Reviews By Charline

“Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips

Author: Kenneth J. Thurber, Ph.D

I found the words “Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips” to be an extremely unusual title for a book; after all, in this day and age who would really contemplate inventing buggy whips? For starters they’ve already been invented and what use would anyone have for them? The last time I saw any type of horse / animal drawn buggy / carriage it was in a movie from the forties or fifties that was set in the early nineteen hundreds. Needless to say, my curiosity was piqued so I decided to read it.

It seems that author Kenneth J. Thurber, Ph.D has written at least one non-fiction / technical book prior to writing “Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips.” My understanding of his previous work is that it focused on big market waves, i.e. reinventions of technology that the world is already using but made better / more useful because someone with an innovative mind was able to clearly see how a specific product could be tweaked; advertised properly and bottom-line would be able to disrupt the current market demand and then take over / dominate it. A great (and well known) example of technology reinvention would of course be the iPhone… And…if you can follow along with this line of thought; Thurber’s current book title “Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips” probably makes more sense now.

If you go further and research Thurber, you too will most likely discover that he’s written / contributed to almost five hundred technical proposals; he’s won over forty percent of them; he has literally raised billions of dollars for research, development, et cetera so it probably comes as no surprise that his friends and colleagues have been going to him for advice for years. For this reason he wrote his first book “Big Wave Surfing” but according to Thurber “this book raised more questions than it answered” which is how “Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips” came to fruition.

In “Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips” Thurber attempts to answer all questions about causing a “big wave” including the most asked one: can a single individual cause / create a big wave? According to Thurber the answer is an emphatic “Yes!” as long as there is imagination, creativity and discipline. There are other questions answered / advice provided in this book but remember…while Thurber can explain his thoughts / experiences to you and then validate them he can’t understand them for you. *chuckle*

In summary “Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips” is a concise book that, believe it or not, is easy to read.

“A Patient’s Guide To Liposuction”

Author: Jeffrey B. Schafer, MD, FRSM

I’m one of those people who loves to read / learn new things; consequently when I saw the title “A Patient’s Guide To Liposuction” I figured I would read / review it. Plus…I’ve always secretly wondered how liposuction works. After reading this book I have to say I learned a lot and not just “how to make an informed decision” as stated on the book’s cover. I had no idea that liposuction has been around since the mid-seventies; nor did I know that it originated in France.

My earliest memories of anything pertaining to liposuction came during the late eighties / early nineties when I would hear hushed conversations about someone’s botched procedure which would be immediately followed up by a dramatic sigh and a horrified “what was she thinking?!”

Over the years (and in all fairness) I think liposuction / cosmetic surgery procedures have received a bad rap and I’m unsure why. Doctors encourage us to stay healthy and society seems to mirror that same sentiment but often times for very different reasons. Medical practitioners are concerned about their patient’s health while the general public expects everyone to conform to a certain “look.” Is it any wonder that women (and men) turned to liposuction as well as various other cosmetic procedures as soon as they became available?

The good news is that liposuction has come a long way from its original inception; in fact doctor knowledge coupled with today’s technology seems to be positively changing the face and scope of cosmetic procedures. Complete anaesthetization is no longer required for everything; procedures are shorter and recovery times are quicker. And let’s not forget that the cost of liposuction is much more affordable than it used to be; making it more easily available to anyone needing help / desiring a change.

And finally, in “A Patient’s Guide To Liposuction” author Jeffrey B. Schafer, MD, FRSM walks us through everything anyone would need or want to know about liposuction. Schafer explains things like how liposuction works; he discusses who is a good candidate; how to choose the right doctor and more. While “A Patient’s Guide To Liposuction” is a quick read at only one hundred and twenty-four pages; it’s chock full of useful information that’s written in an easy to read / understand manner. “A Patient’s Guide To Liposuction” is well laid out; the chapter titles succinctly explain what can be found in them (which makes this great reference material) and it’s obvious that Schafer is extremely knowledgeable in his field / loves what he does.

“To Kill the Duke”

Author: Sam Moffie

Having recently finished reading the fictional story “To Kill the Duke” by author Sam Moffie I can safely say this book truly gave me a “unique” look back in time to the 1950s as well as an “interesting” perspective of Joseph Stalin. While I wasn’t riveted to my seat and biting my fingernails as I read; my attention was definitely captivated.

“To Kill the Duke” is set in the fifties; right smack in the middle of the Cold War. On the one hand we have the story of Ivan Viznapu – a loyal communist who yearns to make films rather than struggle through the hardships of his current life in mother Russia. On the other hand we have Dick Powell – an actor, who became a producer and then finally a film director who works for none other than the incredibly wealthy yet amazingly eccentric Howard Hughes. What do these two lives set thousands of miles apart actually have to do with one another? The answer to that question can be summed up in one name: John Wayne.

