Book Reviews

Tell us about a book you have read (or are reading). Tell us the pertinent info: title, author, brief summary (without giving too much away). Tell us what you liked about it and/or disliked about it.

Happy reading, Campers!

Replies

  • ImprovingEla
    ImprovingEla Posts: 396 Member
    Angels and Demons - by Dan Brown

    I gotta say I copied the summary from amazon, so it will be short *lol* (if you ever get the chance ask my teachers why they limited my summarys and novels and stuff)

    Summary:
    World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization -- the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth...the long-forgotten Illuminati lair.

    I loved this book for several reasons, first because the style was good and second the detaisl which were used to describe places were so vivid, that I just could imagine being there!
    Also the details Dan Brown uses to describe places are totally acurate, so if you go to Rome, you can probably use that book as a guide! Also the Details of the Ritual that are used for getting a new Pope could be found back in the real world ( since I read the book there were 2 new Popes, so I know)!!!
  • SummerMM1
    SummerMM1 Posts: 94 Member
    Ok my book is a little different. We are going to Disney World (for the first time!!!!) in less than 2 weeks so my book is about tips on Disney.

    Walt Disney World with Kids 2012- Kim Wright Wiley

    Ok this book is so informational and she writes a new book every year to keep up to date on WDW (Walt Disney World). I love it she goes step by step, starting with before you leave home to helpful phone numbers. She gives you the ins and outs and lots and lots of great tips.

    Inside the new edition is all the information you need to have the family vacation of a lifetime at the Orlando theme parks. Up-to-date and written with the help of more than 500 families, this guide is packed with details on all the attractions at WSW, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld. It's user-friendly, fun, and designed for at-a-glance reference. And it will help you and your family plan the vacation each of you wants. You will find in the book is Time- and money-saving tips, insider's secrets, and scare factors for 4every ride and venue. Clear, easy-to-read maps. Full restaurant and hotel descriptions, with star ratings. Quick guides, don't miss lists, and favorite attractions by age group. Updates on Disney's fastpass system and Universal's express system. Know how for Disney Cruises.

    I love this tip book because is is packed full of useful information. I love it covers everything, even grandparents to pregnant women. I will be using these tips while we are on vacation.
  • traynorj82
    traynorj82 Posts: 234 Member
    Dead Ever After: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)
    by Charlaine Harris
    Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

    I loved the book as I loved all of the other Sookie books
  • SavvyGurl0528
    SavvyGurl0528 Posts: 228 Member
    "New Rules of Lifting For Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Godess" by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove

    >>Amazon review: In The New Rules of Lifting for Women, fitness experts and authors Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, along with women’s fitness expert Cassandra Forsythe, show how stepping off the treadmill and into the weight room can help women get the body they want.

    Contrary to popular belief, weight training will not cause women to “bulk up,” but rather will create the properly conditioned muscles that will in turn increase metabolism and promote weight loss, and give women a lean, healthy look. The New Rules of Lifting for Women includes six months’ worth of progressively challenging workouts that strip fat while increasing strength and building lean, head-turning muscle—all in two to three hours a week. The New Rules of Lifting for Women provides a strength and conditioning regimen to help every woman discover her most lean, strong, and beautiful self.<<

    Okay, now for MY take on it.

    I read this book, knowing that I WANTED to start heavy lifting, but not knowing where to start. We have a gym in town, but there are no "Personal Trainers", it's more like a building with lots of equipment that you can visit if you have paid your fee. Basically, I was on my own. I had visited with some of my son's friends, hoping they could give me some tips (they all weight lifted some in high school) but they really had no clue. Fortunately, this book helped me get through all that.

    Lou Schuler (the author) has a way of breaking things down to a beginner level. He explains some of the terminology in a very clear and concise way. I came away feeling like I knew something, rather than having more questions. He is good at explaining "why" you are doing something, rather than telling you to do something and expecting you to follow blindly. The lifting routines are designed by Alwyn Cosgrove and he has put some alternative moves that can be completed if you cannot perform certain ones for whatever reason. And the routines are not ones you need really high tech equipment, so it's doable in a home gym.

    I have my garage now renovated into a weight room. I will be starting on Monday and am excited to see the results!
  • karendee4
    karendee4 Posts: 558 Member
    Here is mine.

    Book

    Nice Girls Finish Fat: Put Yourself First and Change Your Eating Forever
    Karen R Koenig (Author)

    My review:
    Very good book about how many overweight women put everyone first instead of themselves. It gives you tools to put yourself first and not eat your emotions.

