Trail of tears by John Ehle

 

Honestly, this book has some of the most beautiful non-fiction writing I've ever read. The author explores the history of the Cherokee nation from their rise in Georgia to their forced expulsion to Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The author caught me almost immediately with his description of the birth of Major Ridge. He captured me again with his description of the forced migration of the Cherokee in the late 1830s. I learned so much about the history of the Cherokee that I didn't know previously. I am glad I read this book and recommend it highly if you have an interest in this subject.

Book Rating: 5 stars.

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

Alice's Tulips

 

This is the second book by Sandra Dallas that I've read. This story takes place in Iowa during the Civil War.

Alice marries Charlie just prior to his joining up to fight in the Union army. Alice is left behind to live with her mother-in-law to take care of the farm. She is a bit immature and inexperienced in farm life while living with a hard woman. She experiences poverty, struggle, and difficulty with others.

The story is a quick read, but it wasn't my favorite. I felt like the author picked some modern women and dropped them in Iowa during the Civil War. I just had a hard time buying it. I also predicted what would happen to Alice pretty early on, and who would take the blame. I don't want to spoil the story for those who read it, but it is predictable with a nice tidy ending.

Book Rating: 2 stars

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

One second after

 

William R. Forstchen explores the post apocalypse scenario of the US being hit by EMP's. EMP's are electro-magnetic pulses that can wipe out electronics.

In his story, a few characters are located in a small mountain community. It lays out the hard decisions of survival by the town leaders cut off from any outside communication. The story is typical survivalist story regardless of the source of the disaster.

It's possible that this kind of disaster could happen. I don't know about the scale or severity, but the author makes several statements of warning directed to political leaders of today to prepare. He implies that we are extremely vulnerable due to our reliance on computer technology. There is one extremely boring chapter in which the characters explain what EMP's are and how they can be delivered over the US. If you read a lot of sci-fi, you will find this chapter annoying.

The story itself is ok, and a quick read.

Book rating: 4 stars

Before you quit your job

Robert T. Kiyosaki is the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I listened to the abridged audio version of Before You Quit Your Job.

There is maybe one chapter's worth of information in the book that is really helpful to individual's who wish to quit their day job. The book is primarily targeted to people who want to make the leap into entrepreneurship. Kiyosaki intersperses personal experiences of his ups and downs in business. It may be worth reading to learn about his experiences so that you can avoid them yourself. BUT, if you are looking for guidance, you will have to weed through the stories to get to the meatier info. The audio book summarizes the essential steps of what to do before quitting in just a few minutes at the end of the book.

There is one confusing thing and perhaps it's because it was audio and not print. Kiyosaki takes you through a personality profile to see if you are a likely candidate for entrepreneurship. The problem is he assigns letters to the various profiles and then uses those letters throughout the text. I didn't really get it and couldn't really refer back to them as I listened. So in that sense, the audio book is not very good.

48 days to the work you love

48 Days to the Work you Love is an oft recommended book by Dave Ramsey. Dan Miller takes you through the process of helping you find work that you will love, or at least that is the hope. There is the usual career and resume advice that is found in other books. The updated edition adds additional information on how to find work in our current economy - and it's not about having the right resume. He includes some advice on starting your own business - though not a lot.

Dan Miller's book is written by a Christian for Christians. There are scriptural and inspirational quotes throughout. The 48 days concept is that within 48 days - the length of time needed to work through his self-evaluation plan - you will have your own plan or will have achieved finding the work you love. Some may find the Christian point of view off-putting, though it didn't bother me. The career advice is useful to anyone who wants to make a change.

The vanishing of Katharina Linden

I can't remember too many details of The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant as I finished it two months ago.

Young Pia lives in a small German town with her family. Children begin to mysteriously disappear. Pia and her friend decide to investigate on their own eventually solving the crime that the adults could not. This is a good first novel from the author.

It's hard to classify this book as young adult or adult and could easily go either place. The story is dark with a bit of horror, but I didn't feel it was overly that way. The story is told from the point of view of a 10 year old.

Rodale's Organic Gardening

I really liked Rodale's Organic Gardening. I've aspired to be an organic gardener for many years and this book explains the basics. It has beautiful photography, charts, and suggestions for how to grow things organically.

Admittedly, the book does leave a guilt trip. A truly organic gardener has to control every aspect of their garden from the sourcing of seeds and fertilizer, to how one harvests. It would be impossible for a new gardener to implement all of the philosophies needed to truly be organic at one time. Perhaps a gradual evolution would be a better approach. It gave me a new appreciation for the cost of organic store products and organic farmers. I also came to the realization that occasionally some pesticide is necessary or my cabbage and brussel sprouts would be ravaged by bugs yet again.

Hope's boy by Andrew Bridge

Andrew Bridge entered the foster care system in Southern California at about the age of 10. His mother was mentally ill and unable to really care for him. What follows is his experiences of growing up in the foster care system while desperately missing his own family.

Andrew explains the constant change that a foster child experiences. Different social workers, different foster parents, different foster siblings. Foster kids grew up in a sea of constant change with little stability. In some ways he withdraws into a shell of protection - protecting his own thoughts and feelings from those trying to care for him. Even though his own situation stabilized by getting a permanent placement, he never felt truly loved or cared for.

Once Andrew enters high school, he makes plans to leave. He studies colleges and applies to some of the most elite schools in the country. He picks up part-time work to save money. He received very little encouragement from those around him - either they didn't know his plans or didn't think he would be able to succeed. Just before Andrew leaves for college, he meets his mother in a mental health facility and comes to the truth of her situation.

I enjoyed reading Hope's Boy and I am glad Andrew shared it. It truly is remarkable that he was able to succeed despite his circumstances. He now works as an advocate for kids in the foster care system. Has he become a part of the bureaucratic system that he so despised? One of those nameless individuals who enter and leave a foster kids life with little effect. It's hard to say because Andrew ends his story with out telling us too much of his life after foster care, but one can't help wondering if he has truly left the foster care system.