Review: The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker

Title: The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Author: Joshua Becker
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
Publication Date: December 18, 2018 (first published December 2018)
Edition: Hardcover (256 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Productivity
• Self Help

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

As the title suggests, Joshua Becker shows the reader, step-by-step, how to declutter and minimize each room in the home, including the garage and the yard. He continues with the theme of "less is more," as he has in previous books. He also explains what minimalism is and what it isn't, as well as the benefits of the minimalist lifestyle.

I've been drawn to minimalist information and "how to" books for many years. Though I have not embraced the minimalist way of life fully, as of now, I am definitely moving in that direction, and over the years have kept fewer possessions. Each time I read one of Joshua Becker's books, I am once again motivated to declutter more and keep less durable goods. I found this book equally motivational and fascinating. It's a great read for anyone interested in the subject of minimalism, and a very practical guide for those who want to begin to live a more minimalist life.

Lynn's List (January 25, 2019)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones
• Summer's End by Joel A Sutherland
• Don't Tell the Enemy by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
• Hostage by Jason Rezaian
• The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders
• The Fear Within: A Thriller by J. S. Law
• Edge of Survival by Toni Anderson
• Firestarter by Stephen King
• The Orchid House: A Novel by Lucinda Riley
• Mr. Lincoln's Army (Army of the Potomac Trilogy #1) by Bruce Catton
• Lady in Red: An Intimate Portrait of Nancy Reagan by Sheila Tate
• Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss

Review: Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones

Title: Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space
Author: Chris Jones
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Publication Date: March 6, 2007 (first published February 23rd 2007)
Edition: ebook (304 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• Science
• Space Exploration

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Too Far From Home..." is the story of three astronauts, two American and one Russian, who went into space as crew for the International Space Station in November, 2002. With the tragic break-up of Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003, their expected transportation back to earth is gone, and NASA and their Russian counterparts have to figure out how to get these men home. Will they? Can they?

This story is much more too. Like "Comm Check...: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia" by Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, Chris Jones chronicles much of the story of the US and Russian space race, the Columbia Shuttle disaster, and the emotional and physical sacrifice of astronauts and their families. The tone of this book is quite different from "Comm Check..." At first, I found it a bit off-putting. However, the more I read, the more I came to appreciate the writing style and approach Chris Jones used. In the end, I appreciated this book just as much, maybe even a little more, in some respects.

Review: Comm Check...: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia by Michael Cabbage and William Harwood

Title: Comm Check...: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia
Authors: Michael Cabbage and William Harwood
Publisher: Free Press
Publication Date: December 1, 2009 (first published January 27th 2004)
Edition: ebook (336 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• Science
• space

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

On February 1, 2003, not long before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas and Louisiana. Seven NASA astronauts were killed and Shuttle Columbia was lost. Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, two long-time space journalists, wrote this book to chronicle this tragic event, how it happened, why it happened, and the results of the investigation that followed.

As with most tragic events, this one is absent a single cause. I thought Michael Cabbage and William Harwood did an admirable job explaining everything from the engineering dynamics of the space shuttle, NASA culture, the minute-by-minute events culminating in the loss of Columbia, and the life histories and personalities of Columbia's final crew. This is a very emotional and intense book. I believe it makes a most valuable contribution to history. It also points out the risks of manned space flight and exploration, as well as human error and shortcomings--some avoidable, and some not.

Lynn's List (January 18, 2019)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Battle of Surigao Strait (Twentieth-Century Battles) by Anthony P. Tully
• Never Again: A History of the Holocaust by Martin Gilbert
• Max Factor by Fred E. Basten
• Flying Warrior: My Life as a Naval Aviator During the Vietnam War by Jules Harper
• A Book of Reasons: A Memoir by John Vernon
• Friends Like These: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist by Sarah Alderson
• The Love Book by Fiona O'Brien
• The Missing Wife: Can She Find The Women She Used To Be? by Sheila O'Flanagan
• The Hideaway by Sheila O'Flanagan
• Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill
• Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War by Douglas Brinkley
• The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley
• The Forgotten Woman by Angela Marsons
• Facing Terror: The True Story Of How An American Couple Paid The Ultimate Price Because Of Their Love Of Muslim People by Carrie Mcdonnall
• The Battle of Anzio by T. R. Fehrenbach
• The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker
• Blinded By the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative by David Brock
• The Witchfinder's Sister: A Novel by Beth Underdown
• You: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes
• One Kick: A Novel (Kick Lannigan #1) by Chelsea Cain
• An Inconvenient Woman: A Novel by Dominick Dunne
• Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew by Robert Crippen, Eileen Collins, Jonathan Ward, and Michael Leinbach
• Comm Check … The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia by Michael Cabbage and William Harwood

Review: Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill

Title: Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape
Author: Jenna Miscavige Hill
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Edition: ebook (416 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Autobiography
• Memoir
• Religion

Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Memoir & Autobiography (2013)
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jenna Miscavige Hill was raised by parents who joined the church of Scientology, and was literally brought up living in various Church of Scientology properties. She chronicles her childhood, young adulthood, her marriage, and ultimately her escape from Scientology. She experienced brain washing, mind control, separation from her parents and ongoing emotional term oil.

