Review: The Killer Angels

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



The idea of the book interested me and I was impressed by the amount of research Shaara must have completed. The book did help bring a battle to life but it was a struggle to finish. The emotions, the health concerns, the lack of ammunition, the troop movements - it all had the potential to be fascinating and insightful. Instead, it was choppy and terse. It read as a bulleted list that someone had tried to convert to paragraphs without adding additional words. That lack of fluidity in the writing made it hard to read.



View all my reviews

Review: Roadside Crosses

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I enjoy Jeffery Deaver books and I like Kathryn Dance...but not this time. The book had an interesting idea and a good twist at the end but the time spent getting from the idea to the end was too long. Each time another part of the story would wrap up, I'd realize that another piece still needed resolved. The murder...the kidnapping...the case against her mom...the new relationship...the old relationship... I eventually found myself thinking, "How many more pages?" It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't one of my favorites.



View all my reviews

Review: The Liar's Lullaby

The Liar's Lullaby by Meg Gardiner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Perhaps this book would have been a 3 star if I had read it instead of listening to the audio version. You know how sometimes a reader can completely turn you off a book? In this book, the portions concerning NMP are read in an angry voice that has a touch of the 'nails on chalkboard' effect on me. I really struggled to stay with the book during those parts. I also disliked the stereotyping of country music. The lyrics and comments in the beginning of the book were so outrageously horrible that I almost pulled the cord and disconnected the Playaway. The book itself was enjoyable. If you are interested, read it and don't listen to it!



View all my reviews

Review: T.A.G.: A Diabetic Food System

T.A.G.: A Diabetic Food System by Mary Joan Oexmann

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



My daughter is a T1 Diabetic and we've been doing 'diabetic math' for 5 years now. On a message board I saw people reference the TAG system for calculating insulin needs. It was hard to find a copy (thank you, Amazon!) and the book is 22 years old. Once I realized the age of the book, I was really surprised that people were using it. Diabetes care has changed so much over the past two decades and I wasn't sure why outdated info would be useful.

I then read the book. And read it again. It talks about setting a meal plan, calculating insulin needs for the non-carbs in a meal, and had templates to use in calculating TAG. What it didn't do was tell me how to use it to treat my daughter. Honestly, I wondered why it was getting so much talk if it didn't do anything except set meal plans. To be fair, this makes sense because it was written in 1989...and things have changed so much.

I finally realized that the book is an explanation of the math. If you want to use it as part of a dual wave bolus plan for insulin pumps, go online and research it...then read the book...then go back to your online resources and try it. This book didn't answer my questions and it was a bit overwhelming. I've been weighing her food and calculating off of carb factors for 5 years so I'm comfortable with calculations but this book made it seem so much more complicated than it needed to. I'm glad to have a copy for reference but the most useful information is available online.



View all my reviews

Review: Testimony

Testimony by Anita Shreve

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This wasn't what I expected of Anita Shreve. The different voices, the constant shifting in time, the minimal story line...it felt like a great idea for a book had been written in this context to allow the characters to show themselves instead of having to write the descriptions of them. I like the behind-the-scenes feel and it was a fun approach. Unfortunately, there were just too many characters I didn't want to learn more about. Everything tied together nicely at the end and we are left with a different view of the incident but it was still so unsatisfactory to me. The behavior, the excuses, the lack of punishment - it all seemed to gloss over the fact that three adults were involved in a sexual situation with a 14 year old girl. Mike, in particular, annoyed me. I skimmed through most of his dialogue and found that the voices I would have enjoyed reading more from were rather limited in appearance. For instance, Sienna's roommate or Owen. I think that a more developed novel would have given me the details I wanted to know.



View all my reviews

Review: Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies (For Dummies

Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies (For Dummies by Tracey Wood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



We are in the process of having my son tested for dyslexia. This book is really useful for that "Is it dyslexia? What should I do to find out? What will happen if it is?" stage because it provides information on background, diagnosis and treatment.

Like all books in the "for Dummies" series, it provides a lot of information and presents it in easy to understand language. Reading it helped me make a plan for testing and has given me useful tips on what follow-up steps would need to happen.

I recommend this book for anyone trying to help a struggling reader. You may realize that there is something making reading difficult - and getting the right kind of help can make all the difference!



View all my reviews

Review: Good Omens

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Every time I think about the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse, I start laughing again. War, Famine, Pollution...and Stupid Things that Won't Bloody Work Even when you Thump Them. The book is filled with so many of these clever and amusing details.

I listened to the audio version of this book and Martin Jones did an amazing job. As I listened, I was struck by the similarity in style to Eoin Colfer's "And Another Thing." It had the cleverness and hilarity of the entire Hitchhiker's series but in the tone I felt Colfer applied to the story. I've enjoyed several Neil Gaiman books and was not disappointed in this one! Terry Pratchett is new to me but I'll definitely read more.



View all my reviews