Book Review: Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant

This is an interesting book. After Prince Albert died, the queen sought friendship in unconventional places. First their was her gilly at Balmoral. Then there was Abdul Karim, a young Indian Munshi. He arrived expecting to spend the year of her Jubilee  but then the Queen felt that she could not do without him at her side. He became her teacher, her counsel on Urdu and Indian affairs and a dear friend. The decade they were together was scandalous and her household did not like him or this closeness.
This book was written from letters and journals about this time. It left me at times puzzles and in awe of the lives of the people of that time. I felt the closeness and could understand it but I also felt the puzzlement felt by Queen Victoria's household.
This book was so well-written and filled with information. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: Lone Witness

I was given this book by Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.
Sophie Dawson has just started working as a prosecutor in the White Collar division in Fulton County. Her first case is to investigate a bank employee who may be cheating customers. Soon she finds that she is the sole witness to a double homicide. This was not what she was expecting, at all.
Cooper Knight, a former police office and now a private security guard has accepted a job of keeping Sophie safe.
Before long, neither of them know who they can trust.
This book places the reader inside both of these legal professions. Dylan has created characters which are strong and complex.
This is the second book in the series. The characters from the first book show up as secondary characters. The third book in this series is due out in 2019.

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Book Review: Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Program Grades 1-2

Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Program is designed for students who have high-level learning abilities. Through a series of inquiry processes the students can become critical readers. This book is created for first and second grade students. The stories and tasks are meant to help these students become better communicators and listeners in addition to better their reading skills.

In addition to a Teacher's Guide to using this material, there are tasks to use for each of the works suggested. Some of the works include:

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieska

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

Where Go the Boats? by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson

On Snow by Jonathan Swift

This book would make a great addition to a classroom or home school that has a gifted learner.

I recommend this book highly.

I was given this book by the publisher and by LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: The Lighthearted Quest

This book was first published in 1956, with this in mind, the world was a different place with varied views on things.
Julia Probyn's cousin has not communicated with any of his family for a while, now Julia needs to find him. He was last seen in Morocco, so she sets of in this direction, relying on her journalism career to be a good cover. Not looking for any danger she was not prepared for the secrets which enveloped this disappearance.
I enjoyed this book immensely, the humor and adventure that the author included played off each other just right. I was also thrilled with the opportunity to "visit" many of the exotic areas this book took me on.
Exciting and humorous, this book was an excellent choice.
I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book may be found at Amazon HERE!

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Book Review: She was the Quiet One

Rose and Bel Enright are twin sisters who are going to an elite boarding school in New Hampshire. These twins are very different and the school brings out the competitive spirit in them. In this school the students seem to have no rules that they feel they nee to listen to which can only lead to bad ends.
Sarah Donovan's husband is a teacher who wants to go places and wants the very best for their family. Sarah is now starting to see a side of her husband that she never saw before. Then there is a murder, but the question is who is responsible and who will speak the truth.
This book kept pulling me back. I have to say it was a little dark for me, which generally is not my preference. However, I needed to find the answers to the questions that kept popping up. It is very well written and the characters are interesting, it just was not my cup of tea.

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Book Review: Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This book had many factors in its favor before I even opened the cover. First of all, it has books and a bookstore in it and it is a murder mystery.

Lydia Smith does not like the spotlight. A clerk at The Bright Ideas bookstore, she knows many of the patrons like she does her books. The regulars are called BookFrogs. They spend each day losing themselves in this warm surrounding.

Lydia discovers the body of Joey Molina, a BookFrog, and her life is suddenly changed. He left her all of his goods, including his books which are damaged in ways that she cannot understand. Going through his things have brought to light her past.

I loved this book. As I was reading it I could see myself inside this bookstore, enjoying every minute of it. As a mystery, I felt myself being pulled in, in a good way, wanting to bring all the thread of the story together. Each character was complex and well written. A very good book. 

This book can be found on Amazon

or 

Barnes and Noble