    It does focus on Binge Eaters but anyone that has a weight problem may enjoy this book.

    Amazon.com Review
    Book Description
    Release date: June 2, 2009
    From a therapist and expert in emotional eating, the first book to explore the link between weight gain and women who do too much, complete with proven techniques for dropping pounds.

    Many women put too much on their plates, both literally and figuratively. In Nice Girls Finish Fat, psychotherapist Karen R. Koenig explains the link between the two and gives overweight women detailed advice on how to lose their extra baggage—both emotional and physical—by becoming more assertive in every aspect of life. For the millions of overweight women in America, diet and exercise just aren’t cutting it. That’s because many of these women have emotional issues buried deep beneath those stubborn pounds, issues that must be dealt with first if weight loss plans are to succeed. In this illuminating book, based on decades of professional experience, Karen Koenig offers on-the-page psychotherapy to help readers attack the roots of their food problems. With her engaging personal style, she teaches women about the biological connections between repressed emotions and eating, revealing the ways many women use food to stuff their anger, control their aggression, and assuage their feelings of guilt—all in the pursuit of being “nice.” Giving “good girls” permission to love themselves first, Koenig offers thought-provoking quizzes and questions to help readers identify and overcome the habits that have been holding them back. Empowering readers to gain the confidence they need to lose weight, Nice Girls Finish Fat not only shows women how to stop obsessing about food and develop healthy eating habits, it teaches readers skills to improve every aspect of their lives.
  • missability
    missability Posts: 223
    Hey there guys.....My book is by Bill Fitzhugh....and is titled: Heart Seizure.
    It is not an exercise or eat right book....just a laugh a minute feel good ride!!!



    This is the summary from Amazon

    Spence Tailor, a lawyer with an actual set of principals, loves his mama, Rose. Rose—with advanced cardiomyopathy and a rare blood type—is scheduled for a heart transplant. But when the president's heart craps out during a photo op three months before the national election, the White House chief of staff orders the FBI to seize the heart that was going to Rose—all in the name of democracy. But Spence isn't about to let anybody steal what rightfully belongs to his mom. So with the help of his reluctant older brother, they hijack the heart, inadvertently kidnap a beautiful cardiac surgery resident, and take to the road in a '65 Mustang—with all the president's men in potentially murderous pursuit.

    I picked this book up because I have a rare blood type, and I also love political intrigue. I didn't read much of the inside cover, and when I got it I was not ready for the ride!

    Warning you will not be able to put it down!!! But get some tissues cause the tears of laughter will be streaming down!

    This book is hilarious! The jams they get into, and the people they kidnap, (pick-up) along the way....OMG! a hoot and a half!

    Available on Amazon both to order and for Kindle......
  • dmdegrassi
    dmdegrassi Posts: 151
    Okay...so I finally broke down and started reading the book I have heard people talking about for more than a year! Fifty Shades of Grey was written by E L James. I am on page 187 of 514 pages. It's not quite my type of book, but for some reason morbid curiosity keeps me reading on. I am a slow reader unless I am reading a large print book, and this is not one of those, so don't let the page 187 after nearly two weeks fool you. My usual choice of genre is romantic comedy, or mystery or suspense. My favorite author is Janet Evanovich, and I LOVE all of her books. Fifty Shades of Grey goes beyond romance and ventures into the world of sexual games, per se. The characters are interesting and draw you into the story well. Either I have a good imagination or the author really describes things well. I will check back here and update this review after I have finished reading it entirely. :)
  • Super_Mama
    Super_Mama Posts: 99 Member
    ok - so don't laugh...I get NO time to myself for reading but I do read to the kids ever night, so here goes.

    The Places You will go - By Dr. Seuss

    I LOVE this book. It is short, sweet and has a fantastic message about how you can do anything you set your mind to. I enjoyed all of the rhythmic language and the idea that it gets across that you have "brains in your head and feet in your shoes and you can go which way you choose" and I think this is a great message to send to kids (and adults) about life in general.
  • missability
    missability Posts: 223
    I am not laughing! In fact I have gifted this book to both HS and college grads! it is the best!!!
  • Prephred
    Prephred Posts: 140 Member
    You all are going to laugh. I have been on a werewolf kick lately. Eileen Wilks writes a good story. This series is really good, with a tight story line and lots of action and unexpected turns. My favorite is the 3rd book in the series (with the last two being very close). You don't have to read the first two books before. It can stand alone too.

