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Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel: Book 8
July 1, 2010Cheap Ranger’s Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel: Book 8 Review
The Kings of Clonmel (2010) is the eighth Fantasy novel in the Ranger Apprentice series, following The Siege of Macindaw. In the previous volume, the Skandians went over the wall into the castle. Horace finally met Buttle in open combat. Keren fell out of a tower window.
While Alyss was in a trance, Will expressed his love for her. Then he was worried that she would reject him and she was not sure of what he said. So neither spoke of love at the time. But then Will received a letter from Alyss after returning to Seacliff fief.
In this novel, Will Treaty is a full Ranger of Araluen stationed in Seacliff fief. He and Alyss have fallen in love.
Alyss Mainwaring is a Courier. She was raised with Will and loves the Ranger.
Halt is Will’s mentor. Although Will now has his own fief, he still considers himself as Halt’s apprentice.
Horace is the Oakleaf Knight, a prodigal with a sword. He has known Will and Alyss since early childhood. He has also assisted Halt in several missions.
In this story, Will and Gilan are going to the annual Gathering. They are among the first to arrive, but Halt is not there. Crowley tells them that Halt has another mission.
After the Gathering, Crowley tells Will about plans to start a Special Task Group under Halt. Will would transfer back to Redmont Fief and become Halt’s assistant. And Horace would be part of the Group. Gilan — recently transferred to Whitby fief nearby — would take care of both fiefs if Halt and Will went elsewhere on a mission.
Naturally, Will accepts the reassignment. The chance to be near Alyss is too good to refuse. And Will has definitely enjoyed missions with Halt and Horace.
Meanwhile, Halt has left Araluen to go to Selsey, a nearby fishermen’s village on the sea coast. A religious organization has appeared there and Halt thinks them to be very much like the Outsiders group he has encountered in the past. They had pretended to be priests and acolytes of the god Alseiass and had solicited gold and other valuables to turn aside threats from another god.
Sure enough, the religious group is from the Outsiders. Some of them are staying in the background and committing crimes against property and persons. Then their leader is offering to drive away the bandits if their god is sufficiently awarded.
Hurt foils that plan and takes a prisoner back to Redmont. There he joins Will and Crowley for dinner at the inn. After dining, Halt tells them what he had learned and the first mission of the Special Task Group begins.
Halt now knows that the main organization is working in Hibernia. They have already taken control of five of the six kingdoms and are working in Clonmel. It just happens that the King of Clonmel is Halt’s twin brother.
Halt, Will and Horace travel to Selsey and get a lift on a fishing boat to the Hibernian coast. After unloading their horses and gear, they head toward Dun Kilty, the King’s castle. They pass through Craikennis and learn of a raid in nearby Duffy’s Ford.
They also learn of a religious group at Mountshannon that is probably Outsiders. Halt sends Will to Duffy’s Ford to track the raiders to their hideout. Halt and Horace go toward Mountshannon.
This tale involves the Rangers and Horace in political maneuvering in Clonmel. The Outsiders have turned most of the populace against their king. So Halt plans to restore their loyalty to the throne.
This story has many surprises. The next installment is Halt’s Peril. Read and enjoy!
Highly recommended for Flanagan fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, political intrigue, and personal courage.
-Arthur W. Jordin
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
June 28, 2010Cheap The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism Review
In its hardcover edition, THE REASON FOR GOD landed on the New York Times bestseller list. That in itself tells you that someone is noticing. And it helps that author Timothy Keller is founder and pastor of a church in Manhattan. In 20 years — without a lot of “bells and whistles” — the Presbyterian congregation has grown to encompass more than 5,000 worshipers, primarily young adults who gather for something more than “Sunday entertainment.”
There are similarities between Keller’s traditional church and his book. The outside package doesn’t picture or promise lush scenery. A friend of mine who has made her living in publishing/marketing took one look at the no-nonsense cover (black and silvery block-type on a white background) and said, “Somebody took a risk on that.” Open the book and read, and the prose prompts a moderately challenging intellectual workout. No graduate degree is needed — just the ability to stay with an argument as it builds. This isn’t light reading, but neither is it slow-slogging or boring; it is engaging, thought-provoking and inspiring. It’s a book with an index and 40 pages of endnotes, citing skeptics, scientists, historians, fiction writers, essayists, theologians, contemporary musicians and more.
Keller’s introduction is the most personal part of the book, in which he briefly summarizes his personal faith journey. He had been raised in a “mainline Lutheran church,” but in college he encountered “three barriers that lay across [his] path,” categorized as intellectual (”I was confronted with a host of tough questions about Christianity”), personal (”faith-journeys are never simply intellectual exercises”), and social, referring to social justice issues (”I desperately needed to find a…group of Christians who had a concern for justice in the world but who grounded it in the nature of God rather than in their own subjective feelings”).
Keller presents his apology/defense of God in two parts. The first half of the book, “The Leap of Doubt,” walks through objections to faith. Most of these are not simply objections to the existence of a supernatural being but specifically to God as understood in or presented by Christianity as is evident from chapter titles, including “The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice”, “Science Has Disproved Christianity” and “Christianity Is a Straitjacket.” Addressing point after point, he gives a reasoned and reasonable defense, gently countering excessively negative stereotypes of the faith.
The second half of the book, “The Reasons for Faith,” lays out Christianity’s basic gospel-good news. Here he tackles, among other topics, “The Problem of Sin,” “The Knowledge of God” and “The (True) Story of the Cross.”
Keller has written a book that presents a basis for belief even as it welcomes doubt and doubters. He isn’t banging his readers over the head with “shoulds” and “oughts” but draws them to a deeper awareness of the God he knows and loves.
