Reading Fanatic Reviews
Books to Add to Your TBR list... or Not!Hey, ya’ll! I’m VERY behind getting my reviews up on the website! I’ve increased the reading and reviewing, leaving less of my leisure time available to update this website. I’ll do weekly posts with links to my reviews at Amazon; you can also check out my Amazon and Goodreads profiles.
By the way, I’m now a top 50 Amazon.com reviewer (#12 currently) and the top 8 US reviewer of all time on Goodreads (and top 9 in the world)… and the #6 US reviewer and #8 in the world in the past year. Cool stuff!
I hope to make updates to this site soon!
Goodwill for the Gentleman by Martha Keyes
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Goodwill for the Gentleman*
Will Christmas… and Forgiveness Work Magic?
I have read a couple of other Regency romances by this author, and I have enjoyed them thoroughly. I’m happy to say that this one is no exception. She knows how to write complex characters with deep backstories who feel real and relatable. In this particular story, the hero and heroine have had a complicated relationship over time. They were friends when younger; he, in fact, was expected to marry her sister. But he just couldn’t because he actually was in love with the heroine. Rather than face these difficulties, he chose to break off the informal understanding with her sister and join the army. The heroine, even before he left, give him the cut direct, and when he returns, she can still recall the pain that her sister felt and cannot forgive him, even though her sister has moved on. What essentially happens in this story is that they are forced to be together at his parents’ house near Christmas during a snowstorm. Will calling a short-term truce while they are snowbound leave room for understanding, forgiveness, and perhaps more? if you like clean Regency stories that have a lot of heart and deep characterization, you will most likely enjoy this book.
Microsoft Word in 30 Minutes or Less by Angela Rose
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
Microsoft Word in 30 Minutes*
Surprising Helpful, if at Times Too Simple, Guide to Word
I have used Microsoft Word since it was a DOS-only program. I still use it every day as a writer, YouTuber, and freelance editor/proofreader. I used it in the past during college as well. I thought I knew the ins and outs of Word pretty well as I’ve used it for so long and in so many capacities. But I recently updated to Microsoft Word 2019 as a part of my 365 subscription, and I had noticed that things looked a little different but didn’t really take the time to explore them.
I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from this book other than a brief look at Microsoft Word. The book purports to be able to be read in 30 minutes, but it definitely takes longer than that to go through the book, especially if you decide to take a few concepts for a spin in Word itself. Maybe it would take 30 minutes if you skip the parts that you already know (or think you know). Some information in this book is too basic, like how to copy and paste or save a file. Don’t we all know how to do simple computer tasks like that now? But there are plenty of nuggets of information here for people who haven’t used every bit of Word’s impressive capabilities. For instance, it has been a long time since I had had to do anything with references or citations, so it was good to get a refresher course. I also have never built an index. I was also intrigued to see the new things added to Word 2019. There is certainly more to Word than a simple word processor. If you aren’t sure about all that Word has to offer you, you might enjoy this book so you can understand its current possibilities. If you are relatively new to Word, this quick read will introduce you to the basics and then some. I recommend this book as a quick reference to anybody who uses or wants to use Word.
Ireland the Best by John and Sally McKenna
Available at Amazon in paperback only
Ireland the Best*
Travel Guide to the Old Sod
I went to Ireland the first time 30 years ago–goodness, has it been that long?– and I haven’t been back for a long while. So I was delighted to see this book show up at one of my favorite book review sites. I found myself wondering how much Ireland had changed, as I hadn’t seen it since before the European Union. I was certainly surprised as I looked at some of the entries of this guidebook. The Ireland I remember was much more rustic, and well, Irish. I was surprised at the number of ethnicities listed for the restaurants in Dublin as well as some of the swanky hotels and restaurants. I spent a fair time in Dublin, as I took a summer course at Trinity College, and was right in the heart of that city; that doesn’t sound like the Dublin I remember. This book has gotten me intrigued about the new Ireland, and I find myself wishing I was able to go back and see what it is like now.
