UNSINKABLE by Abby Sunderland

 WATERLOGGED!!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
 A stirring narrative of Unsinkable tells sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland's remarkable true story of attempting to become the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world. 

More people have flown into outer space than have sailed solo around the globe. It is a challenge so immense that many have died trying, and all have been pushed beyond every physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual limit. In Unsinkable, readers follow Abby Sunderland into those depths. This biography delivers a gripping and evocative firsthand account that starts prior to her departure, travels through her daring (and sometimes near-death) encounters on the open sea, to her dramatic rescue in the remotest corner of the Indian Ocean, and the media explosion that happened upon her safe return to dry land.

Along the way, readers discover what it means to boldly face any challenge, to strive after something great, and to plumb the depths of faith, fear, and desperation only to emerge changed, renewed, and emboldened. In this day and age, when the most productive thing a teenager may do is play videogames, Abby's ambition and tenacity is a real-life parable of what can happen when we choose to exceed our own limits, embrace faith, and strive after what all the naysayers say is impossible.

MY TAKE:
Unsinkable is the autobiography of Abby Sunderland—a 16-year-old young woman whose dream of sailing around the world by herself finally comes true. Normally, I don’t read autobiographies---they just don’t keep my interest. But when I read the overview of Unsinkable, I was surprised at how interested I was to read this book. I love to read about mature, courageous young people who have a clear goal and purpose in life. Many teenagers don’t have these traits and expect the people around them to hand them everything they need without truly working for it.

I enjoyed how the book was laid out—from three different points of view. The narrator helped by filling in the technical information and also giving background on media involvement, family history, and technical sailing information. Abby’s point of view is more detail oriented about how she felt during the preparation of the trip and the day-by-day experiences she endured. After the  grueling premature conclusion of her trip, there is also the point of view of view of those who helped save her. This is a unique way of putting the book together and it was just right for telling Abby’s story.

Abby is a lucky girl to have such a supportive family for her lifelong dream. There aren’t many parents who would let their child go into a feat such as this. Can you imagine sending your teenager out—alone—to navigate one of the most powerful elements on earth? The sea is unpredictable and volatile and there’s no control over its erratic behavior. I’m sure Abby was completely prepared for most contingencies, but let’s face it, you don’t know if you are until the situation arises. 

On the flip side, I’m sure her father was very protective and concerned about her trip. However, I got the impression that he subconsciously pushed her decision for the fame and notoriety that comes with such an attempt. He’d felt it before when his son made the same trip and it’s almost like an aphrodisiac—he wanted that feeling again. You could feel his ego creeping in to almost every decision.

I found the book mostly interesting but it was a very difficult read for me. I have no knowledge of sailing and even though the authors spell out many terms and technical points, parts of the book were like reading a manual. I’d start getting into a section of the book when the authors would throw in paragraphs to pages of detail and I would just zone out. 

You could tell Abby’s point of view was told by a typical teenager with the jargon & lingo inherent in a 16-year-old. I would have liked to have seen more in-depth, maybe spiritual (since they professed to have much faith) insights during her journey. Yes, the experience made her see she was strong and courageous, but what made that happen?

I’m going to give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The overall story was pretty good if you could get through the technical portions and the father’s desire for recognition. However, if you enjoy sailing or more technical reading, I think your rating might be higher.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

ONE GOOD MAN by Virginia Foster

SURPRISING PLOT TWIST!! THOUGHT PROVOKING!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Dr. Diane Redfield seems to have it all: beauty, brains, good friends, and a thriving psychology practice. She is dedicated to her patients and spends her free time enjoying the California weather with her loyal dog, Paul. But despite her full life, she has yet to find success in love--until she meets Dr. Bob Callahan, a highly respected psychiatrist and widowed father. The two begin a passionate affair.

As the relationship progresses, Diane struggles with her own fears as well as her professional ethics. Then she begins to realize something very sinister is going on. The more she learns, the deeper she falls into danger.

One Good Man is a page-turner full of romance and suspense. Join Dr. Diane as she struggles to survive the darkest places of the human mind--and to keep her faith in the possibility of love.

MY TAKE:

Don’t tell anyone, but I love a good romance novel now and again! So when I saw One Good Man offered at Dorrance Publishing, I knew it was the one for me. 

A very interesting plot evolved for the couple. Both psychologists, the story utilized their profession all the way from their meeting to their involvement in shared cases, to the unusual twist in the plot (that I won’t give away!). It is a topic that is rarely written about in a romance novel much less contemporary novels. I found it out of the ordinary and thought-provoking for a subject I didn’t know much about.

Ms Foster has a very good writing style—easy to read and follow with attention to filling in all the “gaps” involved in such a story line. I would definitely pick up another of her books in the future.

