July 2018 " Monthly Reading Challenge"

1.find Her by Lisa Gardner {an eBook by Overdrive)

This is a story about survival. It’s about serial killers. It’s about people without a conscientious. I think all people could learn about survival by reading this story. It is about gender equality.

The story takes you to questions you never dared ask and solutions you never thought you would need. “When you first wake up in a dark wooden box.....” What happens next? Then there is the victims relatives, how do they cope, what happens to their lives? So many people are touched when people vanish.

There is symbolization in the story. How does the heroine use the fox in her life? And, maybe you’ll learn more about victims of crime than you wanted to know.

The FBI has a victim survival person that is suppose to be helpful after the crime has been resolved. It was interesting to see how this worked out.

There is a group reading guide. This would be a great book for a book club to tear apart.

The author Lisa Gardner is a writes thrillers. This one takes a stance for victims everywhere of all kinds of crimes. It explains who the criminals really are. (201 word count on the Journal 7)

2. Killing Jesus by Bill O'Rielly (an audio book from Overdrive on Kindle)

This story takes you to the time of the Roman Empire. It explains the kind of people that were Roman soldiers. The story describes what Roman soldiers were required to do and how their units were organized. Some powerful facts about different Roman rulers are explained. Since it is written about historical facts. The Romans were deeply involved in the crucifixion of the Christ.

It explains the society that was in Israel at the time of Christ. Historically, it reviewed the differences between different classes of people within the Jewish nation.

Later in the story it explains some of the parts of the four gospels. It explains how apostles were chosen and how people felt when they experienced the ministry of Christ.

There is a lot of history here that is not found in the scriptures and there is a lot of prophecy explained that is found in the Old Testament.

It is interesting to note how Rome was involved with the Jewish nation is a different way than from other nations that they conquered. Because of the worship in the temple Rome was more reticent to rile up the general population.

At the end a special part tells what happened to the temple and the Jewish nation years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Many people who remained in the city and people who entered the city to worship at the city were not allowed to leave. The temple was destroyed by the Romans and hundreds of people were murdered and suffered crucifixion. {267 word count by the Journal 7)

3.Swamplandia by Karen Russell ( a library eBook from Overdrive on kindle)

This book has a wonderful, awful line to it. It is the story of a families fall and then their rise again. A main feature of the story is the swamps, Everglades, and islands on the west coast of Florida. The family has three adults and three children. It is an unusual family story.
If you have ever visited Florida you will be familiar with some of the environmental attractions in the state.

The story tells about the tourists and at least covers two of the parks people may visit. One of the parks is called Swamplandia. The family in the story are all the people who run it. They are trained in all manner of ways to help tourists enjoy a day in their park.

The main attraction in the park is alligators. The reader will be entertained with the way the park and the family interact with the ancient beasts. What actually causes the parks down fall? What happens to each individual family member? The park is on an island which they have always lived on? How will they survive if they have to move to the main land. “We called all our alligators Seth.” These great ancient beasts were not pets but the people who handled them never seemed to be injured.

There is so much to this story it will grab your attention. You will be amazed at the descriptions of the wilderness in the swamps. Swamplandia makes us wish we could go there for a visit. (word count is 262 by the Journal 7)

4.Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? By Franns De Waal (An eBook From Prime)

Breaking science about the cognitive abilities of many species on the earth is revealed in this book. Franns De Waal reveals the information being uncovered by many species of apes. There are some comparisons of human abilities but mainly the book suggests comparisons don’t tell the real story.

Other animals, not necessarily mammals are covered. You will find information about elephants, cats, dogs, octopus, and fish revealed. I gave the book a five star rating because it covered so much ground. De Waal opens the story with this quote from Werner Heisenberg (1958), “What we observe is not nature in itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”

Throughout the book De Waal stresses the type of questions being asked reveal more each day.” David Hume, the Scottish philosopher who held animals in such high esteem that he wrote that, “no truth appears to me more evident than that beasts are endowed with thought and reason as well as men.”” As you read through this book you may realize that as more information is revealed by science about humans, it is also revealing new and exciting evidence of the intellect of creatures. (word count 211 by the Journal 7)

5. The Coconut Oil Bible (The Numerous Advantages by Trent Gordon ) (Coconut Oil Recipes by Valerie Alston) and (Nature’s Wonder cure by Jerrod Heyd) an eBook from Amazon.

Each author took a subject and wrote about it for this book. This quote is from the book, “Saturated fats that are plant-based do not have the negative benefits that animal based saturated fats do.”

I especially liked the recipe section. It was specific and well presented.

I thought the grammar in the last part could have been used in a more professional manner. The book brought out some very specific ways to use coconut oil, where to find coconut oil for purchase, what is the best type of coconut oil to buy, and other pertinent facts that the reader will find interesting.

In the presentation article a lot of facts of coconut oil were presented. So, there is an overlap of information about the subject.

I questioned some of the facts presented because the book seems to present coconut oil and coconut products as being able to aide all kinds of health issues. Since I doubt it is a miracle drug I think the subject of coconuts should be thought of more as an aide not as a miracle solution to all health problems.

Nevertheless I enjoyed reading the content and will use it as I do more research on the subject of coconut oil. (235 word count on the journal 7)