Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lloyd Cassel Douglas, 1877-1951, was a minister before he was an author. MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION, was his first book written and published after he retired from the pulpit around 1928. How appropriate then that this book's main subject centers around his old boss, the Galilean from Nazareth. His novels are of a didactic tone purposed for developing strong moral character. His writing is

The Old Buzzard Had It Coming by Donis Casey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a skillful storyteller Donis Casey is! The story is set in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, with the nearest town being Boynton, 1912, during a hard cold winter. The main character is Alafair (Gunn) Tucker, a very respectful wife and mother in her community. Her husband, Shaw, thought of her as his "lady wife." The story is spun around the murder of Harley, a consumer of his own product, moonshine.

The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! What a sweet story. A relaxing, easy, pleasant read. I already have book #8 "The Good Husband Of Zebra Drive" on my nightstand. I'm hooked on the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, ready to enjoy more of Alexander McCall Smith's well crafted stories. 

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Holding Woman and Other Stories of Acceptable Madness by Kelley Jaacquez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This collection of vignettes all take place in and around the small community of El Nido, New Mexico. Population 264. A simple place in simple times where simple people worked out the complex problems that living in this world threw at them. The populous is inextricably entwined by custom, by love, by tragedy... sorrow, hope, and humor. Every woman cared for every child as though it was her own. If the mother wasn't there the woman closest to the child corrected, and protected it as if it was their own. The author laid each character and their story out so clearly and completely that you can see into their souls. Not one word was wasted. I absolutely love this book. Thank you Kelly Jacquez.

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The Favorite by Franklyn C. Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the tempo of this story, especially how the  tension building in the center story of the grueling fight, the protagonist, Michael Dane, contending for the IBF Light-Heavyweight Champion of the world against Quin Cortez, was carried throughout the equally progressing tension of the back story. Michael Dane set out to right the wrongs of his unfortunate abusive childhood, and news of his impending fatherhood was, and I quote Michael Dane, .."the one last sign I needed to show me I'm doing the right thing." This is a guts and glory story, a love story, and just a damn good read. I cried at the inevitable heart wrenching ending.

Franklyn C. Thomas has certainly spun a good yarn. "The Favorite" is a must read.

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Triumph of Job by Laura C. Pleming
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was so happy to read the story of Job interpreted in a way I could understand. Dr. Laura C. Pleming is a Bible scholar, and her indepth knowledge of this old, old scripture was insightful. Makes me want to take a bible study class. What I learned about the writing of the book of Job is that the author is unknown. It was written as a drama, the author is defined as being a dramatist. It is written poetically, using a rhythmical cadence. This is what Dr. Pleming's book taught me, then.....

As luck would have it, there is an article in The New Yorker magazine, Dec. 16th, 2013, pg 83, in the book review section, entitled "MISERY, Is there justice in the Book of Job?", by Joan Acocella. She is reviewing Mark Larrimore's book "The Book of Job: A Biography". In this article I discovered that, and to state it accurately I am just going to quote from Joan Acocella's article here; "The text here is clearly corrupt in many places. The central section - where Job speaks to his friends, and God speaks to them all - is in verse, and its language is impassioned: pleading, sweeping, vaulting. The outer sections are written in prose, and in a blunt, matter-of-fact manner." The article goes on to say that this is probably a story that was told verbally down through the ages, then a beginning and an ending were added to make it a complete story when it was converted to written form. There are other opinions about how this Book of Job was possibly written, and a slew of other books on the subject were referenced. I am intrigued now.

My reading list just got a lot longer because of my friend handing me her copy of a simple little book, a one hour read, called "Triumph of Job", by Dr. Laura C. Pleming.

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It will take eternity to answer all life's problems.

YAR, ME LIKES IT - BOOK REVIEW

Unicorn Western by Sean Platt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I put off reading this book because the title reeked of absurdities. My bad. UNICORN WESTERN is a delightful treat for readers, no matter their preferred genre. I don’t usually read fantasies, but I liked Johnny B. Truant's "The Fat Vampire", so I

FLOODED WITH SUSPENSE - A Book Review

Tidewater Murder by C. Hope Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this second in the Carolina Slade Mystery series. I can't wait for the third in this series.

SWAMPED WITH MURDER, MYSTERY, AND ROMANCE - A Book Review

Lowcountry Bribe by C. Hope Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Carolina Slade Bridges is the full name of the heroine in Lowcountry Bribe, but don’t call her Mrs. Bridges.

My New Favorite Funny Vampire

Fat Vampire by Johnny B. Truant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Years ago I would never watch a vampire movie, or read anything with the word vampire in the title. Then, when the kids were young, they forced me to watch “Lost Boys”. It is one of my favorite movies as a result. This is why I read Fat Vampire. I’m glad I did.

BOOK REVIEW - Laura Pauling spun magic for young adults AND adults

HEIST by Laura Pauling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jack Brodie, or Fiasco, the main character, is a young boy of sixteen with the weight of the world riding on his shoulders. He is trying to save his Dad who is in jail for being involved in the Gardner heist in 1990. But it is 2013. What can Jack do to fix his Dad’s past mistakes? Jack has a unique ability to time travel through the art itself. It’s not enough he is going through the normal trauma of being a teenager, he’s also trying to get his Dad out of jail by time traveling, and each time he does his world is hurled into chaos. I’m not even sure how Laura Pauling pulled this off, but she did. What a ride. I was exhausted by the time I finished reading this plot turner. Good read. I recommend this book to all readers of every age.

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BOOK REVIEW

Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this to be a very easy book to read. I think that means Kathryn Miller Haines is a good writer. It is a great depiction of the 40's era. I especially enjoyed the way she handled the slang of that era. I'm a sucker for any story built into a WWII setting anyway. The lead character, Rosie Winter, is full of spunk, and I found that to be very satisfying. Murder, mystery, and intrigue start with the first sentence, is framed