Year end review!

It's been a year since I started this blog and I haven't really written much. I've tried doing the same thing on paper but I just can't get into it. I have great conversations in my head, really good journal entries. Unfortunately they don't make it to paper...or computer. This year over all has been good. Not eventful but after my past few years, I love uneventful. I read probably more than I ever have. I'm not great at keeping track of that but am going to try this year. I do write down a lot of books I read on the website Goodreads but not nearly the amount I do. I have found myself re-reading some of my favorites, especially M.C. Beaton. Does anyone else do this?

Healthwise it's been steady. The nerve damage has extended to my feet. When I walk it feels like someone has ripped the skin and flesh off my feet and I am walking on the bones. In other words, it hurts like hell. The operation I am supposed to have will install a spinal cord stimulator in my back. Basically a pacemaker will be put in my stomach that will send electrical impulses to my spinal cord that will change pain signals to tingles, kind of like what it feels like when your foot goes to sleep. Those tingles are supposed to be more bareable  than the pain. I'm nervous about this operation but it's my last hope. I was supposed to have it in the fall but this is Nova Scotia, they could have meant Fall 2016.

There isn't much else to say. I live a quiet life. I rarely go out and that, in all honesty, makes me happy. I hope and pray that 2014 will be good for us and my loved ones (few as they are) as well.

Aboard the Great Iron Horse

                Aboard the Great Iron Horse: The Clockwork God, written by Jamie Sedgwick, is the first book in a new steampunk series about a motley band of misfits who are led by Socrates, an ape-like creature that is part machine and extremely intelligent. He and his band are scavenging the world for Starfall, a substance which powers a city called Sanctuary, as well as gives life to Socrates. In this particular book, when the train gets stopped, two of the crew, Micah and Kale, take off in search of provisions but end up encountering zombies and a strange and unwelcoming village.

                This is my fourth steampunk novel, only two of which I liked, and this was definitely one of them. The story is fast-paced and exciting and the author writes in a way that makes the steampunk world easy to understand even if you’re not familiar with it. I loved it from the first chapter and can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I seriously loved this book and am looking for more by this author. It's so exciting to find new authors I like!!!.....Yes, I am a book geek.

The Complete Guide to Your Personal Finances Online

The Complete Guide to Your Personal Finances Online is a very informative book about managing all aspects of your finances online. With thirteen chapters covering everything, from the basics of checking your bank accounts via your home computer to online shopping, the book does a thorough job of informing those with no idea how to get started the ways they can start managing their money from home. The author provides many websites that also give loads of information, both free and ones you pay for, including budget ones which I found particularly interesting. The information is United States-based so it may be somewhat different for other countries but it is still helpful anyway. I found the information easy to understand and therefore feel this would be a perfect book for seniors to use to get started. This is a must-have book for anyone wanting to start managing their finances online.

Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism

                Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism is an interesting look at not only Hinduism but the culture of of India as well. At first the book seems quite daunting with over sixty chapters but as I got into it I found the pages flying by. The chapters are very short and written in layman’s terms. Never preachy, the basics of Indian culture and Hindu religion are laid out in a format that makes it easy and interesting to read. Everything, from where the word “Om” that is used while meditating comes from to what the red dot practicing ladies of Hindu often wear on their foreheads means. I did find at times the author to be a bit condescending in what he wrote, particularly Chapter Thirty-One about Heaven and Hell. His idea that Hinduism is the only correct belief and that there is no Heaven and Hell solely because his religion says it doesn’t exist became a bit irritating but that is a part of the beauty of this book-it’s all up for debate. There’s also a great chapter about reincarnation that I found particularly interesting, especially the two cases the author writes about. This is the ideal book for someone who loves reading about different religions and one of the best, well written books about any religion I have ever read.

Knock, Knock and Fart Jokes for Kids

                I had no idea there could be so many jokes about flatulence but Laura Marie has them all in this book and as much as I didn’t want to, I found myself snickering at them. I could just picture kids on a school bus giggling as they read this fun little book to each other. The first half of the book is full of knock, knock jokes which are also lots of fun. Scattered throughout are fun facts that add to the entertainment. My niece will have an absolute blast with this book. Excellent!

Momentum

                Momentum is a young adult novel that is part love story and part supernatural adventure. Aaron and Anna are young and in love but have one major problem: they both have supernatural powers that allow them to control electricity, or they would if they could control them. A secret group are after them so that they can utilize these abilities for evil-doing. A fun time at summer camp turns into a run for their lives and never knowing who can be trusted. Overall I liked the story but found that it dragged a little up until the action started which, unfortunately, was half way through the book. Also I found that the reader is “dropped” into the story at the beginning and I felt, for the first few chapters, that I was playing catch-up. A good story if you can stick it out until the action begins.

Sticks, Stones and a Broken Heart

                Sticks, Stones and a Broken Heart, written by Kevon Brown, is a coming-of-age story that tells the novel of a group of kids with different backgrounds who do a lot of growing up over the course of a few months. The main character, Daniel, is new in town and trying to find his way with new friends and a new school. Unfortunately, a few wrong choices result in a horrible tragedy. I found that the first half of the book dragged on as the reader is introduced to the various characters. A robbery within the first few pages made it seem like I was in for an exciting read but then it drastically slowed down. I understand what the author was trying to do with the characters and storyline but the result, for me, didn’t provide entertainment which is why I read a book. A lot of this is due to the editing. There was no division between scenes so one paragraph would be in one setting and the very next one is entirely different so I was often confused as to where the story was at that moment. The positive thing is that the skeleton of a great story is there, it just needs some meat put on it. The characters are definitely believable and the situations are those of teens today. With a few tweaks to the editing, this book could be a part of a high school reading program.