Jun
01

A personal update

By arcook Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The review I posted on Flipping today was the first post I have made since May 5!

For those that have been wondering, I have NOT fallen off the face of the earth…

May, June, and the beginning of July are rather busy times for me. I manage a fireworks tent for our church and am in the process of getting things ready for it. There are permits to get, help to arrange, inventory to order, marketing efforts, etc. that I need to take care of.

I currently have 3 books that I have read, but not yet completed the reviews on. These reviews should be up on the site within the next 10 days. I am also about half way through another 3 books with several more waiting to be read. 

For those of you in the greater Kansas City area, please consider this a personal invitation to come out and see me at the fireworks tent. I will be there most of the time while it is open. Information about the tent, hours, and location can be found on the tent website at: www.gardencityfireworks.org .

As a special bonus, bring a printed copy of this post with you to get an additional 10% off your purchase from the Garden City Fireworks tent (not valid on manager’s specials or on July 4).

If nothing else, drop by and say hello.

The tent opens at noon on June 22 and will be open from 8AM – midnight every day thru July 4 (I do hope to close early on the 4th).

allen

Jun
01

Flipping by Mary Ellenton

By arcook Posted in 3 Stars, Action, Fiction, STAINED WITH DIRT, STAR rating, Wash Rating | No Comments »

Easy Money 

TITLE:  Flipping
AUTHOR:  Mary Ellenton
PUBLISHER:  mary a. ellenton productions
PAGES:  298
ISBN:  978-0983906599
STARS:  3
WASH:  stained with dirt

 You’ve got to admire a woman who breaks away from the family business to make a name for herself in an entirely different field. Such is the story of Fay Famaghetti in Flipping by Mary Allenton.  Fay leaves her family’s restaurant business to work in the real estate industry despite the many protests made by her close-knit Italian family.

 Unfortunately, my admiration of Fay stops there.

 In an attempt to make a quick profit, Fay finds herself caught in a “gray” area where buyers, sellers, mortgage companies, and appraisers are not always what they appear to be on paper. Fay’s deceptive practices extend to her family life as she gets into a relationship with her business partner and problems with her husband increase.  Fay is able to make more money than she ever dreamed of in a short time, but her wealth comes at a price in her personal life.

This was a rare book in that there was not a single character in it that I liked. Everybody seemed to have selfish motives and only looked out for themselves. (There may have been one honest character, but to disclose who would spoil the book.)

 Even though the writing was good, the numerous sexual encounters described combined with some vulgar language kept me from really enjoying the story. Had either of these things been “toned down”, my rating would have been at least one star higher. As a movie, this would have easily received an “R” rating.

Flipping is filled with suspense, drama, romance deciet, and more.

 

 What other bloggers have said about Flipping by Mary Ellenton:

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was given a copy of this book by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

May
05

The Farm by Charles C. Anderson

By arcook Posted in 4 Stars, Action, CLEAN, Fiction, Military-Navy, STAR rating, Thriller, Wash Rating | No Comments »

A primer on emergency medicine

 

TITLE:  The Farm
AUTHOR:  Charles C. Anderson
PUBLISHER:  Outskirts Press
PAGES:  336
ISBN:  978-1432790936
STARS:  4
WASH:  clean

Andy Carlson is not just another emergency room doctor, he is also a former SEAL with plenty of stories that he could never tell. He also has some secrets from his past that could and do cause him some grief in his current “quiet life”.

The Farm by Charles C. Anderson is all about the past that catches up to Dr. Andy Carlson.

The majority of the story takes place on a plantation that had been in the Carlson family for hundreds of years. Andy has discovered a plot by the CIA (and maybe others) to make another country look like they have launched a terrorists attack on the United States. There are those that don’t want the details of this plot made public and are willing to kill Andy to keep him quiet.

The Farm is filled with action, suspense, and very colorful characters. The plantation and surrounding areas are vividly described.