Apparently Hughes wasn’t the only over-the-top eccentric personality of his time. It seems that Stalin was right up there with him – at least according to the tale found within the pages of “To Kill the Duke.” Hughes planned to star Wayne in a movie he was making while Stalin was determined to kill him and thereby make a statement to the world. However, I’m going to let you read the rest of story for yourself rather than relay the crazy antics of the “elite” Russian spy squad or the sometimes disturbing idiosyncrasies of billionaire Howard Hughes.

For the most part I found “To Kill the Duke” to be an entertaining read although, at times, I did have trouble with the character of Hughes. Having seen the movie “The Aviator” which focused on the life of Howard Hughes there were passages and references that seemed to mirror scenes I had previously seen in “The Aviator.” I’m chalking these similarities up to the fact that Hughes was so rich and so eccentric that everyone knew everything about him; both private and business.

In closing, definitely a fun read although not really intended for the below eighteen crowd…

“Shadows and Fire”

Author: Jennifer Fales

Having just finished reading “Shadows and Fire” by new author Jennifer Fales let me start off by saying it was an interesting read. Fales has a great writing style and the book’s characters and their dialogue are very believable which is extremely important since “Shadows and Fire” is definitely set in a Science Fiction / Fantasy world.

The premise of “Shadows and Fire” is this: more than a millennia has passed and mankind is no longer content to play “God” with our simple, common, household animals. Scientists and breeders have given up splicing animal genes together in an attempt to create that “better” housecat; that “cuter” puppy or that “faster” racehorse. Instead they have moved on to “bigger and better” or should I say “badder” even though that’s grammatically incorrect?

As evidenced in every century, wars have relentlessly raged and in an attempt to dominate those major and minor skirmishes mankind has created a hybrid species of man and beast. Using human and animal DNA the government attempted to create a better soldier; a perfect soldier. What they wound up getting wasn’t what they wanted, or expected, and as I read “Shadows and Fire” part of me idly wondered if the results would have been different had they had used human volunteers versus experimenting on those who were incarcerated but…I digress.

“Shadows and Fire” revolves around a tortured soul who has fought too long and lost too much and for what? These failed experiments were castoffs and branded “evil” by a church that Father Augustin later discovered would do anything, right or wrong, to get its way. “Shadows and Fire” also follows a set of twins, a brother and sister, who were born into this world as unwitting pawns of these failed attempts.

I’m not going to provide you with any more of this story; suffice it to say that “Shadows and Fire” is a fun read. My only complaint is that the book is a very short 108 pages. For someone who reads as fast as I do that only equals thirty minutes to get lost in a good book which honestly isn’t enough time!

“Heart of the Bison”

Author: Glen R. Stott

I recently read “Heart of the Bison” by up and coming author Glen R. Stott. While I was initially interested due to the book’s synopsis; I wasn’t overly impressed with the cover graphics (no offense to the author) but as the saying goes “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” This novel definitely hammered that home…

“Heart of the Bison” is book one in Stott’s “Neandertals” series and yes, I’m aware that I appear to be misspelling Neandertals. However, it seems Stott has done his research. To quote: “Many paleontologists spell the word with a “t” in place of the “th” to encourage proper pronunciation.” What do you know; I hadn’t even made it past the introduction and I was already learning new things. *chuckle*

So, the premise of “Heart of the Bison” is this: Kec, a young child of the Neandertals, wakes from a troubling dream. During this dream Mother Earth tells Kec that the clan she comes from is in trouble and that she must be the one to save her people. To help Kec in her efforts Mother Earth shows Kec the image of a child she will someday have; a “magic” child.

Across the same continent Strong Branch, a powerful and highly respected Shaman of his tribe, has had a dream as well. The Great Spirit shows him a child, born to his own people, whose future son will bring much dissention and discord; a distant relation of their chief who will challenge everything that Strong Branch’s people believe in.

Both Kec and Strong Branch have much thinking to do in order to correctly traverse the path that each of their deities have laid before them. Kec and her clan come from the much older world of the Neandertals; Strong Branch and his people are a less primitive race known as the Cro-Magnons. Stott’s tale meanders interestingly through these two worlds placed so close together yet so far apart but, in the end, their worlds collide and the outcome of this collision will strongly impact the fate of future generations on both sides.