— Reviewed by Evelyn Bence
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
June 26, 2010Cheap To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) Review
Excellent, tremendous, great, what praise can be said that haven’t been said time and again.
I have read about a 1,000 books and “To Kill a Mockingbird” is the reason that I will rate many a great book will only 4 stars.
I have no idea who could play the part of Atticus Finch in a remake but, Mayella Ewell could be played by Paris Hilton.
Either way get a copy and read it, take if from an avid reader this is some good stuff.
One Good Dog
May 5, 2010Cheap One Good Dog Review
I cannot recommend this book enough. The book is good, and the writing style of the author fantastic. As an added bonus, the story takes place in Boston, and as a former resident of that great city, I can relate immensely with many of locations described in the book.
The story is really two stories. Half of the book details our hero Adam March’s rise and fall within corporate America. Without giving anything anyway, Adam suffers a nervous breakdown at work which results in him losing his job. This starts a cascade of events that eventually results in Adam losing everything. The rest of this story chronicles his comeback from the abyss, as well as offering glimpses into his background that explain the reason why he is who is.
The other half of the story is told from from the perspective of a Pitt bull who started his life out as dog fighter. He is eventually rescued, and adopted by Adam March. The rest of the story chronicles the bonding process between this dog and Adam in beautiful detail. As a dog owner and animal lover, I found everything that the author described as far as the dog’s thinking to be extremely believable, and not unreasonable.
In short, this story was extremely moving, and I found myself tearing up at several points in the book. I have a few key takeaways after reading this story – (1) Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Pitt bulls are great dogs, and I think if you are able and in the market for a great dog, you should consider taking one of these guys into your home, and (2) dog fighting is abomination, and those engaged in this practice should be thrown in prison for life.
Poor Little Bitch Girl
May 4, 2010Cheap Poor Little Bitch Girl Review
Unlike her previous recent books I enjoyed this one and it was like reading her old stuff&you know the good stuff such as The Lucky Saga {except drop dead beauiful }& the books with Madison & Hollywood Wives Hollywood Divorces it’s that good so if you thinking of not reading this one because of her poor work in Lovers & Players Married Lovers & Drop Dead BEAUTIFUL I suggest you give this one a try hopefully the next one will live up to this one or hopefully even better 
Edge of Apocalypse (End Series, The)
April 28, 2010Cheap Edge of Apocalypse (End Series, The) Review
Joshua Jordan was a hero taking unbelievable chances with his life for the country he loved. When he retired from field work he became a weapon designer trying to still protect the United States from threats outside and inside the nation. In the Atlantic, a North Korean boat has nuclear missiles aboard. Due to failed communication with his superiors at home, the admiral launches the weapons a
Two of the missiles head towards New York City; Jordan has minutes to activate the Return to Sender laser guidance system that sends a missile back to its launch site. The counter operation proves successful, but the media questions the consequences while the White House and Senate demand he turn over the Return to Sender system to Senator Stratworth and his committee. When he refuses to give it to anyone outside of the Pentagon as he fears anyone else will sell it for oil and credit. The President and Congress use the media to go after Joshua. Joshua soon learns he might be a target as Iran, North Korea and Russia as well as allies want the system and will go to any length to get it.
Taking place in the near future in which America is short on cash as a new growing dust bowl threatens Midwest agriculture, corruption permeates the government, Joshua and two secret cabals try to bring back the country to what is once was. Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall provides readers with an exciting thriller as the United Sates is on the Edge of Apocalypse while the hero must deal with the possibility of biblical Armageddon and saving his nation.
Harriet Klausner
Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, Book 2)
April 15, 2010Cheap Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, Book 2) Review
Dragonfly in Amber is the second book in the Outlander series. It’s now 1968 and Claire returns to Scotland with her daughter, Brianna. This is Claire’s first trip back to Scotland since her and her husband Frank visited 22 years earlier. Frank just passed away and Claire wants to learn what happened to Jamie Fraser, whom she married on her journey into the 18th century. Claire hopes Brianna will believe her story about who her real father is. The majority of the book consists of the second half of Claire and Jamie’s adventures in the 18th century. After escaping a death, they flee to Paris, where they secretly work to foiling Bonnie Prince Charlie’s plot to regain the Scottish throne.
I was concerned how Gabaldon would retain the Outlander plot in the second book without becoming cheesy. In Dragonfly in Amber Diana Gabaldon was able to preserve the travel between the 1900’s and the 1700’s without awkward story transitions. I enjoyed the character development in Dragonfly in Amber and I’m looking forward to Voyager, the third book in the series.
The Lovely Bones
April 13, 2010Cheap The Lovely Bones Review
get ready to read the most amazing book ever! This book will blow your mind away! This book will show you how life can be so short, and how you don’t appreciate people that is around you until u cant be with them.
The story starts with Susie. She’s a normal girl, living life, going to school, and just being with the people who make her happy. Everything for her and her family gets worst when she is murder by her next door neighbor. As she sees her family go through pain and trouble without her, she tells us the story from the heavens above. She encounters people in heaven whom she becomes very close to as to family from earth who have died like her grandpa and their family dog. As the years go by, she realizes that sometimes we don’t want things to happen, because we want them to last long, but once the problem is done, there’s nothing to make everything go back to normal.
Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories
April 10, 2010Cheap Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories Review
I’m excited to get this cookbook. I was especially interested in the different drink recipes in it. Smoothies and such. I like that it has a variety of food items in it, as well. I’m involved with Weight Watcher’s and appreciate the fact that the author works in conjunction with this program.