I’m going to give this a 4-star rating for it’s lovely tale of new love, intriguing story line, and the way the book flowed.

I received a complimentary copy of One Good Man by Virginia Foster as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan

QUITE UNEXPECTED!!!!

From the Publisher:

What if you had the power to amend choices you made in the past? Would you do it even if it changed everything?

Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930s. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensible to old Doc Philips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn—it’s the biggest news story of her life, and she can’t print a word of it.
           
Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City—decisions they’ve made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and Doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages—Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book’s strange purpose. But when a mystery from Mercy’s past arrives by train, she begins to understand that she will have to make choices that will deeply affect everyone she loves—forever.

My Take:

Quite Unexpected!!

Reading the synopsis of this book, my expectations were high. I was looking forward to a scintillating story line and an investigation into the mystery. That’s exactly what I got but in a totally different path. The story started out very good but then the introduction of the “curious book” was nothing like I had imagined. It was more of a fantasy book rather than a mystery or thriller. Personally, that’s not really my favorite genre. But since I had started it, I wanted to finish it. 

The book is written from three different viewpoints—Mercy, Doc, and the invited stranger John Quincy. There is sometimes overlap and repetition  from each of them on a particular segment. That was a little difficult  to follow on occasion. The further the storyline progressed, the more unrealistic it seemed to me---the reason I say it’s a fantasy. 

But parts of it did intrigue me to continue reading. The parts of Mercy’s life back in Bittersweet were interesting and Doc’s past was heart-warming. However, it just wasn’t enough for me to give it a high rating. Unfortunately, I have to give this book a 3-star and that’s only because of those small interesting portions and the phenomenal cover art.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program in return for my review. My opinions are honest and unbiased.

The Path I Had to Walk by Raven

From the Publisher

This is a heartfelt story as told by the author in her own words, about triumph over tragedy. The story unfolds with the telling of a small girl’s life growing up in an environment few could imagine. It describes in tragic detail the terror experienced by a small child at the hands of her family.

As you read this book, you will be drawn into a relationship with a dysfunctional family and become part of the story. The story shows how a child with little chance for a successful life chose success over failure in a world of physical and mental abuse achieving triumph over tragedy.

With so many stories of failure, this story enlightens and encourages anyone born into adversity to the hope of a better life. In drawing from her faith and inner strength a little girl overcomes circumstance to achieve success beyond expectation.

Raven lives a blessed life in the south and her story continues.

From the Author

I write under the pseudonym of Raven. I live in the south with my husband and wonderful children. I have always had a talent for writing. Reading and Language Arts were my best subjects in school. My hobbies are reading RL Stine, Christopher Pike, Norma Roberts and James Patterson books.

I have been married for twelve years and we have three of the most wonderful children you could ever meet. I spent

I began writing my life story as therapy, a way of getting it all out like keeping a journal. I learned that the more I wrote the more I understood my life. Since I am the type of person who believes that everything happens for a reason, I realized that my hard up bringing was what made me into the woman I am today. Everything I experienced was just the path I had to walk.

My Take

Heart-wrenching!!  Compelling!

Raven’s young life was undeniably complex and harsh. It’s very difficult to imagine how a mother could treat her own child as Raven was treated. Why would someone have a child just to treat them worse than a pesky rodent? My heart goes out to Raven for the years she had to endure. Just reading some of the passages brought tears to my eyes but, in the end, her courage prevails.

Learning forgiveness and understanding truly is the underlying message of this compelling story. Raven has taken those years and learned from them in order to make herself a better person. Thank you, Raven, for sharing your story---it’s a work full of optimism and bravery.

Published by Brighton Publishing and available for download on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

five years in the United States Army and found it to be a very enriching experience.

THE GOOD FIGHT by Matthew Horn

INTENSE!  FOLLOWS TODAY’S HEADLINES!  THE GOOD FIGHT BRINGS OUT THE HERO IN ALL OF US!

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Jeffery Scott had always made it on his own. Unwanted by his family, Jeff spent his childhood being shuffled from family members to orphanages before finally ending up alone, homeless, and on the street. One night, in a dark, cold alley behind a local restaurant, Jeff’s life was saved by a dark suited, masked vigilante whose true identity was unknown to him.

Sixteen years later, he crosses paths once again with the dark suited stranger. This time, it is Jeff who saves the vigilante’s life. And this time he discovers the masked man’s identity. Jeff learns to understand the quest of good versus evil and becomes the protégé of the masked hero. Ultimately, he arrives at a crossroad where he must decide whether the quest itself is good or evil. Jeff’s inner struggles ultimately draw the line between what he wants to do and what he must do.