In summary, a well-written, well thought out tale and anyone who has enjoyed the “Earth’s Children” series by Jean M. Auel will most likely want to read this saga as well.

“Cry For Justice”

Author: Ralph Zeta

I was recently asked if I would be willing to read / review “Cry For Justice” by first time novelist Ralph Zeta. While thrillers are not my preferred reading genre; I did agree to review this title because I know first-hand how challenging it can be finding a professional book reviewer when you’re just starting out as a writer.

The story within “Cry For Justice” is a good one and the characters are completely believable. Jason Justice, the book’s main character, is a successful attorney living in Palm Beach, Florida. (Yes, I did chuckle at the double entendre of the title.) Once upon a time Jason lived in New York and used his legal knowledge to help clients recover assets that were stolen from them. Unfortunately his father became seriously ill and that’s when Jason moved south. Not being the best at taking orders from other people Jason decided to open his own business and now he mainly handles high profile / high paying divorces because, according to him, there are three things you can count on in life: taxes, death and…divorce.

Jason’s girl-friend Nora asks him to meet with the daughter of one of her patients who recently committed suicide. The daughter adamantly believes that her step-father Evan stole everything from her financially affluent mother and then disappeared but not before he killed her; leaving Amy, the daughter, destitute and searching for help in recovering what’s rightfully hers. Knowing what these type of cases entail Jason doesn’t want to get involved but Nora refuses to take “no” for an answer.

After meeting with Amy; hearing her sad tale and seeing a picture of Evan that doesn’t sit right with him; Jason agrees to help her. What follows is a well thought out novel that doesn’t disappoint. Lots of unexpected plot twists and for the most part the reader will not be able to foresee what’s coming. The book’s back cover states: “be prepared to read late into the night” and I finished this book at 1:52 am rather than leave it until morning…

In closing, “Cry For Justice” is a great book and my only advice for the author (which should not hamper the reader’s enjoyment) is to ensure that future works are edited more thoroughly. In every book there will always be some misspelled words even though we try to catch them all. However, in the age of computers and editing programs it seems much easier to have improperly spelled words. Things like spellcheck shouldn’t be solely relied on because while a word may be “correctly” spelled that doesn’t mean it’s correctly spelled for the sentence it’s found in.

“A Life Lived Ridiculously”

Author: Annabelle R. Charbit

I’ve just finished reading “A Life Lived Ridiculously” by author Annabelle R. Charbit. It was a good book; well-written and the story / characters drew me in from the get go.

The premise of “A Life Lived Ridiculously” is this: Maxine (this story’s main character) is a Jewish girl with a serious case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Of course she doesn’t realize this; she’s done all the research on this particular ailment and none of its symptoms correctly fit what she experiences on a painful minute by minute basis. Her parents are constantly on her case to find a man; get married and settle down, after all, what woman really needs to hold a PhD in anything? Her younger brother Claude, who has always been her best friend and confidante, has apparently met “Miss Perfect” and has turned his back on his earlier days of debauchery which unfortunately also includes Maxine.

One night at a family dinner party Maxine meets Sam… Sam is a boney stick of a man who comports himself like someone who is fifty not thirty and Maxine is instantly repelled by him. However, time moves on and Sam, desperate to win Maxine’s affections, is ever present in her life until one day she does the unthinkable and actually falls in love with him. It’s at this exact moment that Sam vanishes off the face of the earth. Maxine is frantic; she worries that Sam is dead and she finds herself obsessing about him and becoming more depressed by the day.

I’m not going to give away anymore of the story but suffice it to say that “A Life Lived Ridiculously” was a page turner in a dramatic and very true to life way. I guess my only beef with this book was its title: “A Life Lived Ridiculously.” Throughout its entirety I never felt that any of this fictional tale was ridiculous in fact, more often than not, I found it to be extremely sobering. I know there are people and situations that mirror this story in real life. Regardless, “A Life Lived Ridiculously” was a great read and definitely worth four stars. Probably a “must read” for most single women too…

“William & Lucy”

Author: Michael Brown

I just finished reading the fictional novel “William & Lucy” by author Michael Brown. Wow, what an amazingly well-written and moving story! Brown has taken an intriguing and unexplained poem; written centuries ago by William Wordsworth and has used it as the foundation for an incredible book. “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways” seems to be a heart wrenching poem about love found and then lost.