But about the book. I must say I am disappointed that the ARC copy I received had no photos of any kind. I don’t know if this is true of the published book or not. Introductory material seems to suggest that there is at least a map that goes with this book, but as I received a digital copy, I’m not sure.
The book has an easy organization. There is an introductory section about the must-visit places all over Ireland as well as annual festivals. The first several sections are all about what’s going on in the big cities like Dublin, Belfast, Galway, and Cork. The next sections look at the country by dividing it into geographical areas. Next, historical places and outdoor activities are looked out all over Ireland. The book rounds out with a look at the islands. I thought that the actual descriptions of each item were a little confusing. There appears to be a lot of shorthand used in them. I found myself searching for the places that I knew of 30 years ago, but I didn’t see them. I hope they are still in business as I have many fond memories; perhaps they didn’t make the cut. I was certainly surprised at the range of businesses, attractions, and types of lodging. It’s been a while, but I don’t remember that level of variety. I remember staying in may 10-pounds-a-night B&Bs!
While the book definitely had some drawbacks, it probably served its purpose in making me want to plan another trip to the Emerald Isle.
The Christmas Project Planner by Kathi Lipp
Available at Amazon in paperback only
The Christmas Project Planner*
Facing Christmas Overwhelm? Get This Planner
I am definitely a person who enjoys the holidays. I love that time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. When I think back on the first Thanksgiving meal that I prepared myself for my husband and me, I remember how stressful it was to try to pull together the perfect meal while working and without much help. Over the years I developed a plan (and ditched the husband) with particular timing for certain things, and it did make it so much easier. Even if I would still collapse into a heap at the end of the big days. This book is aimed at helping you tame the overwhelm that the Christmas season can be so that you can create the holiday that will mean the most for you, your family, and your friends. This is a book that is quite enjoyable to read as well as act upon. The author comes across as very caring and understanding. She knows exactly where you’re at with all of the holiday hubbub and sincerely wants to help you create a special day or season while still maintaining your sanity.
The book has 21 projects. Even the author admits she doesn’t do all of them every year. But these projects are the things that you would typically do during the holiday season anyway, like trying to sort out which recipes you might use for the big days and figuring out your Christmas cards. But what I really appreciated was her guiding principles for the Christmas season (and which you do see echoed throughout the rest of the book): Namely, this should be about creating the holiday that you and others in your life want, and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. Just because you are the parent or the head of the household doesn’t mean it all has to be your responsibility for the big days. The author states quite firmly that you shouldn’t just do “holiday” things because they are expected; you should do them because you want to, and they will bring you and others the joy that is meant to be a part of the season. I just love that.
The projects are pretty straightforward, and she also has mini essays that go along with each project as well, where she continually urges you to do what is best for you and your family and to ask for help. Just because you have a tradition doesn’t mean you have to follow it if thinking about or doing it doesn’t bring you happiness. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the holidays and need kind advice, as well as practical plans, this book may be your ticket for a better holiday season.
I Dream of Darcy Book 3 by Andrea David
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
I Dream of Darcy Book 3*
Plagued by Problems Like Second Book
I have read all parts of this serialized novel. I was quite enamored of the first book but became disenchanted by the second. Some of the things I disliked in the second installment were present in the final one as well. To me, Elizabeth Bennet in this variation was not the Elizabeth Bennet we all know and love from the original. In this particular book, she seemed to have a true lack of self-esteem throughout much of it, and her thoughts on her and Mr. Darcy’s chances could turn on the merest glance or phrase from him or others in the book. It bordered on ridiculous how she read so much into every little thing—and always in the worst possible way. Despite having three books to build it all up, Darcy’s shifts in regard didn’t seem wholly believable, even though it was lovely to watch at times. I always enjoy an in-love Mr. Darcy. I never did get used to the author calling Georgiana Giana as Mr. Darcy’s nickname for her; nor did I get used to everybody referring to Mr. Darcy as just Darcy, even Georgiana and the countess of Matlock. For a serialized book that started off with such promise, I ultimately find myself disappointed in this particular variation.