His decisions not only affect those he cares about, but they alter and shape the course of his young life. Through the mask of the vigilante, Jeff finds the courage and determination he needs to get an education, change his life and become the person even his own family believed he could never be.

MY TAKE:

When Jeff is only nine years old, he witnesses a violent crime in a back alley. It was then that he first saw the hooded man. A masked man who killed the bad guys and then came over to where Jeff was hiding to make sure he was okay. Was this man a killer or a hero?

Fast forward sixteen years. After a young life of a dysfunctional family and being passed over for adoption at the orphanage, Jeff is now living in his own apartment, working the night shift, and going to college during the day.  He vowed to himself that because he was spared that night in the alley, he was going to live his life the right way and make something of himself.

One night, as he was trying to fall asleep, Jeff listened to the sounds of the city. All of a sudden, he thinks he hears something that sounds like gunshots. As any south-side Chicago dweller would do, he hits the floor to take cover. When he finally gets up the courage to look out in the back yard, he sees bodies strewn across the yard and a familiar masked man standing in the middle. But the man looks injured and drops down to the ground. Remembering that night in the alley, Jeff rushes out of his apartment only to find blood seeping out on the masked man’s side. The little boy in Jeff says “save him” while the adult Jeff wants to get the man to a hospital.

What happens after that will alter Jeff’s world, not only for that night, but for the rest of his life. The more he learns about his “hero” from all those years ago, the more confused Jeff becomes. Why does this man don a rubber suit and mask  and stalk the neighborhood at night? Is it eccentricity? Is it nobility to get involved and save his neighborhood from crime? Or is it to take matters into his own hands to see his persona splashed all over the media?

Jeff just wants to get on with his life but the “hero” has other ideas. What follows is an intriguing and intense series of events that Jeff isn’t even close to expecting.

This is the first book from the author and it’s an out of the ordinary read. The topic was new to me and it was a nice change from the usual shoot ‘em up thriller. Although slow or drawn out in some spots, overall the book was easy to follow. I’m not too sure about the character of Jeff’s girlfriend other than to show Jeff is moving into another stage of adulthood, but the reader doesn’t really learn much about her. The theme of “good over bad” is an interesting one to ponder. What would YOU do if you saw a crime in progress? Or if someone asked you to help pro-actively fight a crime?

In real life, most people are blind to the wrongdoings and violence around them. They bury their heads in the sand so they don’t feel guilty when a crime happens in front of them and they don’t intervene. However, there are real-life defenders around who take the situation into their own hands and do get involved---but they are few and far between. Some of these guardians really do dress up in super-hero suits to guard their neighborhood. Reading The Good Fight fits in perfectly with today’s headlines!

I’d give The Good Fight a 4 out of 5 star rating. It’s now available for download at Amazon.com and other online retail outlets.

Author Biography

Matthew Horn is an aficionado of fiction. Spending his life reading authors such as Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, and C.S. Lewis, Matthew gained an appreciation for a good story. His first book, Heroism, written in 2009, is the compilation of ideas that have been building since childhood. Since then, he has developed many different stories and plans to continue his writing as more than just a hobby.

Matthew graduated from Rochester High School in 1998 and from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management in 2002. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Modern Materials, Inc. in Rochester Indiana. He is married and enjoys spending his free time writing and learning about the publishing industry. “As a new author, you probably spend more time learning the industry than you do writing.”

“You always want to write from the heart,” he says from his home office in late October, 2010, “but it takes a special book to be from the heart and still reach out and make people want to read it.”

         Pub. Date: February 2011

        Publisher: Brighton Publishing

        Format: NOOKbook (eBook)

        Series: The Good Fight , #1

The Band that Played On by Steve Turner

From the Publisher

The never-before told, inspiring stories of the 8 brave musicians who played as the Titanic sank.
When Titanic collided with an iceberg on April 14, the eight members of the band had already retired for the evening. Still, they put on overcoats and came out to play in the lounge.

When most of the First Class passengers had taken to their lifeboats, the musicians moved to the deck and continued to play as the ship sank. One passenger said: “Many brave things were done that night, but none were more brave than those done by men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea.

The music they played served alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recalled on the scrolls of undying fame.” But who were they? What journeys brought them to this deck on this icy ocean? Who did they leave behind? Historian and biographer Steve Turner delves into the lives of these brave men, revealing eight unique portraits of bravery.

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My take

For some reason, I have always been enamored with The Titanic---shows on The History Channel, the movie, and anything else I can find. So when this book became available for review, I thought it would be another bit of information for my fixation. Never has there been a book all about the musicians. This should be interesting!

