Monday 28 June 2021

Bookreview: All in the same boat

 

Very interesting book! 


Summary

On a submarine crew, officers and sailors work together in cramped spaces
and challenging conditions to accomplish complex missions with no room for
failure.

As Rennie moved into leadership positions in the business world, he found that
the basic underlying principles for success at sea also led to high-performing
teams on land.

Leaders succeed when they create a unified team with a singular mission -
when all employees perform like they are all in the same boat. 




My Review


I enjoyed this book very much as well as the applicable book cover. 

The author tells fantastic about his own experiences in the navy, which
he compares to situations in a business.

I read many books about leadership and about Industrial and Organizational
psychology but this one is special due to the personal stories of the author.
He also makes great links and argumentations with for example facts and 
figures.This book helps business leaders with clear hints. 

I would recommend "All in the same boat" to all the business leaders who
want inspiration for the problems in their firm. 

I give without any doubt a 5 star rating to this very interesting book! 




The author

Jon is a business leader, author, podcaster and speaker. He is co-founder,
president and CEO of Peak Demand Inc., a manufacturer of critical
infrastructure products for electric utilities. He served as a U.S. naval officer
on nuclear submarines and has close to 30 years leading industrial businesses
in North America.

He had a singular mission: to build a world with better bosses. His hope is that
his books inspire you to look at leadership in a new light. 





Booktasters

I received a free copy in return for my honest review via Booktasters and
the author. 

The author was very friendly and very correct as well as Booktasters. 





All in the same boat is published on May 2nd. 2021. It is available on Kindle
and in Paperback on Amazon. 

Saturday 26 June 2021

Bookreview: Miley The Monkey - Easy as ABC

Easy as ABC



Summary

Miley really wants a bicycle. He dreams about riding it and having
lots of fun. But will he get one? 

It is Miley The Monkey's Birthday and he has been learning on his 
new bike! Do you think he learns how to ride? Is it really easy as ABC?


My Review

First of all: what an amazing children's book! I enjoyed it very much, 
although this genre isn't my normal reading taste. I also liked the 
simple, but beautifully drawn and colourful book cover. 

The book Miley the Monkey "Easy as ABC" reads very quickly and was 
written easily. It was very relaxing and yet it contains an important
lesson.

I liked the character of Miley a lot but I also had much sympathy for
his supportive family. 

I would recommend this book to children who start reading or to their
parents who like to read for their little ones. 

Of course, I give without any doubt a 5 star rating for Miley the Monkey
"Easy as ABC".  I hope to read and review more books of this series. 







The author

Merlot. G Hopkins, author of Miley the Monkey book collection is a newly 
become father who found an interest in writing children's stories whilst on the
hunt for engaging books for his son. Inspired by real-life scenarios and
everyday activities. Merlot aims to spread motivation and positivity throughout
his collections. 


Booktasters


I received a free copy from Booktasters to read and review this children's book.
I really want to thank Booktasters for this great opportunity.


Milley The Monkey "Easy as ABC" was published in March 2021. It is available
in Kindle and as a Paperback in Amazon.  

Friday 18 June 2021

Bookreview: At the Far End of Nowhere

 What a beautifully, refreshing story told very well!



Summary


In this hauntingly unconventional novel, young Lissa Power challenges the
imagination and captures the heart as she struggles to grow under the guidance
of her father, a watchmaker, inventor and mechanical wizard - who is easily old
enough to be her grandfather. 

When Lissa is twelve, her mother dies from breast cancer and the reclusive old
watchmaker now ,  84 years old, must oversee his daughter's coming of age.

Lissa becomes her father's close companion, the mother of the house, and
her aging father's caregiver.

Here At the Far End of Nowhere, father and daughter weave fact with fiction
and merge reality with fantasy to reveal a broader truth. 





My Review

What a beautifully, refreshing story told very well! I really enjoyed it!

I also liked the way the author developped her characters and as a woman, of course I supported
Lissa the most.

I can't find anything I disliked in this novel perhaps highlighting her father's age, but that's a part of the story.

I recommend this book to all people who love reading some wonderful coming to age
novels. Perhaps teenagers or young adults are a wonderful public for this book.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish, that's why I want to give a
5* rating for this easy reading and a really nice novel.