This book reads like a psychological thriller. I wanted to read it because I've seen news articles and journalistic pieces concerning Scientology lately. If the subject interests you, or if you simply want to read a well-written memoir, I recommend this book.

Review: A Thin Dark Line (Broussard and Fourcade #1) by Tami Hoag

Title: A Thin Dark Line (Broussard and Fourcade #1)
Author: Tami Hoag
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: December 30, 2003 (first published March 3rd 1997)
Edition: ebook (463 pages)
Genres:

li>Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Mystery
• Psychological Thriller
• Suspense
• Thriller

Series: Broussard and Fourcade #1
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Deputy Annie Broussard finds herself in a most awkward position. She witnesses a fellow Sheriff's Department officer assaulting a man who evaded a murder conviction on a technicality. Most everyone in the community, residents and law enforcement officials alike, all blame her for reporting the incident because it lead to the sustention of Detective Nick Fourcade and because they agree that the man deserved what he got, and more. Though both Annie and Nick are officially off the case, they begin to investigate. As they do, more crimes are committed, and Annie's life is threatened many times over.

I enjoyed this book so much. It interested me on so many levels. It takes place in Louisiana, a region of the country I know littler about. It gives the reader an up close and personal view of the brotherhood of law enforcement and the obstacles women face, as well as the conflicts and choices law enforcement officers often must make.

The book is quite graphic in terms of crime scene description, and there is some violence. I am now reading the sequel, "The Boy." It is also proving to be a great read. This is some of the best crime fiction I have read.

Lynn's List (January 11, 2019)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Woman at 1,000 Degrees: A Novel by Hallgrímur Helgason and Brian FitzGibbon
• A Share in Death (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James #1) by Deborah Crombie
• Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen
• Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho by Harold Schechter
• Richard Condon Thrillers: The Manchurian Candidate, Winter Kills, Prizzi's Honor by Richard Condon
• Broken Bargain: Bankers, Bailouts, and the Struggle to Tame Wall Street by Kathleen Day
• Two Cheers for Higher Education: Why American Universities Are Stronger Than Ever—and How to Meet the Challenges They Face (The William G. Bowen Series #112) by Steven Brint
• Her One Mistake: A Novel by Heidi Perks
• The Light Over London by Julia Kelly
• Declan (Lock-Hart #1) by Amelia Shea
• Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive: And the Truth That Sets Us Free by Greg Jao and Jonathan P. Walton
• Invisible: A Novel by Andrew Grant
• Old Newgate Road: A novel by Keith Scribner
• Turning Point: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• An Anonymous Girl by Sarah Pekkanen
• A Thin Dark Line (Broussard And Fourcade Ser. #1) by Tami Hoag
• The Boy: A Novel (Broussard And Fourcade Ser. #2) by Tami Hoag

Review: Sins of the Fathers by James Scott Bell

Title: Sins of the Fathers
Author: James Scott Bell
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: May 1, 2009 (first published April 1st 2005)
Edition: ebook
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Thriller

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lindy Field has been asked to defend a thirteen-year-old boy accused of murdering several people at a baseball game. The killings are captured on video tape and there are witnesses. Something doesn't seem right to her, however. She is just beginning to put her life back together after losing a case that was very important to her. As she takes on this new case, her life begins to unravel.

This is a great story. Well written, fast-paced, complex characters, believable and insightful concerning the treatment of juvenal offenders. Some books just touch an inner place in you, and this is one of those for me. I will be reading more of Mr. Bell's books, and so appreciate his sensitivity for the subject matter.

Review: Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive: And the Truth That Sets Us Free by Jonathan Walton

Title: Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive: And the Truth That Sets Us Free
Author: Jonathan Walton
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
Edition: ebook
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Christian
• Cultural Issues

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jonathan Walton writes about what he characterizes as twelve lies American identity perpetuates beginning with the founding fathers up to and including present day. He details, how, in his view, American Christianity has become a false religion. America is a Christian nation; all men are created equal; and we are the land of the free and the home of the brave. These are just three of the "lies" he discusses.