Starting the book, there was a lot of foundational information interspersed with the last hours of The Titanic's voyage. It was fascinating to learn how the cruise ship industry obtained musicians and crew in the early 1900's. It's quite a bit different that what we know now. Once the foundation was set, there was so much detailed historical information, I kind of thought I was back in school again. I found myself skipping over sentences to get to the "meat" of the chapter.

Each of the musicians' lives are chronicled in their own chapters. From a young age to the time of their deaths, the author detailed their lives. Sometimes a little too much. None of the musicians lead extraordinary lives so the fascinating story I was anticipating didn't pan out.

In my opinion, the best part of the book came at the end during the ship's sinking. Most of the information was speculation from witnesses and because of the traumatic situation, their versions were varied. The only semi-consistent theme was the final song heard while the ship went down. Most of the witnesses heard Nearer My God to Thee but that still wasn't agreed upon. Unfortunately it became somewhat tedious reading the descriptions over and over.

While Steve Turner definitely did his research, I felt the book was dry in places. It was not meant to be sensationalic or romanticized, it was meant to be factual. Regrettably, because of that, I had a hard time reading it. I have to give it a 2 1/2 out of 5---more than a 2 because of the information presented but less than a 3 because of the monotony.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Beginning of End's Beginning by Charlean Fletcher

From the Publisher

Life has never been easy for Sharla Fisher. Hardworking and strong-willed, she has little time or patience for friends. She saves her affections for her mother and her older brother, Jerry, a professional sports phenom.

After graduating from high school, Sharla and her family plan a vacation to celebrate, but at the last minute, Sharla is offered a promotion at work and she stays behind. It is a decision that will forever change her life.

Her family is killed in a car accident while on the trip, and Sharla is left to fend for herself. Hardened by life, she struggles to find people she can trust. This becomes even trickier when Sharla realizes just how much money her brother left her.

Even after she meets the charming Richard Crane, she remains uncertain about ever opening her heart. And the more people find out about her money, the more difficult everything becomes.

My Take

Reading the description of this book on Dorrance Media’s website, it sounded intriguing. Everything included in the description actually does happen in the book---Sharla definitely had a hard life growing up, going without many things since her mother didn’t make much money. She also had almost an estranged relationship with her sister and other brother but loved her older brother, Jerry. Sharla’s high school years were very bumpy as many are in a small town—cliques of girls shunned her (quite traumatic to a teenager), even her cousins.

Sharla is lucky enough to get a job with the telephone company two towns away during her summers. She becomes a hard working and dedicated employee so when she’s offered a promotion, she reluctantly gives up her family vacation in order to work. While her family is driving to their destination, they are involved in a horrible car accident that kills them all. For some reason, her older brother, Jerry, had proactively set his financial house in order before the vacation and Sharla inherits his immense fortune.

After the death of her family, Sharla begins her plan of revenge on all those people who snubbed her and attacked her during her young life. The only thing she is missing in her life is love and emotional attachment. She won’t allow anyone into her heart or life for fear they will turn against her. Even when Sharla meets Richard, she can’t fully commit her emotions to him. His family finds out about the fortune she inherited and everyone wants a hand-out. Sharla steps up her complicated retaliation plan with the help of Richard’s father and they set the wheels in motion.

I have to say this was a difficult book to read for several reasons, the first of which was the size. In an 8.5x11 format, it was cumbersome to hold unless you were sitting at a table. The actual writing was very stilted with no contractions used—people don’t talk that stilted or formal, especially in the region where the story takes place.

It wasn’t easy to determine the point in time when the story took place. The discussion of becoming a telephone operator and extensive use of Greyhound buses leads the reader to believe maybe the era was the 1950’s or 1960’s. At one point, Sharla sells her family’s home for $36,000. Even in today’s economy, that’s a very low value for a home. On the flip side, there was discussion of CD players, cell phones, and laptops which implies a current time frame.  I found it very confusing not knowing the period of the story.

Another problem in reading the book was the editing. There are numerous edit errors involving punctuation, sentence structure, and quotation of the character’s discussions. Most of them could be ignored without impacting the storyline. However, when it comes to where the quotation marks were missing or out of place, it was hard to follow the conversation.

There were other issues with the writing style, but I think you get the idea. As for the plot of the book, sometimes I wondered where it was heading. I’m not sure there was really an obvious climax and resolution. After reaching the end of the book, I was left feeling disappointed—was that it? Where was the conclusion to all the loose ends?

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to give this book a 2 out of 5.

About the Author

Charlean Fletcher is retired and currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the mother of one son, Shawn, who encouraged her to write The Beginning of End’s Beginning, her first book.  Charlean worked for the telephone company which gave her insight to her character.

Authors: Charlean Fletcher
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Published Date: 2010-06-30
ISBN-10: 1434907201
ISBN-13: 9781434907202

I received this book free from Dorrance Publishing as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."