Redeye Fulda Cold

Redeye Fulda Cold by Bill Fortin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable military thriller...

Author Bill Fortin weaves an enjoyable military thriller with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a dramatic and riveting cold war military adventure thriller in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a relatively fast-paced, funny and entertaining novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.

I enjoyed 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 novel 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 first-class military thriller with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of thriller and suspense will want it. It's a solid thriller that benefits substantially from a raft of better-than-average elements.

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this series in the future. If you’re a fan of military adventure thrillers you'll enjoy this book.


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Nathaniel's Got the Blues

Nathaniel's Got the Blues by David L. Heaney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” Proverb

We all like to read them at some stage, and many of us are so influenced by a good story that we adopt life changes to match. True stories and biographies are obviously the most inspirational, but there are also fictional stories that can be just as inspiring. And for me, Nathaniel’s Got The Blues by David L. Heaney is such a story.

More often than not children relate themselves with the characters of a good story. In such circumstances, reading fiction can help them to get inspiration from the characters. These stories often portray real life implications through anecdotes, and as such makes it easier for them to understand the complex aspects of life. Moreover, reading these stories at regular intervals can actually help them to develop a positive outlook towards life, which eventually proves beneficial for good character development.

Nathaniel’s Got The Blues by David L. Heaney is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel. The author reacquaints us with, Nathaniel, a rat who appeared in his first book, A Yorkie’s Tale: Lessons from a Life Well Lived. While that book was a quest in an attempt to learn how to live a good life - with the shocking discovery that life does not go on forever - they learned a lot on that journey; what was important and what was, perhaps, relatively unimportant. ‘Nathaniel, who is now old, is engaged in yet another existential crisis, wondering if there really is anything more to learn as he wanders rather aimlessly through the winter of his life.’

Captivating and commendable, this work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly thought-provoking, reflective and inspirational journey!

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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Melita by Gill D Anderson

Melita by Gill D. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An emotionally charged and compelling read...

Melita by Gill D Anderson is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The threads of storytelling are expertly woven in this family life fiction that guarantees the attention of the reader. Skillfully constructed and set against the backdrop of a dysfunctional family relationship between a mother and daughter, this book will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘As the only child of a single parent, and with little knowledge of her father or her paternal relatives, Emily struggles with identity issues throughout her childhood. Her mother’s past and family history have always been shrouded in secrecy… Moving from Scotland to Vancouver, Emily hoped to start a new life and reinvent herself, but she unintentionally becomes estranged from her mother, Melita, during the process… The tension between Melita and her daughter that has built throughout the course of Emily’s life finally comes to the surface. Slowly, the truth about Melita’s harsh childhood growing up in Malta unravels, revealing the inevitable impact it had on Emily’s upbringing… Will the dysfunctional familial patterns remain entrenched forever? Or can Melita and Emily find a way to reconcile with the past?’

This was a fascinating and captivating read that had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of emotional and compelling moments in this page-turner that will take the reader on a mesmerizing journey. The story unfurls in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. Into the spaces between the words, the author breathes a pulsating intensity that rolls like a motion picture camera. With an abundance of imagery in the writing style, it makes you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

Melita had every element a good story should have. An intriguing plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. It’s one of those stories that come along once in a while that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader!

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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Sacred Senior Moments: “A Christian Poetic Devotional"

Sacred Senior Moments: A Christian Poetic Devotional by Barbara Klein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An inspiring collection of Christian centered poetry...

Poetry has lost a lot of its flavor in this new age. When time moves past the current age, the next generation are always influenced by the previous generations even if that influence manifests as a rejection of the values of those who've gone before. Sacred Senior Moments: A Christian Poetic Devotional by Barbara Klein, however, lacks the awkward self-consciousness of post-modernism even when it compliments it, and that is its beautiful defining element. An example of the poetry to be discovered here is as follows:

GROWING OLD
To write about old age
An interesting topic to some…
Am I growing old
or am I just old?
I’ve passed the three score and ten
yet I want to learn more, do more, become more
but my body has its limits.
I’m understanding Plato’s prison
I know I will escape someday
As that day grows nearer
I wonder how will I handle it.
That’s the big unanswered question
that’s only resolved
with the last breath.

