"Z Plan: Blood On The Sand" By Mikhail Lerma

Mikhail Lerma reached out to us about this book since I love zombie stories and gave me an ebook copy to read. 

Summary: Cale is an American soldier stationed in Iraq. He is part of a supply crew that mans and defends convoys as they move shipments around the country. It's not considered a front line unit, but in the messy battlefield that is Iraq, no one is out of danger. Cale and his friends are on base when orders are given to initiate a communications blackout and eventually a total lockdown.

Nervous, the soldiers find themselves defending the base from an unidentified enemy that is intent on killing and eating them. The chain of command falls apart and every soldier is left to make their own decisions. Cale and some others decide they need to get to home and begin moving west.

Cale is a determined survivalist, trying to get home and to help his companions along the way. He is easy to like, and I would definitely choose him as a partner during the apocalypse. 

What I Liked: Lerma started writing this book when he was deployed in Iraq and has the perspective to write how an individual soldier might be introduced to the zombie apocalypse. I really liked the plot of the book, following Cale on  his series of adventures, working toward his ultimate goal.

What I Didn't Like: This book is Lerma's first novel and there is some room for improvement.

Rating: Recommended. I plan to read the next two books in the series.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Fool Moon" by Jim Butcher

I'm not going to lie.... I've been putting off book #2 of the Dresden Files for over a year.  I think it's because I don't want to like the series.  My husband and his band of merry gamers love the Dresden Files and I feel like if I add them to the list of books I enjoy it'll push me over the edge from somewhat cranky loner to full on geek myself.  And I really don't want to fall into that category.  I watch too much reality TV for that.

But pick up "Fool Moon" I did, and I fear there's no going back.

image via goodreads

Summary:   When a series of gruesome unexplained murders occurs in Chicago, Lt. Karrin Murphy knows there's only one wizard to call:  Harry Dresden.  And not just because he's the only self-acknowledged wizard in the United States.  Dresden is pulled onto the scene of a brutal and bloody murder with almost no evidence, except a large wolf paw by the body.  Harry uses his knowledge of the arcane, his talking skull Bob and information from an overly friendly demon to learn who the likely culprit may be...and where they may strike next.

My Thoughts:  The reason I read the Dresden series isn't to think all that much about what I'm reading.  It read them to be entertained, pure and simple, and Fool Moon does the trick.

Fool Moon begins with Harry dining with a younger colleague in the local wizard bar.  She asks him for help on something complex and dangerous, and his inner white knight refuses to help her--what she's asking is dangerous and above her skill level.  Harry's choice ends up in her dismemberment and sets Harry on a path to his inevitable near doom.  (Don't worry, reader, this seems to happen every book and to my knowledge the series is still going strong.)  What follows next is the epitome of entertainment - gruesome murders, hilarious encounters with Bob the skull, more insight into Dresden's own past, and an action packed who-dunnit that keeps the reader guessing til the end.

Rating:  A nice installment in the series.

Also Read By:
     Tami:  Storm Front 
     Nick:  Skin Game

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Ender in Exile" by Orson Scott Card

This book is part of the Ender's Game series and as I have read the first five books plus the parallel Ender's Shadow series, I figured it would be worth my time. I listened to this as an audiobook on my phone.

Summary: At the end of Ender's Game we get something of a denouement in which humans colonize the old bugger worlds and a few satisfying details wrap up the story. In this new volume, the last couple chapters of Ender's Game are expanded greatly. We get to see Ender dealing with his new status as the most honored and most feared human in existence, loved and spurned by the masses. We get to see what life is like on the second wave of colony ships as they rush to their new homes and trail blaze a new political path as people begin to live light years away from each other. This is the first time civilians have had to deal with the realities of relativistic speeds compounded with the technology of cryogenic freezing makes for some interesting problems with ages and seniority.

We also get a glimpse into the world of Peter and Bean who are the stars of Ender's Shadow. If you loved that parallel series, there is some material in this book you might be interested in.

What I Liked: Ender gains some insights as to how he really won the war against the buggers and does a lot of reflection. This book is the denouement readers needed after the intensity of the first book.

What I Didn't Like: Honestly, this book was boring. I listened to it as an audiobook which means I did not have to do anything to keep up a good pace. There is very little action, even non-violent action. What builds the tension is finding out what doesn't happen.

Rating: Not the best of the series, but if you have already read most of them, it answers a lot of questions.

Also Read by this Author: Ender's Game, Speaker For the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Shadow's in Flight, The Memory of Earth, The Call of Earth, The Ships of Earth, Earthfall.

