Oeanview Lane by Lilly Mirren
A Taste of France by Lula Woods (yikes! nothing much happens; avoid)
Finding You by Leah Busboom
Dr. Love by Virginia Hodgson (poorly written medical romance)
Caked in Dust by Mel A Rowe (delightful Australian romance)
Vacancy by Tracy Ewens
Moments with Mason by Theresa Paolo (tackles a surprising topic: partner abuse)
Finding Home by Denise Janette Bruneau
Kind of Famous by Mary Ann Marlowe (heroine annoying but hero good)
Always Been You by Iris Darshi (Indian romance well-done by new author)
Lucky Fall by L. Austen Johnson (very short, poorly written)
My Favorite Moosetake by Jacqueline Winters
Heather’s Hero by C. B. Samet (has a paranormal twist to it)
A Storybook Love by Amelia Sinclair

Nonfiction – General

Lose Weight Fast and Live Longer by Eric Garrett
Sudoku Hard Level Volume 1 by Brain & Fun
Systemized Thinking Models for Entrepreneurs by Joel E. Winston
Billionaire Thought Models in Business by R. Stevens
Practical Thought Models for Men by John Adams
Recorder for Beginners by Ben Newman
The Science of the Big Bang Theory by Mark Brake
Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius by Brainerd Carey
Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business by the Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. and Laura Pennington Briggs
High Crimes and Misdemeanors by Frank O. Bowman III
Making a Life by Deanne Fitzpatrick
Guitar Fretboard and Scales for Beginners by James Haywire
Guitar Fretboard by James Haywire
Crystals for Beginners by Jessica Flowers
Cryptograms, Cryptoquotes & Cryptoquips Book Puzzles for Adults Vol.1 by Brain & Fun
The Art of Quilting for Beginners by Freya Gates
Practical Guitar for Beginners and Guitar Exercises by James Haywire
Hydroponics for Beginners by Tom Jones
Hydroponics Growing System by Green DIV
Aquaponics by Margaret Fisher
Sudoku 200 Huge Big Book Large Print Hard Level Vol. 1 by Brain & Fun
Prepping and Survival for Newbies by Ernest Rivera
50 Kick-A$$ Tips for Writing that Novel by A. Writer
Leadership Hero Code by Kristen T. Hemingway
Get in Shape by Richard Robertson
Why We Can’t Sleep by Ada Calhoun

Nonfiction – Self-Help

Take Back Your Day by (This author fears an honest review [after he read this one] so much that he’s banned on Booksprout from being a reviewer of his books! Click the link to see the review that scared him so much!)
How to Win Friends and Talk to Anyone by Stephen Hopkins
The Evolutionary Empath by Stephanie Red Feather
Confidence for Men by John Adam
Mindfulness Meditations for Anxiety by Michael Smith
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workbook for Panic Attacks by Elena Welsh
The Meaning of Life by Nathanael Garrett Novosel
ADHD Workbook for Beginners by Freya Gates (poorly done like a research paper or a compilation of unrelated blog posts)
The Extremely Busy Woman’s Guide to Self-Care by Suzanne Falter
The Intuition Journal by Jo Chun Yan
The Ritual Yearbook by Theresa Cheung
The 7-Day Self Discipline Blueprint: Get Things Done and Unleash Your Inner Drive by Logan Hawkins
The “Do or Do Not” Outlook by Nick Maley

