Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different--And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men

Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different-And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men by Steve Biddulph


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If all parents of boys read this book (and learned from it), the world would be a much better place. It's written primarily for fathers, although there is also a chapter specifically for single mothers, but as a soon-to-be-stepmom, I got a lot out of it, too. It explains and confirms so much of what I have observed and experienced! And it gives some practical advice on what to do, how to raise boys at different stages in their lives, so that they grow up to be excellent men. It's easy to read and not terribly long. This is another book I am thinking about buying to use as a reference.

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Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices

Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices by Mindy Pennybacker


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book for someone who wants to make better, healthier choices but doesn't know where to start and isn't ready to chuck it all and live in a tent in the woods with no running water or electricity for the rest of his or her life. It's easy to read--the information is broken down into chunks, with really helpful, practical tips and choose it/lose it recommendations, complete with some brand names. I'm actually thinking about buying a copy of the book to use as a reference when I shop. Beware, though: once I read the section on skin and hair care, I started reading labels and felt an urgent need to go to the grocery store to replace all my fiance's toxic products!

My one quibble with it is the inconsistency of the use of grey boxes. Much of the time, they indicate "lose it" lists or warnings. Other times grey is used merely as a section marker/background shade. My brain learned to assume "grey = bad choices," and I had to consciously shift my thinking every time this wasn't the case.

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A Matter of Class

A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This slim little novel is not what it seems. Usually, thinner means less depth, more fluff, and a pretty generic plot. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so all I'll say is that as soon as I finished, I turned around and started re-reading all the "present-day" parts. (The chapters alternate between the past and present, both of which take place in England's Regency period.)

The story begins with Reggie Mason enduring a lecture from his father who is furious about Reggie's extravagant lifestyle and gambling debts. Meanwhile, on the adjoining estate, Lady Annabelle Ashton awaits her irate father's decision regarding her fate now that she has been caught running off with the new coachman. The snobby earl is in dire need of funds. Wealthy Mr. Mason dreams of elevating his family into the "hallowed ranks" of the beau monde. A match made in...?

Definitely story is the primary doorway, but character is a strong second.

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A River in the Sky

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This latest installment of the Amelia Peabody mystery series actually falls chronologically between Guardian of the Horizon and The Falcon at the Portal. It's set in 1910, mostly in the Holy Land--Jerusalem and thereabouts (Nablus, Jaffa, etc.). Ramses is about 18 years old.

It's a light, fun mystery to read, full of pre-war intrigues and German spies. Like most mysteries, it's story-driven, but since it's part of the Amelia Peabody series, it's also a character-doorway novel.

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Rick & Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage by Rick Burgess


My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I cannot believe I actually read the whole thing. What a waste of time.

Rick & Bubba are apparently local radio celebrities somewhere in Alabama, and they consider themselves funny. I found their book more irritating than funny most of the time. A few moments were amusing, I suppose. But mostly I wished they'd decide whether they were writing a marriage advice book (with fairly decent advice) or an obnoxious comedy routine about how to be a lousy, lazy husband who doesn't respect his wife all that much. They ricocheted back and forth--often within the same page or chapter--between giving good advice (ex. continue to date your spouse to keep the relationship strong) and ranting about their wives (ex. how they nag or how they get lost because they can't follow directions). It wasn't funny, and I kept wondering why on earth their wives a) had married them in the first place, and b) hadn't yet divorced them.

It only got worse toward the end when they started getting a little preachy, and I realized Rick & Bubba are actually conservative evangelicals. Really, I should have guessed that from the start. I'm a big fan of "God first, spouse second, children third." I'm NOT a big fan of "believe in Jesus or you'll burn in Hell for all eternity." God's not that small or petty.

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Fired Up

Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is both the start of a new spin-off series (Dreamlight Trilogy) as well as a continuation of the Arcane Society series. The hero & heroine are not Arcane Society members this time, but they are still dealing with the nefarious Nightshade organization, and we get to peek a bit more into Fallon Jones' life, which I found interesting. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same formula as the other books in this series: strong paranormal talents meet and must work together to survive and stop the bad guys...while simultaneously falling in love and having mind-blowing, psi-energy-enhanced sex. Not original, but still fun.

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Thirteenth Child

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series (as soon as Patricia C. Wrede writes & publishes it, that is). It is a delightful story of a young girl growing up in an alternative U.S. in the late 19th century, where magic is ubiquitous and woolly mammoths share the wilderness with dragons. Eff is the thirteenth child--the seventh daughter and the older twin of the seventh son. Until her family moves to the frontier when she is five years old, Eff is tormented by some of her many relatives about being the unlucky #13, destined to turn bad. The psychological scars prove difficult to eradicate and cause Eff to be afraid of her own magical abilities, despite the encouragement of her teachers, parents, and friends.

Once I free up some bookshelf space, I will go buy myself a copy. I already want to reread it!

For reader's advisory purposes: character & story doorways, with setting an important factor, too.

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