Reviewed by: Nick

Great Books for Babies [0 to 12 months]

Reading to babies is important - it provides cuddle time with caregivers, helps expose baby to new vocabulary and maybe, just maybe, encourages them to sit still for a few minutes. (But maybe that's just wishful thinking)

Good Books for babies have engaging pictures, fun stories and are quick enough to pass the wiggle test.  Great books for babies are all of the above, and make the parents laugh.

Check out my favorite five books for babies 0 - 12 months below:

[01] The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee

A satirical (and hilarious) look at the similarities between the new baby and the workplace boss.  Hilarious situations, clever pictures, and short enough to pass the wiggle test.

[02] Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker - Rees

A wise cricket reminds Gerald to be brave and embrace his unique style.  Elegant rhymes, colorful pictures and a great lesson for kids of all ages.

[03] Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon

Penguin learns that the love of friendship can survive any distance.  Part of the "Penguin" series.  A bit longer with a heartwarming twist and endearing characters.

[04] Hush Little Monster by Denis Markell

Find out what Papa Monster sings to his fuzzy green headed son as he prepares for bed.  A parody of the classic "Hush Little Baby".

[05] This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

When fish steals a hat, he gets more than he bargained for.  A clever book parents will enjoy reading 80 times in a row.

Note: All book cover images courtesy of Goodreads.com

"The Liar" by Nora Roberts

Oh Miz Roberts.  You do it again.


Summary:  The first time Shelby fell in love, she was young.  Her whirlwind marriage to the rich and handsome stranger swept her off her feet and into a world of glitter, glamour and privilege.  Until he died in a freak boating accident that left her and their small daughter alone and unsure of how to move ahead with their lives.  But her husband's death wasn't the worst thing that happened.  As Shelby begins to recover from her husband's loss and begins looking into managing her own future (or "adulting" as I like to call it) she learns that her husband wasn't who he appeared to be, that her very marriage was a sham, and that cleaning up someone else's lies is more expensive than she could have ever dreamed.

My Thoughts:  I imagine writing Contemporary Romance is incredibly hard.  Or maybe it's just hard to write a good Contemporary Romance.  And near impossible to write a Contemporary Romance that is good and that I also like.  Unless, of course, you're Nora Roberts.  Nora (as I call her in my head.  Lord knows if I bumped into her in the street I'd call her Goddess of All Things Romance.  Or just stand there mouth agape and beet red.  But I digress.) knows how to write a strong heroine that can still fall head over heels in love---without losing an inch of herself.  In fact, that's why I enjoyed "The Liar" so much more than I expected.

I can appreciate Nora's set up for the romance between Shelby and Griff.  The first time Shelby fell in love, she was consumed by her husband's overpowering personality.  She wore her hair how he preferred, she lost touch with her friends and family, and she let him run her (and her life) until she was little more than a trophy.  And she was horribly burned because of it. Shelby lost herself and paid the price for trading herself for a man.

Shelby has to build her life, and her self, back up from scratch on her own merits.  She's smart enough to swallow her pride (and this I can admire, as I'm not sure I could do it) and move home to her family, who she knows still love her even after she cut them from her life.  What I like best about Shelby's phoenix moment is that while Shelby is brought low, she relies on her family - and herself- to rebuild her life into something of which she can be proud.

If I had to pick out one flaw in the book (and its not so much a flaw for me, but may be for others) is that I found Shelby's fall and rebirth far more compelling than the love story.  Don't get me wrong, the love story was sweet, romantic and honest....but also very familiar to the avid romance reader.

There were also some resemblances to the In the Garden trilogy that might turn some readers off.  (Not me...I hadn't yet read the trilogy so the similarities weren't apparent until after I'd read the earlier trilogy.)  The biggest similarity was between Shelby and Roz Ashby's scoundrel ex-husbands.  They were both liars, cheats, and out to get their ex-wives.  I actually had a moment where I wondered if they were the same guy.

Rating:  I'd read it again.  (And probably will.)


Also Read By This Author:  I've read almost all of Roberts' catalog, which you can find at her website.  You can check my other reviews on Robert's books by searching for Nora Roberts in the quick search on the right hand side of the page, or by clicking individual links here:  Shadow Spell   |   Dark Witch   |   Thankless in Death   |   Concealed in Death  |  The Collector  |  Blood Magick  |  Blue Dahilia

Reviewed By:  Tami 

"Death or Glory" by Sandy Mitchell

As I have started reading the Ciaphas Cain series, here is the forth installment. 