While the characters themselves were believable, some of the things they did and people they “controlled” seemed rather unrealistic.

Though I did enjoy the book, I feel it suffered from too many details. I found the history of the plantation and role of it during the Civil War descriptions to be a little on the boring side. The section felt more like a lecture than a real part of the story. I also found the descriptions of various medical procedures to be a little too detailed. I don’t think the type of suture or clamp used is really necessary for my enjoyment of the story. These details actually seemed to slow down or interrupt the pacing of the novel.

 

What other bloggers have said about The Farm by Charles C. Anderson:

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was given a copy of this book by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Apr
29

The Cloning by Wisner Washam

By arcook Posted in 5 stars, Action, Fiction, LITTLE DIRT, STAR rating, Thriller, Wash Rating | No Comments »

How Much Trouble Can One Baby Be?

TITLE:  The Cloning
AUTHOR:  Wisner Washam
PUBLISHER:  CreateSpace
PAGES:  338
ISBN:  978-1466244269
STARS:  5
WASH:  little dirt

What does an American scientist with no religious beliefs, the pope, the spoiled daughter of a small country’s king, a Ferrari, and the shroud of Turin have in common? The answer would be The Cloning by Wisner Washam. The Cloning is a fast-paced, suspenseful book about the cloning of a hair found on the shroud of Turin – essentially creating an exact duplicate of the Christ that was born over 2000 years ago.

The stage for the story is set in the first chapter as a new, more progressive pope takes office and a Harvard science professor, Marc, wins the national science award. An old friend of Marc is in a strategic place in the Catholic Church and is able to convince the pope to let Marc study and authenticate the shroud of Turin.

Marc’s irreverent attitude toward the church and a hint of potential conflicts to come becomes apparent as Marc enters Cardinal Dugan’s office and shakes his hand instead of the customary kiss on the ring. Other conflicts come up as the time to do the cloning approaches. There is much discussion as to who the mother that carries the clone should be and what nation she should come from. Once settled, there is more discussion about whether the cloned child should be male or female. Obviously, there are those who do not think the cloning should even be allowed.

As the book progressed, I found it more difficult to put down. I was quite tempted about half way through the book to look at the last page to see how it ended.

This is not a “Christian fiction” book, but it does have some spiritual themes that run discreetly through it. There is some foul language and a few “semi-tasteful” bedroom scenes.

Overall, an excellent book with a well thought-out plot that has some interesting twists.

 

What other bloggers have said about The Cloning by Wisner Washam:

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was given a copy of this book by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Apr
21

Redemption Day by Steve O’Brien

By arcook Posted in 5 stars, Action, Fiction, LITTLE DIRT, STAR rating, Thriller, Wash Rating | 1 Comment »

 When nationality profiling does NOT work …

TITLE:  Redemption Day
AUTHOR:  Steve O’Brien
PUBLISHER: A & N Publishing
PAGES:  313
ISBN:  978-0982073520
STARS:  5
WASH:  little dirt

 

Redemption Day by Steve O’Brien is all about terrorism from a group that wants to teach the government a lesson. The difference this time is that the terrorists were not from a foreign country – they were homegrown. Since they looked and talked like everybody else, it was almost impossible to identify all their members.

The book opens with Nick and several others being fired from their jobs. This is followed closely by a Supreme Court judge being kidnapped and his protection detail killed. After a series of unfortunate incidents, Nick finds himself wanted by the police for murder.  From this point on, the book flashes quickly between the people that are holding Justice Caprelli hostage and Nick trying to clear his name while evading the police.

The action is fast paced with some very colorful characters. Unfortunately, some of these colorful characters also have very off-color vocabularies.

The story is very believable and easy to get involved in. There are times in the book where it is difficult to tell who the real bad guys are.

An excellent book that I found difficult to put down.

I look forward to reading other works by this author.

 

What other bloggers have said about Redemption Day by Steve O’Brien:

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was given a copy of this book by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

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