The Run and Hide (The Brotherhood Chronicle Book 2)

The Run and Hide by Tejas Desai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A must-read that will keep you guessing...

The Run and Hide (The Brotherhood Chronicle Book 2) by Tejas Desai is a brilliant follow up to the first book in this series: The Brotherhood (The Brotherhood Chronicle Book 1). This is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted and compelling mystery that gives the reader a glimpse into the Asian criminal underworld. The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel you are right there in the story. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

My Eccentric Family by Norman L. Cantor

My Eccentric Family by Norman L. Cantor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very enjoyable read that was hard to put down...

My Eccentric Family by Norman L. Cantor is an all-encompassing human dramatization of an extraordinary life. An eyewitness, and at other times a participant in some of the most noteworthy social and political movements of the twentieth century, makes this biography a book well worth reading. Looking at historical facts, the book brings a wealth of knowledge to the reader making this a brilliant and insightful read.

Writing memoirs is a unique way to cherish your past and present, with the future in mind. However, the author states that he always thought that writing memoirs was pretentious and self-indulgent. Then at age of 76 a strange phenomenon occurred. He finally overcame a psychological block and read his Communist father’s 900-page FBI file. That reading triggered numerous recollections of his ‘red diaper’ childhood. And when he casually recounted a few vignettes to friends and family, the universal reaction was wonderment and a strong curiosity to hear more about his upbringing.

This is ‘a rare journey with universal lessons that is simultaneously a deeply personal memoir and an incisive work of history. It was a very enjoyable and interesting book to read. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Get Out Alive: Surviving and Thriving After Drugs, Guns, Gangs, Dysfunction and Crazy

Get Out Alive: Surviving and Thriving After Drugs, Guns, Gangs, Dysfunction and Crazy by Steve Cederquist
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Surviving hardship and finding your way...

When we read inspirational books, they grab a hold of us, and make us think, or they just seem like a bunch of quotes, clichés, and motivational regurgitation. I've always enjoyed reading inspirational books that give you a plan, a list of tips, or techniques to help you become a better person. Books that make you want to be a better person after you are done reading them.

Get Out Alive by Steve Cederquist is a brilliant, raw and honest narrative where a recurrent theme of hope is repeated throughout the book. And, no matter what your situation is today, this book will put you on the right path to better things. Part memoir, part how-to guide, this book will inspire you to constructively change your life by utilizing the authors energetic approach. Highly recommended.


View all my reviews

30 Summers More: Adding Time Back to Your Aging Clock

30 Summers More: Adding Time Back to Your Aging Clock by Dwayne J. Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Living a healthy life...

30 Summers More: Adding Time Back to Your Ageing Clock by Dwayne J. Clark is a very well written life improvement book. This book is intelligent, wise and packed to the rafters with practical common-sense advice. It becomes obvious as you read through this page turner that the author is imparting his wisdom and understanding as to what health and happiness really means. It’s an excellent guide for putting things into perspective.

The overall tone was simply imparting knowledge, personal experience and wisdom in a gentle and generous way. The authors words will help to better equip you to interpret and handle life in a whole new way, which in turn will bring peace, love and joy into your life. If you are looking for inspiration and encouragement in the face of serious health issues, this would come highly recommended from me.

No matter what your situation is today, this book will put you on the right path to better things. This wonderful book will show you how to properly tune into life and the simple steps you must follow to achieve this. The author must be commended for his time and effort for producing such an insightful and practical book.

Written by an expert in the field of ageing, the reader will gain a personal life-changing journey, and everything that seemed impossible will become a new, successful pathway. Once again, highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.


View all my reviews

Then Like the Blind Man: Orbie's Story

Then Like the Blind Man: Orbie's Story by Freddie Owens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great storytelling...

Then Like the Blind Man: Orbie's Story by Freddie Owens is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted coming of age narrative that serves as an allegory for the pains of being.

An exceptionally well written book, the contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Owens pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create a somewhat warm adventure story.

Finally, it must be stated that the author’s script at times is razor-sharp and will cut deep into the emotions of its reader. This story is not for the easily offended. A word of caution, therefore, for the ‘linguistically sensitive’ among us. Nevertheless, the themes and outcome are just as affecting in the arresting early 1950's landscape.


View all my reviews

The Leader Launchpad: Five Steps to Fuel Your Business and Lift Your Profits

The Leader Launchpad: Five Steps to Fuel Your Business and Lift Your Profits by Howard M. Shore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A must-read business leadership book...

Today's businesses operate in a uniquely competitive world. Not only is there cut-throat competition among companies, but there is also a serious shortage of people with the right business leadership training.

As the author states, ‘Sooner or later, every business owner finds themselves working too much “in” the business rather than “on” the business. Despite working harder than ever, they know their organization could be growing faster and generating greater profits. To stimulate the traction and significant growth that leaders seek, they need strategies to create and sustain a successful business as well as ways to break through the invisible barriers that prevent forward movement.’

This book, The Leader Launchpad: Five Steps to Fuel Your Business and Lift Your Profits, by Howard Shore is a worthy addition to the ever-growing literature on change and leadership.

View all my reviews

Exiles of Eden: The Demonic Dodecahedron (A Dark Fantasy Epic) by Kyle Fox

Exiles of Eden: The Demonic Dodecahedron by Kyle Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A dark fantasy that maintains a taut, compelling hold from start to finish...

Exiles of Eden: The Demonic Dodecahedron by Kyle Fox is a well-written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author spins an intriguing and compelling epic dark fantasy that will easily captivate the reader from the first page to the last. For me it was one of those ‘special’ books. You know one of those books that you read and really begin to care about the characters and what happens to them during the course of the story.

I liked the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a well written dark fantasy with perfect pacing.

If you are looking for a well-written and exceptional fantasy book with amazing characters and a gripping plot then Exiles of Eden: The Demonic Dodecahedron will not leave you disappointed. Recommended to all fans of dark fantasy and a well-deserved five stars from me.

View all my reviews