Month: June 2018

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you found out today that you had run out of options to treat your highly aggressive cancer and you would, in fact, have a very short time left in this life, how would you respond? I’m not sure many of us could answer that and actually give a valid answer. Knowing how hard it was for her and her husband to go through this exact situation, Hoben wrote about her husband’s experience and choice on how they faced his oncoming death to possibly help others in the same situation.

I know the message in this book is supposed to be about love and how Bruce was strong all the way to the point that he chose to stop treatments and live life fully until he died but I’m simply stuck on how tragic this story is. The book starts with Sue having beaten her cancer and then surviving emergency heart surgery and twists into the love of her life having a stage IV aggressive cancer that by some miracle goes into remission against all odds and then ends with him dying because the remission didn’t last. And similar stories happen all the time but we just don’t read about it. And to put it plainly, it sucks.

I applaud her strength in sharing her and Bruce’s story so that maybe someone else can gain strength in the darkness. I’d like to think I’d be brave like Bruce and know when it was time to stop the fight and just enjoy what time I had left.

All I know is with the last few chapters my heart has been ripped from my chest because Hoben shared her feelings very well. I feel like I’ve gotten to know the entire family and I feel like I was there for every Celebration of Life. I believe that this book could be beneficial for families in similar medical situations who are seeking a supportive voice.

5 stars.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first adventure with Rhe Brewster and it was fantastic! Despite the fact that I came in on book 4, Granger provided enough references to the past books that I didn’t feel left in the dark. While it’s possible to pick the series up in the middle, I would actually recommend starting from the beginning because the characters are so likeable and the story just sucks the reader in and I’m disappointed that I missed Rhe’s first three mysteries.

Granger has obviously put in her time on research. There is meticulous detail on all aspects of crime scene investigation and forensic lab work. Additionally when Rhe references her medical knowledge, it is also very detailed as if from a legitimate nursing professional. Information on the drug investigation was also very detailed.

Rhe is also a real character underneath her slightly unbelievable double career as investigator-ER nurse. She went through a divorce with a cheating husband. She’s raising a child with ADHD while balancing a career. Deep down she’s just a good person with the best intentions but she tends to get herself into some trouble. It’s great to see a “real” as well as strong female lead who is wholesome and not trashy.

I always love a good twist I don’t see coming and this book did not fail to deliver. I did not truly suspect the murderer until the facts were almost all laid out for me. The only thing that may have been a little too over the top for me was the way in which the killer was finally caught by Paulette.

It was great how in the first few pages the murder mystery began and how all the pieces of the story came together at the end for a solid conclusion. It’s nice to come across a series where each book can be a standalone.

I’m looking forward to going back to the beginning to see where Rhe started off at.

5 stars.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Micromium gives us a glimpse into Earth’s highly probably future: heading full force into destruction from human pollution. The initial hope given with the identification of micromium on Mars was a great way to start driving the plot. With many things in life, if it seems to good to be true, it just might be.

The story was great. So many elements were tied into one plot line. Murder, mystery, aliens, space travel, romance, intergalactic fraud… You name it and it was in this book. It seems like a lot to juggle but I think Gittlin made it work and had time to develop his characters.

What I didn’t like was how major details were dropped on the reader like, “Oh, by the way there are crashed alien spaceships in the crater.” I feel like things like this should have had a better presentation.

I’m not really a sci-fi chick so it really helped me to have illustrations. I never would’ve come up with an image for some of this stuff without the help.

I really enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading more by the author.

4 stars.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a luxuriously detailed graphic novel for kids with high moral standards. The pages are beautifully laid out and the colors are gorgeous. The lessons taught to young readers are hugely important.

The young group of heroes flawlessly travels to the Himalayas and interacts with a foreign culture with no racism and no preconceived notions about other cultures. All they wanted to do was join in the fun.

While children aren’t going to be able to take a ship and run off on a rescue mission to save tigers in the Himalayas, the underlying concept is pretty clear: children can be a huge driving force in the conservation of this planet. They do have the power to cause change on some level, even if it’s not so grand and they should be encouraged to use that power.

This is a great graphic novel to encourage children to be what they want to be, to interact with other cultures with no bias, and to help conserve our planet.

I was at a loss for not having read the previous books in the series and while this book was still great, I would recommend starting with book one.

5 stars.