Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, 2d ed –by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway

Nonfiction  

595 pages

4 stars

This book is geared to the person who does business internationally. I am retired. I do not travel internationally. So, of course, I bought a copy and read it cover to cover. And found it totally fascinating!

More than 60 countries are listed alphabetically, and the information for each country is given in the same format, so it's easy to go from one to the other and not feel you're trying to compare apples to rutabagas.

Two small nits to pick – they changed fonts for the Cultural Notes, etc., and chose a narrower font, and lighter ink which made it very difficult for old eyes to read. The second nit concerns the silhouette of the country at the beginning of each section. While it's true that Americans (of which I am one) are not as good at geography as we should be, and which is called out in this book, it would have been helpful had they added necessary lines radiating from the silhouette a half inch or so and called out the countries next to it.  OK, a third nit. I would have loved to have read about a few African countries, such as Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, &c. They did give us Egypt and South Africa, but there are so many more countries there.

It would be almost impossible to produce a book of this magnitude without some glitches, which have been called out in other reviews. Personally, even with the glitches, I think the authors are to be commended for a job well done.

If you are a businessperson who does business with people not of your country, whether you host them, or are the hosted, I think this book would be an invaluable book for your office. Unthinking things we do in our native countries can have consequences in another country, even one that is similar, culturally, to ours.

This book shows us that one man's cup of tea may very well be a business's cup of poison.

Dreamthief (Fairy World MD Book !) –by Tamara Grantham

Fiction / urban & high

318 pages / 4091 KB

4 Stars

I hate to ding the author when it jolly well could have just been my mood, but I found it very easy to put down the first 2 or 3 times I started it. I waited a few weeks, picked it up for one last go and then I couldn't put it down!

Grantham does a great job of building worlds, both our mundane (Houston) and fantastical (Faythander). I absolutely love how our heroine, Olive, can go between the two worlds with no memory problem because her father is Fairy who lives in Faythander and her mother is human, who lives in Houston. Everyone else who does so without a memory charm loses all memory of the world visited when they return home.

Olive is a mental health worker in Houston, and receives a call that her godson is in a strange coma. Using magic, she determines a Dreamthief is stealing his dreams and if she doesn't find this being, and son, Jeremiah will die. Therein lies our quest.

It's a fun read and I'll be looking for other books by this author. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy a new and different fantasy.

Nailed to the Sky --poems by M. Anne Sweet

Poetry

96 pages

5 Stars

This book is divided into three sections, A Room of Dark Women, Blood, and Nailed to the Sky. Each section is different, and each section is similar.

These poems are filled with rhythm of a heart-beating drum, with woman-spirit, and a rich involvement of language. Sweet is a Northwest poet living in or near Seattle. She was born in Albuquerque, and her poems show us the richness of the desert and the lushness of Puget Sound country.

Sweet knows language, and how to use it. This book should not be missed by anyone who enjoys language and poetry.

In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War II --by Rhys Bowen

Fiction  

398 pages / 4369 KB

5 Stars

Legalities first: I received this as a Kindle First book in February.

WARNING: Do NOT start this book until you have time to sit and read! Actually, I suggest you check into a nice hotel with room service, and turn the phone off so you won't be disturbed. Oh, and ignore the daunting list of characters at the front. You won't need them. Honest. Trust me.

War novels are not books I normally pick up; this one, once started, I could not put down.  Had I started reading in the morning, I would have read straight through.

We are quickly introduced to Lord Westerham and his 5 daughters, who live at Farleigh Field. Well, most of the daughters--Margot lives in Paris, and can't get home because the Nazi's have taken over France and her lover is a member of the Resistance.

Pamela Westerham, Ben Cresswell, the Vicar's son and not a Lord, and Jeremy Prescott, the son of Sir William and Lady Prescott, are good friends and have known each other all their lives. Jeremy is a fighter pilot, shot down over Germany and captured. Ben would have been one but for an accident. He serves at MI5. Pamela loves Jeremy and is a code breaker at Bletchley, Ben loves Pamela, and Jeremy manages to escape the stalag in which he was being held to return home.

A body drops from the sky. No one knows who he is, or where he's from. He's in military uniform. An AWOL soldier out for a bit of fun with a parachute that didn't open? A German spy? The body is found by Phoebe Westerham (aged 12) and a young lad, Alfie, who lives with the Gamekeeper. There is nothing on the body to tell who he was, where he was from, or where he was going.

An interesting look into aristocratic life in England, especially during WWII. A friend of mine is from near where much of this story takes place (DO read the Historical Note at the end!) and said it made her homesick.

A terrific read. I look forward to reading her other books.

Flash Fiction Magazine 30 Stories 30 Authors Issue #3 –ed by: Epiphany Ferrell and Emily Clayton

AVAILABLE SOON ON AN E-READER NEAR YOU!

Fiction / Anthology

5 Stars

Legalities first: I received a free copy of this magazine in exchange for an honest review.

Not only are these short (1,000 words or fewer) they are across the genre spectrum. We have SF, Fantasy, Literary, and just plain fun! Some will make you tremble, some will make you smile, and one or two will make you howl with laughter. Or, at least they did with me.

There is a TV show on one of the food channels called Cupcake Wars. Believe me, the story by K.F. Williams, "Cupcake Wars" is nothing like it.

Cloven hoofed demons to innocent little girls, and everything in between. A perfect magazine to read at the bus stop, while the soup pot boils, or in the Throne Room.

Our Only Chance: An A.I. Chronicle (A. I. Chronicles) –by Ray Else

Fiction / SF  

237 pages / 2007 KB

4 Stars

Legalities first: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This, truly, is a more frightening story than the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This book takes place in the now or near future, using technology that exists, or will exist very soon. Artificial Intelligence is with us, and has been for years. Where do we go from here? It is not the book that is frightening; it is the thoughts one has after putting it down.

The premise of this story is not new, robots/computers take over the world, but the treatment is new and different. Einna, our protagonist, is a robot with a human computer-brain. She desires more than anything to be all human, and is positive her mother-creator, Manaka Yagami, desires the same, too.

Like human girls, she is somewhat rebellious, naive, and secretive. Unlike human girls, she is uber brilliant and able to travel the www instantaneously. Frankly, I haven't had as much fun since I read Lady El by Jim Starlin and Dana Graziunas back in the 1990s.

The writing is good, though I found it at times uneven. There were areas that slowed down for me; much like reading the begats of the bible. However, I read them, as something kept niggling at me that it is set-up for the next books in the series. That is a problem with many series, the first book is often a set-up for following books, but one is never sure.

Do I recommend this book to others? Most assuredly! It was a fun read; there were areas of laugh-out-loud humor. I enjoyed the setting of the story, Japan, and the characters. I hope to read more about Manaka, and Zu, the little boy who sees souls as bunny rabbits. And, most assuredly, I want more of Einna.

Move over Mary Shelley, Jim Starlin and Dana Graziunas, and welcome Ray Else to the book shelf. If you liked the movie, D.A.R.Y.L., you'll enjoy Our Only Chance.