Summary: This adventure follows our anti-hero Commissar Cain as he is lost and confused behind enemy lines. His unit is sent to a planet infested by an ork invasion. As the transport ships enter the star system, they are attacked by ork vessels. Cain's ship is damaged and in a desperate attempt to avoid death, Cain dives into a lifepod. He and Jurgen spend weeks alone in the tiny craft as the fly toward the battle.

They crash in the middle of a desert with little idea where they are, much less where their unit landed. The first inhabitants they meet are orks on patrol and they work to get their bearings. Cain, eager to regain the protection afforded by his unit, is determined to get out of ork territory. He and Jurgen slowly but surely collect supplies and rally together human survivors in the wasteland so that they can punch through the enemy lines.

We see in this book Cain's skill with civilians more than with soldiers as is typical in the previous books. We also see humans using a lot of ork technology in order to get through it all. 

What I Liked: This is classic Cain, with lots of decisions between Bad and Worse. There is just the right amount of suspense and hope mixed to make it satisfying read.

What I Didn't Like: Of the four Cain books I have read, this was the least exciting. It's a lot of battles and not a lot of investigation. I recall the earlier books having a lot more analysis of the situation, trying to find the traitor and such. In this book the lines are clear, and all that remains is fighting, which I don't find so interesting.

Rating: This is my least favorite book so far in a great series. Hopefully the next books will be better.

Also Read by this Author: Scourge The Heritic, Innocence Proves Nothing, The Traitor's Hand, Caves of Ice, For the Emperor.
A side note, Sandy Mitchell is a pseudonym for Alex Stewart.

Reviewed by: Nick

Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts

I didn't always read only Nora Roberts...but it sure seems like it now.  Ever since my son was born last August, I've been drawn to books that are quick reads, are easy to pick up and put down (repeatedly) and have happy endings.  So Ms. Roberts is a natural choice.  I'm sure the variety of books I read will pick up some day, when I spend less time changing diapers and more time on myself.

Image via Barnes & Noble

Summary:  Stella is a single mother of two active and adorable boys.  After the tragic and unexpected death of her husband, she finds herself at a loss and looking for a fresh start.  She decides to move back home to Tennessee and sets up an interview to manage a local garden center, In the Garden.  The interview with the owner, the formidable Rosalind Harper, goes well and soon Stella finds herself and her two boys moving into Rosalind's estate, Harper House.  Stella jumps head first into her job and soon finds herself pitted against In the Garden's hunky and grumpy landscape designer.  Soon Stella finds herself not only learning a new job in a new city, but working on a decades old murder mystery and falling in love.

My Thoughts:  I would like this book for the throwback 2004 references alone, but there's more to like about this book than Britney references and early 2000s slang.  (Although they are glorious.)

What I liked most about this story, and what I feel is a running theme throughout Robert's work, is the the sense of contentedness about the characters.  The main characters like their jobs, love their families and are just overall happy with life.

Of course, they never start out that way.  Blue Dahlia in particular starts out with an average woman (finally!) just trying to keep it together after a horrible tragedy.  She has bills and kids and struggles a bit trying to figure out the best and right thing to do for her family.  I can relate to that, and think many other people can as well.  The reader roots for Stella, so when the hunky and grumpy Logan peaks Stella's romantic interest, you root for her.  And you know Stella can handle Logan, because hello, she can handle her job and her kids and still have time to take her dog Parker out on a walk.

Of course, then Stella finds her dream job to which she is passionate and well suited, with an awesome and understanding  boss, gets to live in an (albeit haunted) awesomely historical and grand house with a great commute, reliable child care and someone to cook all her meals, all the while falling desperately in love with a big ole' hunk of man with a steady paycheck and his own place.  And if you're like me, you feel a tiny bit irritated that Stella has great skin, a collection of designer shoes and doesn't have to sit in rush hour.

But maybe that's just me.

Rating:  This was a good book, and a perfect read for spring time.  It got me excited about yard work for a good hour, until I realized how much I dislike bugs and dirt.

Also Read By:  I've read almost all of Robert's catalog, which you can find at her website.  You can check my other reviews on Robert's books by searching for Nora Roberts in the quick search on the right hand side of the page, or by clicking individual links here:  Shadow Spell   |   Dark Witch   |   Thankless in Death   |   Concealed in Death  |  The Collector  |  Blood Magick

Reviewed By:  Tami

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman

Well, when I saw this audio book at the library I had forgotten that Tami had already written a review, but this book is new to me, and so I wanted to write my own review.  Ah, well. Neil Gaiman has a very good reputation among certain reading circles that I know. He is guaranteed to provide quality writing and creative storytelling. 

