Great Story from a great time in American history!

Another book that I read over the holidays was one about the time during the Vietnam war.  This story is told through the eyes of an American soldier that is not well liked by his commanding officers, and they try their best to get him on the next ride to the war.  The book is called My Psychic War with Uncle Sam by E. Alexander Scianna.
This book is narrated by Dennis, a young army recruit who does not understand the Army or the war in Vietnam.  While he discusses his life in the barracks, waiting to hear if he will be in the next bunch of soldiers to be shipped out, he tells a story of helping distribute a newspaper that denounces the war and the trouble he gets in as a result.  As the story progresses, we learn of his friendship with Marcel, a fellow soldier who shares his opinions about the war and other political topics.  When he gets home, he tries to fit back in with his family, and watches his brother die of a drug overdose.  This story is not only interesting, but it tells a sort of inside story of Dennis and his life as a soldier who does not agree with the war.  It is insightful, and progresses at a steady pace without getting boring.
If you like stories told during this time period, or if you are a history buff, this would be a great read for you.  I like history a lot, and there are many facts throughout this story that can fascinate people of many different interests in history or American life in general.

Great story from the 70s, I loved it!

Over the holidays, I had a chance to read a book called Hippies in the Andes/Freedom Pure Freedom:  Sex, drugs and rock and roll in the Andes by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins.  At first, I was unsure about this one because I am not normally drawn to books about hippies, sex, or drugs, but I gave it chance anyway.  I am really glad I did, it went smoothly with no gaps of boredom in between, and the story was very interesting.  It is a true story about the author and two of his friends who decide to travel to Latin America and back in a time of civil unrest in many parts of the world.
This book was a great story about three young men who decided to travel to Latin America in the 70s.  While traveling, they encounter many people, some of who they stay with for a short time, and they have fun while doing it.  This is a great adventure story that actually happened, and these young men not only get there and back alive, they avoid any major trouble at all, oblivious to the danger that is all around them while they travel.
Some of the people that they meet or reconnect with is very fascinating, and they even stop and stay with some of them for a few days to get some rest and catch up.  I am glad that I read this book, and will be more open minded to a lot of books that I would not normally pick up because I read this one.

I Loved This Book!

The book I just finished is called Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty.  This book reminded me a little of Avatar because of the different unique races of the people on each planet that was featured in the story, and also reminded me a little of Divergent in their desire to defeat the criminals in the story and save the universe.
Rynah wants revenge against her ex-lover, Klanor, for destroying her home planet and almost killing her to get one of six crystals that will help him become powerful and able to destroy much more than he already has.  Solaris is a ship that was left to her by her grandfather, and she soon realizes that the artificial intelligence program that is Solaris will help her and her team of friends to stop Klanor before more people get killed in his quest for the crystals.

Great Story About Raising Kids!

While I had some downtime these past few weeks due to the holidays, I decided to catch on reading some books that I had been meaning to.  While I was busy, I did not have to cook or host anyone at my house, I was fortunate enough to be hosted this year:)  This makes it much easier to enjoy the holidays and I have not been able to for many years.  The first book I decided to read is called How To Raise A Good Kid by Starbuck O'Dwyer.
This book is a collection of short stories of the author reflecting on how his parents helped instill character traits in him growing up, and how these have helped to shape him into the adult that he is now.  The stories are sure to be relatable to almost anyone, and they are funny as well as heartwarming.  Lessons such as respect and humility are learned, and they are reflected in this humorous book about raising kids.
If you are a parent, this book will not only make you laugh out loud, it will also give you some stories that you can use to your benefit when trying to figure out how to approach many things that come up when you are raiding kids, such as how to handle bullies, and other life lessons.  I really enjoyed this one and I think you will too!

Great Murder Mystery!

The book I finished reading yesterday is called The Poisoned Pearls by Leah Cutter.  It had a little murder, a little mystery, and some psychic abilities all mixed together.  This book kept me on the edge of my seat almost throughout the entire story.  I not only found it hard to put this one down, but my to do list sat on the sidelines for a few days while I read this one.
Cassie is a normal girl living in a world among people that can see the future or past, or both.  When someone kills her best friend, one of the psychics working on the case thinks she is involved, and she must find out who really did it, why, and stop forces that she did not know existed until her investigation began.  She must avoid the police, as well as gods that want her dead, and learn to live with her newfound abilities all at the same time.

Great Mystery Right To The End!

This one is one that I read a while back and I loved it!  It is called Vulture au Vin by Lisa King.  I was privileged enough to get an early copy to review for the author, so this is a little late since it has already been out for a month or two.  I don't read mysteries very often, but when I do I am usually not disappointed.
This book is about a wine tasting that goes horribly awry.  Jean is a writer that is invited to a once in a lifetime wine tasting and eagerly accepts and also gets her friend Roman a seat at the tasting as a photographer.  Jean's boyfriend Zeppo does not want Jean to go, but understands what a great opportunity for her.  Soon after arriving, Jean soon realizes that Zeppo may have been right when people start dying under mysterious circumstances.  As the story progresses, Jean loses more and more friends and is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of it.  This was a really good book that surprised me at the end, just the way I like it.

A Touching Love Story:)

This book is one that will pull at your heartstrings, sometimes a refreshing change from the action and exciting books that are usually in my arsenal.  It is about a traditional family that usually arranges the marriages for their children.  The main character, Mona, is in love with Ahmed, but he is engaged to Hannah, and Mona's sister, Amira wants him to be with her sister so that they can live happily ever after.  I thought it was a cute story, and wasn't so long that I needed to invest a lot of time into it either.  There was not enough time for the story to get boring, since it was a short story, so I have to say, I loved reading it!
This story was good, and it had a happy ending.  This is the story of a traditional family and one girl's love for a man that is engaged to another woman.  Mona is the girl in love and her love interest is Ahmed, and her sister Amira finds out that Ahmed's fiance Hannah has put a spell on Ahmed to keep him from breaking the engagement.  Once she is able to prove that and break the spell, he will be free, but first she must recover from an accident that almost killed her.