Showing posts with label Reviewed by Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviewed by Carolina. Show all posts

April 9, 2012

Up from Down: A True Story of Recovery by Ted Adamson

Up From Down: A true story of recovery from addiction
This is the story of Ted Adamson from his fall into addiction and crime to his recovery. It’s a moving, true depiction of how his being abused as a child led him into a life addicted to drugs, which led to crime and jail time, but finally opening his eyes and seeing the truth. His journey took him to jail, but also to rehab programs and institutions that helped clean him up, sober him up, and eventually to Jesus which resulted in freedom from not just his addictions, but his anger and resentment towards his past.

I have done a poor job of summarizing this man’s life! I have never read such an honest and clear account of a life that went down the “wrong” path. Agree with him or not, I couldn’t help but be moved by his openness and willingness to share it all and not hold back. I wasn’t reading a book, I was digging into his mind, and maybe even his soul. It has changed my perspective on addiction and people with addiction, and it will change yours. A must read!!!

5 stars

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

post signature
Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone
Reviewed by CEMEBR at 1:45 PM 0 comments
Labels: , ,

Come Home Bone by Elizabeth Bonello and Illustrated by Swapan Debnath

This is a children’s book about a little girl who comes home to find that her dog has made a mess in her room looking for his bone. She hurries to clean up the mess before her mother arrives while also trying to figure out what the dog is looking for. The book is written in rhyme. By content it appears to be written for young children, but by word count and language it seems more appropriate for older kids. I let both my 4 year old and 7 year old read it and neither were too excited about it. The 4 year old liked that there was a girl and a dog in the story, but lines like “An archeologist would be proud of your dig,” and “I can see that you’ve given it that old college try,” threw her off. The 7 year old thought the story was too baby for him. And I especially didn’t like the line “My mother is now approaching my room, she’ll arrive as quickly as a witch on a broom.” I understand it was probably used for the sake or rhyming, but comparing her mother to a witch made absolutely no sense to the rest of the story.

I also received a DVD with this book about teaching manners to children. Although the DVD had lots of great information and was clearly presented, the format was terribly boring for watching at home. It would be great for use as a review or game style activity in the classroom.

2 stars

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.
post signature
Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone
Reviewed by CEMEBR at 1:40 PM 1 comments
Labels: , ,

March 5, 2012

Miss Fannie Mae's Girls by Larry Batchelor

      post signature
      Image of Miss Fannie Mae’s Girls This is the story of Fannie Mae and how her past contrasts with her present.  When she was five in 1922 in Oglethorpe, Georgia her father Buck Jessup “mysteriously” disappeared after a few notable Klan members showed up at his house.  Buck was able to save his wife and daughter by sending them to the shed.  Fannie Mae then grew up to be a strong black woman in a town that didn’t necessarily allow for such a thing.  She eventually married and had 5 daughters:  Belle, Nettie, Rosalie, Christine, and Elenora.  On New Year’s 2009, Fannie Mae passed as the fireworks went off.  This brought all her daughters and nephew, Marshall son of Rosalie, together for the first time in a long time.  And though it was a time of grief, what Fannie Mae left behind enabled the girls to join together as a family and create a time of happiness and togetherness.
                Throughout this book I cried, and laughed, and frowned, and laughed some more.  It’s a lighthearted yet hearty book that digs into a little southern town and what a long way it’s come, and what a long way it has to go still.  As an extra bonus, there’s an amazing cookbook at the end filled with delicious recipes that I can’t wait to start working on!  The language is honest and clear, though sometimes a little annoying because there was a lot of repetition of full names and locations and such.  But it wasn’t enough to keep me from thoroughly enjoying this read.
4 stars
I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.
Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone
Reviewed by CEMEBR at 8:11 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

February 17, 2012

Lily, Duchess of Marlborough (1854-1909) A Portrait with Husbands by Sally E. Svenson


