Book Review: Freeing Lindhurst by Al Cassidy

Freeing Linhurst by Al Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book very much. It's a well written fiction story that has it's roots in a real place that inspired the author. The characters and pacing were wonderful. The plot was well thought out and kept you on your toes throughout.

The plot in this book was great. It hit on so many things that I wasn't expecting. It tackled such topics as bullies, abuse, death of a loved one, lies, love, and paranormal activity just to name a few. This book has a little bit of everything and it's so well tied together into one flowing story. The writing was done in such a way that you felt like you were in the abandoned buildings or running through the dark to get away. In my mind it's the sign of a good book when you feel like you're in the story with the characters.

Speaking of characters, I really liked the characters in this book. They were well rounded and very believable. I really found Jack to be wonderful. You got to follow the roller coaster that was his life. While most of us won't find ourselves searching through an abandoned state hospital, we will find ourselves dealing with loss, frustration, joy, and pain. You get to follow Jack through all of these things and I found myself rooting for him as I read.

This is a fairly quick read that keeps you interested throughout. This is a fantastic book for adults and kids alike. I would recommend this book to anyone that asks.

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Book Review: Inside the Mind of Martin Mueller by E.A. Luetkemeyer

Inside the Mind of Martin Mueller by E.A. Luetkemeyer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Where do I start with this book? I'm not sure if you could call it a book as far as I'm concerned. It reads more like a stream of consciousness paper. There is next to no plot or character development in the beginning. I'm guessing this was on purpose due to the type of book it is and the ending it has, but I don't think it's serves the purpose well. I like to go into a book knowing at least something of the characters and what's going on.

Once you get into the book it's just a rambling dialogue mainly between two gentlemen, most of which makes no sense at all. The author also spends a lot of time with Martin repeating the exact same words as the person he's talking to, so it feels like you are reading the same words again and again. There were a few times that I had to go back and make sure that my kindle hadn't somehow jumped me backwards a few pages without my knowing it.

Then, when it came to the ending you still have no idea what is going on. There is no concrete ending to this book. I think I know what happened, but I can't be sure. Maybe I just missed it and that's on me, but I have read many, many books and have never walked away wondering if I missed something in the ending.

This just isn't a very well written book in my opinion and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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How do you read?

I've seen a lot of posts out there about reading routines. So I thought I would throw the question out here for all of you. What is your reading routine? I'm asking this because I'm struggling to find a good reading routine right now. I always think that I will be able to read before I go to bed at night and inevitably as soon as my head hits the pillow or I sit down in bed I start to get tired. Obviously, I need a new routine lol. I've got some constraints to when I can read as I'm married and have 3 kids, so I don't want my reading to take time away from my family. I'm hoping I can glean some good ideas from you guys about how you read and when you read. Thanks for taking the time to chime in. Have a great rest of the week!

Update on the Great American Read

It's been a while since I have posted. I haven't stopped reading, it's just taking me longer to get through book 2 of Game of Thrones then I was thinking. I've also recently joined a book club, so I will be posting from those books as well. Thanks for sticking around and reading the very sporadic posts here. I'm hoping to get more content up on the blog, but no promises. Have a great weekend everyone!

Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know I'm late to the party on this series, but better late than never. This is a fantastic book. It has made me rediscover my love for this genre. The richness and depth of the story is wonderful. I love the writing style and the world building. It took me a few pages to get my bearings on who was who, but that's how it is with any series when you are being introduced to everyone at the beginning. I love books that are written from different character's points of view so that's a huge plus for this book for me.

There were parts where I thought I knew what was coming next and I was totally wrong. It's always wonderful when a book keeps you guessing to the end. I can't wait to continue on with this series and see who will once and for all be the King of the Seven Kingdoms.

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Book Review: As For Me and My Crazy House by Brian Berry

Generally I reserve this blog for my personal reading and not my professional reading, but I've decided to change that. From now on I'll be posting not only my progress on the Great American Read challenge I'm doing but also the books I'm reading for work. 

Here is my review of "As For Me and My Crazy House":

I wasn't sure what I was going to get from this book when I picked it up. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found in the pages. This book is a wonderfully honest discussion on family and ministry. I love Mr. Berry's candid remarks throughout the book. I found myself reaching for my highlighter more than I expected. Here are some takeaways that I have from this book: 1. I really want to work on taking my kids out for one-on-one conversations weekly. 2. It was a good reminder to me that my marriage and family need to be strong in order for role in the ministry to be strong. 3. He reminds those of us in ministry that family must come first. 4. As a parent, I am the biggest influence on my child's life. None of these things are earth shattering or profoundly new, but it was good to be reminded of all of them. This was such a refreshing book and I would recommend it to anyone that asks about it.