Living the Golden Life by Li Mai
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Living the Golden Life*
Short Book without Much Substance
This book is an odd combination of parts. The first forty pages or so are a brief look at some Taoist and ancient Chinese concepts. The author certainly overstates in both the subtitle and the book description what this book is. It is certainly not a “proven unique approach to mental health and behavior at the spiritual level,” as the subtitle says. Instead, the bulk of the book is the 20 very short Taoist “lessons”—just a few paragraphs really—on principles and ideas that end with actions to do or actions to avoid. Some of these are written more like affirmations and others more like directions of what to do and not to do. There are just three in each category (do and do not), so there isn’t much substance in these between these and the few paragraphs also in the “lessons.” The book is clearly written by someone who is a non-native English speaker. Not only does this cause problems with grammar, punctuation, and usage—which are unfortunately scattered throughout the book—but it also gives rise to some lines that are just completely nonsensical. For instance, in one of the first lessons, the author states, “ ‘Pile’ is not the opposite of ‘face’, [sic] that have [sic] two sides.” I have no clue what that sentence is supposed to mean. What do “pile” and “face” have to do with each other? I’m thinking something got mistranslated along the way. I believe EVERY writer needs to have their work professionally edited, but it is even more critical when the writer is not a native speaker of the language he or she is writing in.
I did enjoy some of the quotes from Lao Tzu, particularly the one that went with her first lesson, “If you don’t change direction, then you might end up where you are heading.” This is only a 59-page PDF that I received as an ARC, but on page 11, the author already asks for reviews at Amazon. I find that so annoying.
Then the last 20 or so pages is a quiz that you can take to see which Chinese element you most embody. Honestly, I found this book to have so little substance as to not be worth my time, really. I do enjoy reading books on a variety of spiritual topics, so I was looking forward to this book to see what wisdom and information I could glean. The book was so poorly done and so brief that it didn’t have much to offer.
Pheme’s Regret by Sue London
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Pheme's Regret*
An Unusual Regency with Lots More Going on Than Romance
This is a very complex story for a Regency. It is not merely a Regency romance. Several plot lines run through this novel. In general, I thought it was well written. The characters were complex, although I thought the daughter was a little over the top, especially at the beginning. There was a villain plot, a mother reuniting with her daughter plot (she had to give her up as a baby), an expat living abroad because of a ruined reputation plot, the life of the haberdasher’s subplot, along with the romance plot. That romance was complicated because it was the hero’s reputation that was ruined, and the heroine caused it in the distant past. A significant part of this took place in France, which is unusual for a Regency, but I certainly enjoyed the French part of the story, which actually was the bulk of the book. I quite enjoyed following the convoluted twists and turns of this plot until it got to the very end, where the author disappointed me by pulling out a hackneyed Regency trick at a pivotal moment. Sigh. But all in all, I did enjoy this complicated, character-driven Regency romance.
Stolen Spirts by Jen Valena
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Stolen Spirits*
So Many Ways It Could Be Better
I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the book blurb that stated that this was essentially going to be a fantasy in which the power structure was a matriarchy and not a patriarchy. I don’t think that concept is done often enough in fantasy, which is a perfect place to explore what it could look like if women ruled and not men. Yes, some stories are focused around strong queens, but they are still usually seen as inferior and requiring a man to co-rule, or—at the very least—others will oppose her rule because she is a woman. So, I had high hopes for this book.