         This is the biography of (born) Lily Price from her childhood, through her three marriages, and through to her death.  Lily was originally from Troy, New York but spent much of youth in Washington DC.  She married Louis Hamersley and lived in New York City making her way up through high society.  He left her a young, wealthy widow at the age of 28.  In what seemed like a marriage of convenience and arrangement for both parties Lily married the eighth Duke of Marlborough, becoming a Duchess and giving her a foot in the English aristocratic door.  The marriage benefited the Duke due to her money, though it wasn’t so easy to access as there were years of court battles as to her inheritance from her first husband.  It is believed they did grow very fond of eachother, despite the fact that the Duke’s past kept Lily from the level in London society she sought after.  Not long after he also left her a widow, but once again in a not too distant future Lily married for a third time.  Her final marriage to Lord William de la Poer Beresford finally granted her a son.  But as with the others, Lord Beresford also left Lily a widow after several years of marriage.
                The book details much of Lily’s circumstances from prior to birth and beyond her passing.  There is a lot of information concerning her surroundings, but more particularly on her relationships with her husbands and those who became important roles in her life.  Some of these included her sister-in-law Jennie Churchill and her beloved nephew Winston Churchill.  There is also much discussion of her estates both in America and England.
                This is an incredibly well written, extensive research paper.  If you want to know detailed family tree lines and accurate accounts of moneys and estates that passed by and through the Duchess than this is the book for you.  For me, on the other hand, it was incredibly hard to read.  I expected more of a novel and was overwhelmed by facts and details that was just too hard to keep up with.  It did give me a feel for the English aristocracy in the late nineteenth century, but this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.
2 stars
I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.
post signature
Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone
Reviewed by CEMEBR at 1:48 PM 0 comments
Labels: , ,

February 15, 2012

Ruth's Redemption by Marlene Banks

Bo Peace is a freed black living in 1830 Virginia.  He is an educated and Godly man who uses his standing and means to purchase slaves in order to free them.  God leads him to choose Ruth, a breeding slave with a strong will who would face more unbearable abuse by her master if not for Bo.  Bo walks her through the transition into freedom and in the process realizes he has moved past his wife’s death and is now falling in love with Ruth.  He not only teaches her how to speak properly, read, and let go of her dark past but also how to love and be loved.  Things would have progressed smoothly if not for nearby slave catchers who begin to terrorize the town.  At this time a slave preacher named Nat Turner was traveling around the area riling up anyone he could to a revolution that would require killing and dying for the cause of freeing slaves.  Bo has a hard time seeing this is as God’s way and is ostracized by some of his own friends for his stand.  What will become of Bo, Ruth, their community, and way of life if and when the dust settles?

 The book is beautifully written, giving deep insight into the characters and the world around them.  It’s not an action packed book, but has enough emotion and history to fully satisfy the reader.  It’s a hopeful book, without dismissing the truth and misery.  I highly recommend this book to those who love historical fiction, and stories about hope, growth, and love.

On a side note, I understand this is an ARC and not the final edition but the book needs some major editing!  The further I got into the book the worse the errors got.  Some almost got in the way of the story:  the way certain characters spoke changed from one sentence to the next; missing words/misspelled words; a character’s name had 3 different spellings within one page.  Those were just the main things that made me pause during my reading.  Otherwise a fantastic book.

4 stars

post signature
Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone
Reviewed by Nicole at 4:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

February 8, 2012

Black Mahler: The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Story by Charles Elford

This is the life story of turn of the century English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Coleridge was born in 1875 to a black father and white mother but raised by an adoptive mother in the London suburb of Croydon. He started playing the violin at a very young age and turned out to be an exceptional musician. By the time he was 15 an opportunity arose for him to go to the Royal College of Music and with the help of his teacher and some others looking out for him he was able to attend and there turned his focus to composing. At the Royal College is where he met his best friend William Hurlstone, a fellow composer, and his future wife Jessie. After college Coleridge had a very busy life filled with teaching, conducting, but mostly composing. He always sold his work outright and though he managed to pay the bills, he always struggled financially. His chance at success came when he composed ‘Hiawatha’, which was an instant hit. But being a great artist didn’t mean he always made the best business decisions, and so this too he sold outright to the gain of the publisher and his tremendous loss. For the rest of his life Coleridge tried to outdo himself as a composer leaving some great works along the way.

I absolutely loved reading this man’s story! In fact, I immediately had to go listen to his music. He was a great influential person not just in the music world, but also as a face for blacks all over the globe. I felt terrible for him when he got cheated out of the success of his greatest work, even when laws changed because of him. I also liked the back and forth style of the book. The author goes between a concert held in his honor where family, friends, others along his life were present and participating to the chronological story of his life. The only issue I had with this book is that though sometimes the transition between present and past were seamless and obvious, other times it was random and awkward. 3.5 stars
post signature
Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone
Reviewed by Britni at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...