Summary: This book is presented as a man trying to recount his childhood on a rural road with some interesting neighbors, the Hempstocks. The tale starts with the family renting out a room and one of the tenants dying. This leads to a series of supernatural events that involve a spirit that goes around giving people what they want with disastrous results.

Much of the story has the next tenant, Ursula Munkton, as something of a villain. She seduces the boy's father and controls their lives. Much of the boy's problems come directly from Ursula.

Lettie Hempstock is a young girl living with her mother and grandmother. The three of them know more about the universe than they let on, with only hints sprinkled about the story. Lettie helps the boy with his problems and that forms the bulk of the book.  

What I Liked: This story is written almost in the style of magical realism where the world is presented as normal, but normal has a broader definition in the book than for we in the real world. This is partly because the main character is a child who is still getting oriented in the universe and asks questions more out of curiosity than disbelief.

What I Didn't Like: This is a forgettable story, for the most part. I couldn't write this review without reading a synopsis first, which I find surprising.

Rating: Entertaining.

Also Read by this Author: The Graveyard Book.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Factory Girls" by Leslie Chang

I heard this book mentioned in a discussion about the modern economy and then saw it on the library shelves.

Summary: Leslie Chang is an American journalist who spent several years conducting interviews in China. The main focus of this book is on the rise of factories and the migrant workers who fill them. She interviews several workers and a few of them maintain contact over the years even as they change cities and industries. Chang goes into detail regarding their working conditions and their social lives. She tours the various places of their lives, including taking a trip back to the farm from which one of the migrants was born. She highlights the ups and downs, including how most migrants seem to see factory work as an opportunity to rise economically. They are constantly improving skills and jumping from job to job, hoping to make it big. Chang also talks about the control that the factories have over workers, including deciding where they sleep, how many hours they work and even if they are allowed to collect their last paycheck.

Chang also takes the time to explore her own past and contrast it with the workers. Chang's great-grandfather was regionally powerful before the communist revolution. He was a government official and lived in a large compound, and controlling a large amount of land. Her grandfather was an important mining engineer during the Japanese invasion and eventually assassinated during the cultural revolution. Her family moved to the United States and Chang sees similarities in her personal migrant story and the girls who work the factories.


What I Liked: This is a good long perspective on the changes in China without feeling like a defense of any particular argument. She reports what she finds and lets the reader draw their own conclusions. This is the most comprehensive book I have read on China and I found it enlightening.

What I Didn't Like: Even though she compares the two themes of the factories and her family, it still felt like maybe they should have been two different books.

Rating: Recommended.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion

I've had "The Rosie Project" on my to-read list since it came out.  I came across it on a new release newsletter published by my local library and thought it sounded good, so I put in a request.  When my turn eventually came, I wasn't able to get to it before it was due and returned it unopened.  Repeat five or six times and eventually I got tired of the process and just read it.  I'm so glad I did!

Summary:  Don Tillman is a genius in everything except social skills.  So when he gets it in his head that it's time to get married, he goes about the process as any genius would: he creates a 16 page questionnaire to filter out the smokers, the drinkers and the perpetually late.  Don's survey, dubbed "The Wife Project," is intended to help him find his perfect match without wasting a bunch of time.

When his first candidate appears at his office door, Don is flabbergasted by what he finds.  Rosie couldn't have possibly completed the questionnaire in a compatible manner and is completely unsuitable.  But after spending time with her, Don finds an excuse to see her again.  And against all logic, see her again.  Soon Don is finding excuses to see Rosie every chance he can get until "The Rosie Project" begins and Don's life changes forever.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book for a lot of reasons.  The characters are all interesting and charismatic.  Don drove me absolutely nuts in an endearing, charming, immensely likable way.  Rosie was as real as it gets and stayed true throughout the book.  Gene was over-the-top, a little sad, but loyal to his friend.  The interactions between Don and Gene and Don and Rosie felt genuine and natural in a way that was totally believable.

The plot of the book was complex, fascinating and had me on my the edge of my seat with questions as the story progressed:  Who is Rosie's real dad?  Will Done realize that Rosie's a great catch?  Will Rosie realize that Don's not so bad?  Did Gene have a thing with Rosie? What is Gene going to do next?  I particularly enjoyed reading about Don's fascinating life.  As someone (a little) obsessed with charts, timelines and spreadsheets, I found Don's minute by minute schedules completely fascinating and weird and glorious.  I loved watching Don adapt to change and grow throughout the book as he came to realize that not everything can be planned ahead.

And the best part.....the ending.  But you'll have to read the book to see why.

Rating:  I'll read this again, and I just requested the sequel from the library.

Also Read By:  Nothing.,...yet!

Reviewed By:  Tami