Nonfiction – Cookbooks

Whipped Cream Fast & Easy by Harry Williams (Yes, I know ridiculous, right? That’s why I had to check it out!)
The Healing Soup Cookbook by Cara Harbstreet and Julie Harrington
Cookies for Everyone by Mimi Council
The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds (some good recipes for us non college-age people, too!)
Umami Bomb by Raquel Pelzel (vegetarian umami book… exploring creative ways with aged cheeses, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, nutrition yeast and more!)
Instant Vortex Air Fryer Oven Cookbook by Brittany Jones (this cookbook does NOT contain recipes for the Vortex air fryer… at all!)
Chocolate Soy Milk Fast & Easy by Harry Williams (despite what the author promises all over the book, he does NOT share any fast & easy recipe for making homemade soymilk from scratch!)
Pizza by Pippa Cuthbert and Lindsay Cameron Wilson (so many amazing sounding and looking pizza recipes!)
The Pasta Friday Cookbook by Allison Arevalo
Miso, Tempeh, Natto, and Other Tasty Ferments by Kirsten K. Shockey and Christopher Shockey
Shining by Jessi Baker (all about moonshine!)
Botany at the Bar by Selena Ahmed, Ashley Duval, and Rachel Meyer (make your own bitters)
In the Kitchen with Grandma by Lydia E. Harris (grandparents and grandchildren cooking together)
Cheese Fondue Fast & Easy by Harry Williams
The Beginner’s Guide to a Plant-Based Diet by Dean J. Sloan

Nonfiction – Language

Daily Italian for Beginners by Bruno Palermo
Spanish Made Easy 2 in 1 by Octavio Mendez
Spanish Short Stories for Beginners 2 in 1 by Felipe Moya
Daily Spanish Lessons by Octavio Mendez
Spanish Learning 101 2 in 1 by Celestino Rivas
French Made Easy 2 in 1 by Florence Beaujolie
French Stories by French Hacking
2000 French Phrases by French Hacking
Learning Italian for Beginners: 2500 Italian Phrases by Italian Academy
Italian Short Stories for Beginners by Italian Academy
Italian Conversations for Beginners by Italian Academy

Children’s

Scissor Skills Mermaid Edition by Activity Bolt
Fire Trucks Coloring Book for Kids by
Dot to Dot Coloring Book for Kids by Pete Spencer
Scissor Skills Baby Animals by Activity Bolt
1085 Fun, Wacky, and Interesting Animal Facts that Every Kid Should Know by Professor Smart
Monster Truck Coloring Book by Elephant Publishing
The Creative Would You Rather Book for Kids by Mickey Creative Labs
Sudoku for 12 Year Olds by Pete Spencer
35+ Indoor Scavenger Hunt Games for Kids by Pretty Awesome Activity Books
Garbage Truck Coloring Book for Kids by Elephant Publishing
Plane and Travel Games for Kids by Brain & Fun
Dinosaur Scissors Skills For Toddler & Kids Ages 3-7 by Activity Bolt
The Big Book of Mazes for Kids 8-12 by Ok Koko
Unicorn Coloring Book for Kids age 4-8 by Dubbe Creative
I Spy Mother’s Day by Pamparam Kids Books
Scissors Skills For Toddler & Kids Ages 3-7 by Activity Bolt
Sudoku Kids Vol. 1 by Brain & Fun
Dog Coloring Book Ages 4-8 by Pete Spencer
Three-Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids by Jolly Cheeks
Connect The Dots Book For Kids Ages 4-8 by Activity Time
Camping Activity and Puzzle Book for Kids by River Breeze Press
The Tale of Fannie Fae Fox by Sharon K. Turner

Mysteries

A Letter from Munich by Meg Lelvis
Flag Cake Felonies by Addison Moore
Pride, Prejudice, and Poison by Elizabeth Blake
Death Comes to Dartmoor by Vivian Conroy
Root Brew Float by Sydney Winward (only Goodreads review for now; not on Amazon yet)
Grim and Bear It by Paula Lester
A Gaggle of Ghastly Gradmamas by Jeannie Wycherley

Nonfiction and Fiction – History

Living Among the Dead by Adena Berstein Astrowsky (a true story of a Holocaust survivor lovingly told by her grandaughter)
Her Side of History by Claudia Severin (4 fictionalized tales of women in the authors family–more riveting than you might imagine!)
The Lost Queen by Anne Stott (all about Princess Charlotte of Wales, the daughter of the Prince Regent in the early 1800s–if she had survived childbirth, she would have been queen after her father died, not Victoria)
How the Old World Ended by Johnathan Scott (should have been an engaging read about the Anglo-Dutch dominance and battle in the New world… but overly wordy and a hard read)
Women Spies Books 1-3 by Kit Sergeant (More fictionalized history, all about the female spies during the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and World War I.)