Saturday, December 22, 2012

Book Reviews by Gary Roen

Awesome Good Clean Jokes for Kids
Bob Phillips

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
ISBN-13: 9781565070622   |    $4.99    |    Buy Now

Lately joke books have been getting pretty raunchy. Awesome Good Clean Jokes for Kids is filled with lots and lots of funny great jokes for all ages to enjoy. From Levi amp; Jean to The Answer Man there are so many funny ones to remember and all are clean that all ages can tell over and over again. Awesome Good Clean Jokes for Kids is the perfect gift book for any occasion.


Rub, Scrub, Clean the Tub Funny Children’s Poems About Self-Image
Written by Leslie C. Halpern, Illustrated by Oral Nussbaum

Publisher: Cricket Cottage Publishing c/o CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN-13: 9781478254751   |    $11.99    |    Buy Now

Kids today have so many messages bombarding them from what to wear to what type of person they are supposed to be. Many send out the wrong kind of image for them to learn. Through the use of poetry that is fun to read and enjoy Rub, Scrub, Clean the Tub Funny Children’s Poems About Self-Image gets kids to also learn that they are not alone in the way they feel about themselves and the world they are a part of. Nussbaum’s artwork complements each of the poems with even more positive messages to kids.


Private London
James Patterson & Mark Pearson

Publisher: Grand Central c/o Hachette Book Group USA
ISBN-13: 9781455515554   |    $14.99    |    Buy Now

I don’t know why this is the first appearance of Private London in the United States and Canada because the events detailed take place before those in Private Games Also Private London was the first appearance of the Private detective agency office of London in the series. I fortunately have not read Private London yet so I should not have any confusion. Like all of Patterson’s novels this one races along with interesting characters and a complicated plot. Though it is an intricate story line “Private London” is a page turner of suspense that Patterson fans will love.


D.C. Dead
Stuart Woods

Publisher: Signet c/o Penguin Group USA
ISBN-13: 9780451237859   |    $9.99    |    Buy Now

Stone Barrington and Dino Bacchetti are asked to come to Washington by the President Will Lee to work on a special operation. Back again are Holly Barker and numerous other characters from other novels of the series. Woods masterfully handles the story with a page turner that concludes with a surprising ending. D.C. Dead is another great story of one of Wood’s most popular characters.


Robert B. Parker’s Killing The Blues
Michael Brandman

Publisher: Berkley c/o Penguin Group USA
ISBN-13: 9780425250457   |    $9.99    |    Buy Now

Killing the Blues is the first of the Jesse Stone series not written by Robert B. Parker. It doesn’t seem to matter though, because Michael Brandman continues the snappy witty dialogue that was a trademark of Parker. Parker and Brandman worked together on the TV movies starring Tom Selleck so it is obvious why he was chosen to continue the character of Jesse Stone. Through a series of events taking place in Paradise, Jesse learns that it might be someone from his past when he worked in California. Killing the Blues is a great addition to the series


Mr. Monk on Patrol
AUTHOR

Publisher: Obsidian c/o Penguin Group USA
ISBN-13: 9780451236647#   |    $7.99    |    Buy Now

Adrian Monk and Natalie are asked by Sharona, Monk’s former assistant to come to a small New Jersey city to Randy Disher, the police chief, through a crisis he is dealing with. Monk and Natalie drop what they are doing to help their old friends in Mr. Monk on Patrol. Goldberg unfolds the tale with laugh out loud situations that will have readers turning pages to know what happens next in the world of Adrian Monk. Mr. Monk on Patrol is another sure fire read for fans of this great series.


The Mammoth Book of SF Wars
Edited by Ian Watson & Ian Whates

Publisher: Running Press
ISBN-13: 9780762445929   |    $15.95    |    Buy Now

Authors of Science Fiction tackle the subject of war in many different ways in the collection The Mammoth Book of SF Wars. This one of the few times that author Mike Resnick is in the same anthology as his daughter Laura that makes it very special. The editors have gathered many older writers with other present ones to present so many different views of the future involving war. Time Piece by Joe Haldeman is a shorter version of his novel The Forever War. Arena by Fredrick Brown which many Star Trek fans know as the episode of the same name is the original short story that it came from. Also Laura Resnick’s Peacekeeping Mission is a satirical look at a war the United States has with Canada because of a comment made by a governor of one of U.S. states about the leader of Canada. The Mammoth Book of SF Wars is a great set of stories together for the first time.


Not Young, Still Restless
Jeanne Cooper, with Lindsay Harrison

Publisher: It Books c/o HarperCollins
ISBN-13: 9780062117748   |    $25.99    |    Buy Now

Jeanne Cooper tells all in her autobiography Not Young Still Restless. She details her many acting jobs in her long career as an actor, others she worked with among them Maureen O’Hara, Raymond Burr, David Jansen, Robert Taylor, Tony Curtis and Shelly Winters. Later she reveals how she landed the role of Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap The Young and the Restless. Her many behind the scenes tales about. William J. Bell to working with her many co-stars are interesting and fun to read. Fans of The Young and The Restless should not miss this great behind the scenes expose by one of the longest running members of the cast.


This Time Together Laughter and Reflection
Carol Burnett

Publisher: Harmony Books c/o Random House
ISBN-13: 978307461186   |    $25.00    |    Buy Now

Carol Burnett tells many great stories about her life and profession in This Time Together Laughter and Reflection. Some of the things she reveals are how an Alfred Hitchcock movie affected her job, early days in New York, the Garry Moore variety show and how it changed her life, working with Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and Vicki Lawrence, her love of the soap All My Children and that she got to be on it. She also tells about the many other people she has had an opportunity to work with through the years and the effect of her fans on her life. This Time Together Laughter and Reflection is a fast paced read that will be sure to delight anyone who has enjoyed and wants to know more about Carol Burnett.


If That Car Could Talk How to Locate and Maintain a Good Used Car
Joe Boulay

Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc
ISBN-13: 9781432786168   |    $14.95    |    Buy Now

Buying a new or used car has never been an easy task but nowadays it is even more difficult because there are so many factors to take into consideration. If That Car Could Talk How to Locate and Maintain a Good Used Car really applies to both when buying a new or used automobile. Written by a mechanic it takes readers through the entire process of buying and maintaining a vehicle. Boulay lets readers know things to be aware of when purchasing a car. Some of the things he goes into are how to finance the buy, checking to see under the hood and what to look for, things to know to find the right vehicle, and lots of other things are revealed by this expert in the field to help to not get taken. If That Car Could Talk How to Locate and Maintain a Good Used Car is a great and useful resource to help ease the stress involved in this kind of purchase.


Faceplant Chronicles of Facebook’s True Tales & Epic Fails
Richard N. Shapiro

Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc
ISBN-13: 9781432797003   |    $8.95    |    Buy Now

I am no fan of Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other online services like them. Faceplant Chronicles of Facebook’s True Tales & Epic Fails has lots of reasons that reinforce my explanation for feeling the way I do. Shapiro shows many conversations that have taken place on Facebook, then comments on why they should not have ever been posted. Some of the posts are from a couple of thieves who boldly reveal what they stole and where. Later police easily catch them and put them in jail, people who cheat on their mates then are surprised when they get caught, are just some of the dumb things that have appeared on Facebook. Though written as humor Faceplant Chronicles of Facebook’s True Tales & Epic Fails is a very good warning of why people should be very careful what they post on Facebook.