This book is well thought out and well written, complimented by statistics and Scriptural references. Whether or not you agree with the author's conclusions, it is a thought provoking work. There is much here to think about.

As I write this, I find myself agreeing with many of Mr. Walton's assertions, and disagreeing with others, so I will leave you to read it, if you choose, and to draw your own conclusions. It will definitely cause you to reflect. It may make you angry. I could go on about why I believe certain premises, and why I do not believe others, but that is not my purpose here. If the subject interests you, it is a good read.

Review: The Jury Master (David Sloane, #1) by Robert Dugoni

Title: The Jury Master (David Sloane, #1)
Author: Robert Dugoni
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: July 15, 2008 (first published 2006)
Edition: ebook (449 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller

Series: David Sloane #1
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

David Sloane has the ability to read a jury. He knows what they are thinking, and can persuade them. He seems to have the perfect life, except that he has the same recurring nightmare which he cannot make sense out of. And, when he gets a call from someone he does not know, and people begin showing up dead, and someone is after him wanting to kill him, he knows he has to figure out what is going on.

This book is definitely fast-paced and suspenseful. It is not my usual type of read, but I enjoyed it, just the same. It has romance, suspense, spies, murder and a little political intrigue thrown in for good measure.

Lynn's List (January 4, 2019)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• The Backup Plan: The Backup Plan Flirting With Disaster Waking Up In Charleston (The Charleston Trilogy #1) by Sherryl Woods
• The Keeper of Lost Things: A Novel by Ruth Hogan
• England and the Jews: How Religion and Violence Created the First Racial State in the West (Elements in Religion and Violence) by Geraldine Heng
• Islam and Violence (Elements in Religion and Violence) by Khaleel Mohammed
• The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon
• The Doctor's Newfound Family by Valerie Hansen
• And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano The Deadly Seducer by Ann Rule
• Bloodlines by Sharon Sala
• Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies by Russell J. Dalton
• Ruby Ridge by Jess Walter

Review: Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family by Jess Walter

Title: Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family
Author: Jess Walter
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: June 26, 2012 (first published 1995)
Edition: ebook (416 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• Religion
• True Crime

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

In August of 1992, two members of the Randy Weaver family and a Federal law enforcement officer were killed at Ruby Ridge, a remote area in northern Idaho, a few miles from the Canadian border. The Weaver's moved to the area in 1983, choosing to live in an isolated cabin because they believed the end of the world was soon to be at hand. Their story is a long and somewhat complicated one, culminating in this loss of life. Jess Walter chronicles the lives and choices of the Weaver family, and the events leading up to the confrontation at Ruby Ridge between the Weaver's and government law enforcement officials, as well as the trial and its aftermath.

What ever one's views about religion, separatism, the government and the use of power, this book has it all. Like many, I watched the media coverage of the events at Ruby Ridge and wondered how this could be happening and how things could have gone so terribly wrong. I think the author does an excellent job in chronicling the events in a way that explains without judging, and helps the reader to realize the intransigence on both sides and where it can lead, if unchecked.

Review: Educated by Tara Westover

Title: Educated
Author: Tara Westover
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: February 20, 2018
Edition: ebook (352 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Autobiography
• Memoir

Literary Awards:

• Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography (2018)
• Reading Women Award for Nonfiction (2018)

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tara Westover did not attend public school, nor was she home schooled by means of a standard curriculum of any sort. As a young girl, she assisted her mother, an herbalist, and by age ten, was working as a member of her father's crew salvaging scrap metal to sell. Her parents, survivalists, believed that the government was coming for them, and hoarded food and ammunition so they could defend themselves against future attack. Her family life was unconventional, to say the least, often populated with episodes of emotional and physical abuse.

Conflicted between loyalty to her parents beliefs and a strong desire to know more about the world, she studied textbooks, took the ACT, and was accepted to BYU. She is now a PHD. This book is her story, in her own words. It's a story of overcoming. It's a story of the quest for something more. The search for truth. The search to become her own person with her own ideas and beliefs. And, it's also the story of what that journey cost her. The price was high.

This book has been on my TBR list since May, 2018, so I decided to read it as my first book of 2019. The story is compelling, and one I am not likely to forget. It's one I cannot fully process in a day, or maybe even ever. The emotions it evokes in me are so strong. Absolute heartsick sadness; anger at those who profess to love her; and an admiration for her because for every step backward she took, she also took two steps forward. I also enjoyed the prosaic writing. It flowed and came together to reveal character, courage, and, ultimately, an undaunted spirit.