Events that shaped History by Carrie Lewis

Events that shaped History is a collection of Events that shaped History. Surprise. Covering a wide selection of subjects such as both World Wars, Vietnam War, the discovery of DNA, 9/11, as well as historically important people like JFK, Queen Elizabeth, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela.

This book is filled with information and photographs of some unforgettable World events and influential people. It is one of those books that you could read from start to finish, or just pick up and read a topic of two that interest you on any given day.

This book is well designed, with the subjects featured laid out chronologically. With detailed images and easy to understand text. Although I did come across some grammatical errors throughout the book.

I feel that this book would be best suited as an introduction to modern history for school aged children. There wasn’t a lot of unknown information or unseen images and the text was quite limited. This book probably wouldn’t be very satisfying for people who lived through these events or have a general understanding of them.

I feel this book would be a good addition to a bookshelf as a quick and easy reference guide.

Who’s The Lucky Guy by Samuel Mugginton

Borden Duffield loses his job on Wall Street and finds out he has terminal cancer all on the same day. With only a year to live Borden decides he is going to get rich by selling saffron, in turn securing his wife Helen’s financial future.

This book is mainly a series of misadventures with amusing scenes involving Borden and his neighbour Hill. I found that the character of Borden sometimes comes across as brutish and rude. While it is clear that he loves his wife Helen, his attitude towards her did get on my nerves.

Borden does cause this crazy book to go in some odd directions. With side plots involving talking to dogs, the CIA, kidnapping, a government spy, and the added strangeness of the Amish and the Iranians. This book was like falling down a rabbit hole. While most of the side plots end up connecting with the main plot eventually, the ones that didn’t left me frustrated.

While I found Samuel’s writing easy to read and follow, I just found the story a little scattered. It seemed like there were too many different stories to be delved into and told. The fact that I couldn’t really sympathise with Borden made it a little difficult to get invested in the story with all its twists and turns.

Samuel Mugginton is obviously a gifted writer, that much is evident in this novel. I will definitely look into some of his other works. But all in all Who’s The Lucky Guy just wasn’t for me.

People who changed the World by Igloo Books

People who changed the World is a collection of Historically important people whose impact has changed the past, present and future for all of humanity. From scientific discoveries and inventions, courage and bravery or just a random accident, the changes fostered in by these Men and Women are still affecting our lives today.

While the presentation of this book was wonderful there were some minor errors. The text contained some typos, grammatical errors and missing words.

When it came to the more well-known people featured in this book there wasn’t really any unknown facts or photographs revealed, which was a little disappointing. I did find it extremely interesting learning about lesser known men and women and their accomplishments.

Each historical figure presented in this book has an allocated two pages of information and images. From Walt Disney to Adolf Hitler this book has covered a wild selection of influential people throughout history.

With the limited text this book serves as a nice introduction to the lives of important people and how their lives impacted the world we live in.

This book would be great for children and teens. With enough information to spark interest yet not too much to induce boredom.

The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacheri

Retired detective Benjamin Chaparro finds himself once again revisiting a decades-old case of a brutal rape and murder of a young wife. With his undeclared love for former colleague Irene and his obsession with this case haunting his life Benjamin decides to put pen to paper and write a novel.

This amazing book is primarily a murder mystery with the extremely interesting element of this novel actually being a book within a book. Eduardo has done a marvellous job in structuring this story. It builds throughout the story with plot revelations in the right places instead of waiting until the end to reveal all.

This book is a definite page turner in the truest sense of the word. By creating a beautifully honest relationship between his characters Eduardo has made it impossible not to connect with this book. With the added layers of romance, politics and 1970’s Argentinean history this book is both compelling and wonderfully profound.

Eduardo Sacheri is a brilliantly talented author who has created a truly riveting novel. If you like mysteries, detective novels or you just want a masterfully written book, The Secret in Their Eyes is the book for you.

Wonders of the World by Martin Howard

Wonders of the World features both amazing photos and great explanations of some of the most stunning places our planet has to offer. From the Great Barrier Reef to the Pyramids of Giza this book has something for everyone.

Presented alphabetically, each Wonder has a dedicated two pages that are jam-packed with beautiful images and truly interesting information. Due to the fact that each wonder only has two pages the text was kept to a minimum. There was enough space to detail the history of the site, its cultural or environmental impact and its reason for being a Wonder of the World. And really what more do you need.

Martin Howard has done a great job keeping this book fairly neutral. It wasn’t overly scientific or political. Making it educational yet still highly entertaining.

The breathtaking photography is reason enough to buy this book. With amazing facts about some well-known places as well as the added bonus of learning about some lesser known sites, this book is a great addition to all bookshelves. After reading this book there is no denying that these Wonders are truly awe-inspiring.

Wonders of the World is a definite keeper. I’m sure that I will find myself taking it off the bookshelf many times in the future.

#PleaseRetweet by Emily Benet

May Sparks is a social media pro. When she lands a job helping c-list celebrities with their social media profiles she thinks she in her element. But with the stress of her new job and her need to be on-line 24/7 her work-life balance takes a serious hit. Though this is nothing compared to the rabbit hole her job is about to throw her down. With a pay rise being dangled in front of her like a proverbial carrot, May is no longer helping celebrities with their Twitter accounts, she is now a personal tweeter. Having to become the voice of her clients isn’t exactly what May signed up for. #stressed #unsure #whatamidoing

This amazing book is not only extremely current it is also wonderfully funny. A surprisingly quick read #PleaseRetweet had genuine laugh out loud moments that left me smiling from ear to ear.