Sacred Senior Moments: A Christian Poetic Devotional by Barbara Klein is an inspiring collection of Christian centered poetry. Along with a love of God, the poems express a richness of devotion and a passion for life. Primarily, though, they focus on the loving bond between the poet and God. Sacred Senior Moments will appeal to lovers of Christian poetry.

It is true there are those who have little appreciation for poetry, yet the poet's work has brought about significant societal debate and ultimate change in our world. Perhaps this is because the reader is invited to share the writer's perspective in an emotional way that allows a perspective to be heard with something other than ears. Highly recommended.

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When I Wear My Mask: Encouraging Children to Protect The Elderly & Prevent Virus Spread While Still Having Fun

When I Wear My Mask: Encouraging Children to Protect The Elderly & Prevent Virus Spread While Still Having Fun by Tali Carmi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Encouraging young children to protect the elderly and prevent virus spread...

More often than not children relate themselves with the characters of a good story. In such circumstances, reading fiction can help them to get inspiration from the characters. These stories often portray real life implications through anecdotes, and as such makes it easier for them to understand the complex aspects of life. Moreover, reading these stories at regular intervals can actually help them to develop a positive outlook towards life, which eventually proves beneficial for good character development.

When I Wear My Mask by award-winning and best-selling author Tali Carmi is an entertaining and reassuring book that encourages young children to protect the elderly and prevent virus spread while still having fun. It’s a delightful and charming book for the younger reader. I loved not only the story, but also the amazing illustrations by Neda Fuchedzhieva. I thought the text and illustrations worked very well together.

Author Tali Carmi writes in a wonderfully simple rhyming style that will guarantee the attention of young minds. If you ever wanted to bond even more with your children or grandchildren, this would be a lovely story to share with them.

It seems to me that this book was created with a lot of love and joy and it’s clear that the author really enjoys creating such wonderful stories. Thank you for sharing with us the gift that you have obviously worked so hard to refine. We’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. A well-deserved five stars!

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Have you heard about Karen?

Have you heard about Karen? by Karin Aharon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A spellbinding, entertaining and humorous read...

Have you heard about Karen? by Israeli author Karin Aharon is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with wonderfully drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a spellbinding, entertaining and humorous novel with plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged from the first page to the last.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Karen, Tara, and Rylie are friendly neighbors in a suburban town, who think they know each other well. Karen seems to have it all - an amazing job as a programmer, a handsome husband, and three beautiful daughters. But behind the scenes, things are not quite as they seem… Recently her neighbors have noticed that she has been keeping something from them. As time goes by, her secrets are pushing all her friends away… When Tara and Rylie notice a mysterious man entering Karen’s home, they are astounded as to why their friend would be having a secret affair behind the back of her perfect husband… Is Karen’s life heading towards a crisis? Or does everything look different from up close?’

I enjoyed 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 story of intertwined friendship with perfect pacing.

When we assume that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, we tend to look at things beyond ourselves, beyond where we are, beyond what we have, beyond who we are and beyond the time we are at now. This very enjoyable read is a reflection of that.

Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.

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The Woman in the Reflection by Avi Friede

The Woman in the Reflection by Avi Friede
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very interesting and enjoyable read...

Salted with mystery and peppered with intrigue, The Woman in the Reflection by Avi Friede is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The threads of storytelling are expertly woven in this rather peculiar romance that had me turning the pages from beginning to end.

I enjoyed 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.

In many ways The Woman in the Reflection, a first novel written by Avi Friede, is a classic, albeit unusual romance. The author 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 an almost prurient atmosphere.

Different from the writing style that I’d normally be used to, nevertheless, made this a very interesting and enjoyable read. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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