Unfortunately, in the very first scene—which was actually a dramatic and good one—it is clear that matriarchy in this book is no different than patriarchy as depicted in other books. The women are harsh, ruthless, and power hungry in various degrees depending on their role in society. In fact, it might be worse for the men in this book compared to how women are often treated in the more patriarchal books. I found myself getting frustrated with this as I continued to read the story. When an author chooses to flip the power structure like this, he or she has a great chance to show how power could be different in a world that is governed by women. I actually believe if a true matrilineal, matrifocal matriarchy existed, in fiction or in real life, it would be inherently different from the patriarchal structure that we all no. Why bother to write a gender-switch power structure if you going to just have the women act like the men would in that situation? I think one of the answers is that it allows for the brutal treatment of men such as the predominantly female readers of fiction would not like to see in a traditional fantasy story that was more patriarchal. This just rubs me the completely wrong way. I am a female who is proudly feminist, but that doesn’t mean that I like to see men, even fictional ones, mistreated by ones in power. I’d like to think we’d be better than that if we ever truly had real matrifocal, matrilineal, and matriarchal power.
Tempting Danger by Wendy Vella
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Tempting Danger*
Interesting Story and Characters, But…
Even though this is the sixth book of the series, I hadn’t read any of the previous Raven and Sinclair novels or any book by Wendy Vella. One thing in this book’s favor is that I did not feel lost not having read the other books; I was able to understand it and the characters completely without reference to any of the other books. I found the complex story and the couple at the heart of it to be fascinating to follow. The hero and the heroine are quite opposite, she a somewhat strident and sassy innocent and he a reforming rogue. Some dialogue and inner monologue were humorous at times.
But I definitely had some issues with this book. First of all, I absolutely hate it when I see an egregious grammar error in the first paragraph of the book. Since I had received an ARC copy, I looked at the first 10% on Amazon to make sure that this and other errors I was seeing in that section were in the published novel, and unfortunately, they were. This author ranks highly in historical romance and has so many published books, so I find myself disappointed that she either doesn’t get professional editing or has chosen a team that is not as well versed in proper English grammar, punctuation, and usage. Comma splices were all over the novel. The comma often required before a coordinating conjunction was either not used when it should have been or was used when it should NOT have been. Later in the book, even some spacing was wrong, as I found a contraction with a space after the apostrophe, which is just never done. I found these errors to be enough in number to be distracting. At times, I felt like I was just watching for the next mistake instead of enjoying the story. I am a copy editor, so this may be a hazard of the trade. I also thought that the dialogue was an odd combination of a somewhat stilted mimicking of Regency mixed with occasionally too modern phrases. So the dialogue quite often read awkwardly in my inner ear.
All in all, I liked the story and characters, but the other problems with the book detracted too much from my enjoyment of it.
Stock Market Investing for Beginners by Darcy Malone
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Stock Market Investing for Beginners*
Too Many Issues with Book
This book has some good basic information about the stock market, but at times is so awkwardly worded that it is difficult to figure out precisely what the author is intending. I find myself wondering if the author is a non-native English speaker and doesn’t quite understand the turns of phrase that are common in idiomatic English. Even some simple phrases weren’t used correctly, like “breaking even”; “getting even” was used instead; the two actually have quite different meanings! Some simple words appear to be misused as well, and some words are missing. The book doesn’t seem to be properly copyedited either.
I think the book does have some information that would be helpful to a beginner in stock market investing, more so than this same author did in his book on Forex investing. But again, like that book, there is certainly not enough information in this book for a beginner to be able to start trading successfully or confidently. The subtitle is definitely misleading here; you will not be able to “generate money today.” Because of the issues with language and this deficiency, I would recommend finding another more comprehensive book about how to invest in the stock market safely and effectively.
Jamie Brydone-Jack
Reader, Editor, Writer
I’m an avid reader, for both fun and work/business. I enjoy a wide variety of books, including literary fiction, romance, thrillers, cozy mysteries, and fantasy for fiction and history, contemporary issues, philosophy, music, medicine, and cookbooks for nonfiction. I’m a freelance copyeditor who also does beta and alpha reading. I have two websites that are all about romance and mystery. You can also follow my reviews at Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
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