Who is this Lucy that Wordsworth speaks of in “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways?” Whoever she was, she was important enough to Wordsworth that she merited five poems and yet we can find no trace of her in his life. This is where Michael Brown steps in with his fictional tale “William & Lucy…”

The year is 1798 and England and France are once again at war. William Wordsworth is just twenty-eight and lamenting the fact that he seems to have lost his ability to write poetry of any substance. He is currently being investigated because there are accusations of him being a spy and collaborating with the French. He is being evicted from his residence due to his outspokenness about social and political issues. He was left an inheritance after a close friend’s passing but the money has been tied up in the courts for two years now. And…to add insult to injury he cannot find anyone to purchase his poems and so he is living practically penniless.

This is where we, the reader, meet Wordsworth and coincidentally this is also the point in his life where he meets the infamous Lucy. It was a chance and inelegant meeting to say the least but Wordsworth was drawn to her much as the moth is unwittingly drawn to the flame. He came out of their encounter with nothing to show for it except for a ruined pair of trousers and a complete and total inability to concentrate on anything at all from that point forward. Of course this overwhelming feeling was not one-sided, Lucy felt the same way, and to quote a rather memorable character: “She be doodle-headed.”

Unfortunately fate decided that it couldn’t leave well enough alone and the end result, while not unexpected, was shocking nevertheless.

In summary, a five-star read…

“The Tesla Formula”

Author: Nicolas Kublicki

I just finished reading “The Tesla Formula” and I must say…great book; kudos to author Nicolas Kublicki. The book’s main character, Patrick Carlton, reminds me of the main character in Clive Cussler’s books and I would say that Kublicki has definitely brought action / adventure / intrigue / espionage novels to a whole new level.

Some of you may be familiar with the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla who, for starters, brought us alternating current (AC) which is used in everyday life around the world. To put it succinctly, Tesla was a genius.

Tesla, the holder of 272 patents in 25 countries died quietly in a New York hotel room sometime during the night of January 7, 1943. His nephew, Sava Kosanovic, found him the following morning and also discovered that his uncle’s scientific papers had been gone through and that a black folder labeled “Government” was missing. Kosanovic immediately contacted the FBI who came and removed all of Tesla’s documents, papers and notes.

In 1943 our country was thoroughly embroiled in WWII and the FBI, seeking any kind of edge possible, ordered Special Agent in Charge P.E. Foxworth to review thousands of pages of Tesla’s papers. Amazingly enough Foxworth found something and it was such a significant discovery that Foxworth would only reveal it in person to the nation’s president: Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, FDR was in Casablanca meeting with Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. That didn’t stop Foxworth though; he boarded a military plane bound for Morocco but somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean the plane exploded and the secret was lost forever. Or was it?

The book’s introduction is true; the story itself is fictional however, with events from this day and age and with the author’s consistent use of real world facts and quotes “The Tesla Formula” reads like a non-fiction book. And if you want to know how it ends I suggest you get your own copy…

As for the writing… Kublicki does a phenomenal job. I daresay his words will hold readers riveted and keep them sitting on the edge of their seats; an amazingly interesting and realistic story without becoming over embellished. A solid five star read…

“Jarred Into Being”

Author: Pat Lawrence

I’m unsure where to start in my review of “Jarred Into Being” by Pat Lawrence…

The premise of “Jarred Into Being” is this: the book’s main character, Eva Lange, has the idyllic life from infancy until age thirteen. She was that “miracle baby” that her parents tried to conceive for four years; she was a beautiful infant and child and due to her parents social circumstances Eva never had to want for anything. That is until she turned thirteen and her parents died in a horrific car accident…

Eva was left with a small trust once all of her parent’s assets had been sold and her only living relative was a twenty-three year old aunt from the maternal side of her family who had been branded as “wild” and “unreliable” by Eva’s mother. This is the home to which Eva went; now that this new chapter in her life had been started and life with her aunt from then on was anything but a fairy tale.

From this point Eva’s life begins to spiral steadily downward; the straight A’s she used to get in school have now become non-existent and Eva has turned into a truant student and has even been expelled from school for fighting. Her aunt Loretta has lost her job; is supporting herself with Eva’s trust money and to top everything off has just announced to Eva that she is pregnant and that the father has no intentions of staying around.

We continue following along through “Jarred Into Being” as Eva plays mom to Loretta’s baby Tina and then is left to fend for the both of them when Loretta runs off to avoid the mess of a life she created that Eva is now thoroughly embroiled in. Eva has a strong will and is determined to create a better life for herself yet it seems as if every time she attempts to pull herself out of that yawning abyss someone else comes along and takes advantage of her naiveté.

While I wouldn’t say that “Jarred Into Being” was a fantastic book – it was at least readable. Unfortunately, the writing itself, while honest and sincere, left much to be desired as far as depth of story and the true pain and emotion that should have been ever present in a tale as shocking as this one.