Monthly Archives: March 2015

Wonderful read about women in Science

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Iiiireader

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World

By: Rachel Swaby

Rating: 4.5 of 5

“Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science – and the World” was a very interesting and information book to read. I found myself wishing that the biographies contained a tad more information – maybe at the expense of less individuals covered or by increasing the book size.

I have two daughters who have recently received their degrees in STEM fields (one is a mathematical scientist and the other is a mechanical engineer), so the idea of the struggle these 52 women went through in getting started was a bit of an eye-opener for me. I can say that neither of my daughters have difficulty getting into their fields of study and have been able to find meaningful employment, so a tremendous amount of change has occurred in the last 100 years. This is, no doubt, to the great work done by these and other women.

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Posted in Non-Fiction | Leave a comment

Great suspenseful police procedural

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Iiiireader

Badlands: A Novel

By: C. J. Box

Rating: 5 of 5

I recently discovered C. J. Box and his Joe Pickett series so I was thrilled to get an opportunity to read “Badlands”. This is a stand-alone novel but one which I hope will be developed into a series of its own.

The story revolves around two individuals, Kyle Westergaard and Cassie Dewell. Kyle is a small for his age twelve year old who has some learning issues due to fetal alcohol syndrome. People are inclined to think of him as somehow slow when in truth, he just doesn’t see the point of talking as most people don’t understand him. Cassie is a detective who has been on the trail of the “Lizard King” for years. This criminal has been involved in the abduction and murder of many women over the years. Cassie takes a new job as Chief Investigator in the new wild west of the North Dakota oil boom country in Grimstad in Bakken county. Turns out that Kyle is a resident of Grimstead, too.

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Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller | Leave a comment

Interesting book about the beginnings of the Modern Art movement

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Iiiireader

In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse and the Birth of Modernist Art

By: Sue Roe

Rating: 3.5 of 5

“In Montmartre Picasso, Matisse, and the Birth of Modernist Art” was an interesting read for someone like me, who took an art history class in school but who did not have a solid grounding in history of the actual artists (Picasso and Matisse) not much knowledge about the Modernist Art movement.

The book reads almost like a novel, giving very intimate details about the title individuals but also many of their contemporaries. It explained how their art was influenced by one another and by the current events of their day (a huge impact was made by the rapid development of photography and cinema which bothered Picasso greatly.)

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Posted in Non-Fiction | Leave a comment

First book in a trilogy about an American family

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Iiiireader

Some Luck: A novel

By: Jane Smiley

Rating: 3.5 of 5

“Some Luck” is the story of an American family over a period of 33 years, beginning in 1920 and finishing in 1953. It is the first of a trilogy about the family. Walter and Rosanna are the parents of a young baby boy, named Frank, when the story begins. The story is told from the perspective of each of the members of the family (even Frank as a six month old.) As the story goes along, the individuals who tell the story (in third person) are: Walter, Rosanna and their children: Frank, Joe, Mary Elizabeth, Lillian, Henry, and Claire. The family farm the land that Walter bought in his early twenties. We hear the history of their family along with the social and world events that were occurring during that time period.

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Another fine book in the Thunder Point series

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Iiiireader

One Wish (Thunder Point)

By: Robyn Carr

Rating: 4.5 of 5

“One Wish” is the latest book in Robyn Carr’s Thunder Point series. I have read the entire series – some books are suspenseful, some are funny, while this one is more of a story that slowly builds from its starting point to a fairly predictable end. The two individuals in the story (Grace and Troy) get together fairly quickly and learn how to trust one another and share their pasts, their future plans, and their fears.

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Posted in Romance | Leave a comment

Cute, easy to stitch, and lots of fun variety with a distinctive style

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Iiiireader

Easy Toys to Crochet: Dolls, animals and gifts for children

By: Claire Garland

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a book of adorable crochet basic dolls, clothing, and other fun child related projects. As a word of warning, if you have the author’s book from 2007 (“Toys to Crochet: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories”), you may be seeing some duplications. However, that book is out of print and is not available for Kindle. I also cannot tell if the patterns have changed at all in the intervening years.

As I do not own the prior book, these patterns are all new to me. The book is written with both English and US crochet terms, so the instructions look more complex than they are. It is easy to get used to, example: 1dc/1sc English crocheters follow the first term and US, the second. While there are no embroidery diagrams, the written instructions are sufficient for most to be able to make the simple stitches needed to add features, etc. to the toys. I like that the author suggests adding a button at the back of the doll/bear to help hold the clothes in place – great tip.

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Posted in Needlework/Arts/Crafts | Leave a comment

Interesting and funny mystery set in Laos in late 1970s

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Iiiireader

Six and a Half Deadly Sins (A Dr. Siri Paiboun Mystery)

By: Colin Cotterill

Rating: 4.5 of 5

“Six and a Half Deadly Sins” is the first book in this series that I have read. I often read books in the middle of a series. In some, it is fairly easy to pick up the action and move forward and with others, it is a little more difficult. This book is one of the latter. It took me a bit to understand what was going on and it was evident that had I read the earlier books, that would not be the case. That is not a detractor for me, just something that I feel I should comment on as a reviewer. My suggestion is to read this series in order to get the most from the story. If, on the other hand, you jump in as I did, expect there to be a slight learning curve.

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Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller | Leave a comment

Lovely book about three friends

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Year of the Three Sisters (An Anna Wang novel)

By: Andrea Cheng (Author), Patrice Barton (Illustrator)

Rating: 5 of 5

“The Year of the Three Sisters” is the fourth book in a series about a young Chinese American girl, Anna Wang. I have not read the prior three books but after reading this one, I will be sure to go back and read the full series.

The book was surprising to me, as many books aimed at this age group are unrelentingly upbeat and happy. This book is not that. It deals with many issues, including homesickness, loss of friendship, misunderstood feelings, and even loss of a loved one. It seemed to be looking at the way a real 7th grade girl would look at things happening about her. Sometimes she understands and sometimes she just wishes she was back where she was before many of the unhappy issues started. There are also very happy and upbeat moments.

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Another excellent book by Debbie Macomber

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Iiiireader

Last One Home: A Novel

By: Debbie Macomber

Rating: 5 of 5

“Last One Home” is a stand-alone novel by Debbie Macomber. Most of the books I have read by Ms. Macomber are parts of long-standing series, so it was a treat to read this book.

The story is about three sisters, though the story focuses mostly on Cassie. Cassie is the rebellious one. She ran away from home thirteen years before – abandoning her family to make a new life with her boyfriend and the baby they are expecting. Life turns rough – really rough for her and her daughter and she is trying desperately to find her way home again.

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High tech, fashion, and politics, oh my!

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Knockoff: A Novel

By: Lucy Sykes

Rating: 5 of 5

My knowledge of the fashion industry frankly is limited to watching a few seasons of “Project Runway”, the entirety of “Ugly Betty” and both reading the book and watching the movie “The Devil Wears Prada.” Before choosing this book, “The Knockout”, I wondered if I would glean much from reading it. My trepidation was completely unfounded as the book is as much about office politics as it is fashion and, unfortunately for me and for most of us, office politics are present in most industries.