    BLOOD LINES
    World of the Lupi #3

    Synopsis
    Touch-sensitive FBI agent Lily Yu and her werewolf bond-mate are recruited by the Secret Service to help identify elected officials who have accepted demonic pacts. But Lily must turn to fellow agent Cynna Weaver for help when Cynna's former teacher, a demon master, emerges as the main suspect behind the pacts.

    After a demon commits a gruesome murder, sorcerer Cullen Seabourne joins the team racing the clock to find the apprentice of evil who uses demons to kill. Cynna and Cullen must work together—a challenge indeed when each has good reason to ignore the desire simmering between them. But passion and events both spiral out of control as an ancient prophecy is fulfilled-and the lupi's greatest enemy sets her sights on total devastation...
  • PrajnaFaux
    PrajnaFaux Posts: 45
    "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

    Ella is a girl who was given a gift by a fairy on the day of her birth. Her gift is to always be obedient. Sounds good, but it forces her to obey any command she is given. After her mother's death, she finds herself in places and situations where her "gift" becomes not just annoying or inconvenient, but dangerous.

    This is one of my favorite books, and my daughter and I have read one copy to death and are working on our second well-loved copy. It takes place in a fairy tale type world complete with princes, fairies, giants, and ogres. It's very cleverly written with lots of surprises, action, comedy, and romance. It was also a Newbery Honor book in 1997.
  • karendee4
    karendee4 Posts: 558 Member
    My book review:

    Lost and Found

    One Woman's Story of Losing Her Money
    and Finding Her Life

    by Geneen Roth


    This book relates her money problems to binge eating problems. I enjoyed the book and read it quickly. I would recommend any of her books. They are not just about weight. ALso, not a diet book at all. No diet plans just the emotional side of eating.


    http://www.geneenroth.com/lost-and-found-book.php

    LOST AND FOUND, Geneen's newest book, is about the many ways we lose and can ultimately find ourselves in our daily lives. Whether we choose shopping, eating, or roaming the internet, LOST AND FOUND offers us a template of taking back our lives so that we can finally have--and be--what we want most.
  • dmdegrassi
    dmdegrassi Posts: 151
    Okay...so I finally broke down and started reading the book I have heard people talking about for more than a year! Fifty Shades of Grey was written by E L James. I am on page 187 of 514 pages. It's not quite my type of book, but for some reason morbid curiosity keeps me reading on. I am a slow reader unless I am reading a large print book, and this is not one of those, so don't let the page 187 after nearly two weeks fool you. My usual choice of genre is romantic comedy, or mystery or suspense. My favorite author is Janet Evanovich, and I LOVE all of her books. Fifty Shades of Grey goes beyond romance and ventures into the world of sexual games, per se. The characters are interesting and draw you into the story well. Either I have a good imagination or the author really describes things well. I will check back here and update this review after I have finished reading it entirely. :)

    I love the Shades of Grey series...so much so that I read book 2, as well. I haven't gotten around to book 3 because the library has been out. It's definitely addictive. I can't wait for the movie to come out. I'm dying to see how much they really can include.

    On another note, I began reading The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. It's not part of the Stephanie Plum series; it introduces a new character FBI agent Kate O'Hare. I'm not sure if it's the dual authorship or what, but it's not grabbing me like the Plum series did. Or maybe it's because I'm reading it after the Grey series and it just isn't getting me "excited"...lol. I'll post more when I've completed it.
  • SavvyGurl0528
    SavvyGurl0528 Posts: 228 Member
    Sorry, posted in the wrong place...

    Book review - I read one of the novellas in Ann Rule's latest book, Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors. I read the case about Susan Powell and her sons.

    I really enjoy Ann Rule and her many true crime stories, but I really have to be in a particular mood to handle them.
  • Prephred
    Prephred Posts: 140 Member
    Sorry I missed last week's stuff. I wanted to do a review cuz I read a bit and I am always looking for new authors. I read mostly fiction but some of the review look so good, so I will expand. Thea Harrison is a really good writer. She has a Elder Races series that pretty neat. She ties some of the happenings in what has really taken place in some of our history. This is the first in the series and was really good.

    Dragon Bound
    A Fiery Temper is Not Easily Extinguished

    Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful–and passionate—of the Elder Races.

    As the most feared and respected of the wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in one another.