As someone who has multiple social media accounts I could easily relate to May. The excitement, dread and need for instant gratification is something that people on social media can really relate to in this day and age.

As a character May was definitely flawed and that really appealed to me. Her flaws/quirks made her a really believable character. Emily Benet has also done a marvellous job creating a great collection of diverse supporting characters to really ground this book.

The whole concept of this book was amazingly well crafted. With great writing, loveable characters and an amazing plot this book was an extremely entertaining read. In the world of social media all I have left to say is…

#winning #lovedit #greatread #PleaseRetweet #EmilyBenet #awesome #buyit #hashtag #LOL #2manyhashtags

Charter to Redemption by D.J. Blackmore

Set in the 1820’s, in the penal colony of Newcastle. This beautiful book follows Emma Colchester as she arrives in Australia to marry a man she has never met. Sharing this journey with Emma is Tobias Freeman a convict in the colony who longs for freedom. One criminal. One free settler. Both prisoners?

I found this to be a beautiful, thoughtful book. Blackmore has a beautiful writing style, with great descriptions and complex characters. I found it hard to put this book down.

The author did an amazing job of capturing family dynamics, these relationships came across as both realistic and well-rounded. With a captivating mix of historical fiction, romance and three-dimensional characters this book has more than enough substance to keep a reader engaged.

A few errors do pop up throughout this book. There are some missing words and some issues with paragraphing. Yet for me the story was compelling enough that these issues didn’t really bother me.

This books only downfall in my eyes was the end. I would’ve liked a little bit more. Maybe an epilogue to round-up some of the characters stories. I understand that’s these were minor characters and the idea is just to let the reader imagine how these characters ended up, but I don’t have an imagination.

So my only criticism of this book is I wanted more. In my eyes that a win. If you love historical fiction or romance or just a really good read, grab this book.

Revenants: The Odyssey Home by Scott Kauffman

This story follows a young girl named Betsy as she tries to navigate her life after losing her brother Nathan in the Vietnam War. After some bad choices Betsy is forced to become a candy striper at the local VA Hospital. Spending time with these war damaged men gives her a purpose. The hospital is also hiding something. Or should I say someone. A mystery patient on the fourth floor. Unable to see, hear or speak, this unidentifiable WWI veteran becomes Betsy’s mission. Discovering who he is so that she can return him to his family becomes her passion.

I will admit the first few chapters of this book were a little slow. Once the story picked up though it was so captivating that I couldn’t stop reading.

This book isn’t just another war story. It is a book about what happens to those left behind. The families and communities of fallen soldiers and the wounded that do return home.

The characters in this book are so easy to connect with. Especially Betsy. Her journey through her grief is palpable. With such strong and believable characters the plot is easy to follow and even easier to get pulled into.

With the mystery of patient x playing out on the pages you just want to keep going. While the patient x storyline is heartbreaking, Betsy’s determination to uncover his secrets is both inspiring and endearing.

Scott Kauffman’s ability to give life and depth to these characters is amazing. This beautiful book is not only well written but expertly crafted.

Scott didn’t string you along with the mystery or flood the story with it. It was definitely an important aspect of the novel, yet the story is essentially about Betsy. Her grief, growth and humanity is what grounds this book.

Now on to the negative. I can really only find one. There are a few errors in the writing. A missing word or letter, or an extra word or letter here and there. It wasn’t a distraction for me because I found the story so captivating.

So all in all, a beautiful story, with strong relatable characters and an amazing plot = a must read book.

Hey, look! It’s Gem’s Book Nook!

Thanks so much to Andrew for mentioning my blog.. If you haven’t yet make sure you check out his work..

andrewfarago

Thanks to Gem for this glowing review of The Looney Tunes Treasury!  It’s hard to believe that it’s already been seven (!) years since its publication, and about eight years since I started writing it.
The review’s here, and I suggest you bookmark Gem’s site so that you can keep up with the rest of her reviews, since she’s obviously got great taste in literature:

https://gemsbooknook.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/the-looney-tunes-treasury-by-andrew-farago/

I’m still plugging away on my slightly-delayed history of 1980s TV animation, but it’s going to be worth the wait.  The postponement’s allowing me time to add a few more big-name interview subjects, find even more artwork to include in the book, and might even let me add another show to the mix.  My editor thinks we can branch out into other decades and maybe even go back to the eighties for a follow-up if this goes well, and I’ll keep you posted as…

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The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs

Lucia Joyce is the daughter of famed author James Joyce. A passionate, joyful young woman with a real zest for life. As the story unfolds you journey with Lucia as she tries to find her place in the work under the shadow of her Father. A marvellous dancer and artist in her own right. This story delves into the fictionalised life of Lucia Joyce. With compassion and creativity Annabel Abbs guides you through the disappointment and heartbreak that ultimately lead to Lucia’s downward spiral.

It only takes a few chapters to realise that Annabel Abbs is an amazing writer. Her characters were well-rounded and had true conviction. With an amazing array of supporting characters with wildly different views and diverse backgrounds, this book was full of life and emotion.

The vibrancy of 1920’s Paris as this books main setting made the story come alive. With outstanding research conducted this book is grounded in history. With fascinating characters and unbelievable writing this book in a must read.

With first years profits of this book going to Young Minds. The UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. This book is a guilt free buy.

This compelling book should not be missed. Come and let Lucia Joyce take you to soaring highs and devastating lows.

The Joyce Girl will leave you begging for more.