The author

Christine Davis Merriman completed her MFA in Imaginative Writing/Fiction
at UMass Amherst forty years ago. She won Towson State University's
John S. Lewis Fiction Award for a collection of short stories and was eager to
pursue a career in fiction. 

The "life" intervened. In 2017, she retired, put down her technical writer's pen,
and completed her debut novel, At the Far End of Nowhere. 




Booktasters


I received a free copy via Booktasters and the author. Thank you very much for this
wonderful reading chance! 

Monday 14 June 2021

Bookreview: Napoleon's Downfall

 interesting read about Napoleon Bonaparte



Summary

Napoleon Bonaparte and Juliette Recamier were both highly influential
and well-known in France, yet they were often at odds with each other.

Their story played out on the European stage during a period of political
upheaval and new political ideas.

Along the way, Juliette would have to face the testy Emperor, and she would
find that his own brother would fall for her. Even some of Napoleon's 
greatest enemies would woo her. 






My Review

This is a very interesting read about Napoleon Bonaparte written in the
typical style of the author. 

If I learned new things about the French Emperor? No, but it was easy reading 
and very structured, which I like. 

This is a fantastic work for people who want to know more about 
Napoleon Bonaparte and Juliette Recamier. 

That's why I want to give a 5 star rating for this work. 





The Author


Geri Walton has long been fascinated by history and the people who create it.
After a long career in technical writing and publishing in the computer
industry, Geri returned to history as her first love. She worked on several different
books, articles and blog ideas. She started her current blog in 2013. 


Kobo plus


I'm able read all Geri Walton's interesting books via Kobo plus subscription, which
is like the Kindle reader from Amazon but very popular in The Netherlands and
Belgium. 

Thursday 10 June 2021

Bookreview: Ark Of The Apocalypse

 A fantastic read!


Summary

Earth is on the verge of becoming a dead planet.

The polar ice caps melted long ago, and it's been decades since the last raindrop fell.
Ocean levels rise a dozen meters, and forest fires rage on a global scale. Eleven billion
people dying of thirst wage water wars against each other as extinction looms.

Humanity needs a new planet. As Earth deteriorates, the nation states desperately work
together to build a mechanism for recolonization. And so the Magellan II is born, the
first starship capable of interstellar travel.

The future of the human race is tasked to ten thousand colonists-now homeless but for
the vastness of space and the decks of Magellan II. A distant planet offers hope of 
survival, but it's a strange watery world inhabited by giant reptiles. 

Humanity is starting over, but survival isn't guaranteed. 



My Review

What a wonderful book cover! 

As soon as I started reading this book, the story flows. It is a splendid mix of fantasy,
science and history. 

The places and characters were a bit complicated to know but anyway a truly fantastic
read!

I recommend this book to all fantasy lovers. I give with pleasure a 5 star rating. 

The Author

Author Tobin Marks is a world traveller who grew up in a household of rocket scientists. 
As a boy he had a front row seat observing many NASA and NOAA projects. 

Booktasters

I received a free copy of  Ark Of The Apocalypse . Thank you very much Booktasters
and the author for this excellent reading chance! 

Sunday 6 June 2021

Bookreviews: Life beyond the castanets

My love affair With Spain 



A memoir as a memoir should be! 

Summary

With their life in Spain established, Jean and Adrian look forward to an idyllic
retirement. But when Mother Nature throws up formidable fires, floods and flu,
their dreams, along with much of their house are shattered. 

Life Beyond the Castanets is the second instalment of Jean Roberts's lighthearted
and uplifting tale in her Moving to Spain series. 



My review

Spain and Portugal are absolutely without any doubt my favourite countries, so 
a memoir about Spain always is a special treat for me.

As soon as I started reading this book, I wanted to continue. I was curious to read
all the author's adventures while living abroad. 

I really enjoyed the book, as the author tells a very personally story. She also made
excellent descriptions of events, places and people. 

I certainly would recommend "Life beyond the castanets" to everyone who is
interested in traveling or moving to Spain. 

With lots of pleasure I want to give a 5 star rating to "Life beyond the castanets". 



The Author


Jean Roberts is a reitred social worker and a cautiously negative optimist. She is 
married with two grown-up children and a small tribe of grandchildren. She spends
her time between her home in Essex and her happy place in Spain.


We love memoirs


I received "Life beyond the castanets" as a free copy from the We love memoirs
group, the most friendliest group on Facebook.